Wedding | Emily & Kyle

2 hours ago

4 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Kyle and I met through a mutual friend- my best friend from high school and his friend from college. Soon after we met I moved to Colorado and 6 months later he moved here too. 2 weeks into our newly bloomed relationship we had the idea to open a community pottery studio together in Denver, which we did! It’s called City Mud. We love building things together- whether that be our studio, a renovation project, or a kayak (which we did at the Wooden boat school for our pre-wedding “honeymoon” and had filled with flowers at the wedding).

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

When we decided to get married, my family’s house in upstate NY was truly the only place we thought of. It’s been such a special part of my life, and once I met Kyle and he started joining me there, it became a place we loved together. It’s an incredibly sweet place, and one that is steeped in the best memories of my youth and my family’s history. We got married on the lawn of my grandmother’s cottage which was built in the 20s and is truly bare bones, no frills, and everything you could ever need.

How many guests did you have?

We had about 150 guests! We have big families and we wanted them, and all of our friends, there with us.

What was your budget?

Our budget wasn’t very large, but we tried to spend money on the things we really wanted to get right- like our wonderful photographer and my dress! Most everything else we did on a budget, and did ourselves when we could. It felt like a true community affair where everyone brought what they could to help the night happen: Kyle’s cousin played guitar for the ceremony; my cousin filmed the ceremony; we borrowed chairs from our neighbors for the head table at the ceremony; my sisters, neighbors, and I made all of the flower arrangements for the tables, my mom and I painted signs for the reception, and I made a ceramic cup for every guest’s water glass.

Tell us about your outfits.

Kyle wore a linen suit with high waisted pants, and I wore a dress from Andria Bird who was kind enough to add the addition of an organza overlay to, which I got my heart set on and she brought to life beautifully!

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We really wanted the day to feel like us! Having the wedding at a place that has meant so much to Kyle and me meant the world, and also the little things that felt like us made the day feel right too- like a wild dance party and good music for Kyle, and the ceramic cups and vases I made filling the tables.

We also wanted people to experience the lake my family lives on, and people really did! Lots of friends and family stayed on the lake and were shuttled to and from the ceremony by pontoon boats driven by our neighbors. The morning of the wedding we saw people paddle boarding by offering to help with chair set up, and the evening before the wedding we had an unplanned skinny dip with 20 or so of my favorite women.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

After our ceremony, Kyle and I jetted off in my Dad’s 1980 Boston Whaler. It was such a special moment, and one that was entirely ours.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Try not to get caught up in what you should do and think about what really matters to you, what you’ll notice and love on the day of. And make sure you can really boogie in your dress.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Our photographer Heather Lynn Photo! She was such a light both on the day, and in the process leading up to the wedding. She was so calming and sweet, and really took the time to take photos that captured the day as it felt, focusing on the little details that meant everything to us. She also helped us to remember to look around and breathe in all the goodness of our day.

Also Withy Hollow Farm! They made the bouquets and set up the flowers for the reception so beautifully. They also let my mom and I spend a morning on the farm walking through the flowers and picking out the flowers we’d like for the tables, and the day before the wedding delivered buckets of flowers for us that we then arranged ourselves.

And I mentioned above, but the wonderful Andria Bird who designed my dress!