Charming Summer Barn Wedding in Falls, PA

Q: Tell us about your wedding!

“I envisioned an easy-going, free-flowing party filled with love. We left out most of the traditional events (bouquet throwing, cake cutting, etc.) so that guests could enjoy the beautiful scenery of the venue or the dance floor, however they liked. Very little time was spent with our 200 guests seated, even our ceremony was only 5 minutes long, which is exactly what we hoped for. We even had our first dance outside, directly after the ceremony during cocktail hour, instead of inside during the reception. Our guests never stopped mingling, laughing, dancing, and enjoying themselves. Our day ended up being very natural.”

Q: Let’s talk wedding decor

“My vision was for there to be a lot of green and for the style to be natural and organic. I went with mostly greenery, with some white flowers in my bouquet, and touches of copper here and there with the vases and the wire on the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. My bridesmaids wore mismatched neutral colors and they chose their dresses and the color themselves, and they did a fabulous job (I didn’t even see their dresses until the day of).”

Q: What were the florals like in your wedding?

“My bouquet was simple and natural, composed of greenery with a few white roses. I went with mostly greenery, with some white flowers in my bouquet, and touches of copper here and there with the vases and the wire on the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. My bridesmaids had the same bouquet but without the flowers, and the centerpieces were greenery too, with copper vases and geodes on the table.”

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way?

“My husband and I literally ‘exchanged vows’. We had written down our vows, and instead of reading them aloud, we silently read them to ourselves during our ceremony when we exchanged them.

“We also had a tree planting ceremony, and our officiant’s words about our love were wrapped metaphorically into the planting of our tree. Our officiant was a long time friend, who I met while studying in Sweden and flew from across the country to be a part of our day.

“My centerpieces included geodes, as did the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. My husband made a 7 foot tall wooden directional sign and I painted the names of the places that people were traveling from (Utah, Sweden, England, Spain, Arizona, California, Florida, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the towns we grew up in, Montdale and Scranton).

“Our favors were delicious! Each guest ate pizza at the end of the night that our caterer had created as a late night snack. Our caterer also supplied our multi-flavored cupcakes; blueberry cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter, raspberry lemon, and vanilla cookie.

“We had craft beer on tap from our favorite local brewery, Breaker Brewing Co., and craft bottles from another local brewery, SBC.”

Q: Let’s talk fashion

“My gown was unique and light as a feather! I danced, ate, and hugged guests effortlessly in a Halo Blush by Hayley Paige dress. The top was ivory lace with a v-cut back with strappy details, and the skirt flowed naturally with horse-hair trim.

“My bridesmaids wore mismatched neutral colors and they chose their dresses and the color themselves, and they did a fabulous job (I didn’t even see their dresses until the day of).

“Tommy wore a grey suit with a wood-grain tie, tan shoes and a rose, greenery and geode boutonniere with copper wire. The groomsmen all wore wood-grain ties, and the bridesmaids wore pieces of greenery in their hair.

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

“My favorite moment was our first dance during our cocktail hour on the deck of the barn, in the sunshine. It was just such a sweet moment. But a close second was being on the dance floor towards the end of the night with all of our friends and family singing and dancing along with us! There was just so much love and joy the entire day.”

Q: Any wedding planning or marriage advice to share with other couples?

“Imagine yourself as a guest at your wedding, and plan it according to what would be the most fun for you as a guest. If you run through the day in your head, as a guest, and it seems like a joyful, beautiful day, then you’ve planned it right! Don’t worry if you’re doing some things less traditionally and about what others will think. Go with your instincts.”