Both wedding photographers themselves (and Junebug featured professionals taboot), Kasey and Jake, knew they wanted something different and unique for their own special day. With one of their closest photographer friends, Cory Ryan, the couple flew up to the NYC to document their elopement. From the bride’s adorable Kate Spade accessories to their urban ceremony space, the couple’s elopement was as timeless as the Big Apple itself.
Inspired by the groom’s last name, which translated means “House of Wood”, Lydia and Andrew designed a woodland themed wedding at the Benmarl Winery in New York. The couple and their guests spent the day in a setting that was naturally gorgeous and perfectly glamorous. From the floral arrangements of moss, ferns and wildflowers, to the ethereal fashion and the festive dancing, Richard Israel captured the day with timeless elegance.
The Couple: Lydia and Andrew
The Wedding: 9.7.13 – Benmarl Winery, Marlboro, New York
The Design: The venue dictated a lot of our decor choices. Andrew’s college buddy, Matt Spacarelli was instrumental in providing the perfect setting for the day. Benmarl Winery had tons of character and decor naturally in place, so the goal for flowers was to enhance and not to overpower the scenery. Our inspiration for a “theme” came in looking up the origin of Andrew’s last name, Holzheimer. The German to English translantion means “House of Wood”. That concept alone inspired a woodlands theme – from tree table names to moss covered tablescapes, to a homemade wooden cupcake stand (courtesy of Andrew’s Father). My dress had a whimsical theme as well, the bottom looked like cascading leaves or flowers, and the bridesmaids simple, but elegant long dresses made them look like wood nymphs. Our florist, Nicole of Seed to Fruit completely got our vision, adding curly willow and twigs to the bouquets keeping with the rustic wooden theme. A perfect juxtaposition of masculine and feminine.
The Goals: One of our main goals was keeping it under our budget. We were well aware of the money trap that can be “wedding planning” so prioritizing was key. Mainly we wanted beautiful scenery, fun music and a heartfelt ceremony. And of course friends and family there too!
The Moments: Wow, how do you pick the favorite moments from a day that flew by so fast you felt like you were in a dizzy dream? Hmm…well I will tell what came as a complete surprise. Andrew and I had debated on taking photos before or during cocktail hour as most couples do. We eventually decided on beforehand, but I was afraid of taking that special moment away of the first look during the walk down the aisle. On the day however, I have never been so glad of a decision in my life. I was a ball of nerves, and no matter how calm you are, this is the biggest day of you life, so there is bound to be some anxiety. Andrew and I had written each other letters which Richard, our photographer held on to and we read before the first look. As tears filled my eyes, and Andrew turned around, we spent a moment together. There, all the anxiety fled from my body, and I knew that we could get through this day together. Andrew agreed that had we not done the first look beforehand, he might have fainted when I walked down the aisle! Just a heads up for couples as you are deciding.
The Photographer: Well, since photography is Andrew’s profession, we were looking for someone who understood the artistic side of things, and who caught candidly the real, raw emotion of the day. Andrew and I met Richard in the summer while he was shooting a friend’s wedding. They struck up a great rapport and Richard agreed to document our crazy day. We loved Richard’s ease and style (and fabulous accent!) He was unobtrusive, constantly aware and such a pleasure to be around. We could not recommend anyone more highly, he is a consummate professional…other than my husband (wink wink!)
The Advice: The best advice we can give is to not get overwhelmed with the planning. No one expects you to quit your day job so you can handmake favors and craft origami invitations for people. Many magazines and bridal websites have the tendency to make you feel guilty for not going crazy with every detail…DON’T LET IT STRESS YOU OUT. Sit down with your fiance and think about what would make you happy on your day; dream, but prioritize. Weddings are no different than life – sometimes you can’t have it all. Do DIY where you can (we did save the dates, invitations, centerpieces, personalized mason jars) but do it for the pride of making your own stuff and the benefit of potentially saving money. Also, try to stick within the budget, because surprises can come out of nowhere, and the people that you thought weren’t coming, just might show up!
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you Lydia and Andrew for sharing your woodland wedding at Benmarl Winery with us!
The Wedding Team:
Photographer: Richard Israel
Event Planner: Tricia Wancko at Bridgecreek Catering
Day of Coordinator: By Amanda Event Studio
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Benmarl Winery
Videographer/Film Maker: Jackson Bosworth, Jon Roche, Holtz Photography
Officiant: Peter Pierson
Invitation Designer: Andrew Holtz
Catering: Bridgecreek Catering, coordinated by Tricia Wancko
Florist: Nicole Mora of Seed to Fruit
Cupcakes: Meg Bannerman of The Black Sheep Bakes
Wedding Dress: Emanuele Savorani of Galleria della Sposa, Montreal, QC
Bridal Accessories: Family heirlooms, donated by Sally Murphy
Bridesmaids’ Apparel & Accessories: After Six in Celadon
Groom and Groomsmen’s Apparel & Accessories: Suit – Zara, Bowtie – J.Crew
Hair: Giannetta Salon and Spa
Make-up: Lauren Holzheimer
DJ: Anthony Luberto
Live Music: Ron Haney on guitar
Transportation: Carol Transportation
Dance Instruction: Lydia Haug
Favors: Lydia Haug
Rentals: Bridgecreek Catering
Rings: designed by Brian McClean at Simon’s Jewelers
In classic black, white and gold, Jayme and Nick’s wedding day was traditional but with a few fun twists! On the traditional side of things, we have adorable peplum dresses for the bridesmaids, polkadot and plaid bowties for the gents and beautiful architecture to backdrop the group portraits. And for the twists, there were matching TOMS shoes for the groomsmen, a fall inspired S’mores bar, and a toilet paper gun on the dance floor. Yes, you heard right and if you, like me, have no idea what that is, you’ll just have to check out the modern and elegant photos of DWJohnson Studio to see for yourself.
The Goals: Our main objective was for everyone to truly enjoy themselves. We wanted an elegant setting without the stuffy atmosphere. Things for our guests to look forward to throughout the night were important to us: A photobooth, bags boards, excellent food, S’mores bar, seasonal beers, and lots of dancing! We also wanted to incorporate Nick’s passion (and profession) of golf as well as the season into our wedding without over doing it. Subtle things like: A golf bag embroidered with our last name and the year for a card box/bag, the groom’s/groomsmens’ boutonnieres had golf tee’s in them, using golf balls (that my dad cut in half and painted white) as the name place card holders, white and gold pumpkins in the decor, Leinenkugels Oktoberfest Beer, S’mores bar having things like pumpkin whipped cream and cinnamon to give a traditional summer campfire favorite a fall twist – made our day unique to us. They showcased who we are and what we love.
The Look: The look for our wedding really was related in the same way as the decor – a mixture of colors and patterns to achieve elegance and fun. My favorite thing about my dress was the simplicity in it. It was the mixture of fabrics and their application that made the dress what it was; it made a statement but I didn’t feel like my dress was wearing me, I wore my dress. Not to mention it was so comfortable! My hair was the same way. It was important for me to be comfortable, but still feel elegant and beautiful. I didn’t want to feel like a Barbie doll, I wanted to feel like the best version of myself. Each ‘fashion’ decision was made by keeping three things in mind: elegance, relevance, and comfort. For instance the bridesmaids dresses; I picked these with these three thoughts in mind. What will look good on every body type, be comfortable on every body type, but still keep a uniformed and classy look? The answer was a black peplum dress. It is such a trendy dress style, but at the same time it’s a classic. I wanted my sister (the Maid of Honor) to stand out a little bit, so added a sparkly belt to her dress. It was different, but not as dramatic as a totally different dress so it kept the uniformity of the group. For the groom and groomsmen Nick really wanted a streamlined suit. Something that was very tailored and did not swallow them up. Much like me with my dress, he wanted to wear the suit not have the suit wear him. This is why we went with a fitted black suit vs. a tux. In addition, it was all about the bow ties and the TOMS. The bow ties were a great find from The Tie Bar! Again, being able to bring in the different patterns shows a fun side while still keeping it elegant. To keep Nick standing out from the groomsmen, we reversed his bow tie from the black/white polka dot side to the white/black plaid side and got a matching pocket square. The TOMS were great because the guys were comfortable and we were able to give back at the same time.
The Moments: Our favorite part of the day was seeing each other for the first time. There is all this build -up and planning and preparation for the day, but when you see each other for the first time on your wedding day, it solidifies everything and at that moment nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter what goes wrong that day, or if you forgot something, or some detail has been left out, at that moment everything is perfect. A couple of other memorable moments were walking into our venue for the first time to view everything – it was quiet, just us and we got to soak everything in for a couple of minutes, talking to family members and guests even those who couldn’t be there, specifically Nick’s grandpa, taking a moment out from the craziness of the reception to be with each other before the end of the night, the dancing and the toilet paper guns!!!
The Design: My education background is in interior design, so it was important for me to feel like each space (both the church and the reception venue) was complete visually without making our guests feel uncomfortable or like they couldn’t let loose. We wanted a ‘wow’ factor, but to also have a fun and laid back atmosphere. We wanted an elegant and romantic feel for our day and we wanted it to be a reflection of who we are as a couple and individually. We achieved this by lighting the dark stone walled church with candles and white flowers. We wanted the candles to light the aisles of the church in lanterns and use only white decor for the runner/flowers. This allowed for a soft, romantic, and intimate feel for the ceremony. For the reception it was about elegance and fun. Combining textures and patterns on a simple color scheme achieved this elegant and relaxed combination.
Advice: The best advice we can give is just to be yourselves. Plan your day with the things and the people who are important to you as a couple. After it is all said and done it is your day as the start of husband and wife and your life together, so do what makes you happy and enjoy it! We’re not sure if this qualifies under wedding planning success, but one of the greatest things about wedding planning for us was all the love and support we received. It was truly overwhelming. All of the people that come together to make this day happen for you and make it go smoothly so it is the most perfect day is remarkable. Our vendors were hands down the most amazing people. From Brad, our florist and decorator, to Rod at Best Events Catering and Rentals, to the staff at The Bergamont, to John our DJ at Celebrations Entertainment, to Fr. Bob and Holly at St. Thomas Aquinas; they are the people that made this happen. Lastly, we would be nowhere without the love and support we received from our wonderful families and friends. It was such a joy to experience the wedding planning process with all of them!
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