From the Vault: Amanda and Andrew

This spectacular wedding was in July of 2007 at the bride's family farm in Central Pennsylvania. It was a "destination wedding" of sorts because few of the 250 guests lived nearby and so we worked with the bride and groom to create an entire weekend of wedding events. The rehearsal dinner and Sunday brunch were, to date, some of the most amazing non-wedding events we've been a part of. Friday night was a lobster bake (I am sorry that I don't have a photo of the killer ceiling treatment we did with fishing nets, shells and hanging candles) and Sunday morning was a Jazz brunch, complete with a full Dixieland band and dancing!

But, this wedding was a stand-out for so many reasons. First and foremost, there couldn't be a more gorgeous setting: 200 acres of farm land with rolling hills as the backdrop to a sweet pond with a charming dock. My clients took enormous pride in the property and put in tons of work on the landscaping prior to the wedding to insure that the land we were using for the wedding was in pristine condition.

There were so many moving parts at this wedding, I can barely skim the surface, but suffice it to say, it took a village to facilitate this beautiful event. I was so fortunate to be able to bring with me some of my A-team vendors from New York and around Pennsylvania so I knew I had the support I needed to pull it off. The gods were also on my side that weekend and the weather was absolutely perfect - which is a good thing because the distance of more than a football field separated each of the tents for ceremony, cocktails, dinner and after party.

Just a few design notes: first, the design for the dinner tent came entirely from a dirty cocktail napkin the bride gave me at our first meeting. She said she loved the colors and the feel of the napkin - it just goes to show you that design inspiration can come from anywhere! Second, we used more different plates at this wedding than the last five of my weddings combined. The bride and her mom selected a different plate to match each course - and even different plates for each of the cocktail stations. I don't know if guests appreciated the thought that they put into it, but I certainly did! The caterer, on the other hand.... not so happy. Finally, as in all of my design projects, lighting was a key element for the decor at this wedding - but in some new ways. In addition to lighting the interior of the tents, we lit the treeline on the perimeter of the property to better define the site - it was just like a stunning frame on a beautiful picture - a great touch.



The rustic ceremony canopy positioned so that the lake would frame the wedding couple



The bridal party did photos on the adorable dock over the private lake



Escort cards were nestled in wheatgrass - out of the frame of this photo was the 4 foot tall tree dripping with strands of orchids



The tent before the sun set



The bridal party sat at a long feast table while the rest of the guests dined at square tables



The tent at night



After the sun set, this was the view from the dinner tent to the afterparty tent




The afterparty tent before the debauchery began

There were so many other fun details at this wedding, but hopefully just this little peek gives you a taste of what was possible in a big, empty field with a little imagination and a lot of heavy lifting!

Photos by Guy Cali