A French Inspired Fall Wedding in New England at Glen Manor House

We wanted to create a French-inspired Fall wedding set against the picturesque backdrop of New England for this editorial. We aimed to capture the essence of autumn with sophisticated and warm colors, evoking the romantic and elegant ambiance of a classic French celebration. By incorporating elements such as a welcome party, we wanted to illustrate the full experience of a wedding weekend.

The venue for our editorial was the exquisite Glen Manor House in Portsmouth, RI, just outside of Newport. This historic mansion, with its French-style architecture and beautifully landscaped gardens, provided the perfect setting for our French-inspired theme.

All of the bridal looks were designed by London-based designer, Mara Marie Bridal, and were styled by The Boston Bridal Stylist, Lindsay Terranova. For the Welcome party, our bride wore Mara Marie Bridal’s classic COCO mini. This strapless little white dress is made from a gorgeous ivory tweed and features a corded lace hemline and a delicate bow on the bodice. For the ceremony, the bride wore Mara Marie Bridal’s IRENE gown. This gown is made from a gorgeous ivory mikado fabric. The gown features a semi-fitted silhouette with a horsehair hemline and a dramatic bow at the back. We paired it with a dramatic ruffle veil, also made by Mara Marie Bridal. For the reception look, our bride wore Mara Marie Bridal’s MOORE gown which is a modern strapless gown featuring a high to low hemline and hand draping detail on the bodice. The gown is made from an ultra-shiny satin, which makes it perfect for the dance floor. Both wedding day looks were styled with elegant diamond earrings designed by Cynthia Britt and crystal-embellished satin Jimmy Choo heels.

Our goal with the florals was to evoke a French chateau, fall-inspired feel, centered around the sun’s light, warmth, and the beauty of nature, with an unstructured and organic design style. To achieve this, we incorporated warm tones of gold, toffee, caramel, and rust, blending them with textural foliage, vines, and branches. This palette and style created the feeling of an overgrown fall garden, combining elegance, sophistication, whimsy, and a touch of wild beauty. The florals used were climbing garden roses, sweet pea, ranunculus, and lisianthus, complemented by epimedium leaves, foliage, branches, and plumosa fern. This mix added texture, movement, and dimension to each of the arrangements.

One of our favorite design element was undoubtedly the ceremony scene. Drawing inspiration from the sun, it was designed as a circular ceremony with radiating spokes emanating from the center. Another favorite design element was the unique seating chart. We wanted to bring out the romantic calm one gets when sitting to watch the sunrise with the love of their life. We also loved the dual functionality that the seating chart brought to the guest experience. Not only was it a way to tell guests where they'd be sitting but it could also be used as a photo op for guests!

Hire an amazing calligraphy and stationery designer! They are critical to bringing decor and guest experiences, like the interactive seating chart, to life.

Add ribbon to your reception napkins and table candles. They're an easy item to purchase online and assemble in advance of the wedding day. Arrange this with the rental company you hire to pick up a day or two before your wedding so you can add this special design element to your table settings.