From this moment on, whenever I hear the phrase “seriously awesome wedding,” I will forever think of this gorgeous day captured by Cynthia Chung. Because this is a day that is the epitome of the word “awesome” with fab DIY details, a darling (+ very talented) duo and locally sourced goodness at every turn. Click here for so much more.
From Cynthia Chung… This wedding was a blast, a rocking couple from New York City, traveling upstate to get hitched. The bride (a painter) and the groom (a bass player in a band) managed to throw a wedding that completely integrated their style and personalities. It also included beer brewed straight from the groom himself and yes, RECYCLED metal for wedding rings! Oh, and their parents even wrote and sang a song for the couple!
From the Bride… Josh and I started taking trips up north together about four years ago. We both love upstate New York, and deciding on Hudson as our wedding location was easy. In planning, we only considered the elements of a wedding that meant something to us, and it made for a very personal, very intimate day. We rented a beautiful house in town for a week and welcomed eighty of our family and friends from all over the country. We sourced everything we could from local vendors, including food, and we wound up making a lot of what we served, gifted or used by hand, even our wedding invitations! When we couldn’t personally make it, we had it made for us. As an artist, it was important for me to have that kind of human involvement, and it was super important for us to support local businesses and artists alike.
A dear friend officiated our flash mob ceremony, which took place late morning in a town park across the street from our brunch venue. Musician friends followed us up from New York City and performed a piece written by Josh for the occasion titled “Us”. Our friends also played for our jazz brunch set inside a great bar and restaurant called the Red Dot immediately following the ceremony. It was the perfect venue for us: artsy, off-centered, and free from drama. We decorated the space with a few chalkboard signs that we made at home, a couple vases of dried lavender from a local farm (that also doubled as the flowers in the ceremony, including my bouquet), and we let the natural ambiance of the Red Dot do the rest. The boys’ boutonnieres complimented the dried lavender nicely, as they were made from dried flowers as well. Remaining simple and practical, we asked our wedding party to wear something black from their closet, as it was important for us to see our guys and gals comfortable and looking like themselves. (We did, however, buy our two guys very cool skinny ties… we couldn’t resist.)
The key to our visual aesthetic was that nothing matched. We didn’t have “colors,” we had style. And included in that style was homebrew, naturally. Josh brewed all of the beer for our reception, and he also made a magnetic chalkboard to hold the bottle cap magnets he presented as favors. In addition to the magnets, we made donations on behalf of our guests to two NYC organizations that are important to us: KittyKind and Just Food. Even the idea of a wedding cake felt excessive to us, so we ordered homemade cupcakes from a local artisan starting her business in Hudson, and they were delicious. Our rings were also locally made, crafted in recycled palladium by an artist just north of the city. Rounding out our circle of local, unique and talented service providers was Cynthia Chung, our photographer. From the beginning, we wanted someone to capture our wedding, documenting natural, candid moments. We wanted someone who saw color and shapes, not just a bride and groom. We wanted an artist AND a photographer, and in Cynthia we found what we were looking for.
Photography: Cynthia Chung Photography | Floral Design: North Winds Lavender Farm | Cupcakes: Ashlee's Sweet Treats | Rings: Artifactum Design | Favors: KittyKind | Favors: Just Food | Venue: The Red Dot