I am really excited to try something new with the blog and creating “Real Wedding” stories from the perspective of HFP brides. I think it would be really helpful for Brides planning their weddings get real world advise from Brides and Grooms who have recently been through the wedding planning process.
Here is a recent summer wedding from Sarah and Jared at The Log Cabin’s new wedding ceremony and reception area, The Upper Vista in Holyoke, MA. Sarah and Jared were referred by past clients of ours, Julia and James, who also had their wedding at The Log Cabin a few years ago. Here is the wedding from the perspective of Sarah and some of my favorite images from the day.
How did you and Jared meet? We meet at a part time job (Shaw’s Supermarkets) when we were in college. We started dating when we were 19 and were together 7 years before we got married. Jared proposed to me in Switzerland. We were there on a trip with my family. It was on 5/25/15. We were at a place called jungfrau , which is one of the highest spots in the Swiss Alps. He waited till we were alone, surrounded by the swiss alps in the snow and proposed. it was an amazing day.
My wedding day look was a romantic, Ivory over champagne strapless lace wedding dress by Allure Bridals from Bella’s Bridal Boutique, with a sweetheart neckline, buttons down the back, with a train.
I wore my hair in loose waves, pulled back from the sides with a braid accent. I wore a veil trimmed with lace for the ceremony. I wanted my makeup to look romantic and beautiful and was done by Beauty in Motion.
Our wedding day attire was inspired by my love of lace. I have always dreamed of having a lace dress, and i think it fit the gorgeous scenery at our venue. I picked everything else after my dress.
We did a first look. It was a decision that was hard to make. I am very traditional and I always dreamed of my groom seeing me walk down the aisle for the first time with my father. However with the time of our ceremony being at 6 PM I was concerned about the lighting. I started to think more about the first look option and the more I thought about it the more I knew it was the right thing for us. Jared didn’t get to just see me walk down the aisle, he saw me walk towards him, I could see his face and his reaction to me in my wedding dress, and we could spend some quiet moments together before the perfect craziness of our wedding. I feel glad that we made that decision as it was a very special moment.
THE CEREMONY
The theme was rustic and romantic. I wanted lots of flowers, mason jars, wood accents. I walked down the aisle to Marry Me by Train. We picked this location for our ceremony because it was part of our venue. But not only that it looks out upon mountains, it is on a grass hilltop and the scenery was a gorgeous backdrop for our ceremony.
My father- Richard Lindsay walked me down the aisle, I always dreamed of having my dad walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.
Favorite ceremony memory? All of it. I loved that we were holding hands facing each other the whole time so we could really feel like it was just us in our special moment.
We had several DIY projects. First was the base of our centerpieces. the wood slices were handmade by my father and my uncle Bob Zepf from a tree we cut from my parents yard. The second piece was the wooden shelving we had outside the ceremony. Jared and I stained several crates and stacked them to create shelves. On the shelves we put photos of us and a sign that said “Today two families become one, so please pick a seat and not a side”
THE RECEPTION
The decor theme of our wedding was rustic. I didn’t want anything over the top, but little details that would make the reception beautiful. The reception was in a huge white tent. We got the tent draped so the ceiling was all beautiful ivory fabric and we had string lights around the sides. The centerpieces were wood slices, with lanterns placed on top, with flowers placed around. We also had lots of smaller touches for decor such as a LOVE sign and banner, and some wood block signs. I have always loved the color pink so I knew I wanted blush pink bridesmaid dresses, with lots of ivory and cream touches, so it would be soft and romantic. My wedding bouquet was gorgeous white hydrangeas with blush pink roses, by A Beautiful Bouquet.
Our wedding cake was 3 layers. It had ivory buttercream frosting.the first 2 layers were ivory, with flower accents, and then 3rd had blush pink ombre on the top, and silk flowers and branches were twined into the cake.
Appetizers: Mini philly cheesesteaks, mini chicken cordon bleaus. veggie potstickers, mozerlla steaks, beef kabobs with pineapple and scallops wrapped in bacon. Reception Menu for 125 guests: 3 choices, stuffed scrod, petite filet, or chicken alfresco with brie and raspberry sauce, with grilled summer vegetables and mashed potatoes.
My Favorite reception memory is having everyone on the dance floor enjoying our day with us, the toasts from my sister and Jared’s brother, Jared not smashing cake in my face!
The weather was perfect. It was 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. We had my uncle as our pastor so that was very special and meaningful to us, we also had some pictures of us at the ceremony and reception.
Old, new, borrowed, blue – I wore my great grandmothers necklace, my shoes were new
The moment I liked the least was putting on my dress. I felt very rushed and I wished I had more time to spend getting ready instead of rushing around. However once I was in my dress and on my way to our first look I felt better. I loved our ceremony, us being announced as husband and wife. When we walked down the aisle Jared actually put his fist up, so that was a sweet display of excitement from him. My bouquet toss made me laugh because my sister the MOH and one of my bridemaids both caught it and they were fighting for it. Also my sister Jessica Lindsay’s toast, and Jared’s best man his brother Austin Nykiel’s toast were both so good and so funny we were laughing through the whole thing.
What you would have done differently, if anything: Having more time to put on my dress.
Any advice you have for future brides? Enjoy every second of it!
Where did you find your inspiration? From pinterest, bridal magazines.
Your favorite moment of the day? Our first look was such a special moment that we shared. We are both so emotional and excited to get married and we got to have a quiet moment before hand, I also appreciated all of our families and our guests who came to share in our happiness.
Three things you’re glad you did. First Look. Open Bar. Great DJ (full dance floor all night)
Anything you wish you hadn’t worried about? I worried quite a bit in the last month about the weather, things going wrong, my dress ripping, etc all things i didn’t need to worry about.
How did you choose your vendors? Through the Knot, and referrals
What is your very best advice to other brides? Follow your own heart and make the decisions that are important to you and your groom, not trying to make everyone happy. It is your day.Our day was perfect. I would not change a single thing. we had the time of our lives and i think our love for each other was apparent throughout.
If you knew then what you know now…I would allotted more time for hair and makeup!
What brand new elements did you bring to the day? I think something new was our DIY projects. we spent a lot of time on them and we really wanted them to make our day even more special.
Our wedding day was incredible. we were both so happy to finally be getting married and everything that we had planned and dreamed came true.
The awesome wedding vendors that made the day possible:
First Dance Song: I Don’t Dance- Lee Brice
Favors/gifts for guests: homemade chocolate covered oreos, mason jars filled with candy, take home bags
Invitations: VistaPrint
Photographer: Heather Fuller Photography
Venue: The Log Cabin (Upper Vista)
Dress designer: Allure Bridals
Bridal salon: Bella’s Bridal Boutique
Shoes: Shoes to Dye For
Makeup Artist: Beauty in Motion
Ring designer: Hannoush Jewelers
Jewelry: Hannoush Jewelers
Bridesmaids dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom and Groomsmen suits: Men’s Wearhouse
Officiant: Robert Gerard Lindsay (pastor- my uncle)
Ceremony Location: The Upper Vista
Floral Artist: A Beautiful Bouquet
Caterer and Cake: The Log Cabin
DJ: Jock in the Box Entertainment- Todd Powers
