I’ve got another two-part wedding for you. Out of 140 images submitted, I just couldn’t edit down to 20. Why? Well, because this bride is gorgeous, and this groom is incredibly handsome. What makes this couple so amazingly beautiful? Aside from the obvious, Mary and Michael exude joy. And Jordan Quinn did an amazing job of capturing both the reception details and the emotional details. Check back tomorrow for part 2, and don’t forget to check out Mary’s Hindsight Advice below…
Mary + Michael
April 13, 2013
Big Indian, New York
Why a Mountain Wedding?
We live in the Hudson Valley, and love to be outside, enjoying the beauty of where we live. When we were looking for places to be married, we went to see Full Moon, which is in the foot of the Catskills, and loved it. One of the main themes of our wedding is that we wanted to create a space where we could be surrounded by our community, and the Catskill mountains offered the perfect, peaceful setting for our group of family and friends.
Where did you find your inspiration?
We were inspired by each of our own stories and experiences from our life previous to meeting one another, as well as the new story we are creating together. We wanted the wedding to bring both of these together. For example, Michael traveled for much of his music career, so we wanted his vintage suitcases to be present. They became the holder for wedding cards. I love jewel tone colors, so we incorporated them into the bunting flags and table design. Poetry is very important to the both of us, and so we picked a poem and had it printed onto a bookmark. Each one was hand stamped and given to each guest. All of the above thanks to my remarkable friends, especially the team at Haiku Weddings who is comprised of two my closest (and extremely talented!) friends.
What were some personal details you incorporated?
Michael and I worked together to collect vintage blue and amber medicine bottles to be used as vases for the table arrangements. We brought in old photographs of our loved ones who are no longer with us and a Heritage Table was created for us to honor their memory. We had little details, like river rocks on tables, hand-twined candles, and chalkboards. We had a beautiful chuppa from a dear family friend that we had filled with wild flowers. So many of the details felt personal because the wedding was created with our amazing community of friends and family.
Your favorite moment of the day.
Standing across from Michael under the chuppah, holding his hands, and looking out at our community. I felt totally filled up.
Three things you’re glad you did.
- Took the time to really take things in and enjoy them
- Listened to my amazing bridal brigade and continually took their advice!
- Kept a sense of humor.
Anything you wish you hadn’t done?
- Worried about the things I couldn’t control, like the weather.
- What was the best piece of wedding advice you got?
- From my wonderful and wise friend Laura, my event planner: Pick the top five things that are most important to you, and stick by them, let the other things be flexible and allow them to unfold. Nothing is an absolute. Enjoy the process.
- An amalgamation of the great advice received from my bridal brigade: Trust your instincts and remember, at the end of the day, no one will notice or care about the small things. They will remember the feeling from the day.
Anything you wish you hadn’t worried about?
The multitude of things out of my control, like muddy spring weather!
Anything you wish you had known about sooner rather than later?
Things always take longer than you think!
How did you choose your vendors?
- Mostly on instinct – what felt right without overthinking things too much.
- Our amazing photography Jordan photographed my sister’s wedding, and we adored both she and her work
- Full Moon, the site and caterer, was a beautiful spot full of kind staff. We loved the energy there and expertise they brought to the table.
- Event planning and flowers were put together by our incredible friends Laura and Dave at Haiku ([email protected])
- Hair and makeup were local to Full Moon, and I was lucky to find a talented hair and makeup artist (Karen Neblung) nearby.
- Wedding invites were done online using Glosite (www.glosite.com), which also allowed me to track RSVPs (very handy! But my husband had to limit me to checking only twice a day!)
What is your very best advice to other mountain brides?
Remember that weddings are a creative, joyful process about community. Enjoy the people around you. Take them in. When you are standing up with your beloved, take a moment to look around at the people surrounding you. It’s an amazing and unique feeling that will fill you right up – you’ll always remember your love and the people surrounding you in that amazing moment.
Hudson Valley NY Wedding Vendors
- Photographer: JordanQuinn Photography
- Floral Designer: A Night in Bloom Event Floristry