Simple and sweet, this darling day is everything you want in a wedding. Think a breathtaking location, mouth-waterting food and an entire group of awesome friends and family hiking through the gorgeous hills to help you celebrate “I do.” It’s what we call absolute perfection, with an adorable bride and groom take center stage in all of the prettiness. See it all captured by Di Bezi Photography right here.
From the Groom… Sonja and I went away on a weekend trip to Hudson, NY, when we first started dating, and stumbled on an open house at a cheese maker on a farm in Ghent, NY. Several years later, after getting engaged during another weekend in Hudson, we arranged to rent the farm and its old barn; it’s called Twin Maple Farm, and the cheese produced there is called Hudson Red (among others). We both envisioned a rustic barn reception with food that draws from the farms and purveyors in the area. Sonja works as marketing and communications director for Alain Ducasse Enterprises, and I’m editor of foodrepublic.com, so food was an important part. We had noted chef Zakary Pellacio (now of the new Fish and Game in Hudson) roast a pig for the rehearsal dinner and he and his team cooked corn, vegetables and more from the late-summer bounty in the Hudson Valley. At the barn reception after the ceremony, which was held high on a hill atop the pasture, we enjoyed locally sourced grass-fed beef, vegetables, salads and more, with wines chosen by a sommelier friend who then worked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. For desserts, we eschewed cake and went with pies that also featured fruits and berries from the region.
From Di Bezi Photography… I just want to add to the above description by the groom. The weather on the wedding day was a little quirky with gray skies and spots of sunshine so it was difficult to determine whether rain would come or not. The location was breathtaking with vast rolling green hills and cattle grazing. The location was a special one for the couple and getting married outside among the beauty is why they chose the spot. Leading up a long path to the top of a hill were chairs and a table set up for ceremony along with the band, Baby Soda, playing street jazz music. Off to the side at the bottom of the hill was a stark white tent ready for ceremony in case of rain. The caterer, groom and I discussed whether to risk having the ceremony outside or in the tent, seemed such a shame not to be outdoors and from the looks of forecast, rain wasn’t set to arrive until later that evening, so with a little nudge the groom settled for outdoor, and so glad he did. The ceremony and location was breathtaking. The sky dramatic with spots of thick dark clouds dotted with sunshine. The cocktail hour and candid portraits were held outside with rain arriving well into reception. Turned out to be a perfect day for Sonja and Richard.
Photography: Di Bezi Photography | Band: Baby Soda | Venue: Twin Maple Farm | Chef: Zakary Pellacio