A Winter Wedding in the Country...
From the day my childhood neighbour got engaged, she had one dream for her wedding day......
.....To be married in the hay loft of the barn on their family farm.
Their farm is beautiful and as you can see from the front porch of the farm house above, every detail has been taken into consideration over the years in the ongoing development of their property.
I spent hundreds of hours in that hay loft growing up and only knew the loft to be full of hay, straw, chickens, farm equipment and a variety of other odds and sods. I will admit...knowing the loft as I did, I was having a somewhat difficult time imagining the transformation into a space for a wedding.....
The day of the wedding arrived and as we walked up the gang plank to the man door of the hayloft, the large doors monogrammed with the initials of the bride and groom and conifers & greenery lining the entry, her brother handed me a program and then, we stepped inside...
I stepped onto the barn board floor of the hay loft and as I looked around, my jaw dropped, I was utterly speechless and happy tears filled my eyes.....
It was INCREDIBLE.....absolutely PERFECT!!
The work this close knit, loving and hard working family put into making this day the day of the bride's dreams, warmed and filled my heart to no end....
This space, where we used to play tag over the bales of straw and built hay forts, had been transformed beyond belief to the most incredible setting for her winter wedding.
As the sun shone in through the cracks of the barn board walls, there was a warm glow from the lanterns and fire place. The gorgeous rustic chandelier and fairy lights hung overhead. Every little detail was thought of and put in place, from the musical duet playing in the background to the hot chocolate bar to help keep the guests warm and toasty, to the cones of 'snow' that we showered the bride and groom with after they said 'I do'... nothing had been forgotten.
The bride couldn't have been more beautiful, the groom more handsome. The smiles on the face of the family, wedding party, friends and neighbours said it all.... This day, in this unbelievable setting, would never, ever be forgotten!
The ceremony was too cute and so touching. As the bride and groom walked back down the aisle as man and wife, they were absolutely showered in shimmery, glistening 'snow' ...we were going to give this couple their winter wedding whether there was snow outside or not!
After the ceremony, family and friends gathered around the fireplace and hot chocolate bar to keep warm and cozy.
I didn't want to leave! I just wanted to stay in this space as long as possible, soaking it all in and marveling in the transformation!
No matter how much I wanted to stay....the time came to head to the reception. It was being held at the community centre where the bride and I and all of the kids in our families learned to skate, had spent countless hours volunteering at and had learned what community really meant!
I couldn't wait to see how they had the hall decorated!
We arrived and I was immediately drawn to this....
The head table!
Could there have been a more wintery rustic-glam setting? The shimmer of the table skirts, those re-claimed doors (all from the farm house), the chandeliers, the greenery....
Again....just perfect!
Cheers to B&B....it was an amazing day/evening and I wish you a lifetime of happiness and joy! Thank you for including us in your day!
