“Adventurers at heart, John and I fantasized about a relaxed, personal and intimate outdoor setting to say ‘I do.’ We narrowed our location down to the upper Hudson Valley, NY, region not only because of our strong connection to the Mountains and nature, but also because it was a perfect mid-way point between our families and NYC friends. We first visited A Private Estate in the middle of winter, right after a bad snow storm. As we hiked through two feet of snow to the manor house, overlooking the Hudson River and Catskill mountains, we both knew this was it. The property also housed a weekend rental property for the bridal party and two YELLOW barns for the reception, which screamed Kristen style…
What is your favorite wedding day memory?
There are so many favorite moments, but for me, I would say probably the moment I first saw John’s smiling face as I was walking down the aisle with my father. I already knew I made the right decision to marry John, but it was at that moment I found complete calmness. John would say his favorite moment was when we were first introduced at the reception as Mr. & Mrs. He felt like a celebrity with all the flashing cameras! Haha…
We had so much fun at our reception. I come from a family of musicians so hiring a band was a must and one of the best decisions we made. My father and brother even played a few songs on the bass and electric guitar. The band learned two Talking Heads songs, John’s favorite band, which made our day. We danced our first dance to I Love You, by Blue Climax Band. Everyone danced and sang the night away! It was all truly surreal.
What did you DIY for your wedding?
In regards to the wedding design, I was actively involved in every detail to create a holistic, woodsy, rustic and cozy wedding. First we designed our antler logo and everything else fell into place from the wood round magnet Save The Dates, to the craft paper invitations and programs (created, printed and assembled by the bride), center pieces (built and assembled by bride and groom), cake topper (made by bride), photo station buck and doe masks, and homemade soy candles (made by bride). While it was time consuming, I loved creating and personalizing everything to make our wedding unique to us. My favorite homemade details were the flower box center pieces made out of wine crates and the homemade soy candles. John helped make the flower boxes and even planted the mums the day before the wedding! What a good husband. For the soy candles, I followed a tutorial which was super fun and easy. Our guests were so impressed with the candles and couldn’t believe I made them myself.
Something old, new, borrowed and blue?
I really didn’t try to hard to follow the tradition but I would say that my something old and blue were Rosary Beads from my grandmother, that my sister-in-law gave me while getting ready. This truly meant a lot to me since my grandmother wasn’t able to attend our wedding. My something borrowed would be my mother’s wedding purse, which hopefully will be used by my own daughter one day. And my something new would be my fabulous Rachel Simpson shoes.
Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?
As optimistic as you may be, it actually may rain on your outdoor wedding! It could happen, but don’t sweat it. Just try to prepare for it and if it does, EMBRACE IT!. For us, once we accepted that the forecast wasn’t changing, we started to re-envision our wedding. I hustled to rent the last available tents, bought myself some wellies and clear umbrellas and focused on what was truly important, marrying my best friend! So just relax and enjoy every minute because it goes by so fast. And if your wedding day calls for rain, smile and dance in it, because you just may find out that the rain enhances the romance and ambience, making your wedding one truly unique day! – Kristen, the bride
Event Credits
Photography: DelConte Photography // Videographer: Ben Pliss Media // Venue: A Private Estate // Catering: A Moveable Feast By O'Connor // Wedding Coordinator: Every Little Detail // Bouquets + Bouts: Flower Kraut // Dress: Tara Keely // Shoes: Rachel Simpson // Bridesmaid dresses: Kennedy Blue // Make-up: Get Glam Girl // Reception Band: CloudNYne
