Sweet & simple Vermont Backyard Wedding

I have a thing of backyard weddings and when they’re on a working farm – well I have even more of a thing for them! The simple sweet celebration was beautifully captured by Vermont Wedding photographer CHRISTINA BERNALES. Rachael & Artie wanted a rustic and romantic setting for their wedding and her parents farm in Vermont fit the bill perfectly. She says, “We loved the idea of getting married somewhere that had meaning to us and now we get to relive the day every time we go back to visit.” Using the natural beauty of the property as inspiration, they made the most of the gorgeous view from the ceremony spot and the lush green environment.

HOW DID YOU MEET? We met through mutual friends at a birthday party. Ever the gentleman, Artie texted me to make sure I got home safely and we went on our first date three days later.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: Artie proposed at the Elizabeth Street Garden, a sculpture park located in our neighbourhood where we often have coffee and bagels on weekend mornings. He had told me his friends had planned a belated birthday brunch, as we had been out of town for his birthday the weekend before. On our walk to the restaurant he suggested a detour through the park and halfway through, he got down on one knee and proposed. After a lot of surprised, happy tears we continued to brunch where our closest friends were waiting to celebrate our engagement – not Artie’s birthday.

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: My mom and two of my closest girlfriends spent a weekend in NYC with me going to various different boutiques. I tried on a lot of traditional dresses, but they didn’t feel quite right. Our last stop was Lovely Bride, where I fell in love with Alexandra Grecco’s collection. I was having trouble deciding between a few styles when in the store, but when I went home that night I couldn’t stop thinking about the last dress I tried on – at that point the decision was clear!

DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? My mom and I spent the summer collecting vintage pewter candlesticks and blue bottles, which our florist used to create deconstructed bouquets for the tables. We also repurposed an old bed frame, which we used to display our escort cards at the reception.

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: The flowers were one of my favourite parts of the wedding. We worked with Melissa from Fast Pony Flowers, a local flower farm and floral design studio. She is truly an artist and created the most beautiful and unique bouquets using seasonal flowers in a dusty colour palette. She tied my bouquet with three beautiful trailing pieces of ribbon, which made it even more unique.

FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: The way the tent came to life at night – it was magical.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Make decisions together! Artie was very involved in the planning process and as a result, the wedding reflected us a couple and our joint style.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? The ceremony – a close friend officiated and we wrote our own vows.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: We’re taking a delayed honeymoon to C
roatia this fall, but we went to Kennebunkport, Maine for five days immediately after the wedding. We stayed at Hidden Pond, which I couldn’t recommend more. It was so nice to have a little bit of time alone together to decompress and recoup before returning home.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE OR DO DIFFERENTLY? I was so happy with the outcome, I just wish it lasted longer!

A huge thank-you to Vermont Wedding photographer CHRISTINA BERNALES for sharing this beautiful Vermont wedding with us today. Christina is a wedding photographer you really should check-out if you are getting married in the New England area – her soft, romantic and organic wedding photography will be the biggest asset to your wedding day and the result will be timeless photos full of genuine emotion.

Be sure to check-out more of Christina Bernale’s wedding photography work here and you might also like to see this sweet forest farm wedding in the Catskills.