How have I lived in Massachusetts for almost a decade and not known about this gorgeous estate in my own backyard!? The Mount is what I like to refer to as the perfect wedding venue – beyond beautiful but never taking away from the blushing Bride. EFD Creative – Event Planning & Design orchestrated this special celebration and Ruth Eileen captured it all for our Vault galleries. Get ready to get ideas aplenty – and don’t miss The Harris Company’s film below!
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From EFD Creative – Event Planning & Design… One of our favorite locations is the Berkshires, which is why we were so thrilled to be part of Isabella and Marcus’s wedding in Lenox, Massachusetts. The celebration took place in the original home of American author Edith Wharton. The historic mansion, known as The Mount was personally designed by the renowned author. The romantic and sweeping grounds offer a picturesque view from the patio of the 1900’s style country home. The couple’s ceremony and cocktail reception were set within the property’s perfectly manicured gardens and their guests were treated to an exquisite dinner on the patio. Friends and family danced the night away inside the mansion. The excitement and love that was present on the couple’s wedding day was palpable. Their wedding was one of our most memorable events of the summer!
From the Bride… Marcus and I met and fell in love in Boston when he was at Harvard and I was at Wellesley. We both grew up out in the country so we knew we wanted our wedding set somewhere surrounded by nature. After hearing about The Mount, on a lark we drove out to the Berkshires to see it for ourselves. Winding through the majestic woods as the great estate came into view, we knew we had found magic! From the gorgeous house set above rolling hills to the stairs cascading down to the shaded, formal lime walk, we felt like we had entered another world. The historical significance of Edith Wharton (renowned designer and first woman awarded a Pulitzer Prize in fiction) went perfectly with the theme I had in mind: powerful and elegant.
Finding my dress at first seemed impossible – nothing was quite right. At a madhouse trunk show of a favorite designer, Sottero-Midgley, I was ready to give up in despair when one of the designers offered to help. Instead of telling her what I wanted the dress to look like, I did my best to describe how I wanted to feel in it – and that I didn’t want it to overwhelm or be overly feminine. She went away and came back a few minutes later with what turned out to be the perfect dress. A priority for the bridesmaid dresses was that we wanted the bridesmaids to love them. The silver-sequined Sorella Vita dresses were a huge hit that matched the elegance and glamour of the estate and were the perfect counterpoint to my crystal-covered gown.
The overall palette ended up being a lot like my wardrobe: charcoal gray, silver, white, and blue. The blue was added through beautiful woven tablecloth linens, candle tapers, cocktail hour flowers, and ribbons. The flowers and flower girl dress added a touch of peach and warmth. Food tasting was by far the best experience of all the planning, and Mezze was amazing. They put on a phenomenal spread for us and even agreed to do mini tomato soup and grilled cheese appetizers. My biggest regret on the wedding day was that Marcus and I were too busy to eat much of the food, but the guests raved about it!
I worked closely with my mom on design decisions, trusting her to help turn my vision into reality. We had the good fortune to work with great vendors every step of the way. We found photographer Ruth Eileen on Style Me Pretty! We love her luminous, humble style. She was a joy to work with and we treasure the photos she captured. Singer Veronika Jokel was another favorite with her gorgeous voice and genuine friendliness – everyone loved her! Edna Dratch-Parker of EFD Creative, Crocus Hale Flowers, Julie Seitel Lighting, and Linda Stripp with Mezze Catering were consummate professionals. Videographers Harris and Company – a husband and wife team – were fantastic. And our hero among the vendors was Kasie Blanchette of EFD Creative. We could not have survived the process without her and we credit her for making sure that everything was in place for the day to unfold smoothly.
One of my favorite moments was right after the ceremony when Marcus and I went up to the house to have a moment alone before heading to the cocktail hour. What I wanted most from this day was for it to be powerfully full of meaning, and it was when we were alone for the first time as a married couple that I was able to let go of all the “doing” and experience the “being.” All the details and planning had been done to create an experience, and we were able to take a deep breath and take in the meaning of the day. The feedback from guests was that in spite of the glamour of the location, the wedding had a simplicity and seamlessness that allowed people to totally enjoy themselves. And we did too – it was a great day to be married and one I will never forget.
Photography: Ruth Eileen Photography | Videography: The Harris Company | Event Planning: EFD Creative - Event Planning & Design | Floral Design: Crocus Hale | Cake: Bean Counter Bakery | Invitations: Minted | Catering: Mezze Catering + Events | Lighting: Seitel Lighting | Favors: Little Match Girl | Transportation: Abbotts Limousine Livery Service | Transportation: Transport The People Limos | Wedding Venue: The Mount | Beauty: SEVEN salon.spa | Music: Veronica Jokel Music | Rentals: Rentals Unlimited | Rentals: Classical Tents