Mon 31st Jan, 2011

A beautiful country chic wedding

Laura and David's beautiful wedding took place on July 4th last Summer in New York, submitted by the lovely Kristina Hill.

Laura and David were introduced by Laura's best friend and college roommate, Cortney. Her mum was dating David’s dad at the time.

"They actually ended up getting married, so now Cortney is my step-sister in law!!! Funny how the world works out. He was living in Chicago when we first met so there was a lot of flying back and forth. We ended up moving to New York City soon after we started dating and have been in the Big Apple ever since.

"David proposed to me on a misty evening under the gas light fountain lanterns outside of City Hall Park in New York City on the evening of our sixth anniversary. He surprised me on one knee with a custom designed filigree ring and swept me away a few hours later to the airport for a trip to Aruba to celebrate their engagement. It was a magical evening and celebratory vacation."

I asked Laura about her vision for their wedding...

"For our wedding, we wanted to carry our family and friends away on a weekend of country bliss - filled with lush green surroundings, nature and fresh air. We wanted our guests to get out of New York City and enjoy a complete country chic experience. We started the weekend with a long hike in the Watkins Glenn State Park, which wound up and around the many awe-inspiring waterfalls and gorges of Ithaca, New York. The following day, we lead a wine tour through the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail and sampled some of the best wines the region had to offer.

We followed this up with a friendly match of croquet at the John Joseph Inn, where the gentlemen battled it out for not only bragging rights on the croquet course but for best croquet outfit. The wedding itself, despite a tornado warning, was set to take place outside, under the swaying trees and stars. Our goal was to create an evening of simple but elegant pleasures."

Brides dress and shoes

"David gave me the most beautiful earrings the night before the wedding that I wore during the wedding. And most special of all, my Mom gave me two stunning antique pins that belonged to my Nana to pin on my bouquet. It was as it she was there with me during the whole wedding."

Brides vintage earrings

Bride steaming dress

Mr and Mrs forks

Bride and groom getting ready

iphone wedding reminder

Wedding rings on rosemary

"I also created the strings of wooden flowers that were surrounding us when we were wed. The vision was to have flowers floating all around us. A needle and some fishing line was all I needed and viola. (ok and some sore fingers…haha). My dad and brother hung lanterns in the trees and above where we were married because they knew I just love the look of old antique lanterns populating the trees."

Paper roses and chairs

Wedding ceremony

"The dress was chosen with the help of my closest friends and suited the outside venue perfectly with its billowy nature. The florist, Monique, was onboard from the very beginning to create an environment that accented fresh herbs and greenery. I had a vision of using rosemary in everything and she pulled it together beautifully. She sourced vintage glasses and containers to house the table flowers and created an amazing piece filled with limes for the card table. I was so impressed!"

Brides bouquet and groom's buttonhole

Newly married couple

Bride and groom

"I cannot say enough flattering things about Kristina and her photography. She is simply amazing and has an eye for the beautiful that I admire greatly. We met a while back when I found her to photograph an event I was throwing for a corporate party and I have been amazed with her work ever since. She has since shot a few events for me as well as our engagement pictures and wedding weekend. Simply put, she is incredible!!!!"

Acoustic wedding band

"We hired the John Romey band to play the double bass during the ceremony and cocktail hour. He performed with a guitarist. They were amazing and were so kind to write a piece of music that I was inspired by to walk down the aisle to. They rocked out for our guests all during cocktail hour. They were great. David and some good friends created an amazing play list for the dancing part of the reception and they all DJ’ed themselves!"

Wedding reception flowers

LOVE sign

wedding party game

Bride and groom at wedding reception

Wedding cake

"Our wedding favours were local juices from the area. Since my business focuses on fresh and local food, it was important to me to support the local farmers and provide our friends and family with something fresh and seasonal during the wedding. In fact, the meal was a seasonal creation by John and Elizabeth Hamilton of the venue. They used fresh herbs and vegetables from the gardens on the property and all the other ingredients came from local farmers. It was a truly memorable meal."

Juice favours

"It was David’s grandmothers 85^th birthday the day after our wedding so we had a special birthday cake presented to her during our ceremony. It was priceless to see her face filled with surprise when the cake came out. That was an amazing moment in the evening. Also – dancing with my Dad to Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” was, well, tearjerking. Haha"

Bride and groom in first dance