On October 3, 2009 we had a beautiful backyard wedding at Cloud 9...Ian's parents' beautiful home. We always wanted a casual, yet elegant, backyard wedding and I think we pulled it off.
Ian's dad surprised us by painting All You Need is Love onto the grass. It was a nice welcome for our guests and at the last minute was extremely appropriate because Hey Bulldog was our band!
We said I do in the front yard, so I guess technically it was a front yard wedding. It was beautiful.
I tried to DIY as much as a I could. We had lavender to toss after the ceremony.
The tables were a group effort. My mother in-law and Aunt Jane made the beautiful pumpkin centerpieces. I surrounded them with gourds and other fall decorations. I also made sure there were lots of candles.
The candy buffet was a huge success!
For favors, we wrapped anemone and allium bulbs in burlap with a little poem. My dad also brought cigars for people to take.
It was important to both of us that people could walk around and do different things in different parts of the yard. Ian and his dad built a fire pit which was a perfect place to set up sparklers and a s'more station. This was a hot spot all night. It was perfect because you could sit here, toast marshmallows, and listen to great Beatles music.
We even set up quoits.
We had to rent portable bathrooms since we couldn't have over 100 guests going in and out of the house. They were...nice...but this little freshening up station, complete with hand wash, lotions, tissues, and a mirror, made it so much more charming!
While the DIY was fun, we couldn't have pulled it off without some outside help.
We didn't bring in any flowers because the yard was so beautiful on its own. I did want a bouquet, though. I want something very simple and full of fragrant herbs. Bucks County Nursery and Florist took my vision and created the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen!
Robyn from Sagra Catering was integral to the success of this day! The food was incredible! We wanted a harvest-y menu. Something comfortable, but also elegant...just like our wedding. The day started with their famous cheese torte, and an assortment of cheese, bruschetta, and other nibbles. For dinner, we had roasted vegetables and potatoes, just-grilled chicken and steak with a choice of sauces, a fancy mac and cheese (per Ian's request), and even a paella station for fun. We opted out of a wedding cake and went with an assortment of autumn pies instead.
My Uncle Shelly played Here Comes the Sun as we began the ceremony. Again, a coincidence because when we chose that song, we had no idea that Hey Bulldog would be playing at the wedding.
Ian's grandfather did a beautiful reading. We were so happy to find Reverend Connie. Ian and I come from two different religious backgrounds, so she designed a ceremony that was perfect for both of us.
I didn't want to add personal pages to this page, but I had to share this moment! Ian held my hands and looked into me eyes through the entire ceremony. That was enough to make anyone melt. But then, when it was time for the groom to kiss the bride, he grabbed me and pulled me in for the most memorable kiss of my life! Love him.
Then it was time to party!
Hey Bulldog was incredible! ...I knew they would be. We found out later that neighbors down the street heard them and said they were enjoying them from their own backyards. They were blown away...as were all of the guests. We can't thank Gerry enough for being there.
It was a great night with great people. One to be remembered...
