There is nothing better than really seeing how much a bride enjoyed and appreciated her wedding. Becky and Dave’s happiness in their ceremony pictures is beyond obvious. And it is clear from reading about their day that they loved every minute. How perfect.
Becky & Dave | September 12, 2009 | Apple Barn Farm, Livingston, New York
How he proposed
I’m not one for grand public gestures, particularly when they involve intimate moments, so Dave wisely chose to do it at our apartment, without any ceremony, which was just perfect. We ate pizza and drank champagne.
The venue
We had our ceremony and reception at Apple Barn Farm, a working apple orchard and event space located in upstate New York’s Hudson Valley. Though we are city folk, we both love the country and really wanted a weekend-long celebration in a location that had a lot of natural beauty. This place had a lot going for it: It was rustic, but not so rustic that so we would be knee deep in mud if it rained. There were bathrooms. And because they’ve been hosting weddings there for the last several years, previous couples have left all sorts of great decorations and props behind for future couples to make use of, which really added a lot. Throw in hay rides, a fire pit, farm animals…and it was your perfect country setting.
The ceremony
Our ceremony was officiated by a close friend. We really valued having him throughout the process, from planning to standing up in front of everyone — when it really helped with the jitters. I would strongly recommend having someone you know/love/trust marry you. We didn’t have a wedding party, but were preceded down the aisle by both of our immediate families, including 6 nieces and nephews (who walked in with their parents, so there were no last minute meltdowns!). Our ceremony was mostly secular, but incorporated certain Jewish traditions that spoke to us. We wrote our vows together, and also spoke directly to each other, which was a real emotional high.
The reception
The reception was in the farm’s fabulous two-story barn. All of the decor was pretty rustic: seating cards on wood veneer, paper lanterns and luminaria, local and seasonal flowers in mason jars, pillar candles, burlap runners. The food was a really important part of the whole event to us, and we wanted to emphasize the local products from the region in our menu.
The cake, however, was not a particularly important part. We decided to have a “token” cake that we would cut for the ceremony of it, but then opted to serve seasonal fruit tarts, followed by apple cider donuts at a bonfire, instead. (We saved a lot of money this way, too).
What about the wedding dress made it the “the one”
I wasn’t even sure that I wanted a traditional wedding dress, but reluctantly decided to check out a sample sale at Saks. I wasn’t even sure I liked this one when I saw it on the hanger, but when I put it on, that was it. It was the perfect combination of elegant and playful and unique. You will know it when you find it.
Advice for other brides
Though it’s impossible not to sweat the small stuff while you’re planning, realize that you will be too blissed out to notice or care about any of it in the moment.
Make use of all the talent that’s to be found on etsy.com! If you can dream it, someone can make it!
Take 5 or 10 minutes immediately after your ceremony — before receiving lines or photos — to be with just each other and to savor what you’ve just experienced.
The momentBecky will never forget
How to pick just one? A few: Watching everyone arrive through the window of my dressing room; saying our vows; dancing our a**es off; our last dance, alone in the barn.
