A Wedding Story: Anna & Matt at The Barns in Middletown, Connecticut

A wedding with so many carefully thought out details: that was the story of Anna and Matt. They started their planning journey with a rocky start– troubled by hardships. Luckily, they entered a contest on Style Me Pretty and were chosen to receive a wedding with support by a lot of special vendors, including Jessica’s Country Flowers, who organized the give-a-way and designed all of their flowers.

They were destined to have an Alice in Wonderland styled wedding on the last weekend of summer, surrounded by 150 of their nearest and dearest. Mostly do-it-yourself, they took on a ton of projects to truly make their wedding their own. From fabric pennant flags that the bride sewed, to the wedding paper suite expertly designed by the groom (with a little help from an amazing illustrator Krista Wildermuth). Perhaps the most amazing piece of homemade décor was the antique door we suspended above their long, family style head table with dozens of antique medicine bottles hanging above like a chandelier. The sweetest part of their story is they were inspired by so many blogs and other couples!

In this kind of styled event, we were inspired by the original Alice in Wonderland and took some visual cues: pearls that the bride wore, “eat me” and “drink me” signs, a play on cards using them as favors and being inspired by them with their cake, the use of zinnias and dahlias in their flowers. But overall, Anna and Matt wanted a colorful, fun, and quirky look that represented them as a couple. We used fun and playful colors— aqua, blue, pink, red, and shades of silver to bring their vision to life.

Their ceremony took place just a stones throw from where the bride grew up at a little, teeny tiny church called Hope Valley Church. A hydrangea covered wreath greeted guests at the steeple and sweet music from a duo of violins prompted the ceremony, where Anna was escorted down the aisle by her dad. She wore an absolutely gorgeous gown with ruffles that cascaded down the back… And layers, and layers of vintage pearls collected from flea markets & antique shops. A cage veil and pretty fascinator, all from The White Dress by the Shore. Matt wore a Versace suit and tie with a pair of custom chuck taylors.

After the ceremony, guests blew bubbles and saw the newly weds off to their epic reception— complete with gorgeous tablescapes designed by us full of sweet little details, and a lot of fun. The bride and groom had their hand on every piece of décor for their wedding— we scouted vintage china used to serve guests dinner at flea markets (Brimfield, to be exact!) together and borrowed unique pieces from Anna’s father— a man who loves antiques! Each guest plucked their escort card from an antique barn door from Anna’s home that Matt hammered vintage nails into. A tag with their name on it, affixed to a skeleton key, guided them to their table. After dinner, they danced the night away with family and friends into the wee hours!

Big props to my friends at Raw Photo Design for sharing so generously these stunning images!

What seems like yesterday was so long ago– congratulations Anna and Matt! We feel so honored to have been part of your journey and are exceptionally grateful for your friendship.

Credit Reel

Wedding Photography: Raw Photo Design
Event Design & Planning: Jubilee Events
Flowers: Jessica’s Country Flowers
Wedding Dress & Veil: Vineyard Collection by Priscilla of Boston via The White Dress by the Shore
Ceremony Location: Hope Valley Church, Amston, CT
Reception Location: The Barns at Wesleyan Hills
Custom Lighting: Rob Alberti
Wedding Invitations: DIY by Bride & Groom
Monogram: Krista Wildermuth
Wedding Cake: Kelly’s Sweet Rewards
Makeup: Blush Couture Design
Ceremony Music: Millennium Music
DJ: DJ Derek
Shoes: Stuart Weitzmen
Hair: Andrea’s Hair Studio, Glastonbury, CT
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo via The White Dress by the Shore
Calligraphy: Jondahl Meotti

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13 Oct
2008

Posted in: Reception Sites, Vendor Spotlight
By Candice

6 Comments

Ceremony/Reception Vendor Spotlight: Tyrone Farm

A few days ago I had the opportunity to visit Tyrone Farm in Pomfret, Connecticut for one of my clients. As I drove up to the picturesque property it easily became one of my top ten must see wedding venues. The property is, in one word, spectacular. The mountain views are amazing and must be killer right now overlook the foliage. I spent my time talking with Ian, the properties site manager and wedding coordinator. He told me about the farms history and how it had been in his family for quite some time. It was very interesting to talk with him about their unique story and learn how they came to offer the farm for weddings and other events.

I love Tyrone Farm for a number of reasons – one being their commitment to being eco-friendly. First, they’ve invested in solar technology, which supplies most of the properties’ energy. How amazing is that? They also grow and tend a number of beautiful pesticide free flower gardens, which eliminates the need for some to purchase flower arrangements. Their flower gardens really are beautiful, too. So much so that I inquired if Ian’s brother, who works on the gardens, was a landscape architect (which he isn’t – just naturally talented!). Ian also mentioned that they are looking into growing their own herbs which they might offer to event caterers to use in their dishes. On the property they also have an eco-friendly guest cottage which was developed and built in a factory in Denmark. The guest cottage is great feature because you can get ready there, have out of town guests stay there, or in a worst case scenario, someone who has had one too many can crash safely for the night.

Tyrone Farm also supports local businesses and artisans. For those who know me, you know that I am a huge proponent of using local vendors, businesses, and talented people for my events. I admire when venues appreciate the importance of supporting the local community in every event they do.

During my visit I took a tour of the property and admired all the details and little touches that Tyrone Farm has to offer. They have several spaces that are ideal for ceremony locations with beautiful focal points and, of course, gorgeous gardens. Their reception locations are also unique because they offer the best of both worlds. They have a gorgeous horse barn that many couples use as their dining and dancing area. They also have a blue stone terrace off the main house that overlooks the horse trails and beautiful mountains of Connecticut (although it could be Massachusetts or Rhode Island – I’m not sure which direction you’re pointed in!) The best part? The patio is already tented and stays covered during wedding season, so there is no need to bring in tent rentals and deal with the added cost. I don’t have the exact specifications on the tents size, but I am almost sure it will seat 150 comfortably for dinner.

All these different spaces are like different rooms that you can use to create a unique atmosphere for your guests. A wedding that has several different locations on one property, like Tyrone Farm, just works better in my opinion. You can have cocktail hour amongst the gardens, dinner on the blue stone terrace, and an after hours lounge with dancing in the barn.

I’m looking forward to coordinating and designing a wedding at Tyrone Farm and urge our readers who are looking for all of the above to give them a call and schedule a tour! I love their commitment to the environment, their support of the local community, and how they’ve kept the integrity of their families farm. I’ll leave you with some pictures that I lifted from their website.