P h o t o s b y B i r k e P h o t o g r a p h y
The wedding planning process for my husband Bram and me was a little different than your average bride and groom. Bram is from Belgium, so after several years in a long distance relationship, he finally arrived in the US on a fiancé visa which would allow us to marry here. There’s one pretty big detail about this visa though; it requires the couple to get married within 90 days. We planned our wedding in a quick three month time frame.
We knew we wanted to get married in my home state of Vermont, for its beautiful scenery and meaning to both of us. I grew up in the woods of a small town in a white, Greek-revival house my father designed. Our house overlooks the green mountains in a fairly remote part of the state. As for Bram, Vermont was the place he always came to when he visited. Vermont was also the first place Bram came to on his initial visit to America. Instead of flashy lights in Times Square, the cherry blossoms of DC in the spring, or the internationally recognized Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, Bram’s experience of America for several years was the rustic nature-filled ambiance of Vermont, America’s second least populous state.
After looking at several venues around the state, we ultimately decided on having the wedding at our family property in Thetford, Vermont. We rented a sail cloth tent for the reception which was held in our neighbors’ field. There are so many wonderful things about having a backyard wedding. For one, a backyard wedding is a unique and unforgettable venue. It’s nice to think back and know that our wedding day was so much our own: no bride and groom had ever been married there before. There’s also tons of room for customization which really allowed us to create a wedding that represented us. The possibilities are endless, and when it came to design and decor, there were no restrictions.
The natural lush and green scenery inspired much of the decor for our wedding. Our ceremony was set with wooden benches and our backdrop was the apple trees, the branches of which created a natural arch. Our reception also mimicked the earthy feel with wooden farm tables draped with deep colored greenery. Touches of pinks in our flowers added a warm feel to our summer solstice wedding. We also enjoyed several DIY projects for our wedding. These included gold-painted kangaroo and camel escort card holders, a sentiment of our Australian adventure (the place where we met). My brother has also spent many cold spring days sugaring Vermont maple syrup, so our favor bottles were hand-poured individually by Bram, my brother and his friend, a local maple sugar producer. Hand-stamped tags were then added to the bottles, tied with metallic woven twine.
It was such an incredible and unforgettable day shared by friends and family. We cannot thank them enough, especially the ones who traveled long distances (some of the groomsmen came all the way from Belgium for just three unforgettable days). And of course, our vendors were fantastic and truly made our vision come to life.
Photography: Birke Photography | Florals: Petals Floral Design | Cake: A to Z Cakes | Dress: David’s Bridal | Groom’s Attire: Zara | Reception Music: Peak Entertainment | Catering: The Barefoot Gourmet | Day-Of Event Coordinator: Katie Berndsen Events
I LOVE outdoor weddings and the fact that this was your family home made it even better.