Rustic Elegance Fall Wedding in the Catskills

Jamine and James set off to create an amazingly fun, family-centric celebration - and goodness, did they deliver! You can just feel their joy radiating from the photos of their special day, skillfully captured by Sherry Sutton Photography. It was quite the action-packed day for guests, with the wedding ceremony in New Jersey and the reception about two hours away in the Catskills of New York.

Their touching wedding ceremony was held at the bride's home church amidst all of their family and friends. Jamine walked down the aisle with her mother and father, looking beyond beautiful in her mermaid-style lace gown. The smile on the groom's face is priceless when he sees his bride coming towards him. After a bubble-send off these newlyweds and their guests headed off to their tented outdoor reception. 

The fall-inspired reception was held on the groom's family property, where they had transformed a wide open field into a wedding venue with gorgeous views! They brought in a large white tent, tables with linens, a bar, DJ, and portable restrooms to cater to guests. The groom even custom built a trellis and fire pits as a wedding surprise to the bride, which brought her to tears when she saw them. The bride's family is Latin, so the evening was filled with Latin music and dancing - and lots and lots of love and laughter.

Burlap runners and table numbers are paired with Victorian purple napkins. Orange and white flowers with long branches fit perfectly for a rustic fall feel. 

After the sun went down, the fire pits were lit and everyone made s'mores from the kits the bride and groom had made for their guests as favors. 

This gorgeous custom wedding cake was created by My Daughter's Cakes, and features an intricate lace design which imitates the beautiful lace overlay and accents on the bride's dress. 

Photographer: Sherry Sutton Photography / Ceremony Venue: St. Joseph’s Parish / Transportation: BBZ Limousine and Livery Service / Bridal Makeup: Shamair Nedd / Bridal Hair: Sara Recio / Dress Boutique: Fantasia Bridal Center / Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero / Tux Rental: Men’s Wearhouse / Cake Baker: My Daughter’s Cakes / DJ: Musica Union / Videographer: Villanovisions / Caterer: Bridge Creek Catering / Tent Rental Company: Events Unlimited / Centerpieces: Karen’s Flower Shoppe / Bridal Bouquets and Boutaineers: Tiger Lily by Encke / Valet: Park Plus Valet Service, Inc. 

Top 5 Flowers In Season For Your Fall Wedding

Fall weddings are characterized by rich shades of red and orange that give an added romantic flair and warmth to this already special event. Picking the flowers that you'd like to use during your reception and ceremony can be an especially exciting challenge, as this flora will play a big part in dictating the overall aesthetic of your nuptials. For fall weddings, you should go about choosing seasonal varieties that will be at their peak during the autumn months, featuring hues that are characteristic of the season.

Here are five flowers that are in season during the fall - they're our top picks for your big day:

• Asiatic lily - This beautiful flower can give your bouquet a cascading effect as you walk down the aisle. With long, curved petals, the buds appear to burst from the stem. In a light orange tone, the Asiatic lily could be the perfect flower for your centerpieces as well.

• Celosia - Few flowers make more of a statement in a bouquet than celosia. Whether you choose the plumed type, which produces impressive spires, or the crested variety with its striking twisted form, you can't go wrong using this flower in your wedding.

• Gerbera - This kind of daisy is the perfect flower for a harvest wedding, as it has a very basic shape and petal structure, but blooms in amazing shades of red and orange, making it a wonderful statement piece.

• Queen Anne's Lace - This is perhaps the ultimate filler flower, as it has enough thickness to fill a bouquet out completely without taking away from the statement made with more vibrant flora used in the array.

• Rose - This may seem overdone, but richly colored roses can give the perfect air of class and comfort when used as a decoration at your wedding. Small arrangements at every table will be tasteful and timeless - they are a standard for a reason.

There are numerous varieties of flowers that peak during the autumn months that will make your nuptials absolutely gorgeous. You can never have too much flora at your wedding, after all, so choose several different species to incorporate into your reception and ceremony. Combined with seasonal fall wedding decorations on every table, these arrangements will help your venue burst with color and make your big day an event that no one will soon forget.

Image Credits: Bridal Bouquet, Fall Celosia and Gerbera Daisies Flower Arrangements

5 Non-Traditional Wedding Cake Ideas For Fall Weddings

The quintessential wedding cake consists of several towering tiers of creamy frosting with nondescript bride and groom figurines proudly standing aloft the top-most layer. While this approach is traditional, it is also extremely forgettable, as a standard-issue wedding cake will hardly make an impression on your guests or stand out at your reception. This is especially true for fall weddings, where you want the cake to help establish the overall aesthetic and act as a centerpiece for the entire celebration.

Below is a list of fun cake ideas will not only satisfy your taste in style but also your appetite, covering all the bases for your fall wedding. These designs run the gamut, whether you are looking for a high-fashion delicacy or a cake that ties your theme completely together.

1. The Fruit Cake - The term "fruit cake" usually has a negative connotation, whether you are discussing a crazy person or the seasonal treat that tends to get trashed during the Christmas season. If done right, you won't be regifting this cake, as you can ask your designer to use marzipan to create seasonal fruits - think apples, berries and even pumpkins - that can be placed on the tiers of your cake. The flavors on each level can reflect a different fruit used in decoration, allowing the cake to be as beautiful as it is delicious.

2. Off-Balance Cake - For those who like pushing the extremes of cake architecture, this design will definitely leave a lasting impression. Instead of a structure composed of tiers that gradually decrease in circumference as they go up, have your designer layer similarly sized cakes one over the other with each piece centered near the edge of the one below it, achieving an almost spiral effect. Accent it with delicate orange and yellow flowers reminiscent of those in season to tie in the autumn look.

3. Candy Plus Cake - While you may not be embracing the entire Halloween theme at your fall wedding, 

autumn and winter are undeniably the busiest times of year for candy makers, and incorporating your favorite sweets into the reception is something everyone will appreciate. Go for a smaller wedding cake and have a candy bar surrounding it that features either your favorite seasonal confections or a few gourmet variations - think cupcake-sized Reese's cups. This will give your guests some variety and supply that sugar kick everyone needs to get on the dance floor.

4. Chocolate Cake - It's true that you are playing it safe by sticking with a vanilla cake, as chocolate isn't everybody's cup of tea, but with shorter days and longer nights, it's alright to go a little darker with the decor at the reception - including the cake. A rich chocolate frosting will be stunning if accented appropriately with designs like cream-colored scrolls or piping. You can even integrate some subtle marzipan foliage into the presentation if you feature warmly colored decor throughout your venue.

5. Wedding Pies - Apple, pecan and pumpkin pie are quintessential fall deserts, and for a crowd pleasing favorite at your reception, opt out of cake all together.  Create a pie stand that mimics the ascending structure of a traditional cake and place your bride and groom toppers accordingly.

Regardless of the cake style you choose, you'll want to add fall wedding napkins personalized with the bride and groom's name and wedding date to your cake table. Cake table napkins can designs with colors and designs to perfectly compliment your wedding cake.

Have fun at your wedding and surprise your guests with a fall-themed cake that will truly leave an impression.

Image Credits: Fall wedding cake, Fall candy bar

5 Fabulous Fall Wedding Favors

Calling all Fall Brides! Have you picked out your wedding favors yet? As a fall bride myself, I can tell you that I have been putting this task off. It's not that there aren't any good ideas out there for fall favors, there's actually too many! Too many ideas leads to indecisiveness on my part! Well I have searched the web for some of the best ideas that aren't too cliché or overdone. My best advice for fall wedding favors is to go with something edible and comforting. That's what fall is all about - comfort food! Read on for our Top 5 picks for wedding favors this fall.

1. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - For this wedding favor we see a fall twist on the traditional chocolate whoopie pie. These delectable cream cheese filled treats will please guests, young and old! Find the recipe here.

2. While the idea of caramel apple favors for a fall wedding isn't a brand spanking new idea, it is still a great one! How much more fall can you get than caramel apples. What we love is to use mini apples for this treat (more cost effective and easier to eat)! Decorate with coordinating ribbon and you have a wonderful take home fall treat.

3. Fall Seed Wedding Favors - How neat are these plant-able paper leaf wedding favors?? Seeds are already embedded in the paper leaf shapes. All your guests have to do is take them home and cover with a thin layer of soil and keep damp. Place a leaf with instructions at each place setting and add to your fall table decor.

4. Fall Acorn Cookies are simply darling and not to mention delicious! Chocolate kisses, mini vanilla wafers, and peanut butter chips combine to mimic this darling fall icon. If you are a DIY bride, gather your friends and family and have an acorn wedding favor making party. These treats are too cute to ignore!

5. Cup and Saucer Favors are a wonderful choice for fall weddings. Fall is the time of year to enjoy hot cider and cocoa, espresso and coffee, or any drinks that are warm and toasty! These neat cup and saucer favors can be filled with drink mixes, coffee beans, or even candy. Find these fabulous favors here.

Find more ideas for wedding favors and personalized decorations for your fall wedding here.



Things We Love ~ Miniature Pie Favors

Inspired by the wonderful smells of holiday baking, we would like to share a creative idea for homemade favors for your wedding.  This is the time of year when family and friends gather to celebrate, while sharing delicious foods.  Cookies, fudge, brownies, and other holiday goodies are in high demand.  Holiday meals would not be complete without the enticing aroma of warm, fresh baked pies.  What could be better than giving your guests their own personal miniature homemade pies?

Give these favors to the guests at your country or rustic themed wedding, or any theme for that matter!  These adorable pies are a great gift for any event.  For your next family or holiday event, whip up some tiny pies with the recipe from Our Best Bites or improvise your own recipe! 

 

Image Credits: Have Some Pie from Fort and Field, Raspberry Pies via Project Wedding, Yarn Wrapped Pie from Style Me Pretty, Pecan Pies via Martha Stewart, Pie in a Jar Packaging from Fort and Field, Christmas Pies via Our Best Bites, Apple Pies from At Home with Kim Vallee.

Top 5 Trends for Fall Bridesmaids

Counting down the days until your fall wedding? We've got the hottest tips on how to outfit your bridesmaids for the upcoming autumn season.

Trend #1 - Fantastic Fall Colors.

Fall colors are no longer limited to orange, brown, and yellow. More and more brides are incorporating rich hues like peacock blue and plumy purples for a more varied palette. We love this and your bridesmaids will too! While orange and yellow can be difficult colors to wear, blue and purple compliment a variety of skin tones easily. This lovely purple dress was designed by Megan Sweet.

Trend #2 - The Cardigan

Cooler temperatures in autumn don't provide the best weather for those strapless bridesmaids dresses. Keep your maids cozy with beautiful cardigans dressed up in cashmere or ruffles. The girls shown here paired their teal dresses with lovely gray cardigans. (Image Credit: We Are Home Sweet Home)

Trend  #3 - Cowgirl Boots

Inspiring little country girl hearts everywhere, the cowgirl boot trend is an adorable tribute to your down home roots. This look goes great with flowing floral prints and lacey shabby chic tunics. This look will really take off this year thanks to recent wedding of country singer Miranda Lambert. The photo shown here combined soft brown boots with a muted almost-denim, blue. (Image Credit: Thunder Storms and Cat Naps)

Trend  #4 - Foliage over Florals

Using fall foliage, like wheat, leaves, and branches in lieu of more flowery bouquets will finish off your rustic autumn wedding with a unique flourish. This is a great way to set your bridal bouquet apart from the rest of the girls as well. I love the look of these multi-colored wheat stalks gathered with a lacy bouquet wrap.

Trend #5 - Non-traditional Fall Themes

Fall leaves are lovely, but not for every bride. Autumn brides are branching out with their colors and decor. The most surprising and unexpectedly popular theme for this fall is peacocks. A peacock theme provides a beautiful color palette ranging from green to purple to many different shades of blue. The feathers look great in vintage, sophisticated and rustic settings. The fabulous peacock bridesmaids dress shown here was actually found on etsy! Who wouldn't want a custom made dress?

We hope you've been inspired by these top five trends - but don't forget to add a little bit of your own flavor. You want your wedding to modern, yet also full of your own personality.

~ Jenna