Over the years Jim and I have been fortunate to be invited to many fabulous weddings in beautiful settings across the country. Each was special in its own way and all have made for some very happy memories. This year was no exception. Since last October there have been 3 family weddings (2 in July), and next month we will be headed northeast once again for the 4th wedding in a year on the Dwyer side of the family.
The first inkling that our niece Elizabeth Woglom’s wedding to Dan Richardson in early July at Meadowburn Farm in Vernon, N.J. was going to be unusual and imaginative was the location depicted on the beautiful Save the Date card, top photo, which was painted by the bride’s brother, James “Doc” Woglom, a professor of art at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA. That, and the invitation that followed, bottom photo, were designed by a young calligrapher whose company is called ink + nibs. Even the interior of the envelope was decorated. See the watercolor of a gated entry to Meadowburn Farm in the top photo.
The bride and groom, both teachers, love camping and outdoor adventures, on the Save the Date card. There’s also a subtle reference to the fact that the groom is an avid fly fisherman, which translated into fishing lure boutonnières the groom, father-of-the-bride, and groomsmen wore on their lapels (photo follows).
Meadowburn Farm, a spectacular 600-acre working dairy farm and flower garden that dates from 1750, is 1 & 1/2 hours northwest of NYC in a beautiful part of the state that is close to the New York border. According to the website, the gardens were originally installed by Helena Rutherfurd Ely, one of the most influential garden writers of the early 20th century.
All twenty-one members of the wedding party stayed in the historic Main House, top photo. We stayed in the red farmhouse shown in bottom photo, which was a short walk to the ceremony and the reception tent. Wedding guests were also invited to camp on the property for the weekend, which was thoughtful of the bride and groom as accommodations in that popular area of the state are hard-to-find during the height of the summer season.
On Friday, bridesmaids were invited to create their own bouquets choosing from buckets of blooms plucked from the farm or the florist’s selection.
The bridesmaids included friends from the couple’s hometown of Cranford, NJ, a friend from Jackson Hole, WY, and fellow classmates from Ithaca College.
The rehearsal dinner arrived on wheels Friday evening with smoke drifting from a wood-fired pizza oven built on top of a flatbed truck. When parked, side panels from Connecticut-based The Pizza Truck Company were removed and became work stations and serving tables. The pizza was a big hit, especially a bacon-cheese version with honey drizzled on top.
The father-of-the-bride Frank Woglom escorting the radiant bride.
Elizabeth has three brothers who were groomsmen, her sister-in-law Meg Woglom, left, was maid of honor. The groom’s uncle, above, officiated.
The fly fishing theme continued on pocket handkerchiefs and into the wedding vows as well (as I recall, it was “no fly fishing on Sunday unless it’s the two of us,” or something like that).
Through the flowers you can see the lawn where cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served following the marriage ceremony.
The bride and groom shown entering the wedding tent above, and during their 1st dance, below.
The charming menu was another example of ink + nibs’ work, above. The wedding dinner, catered by The Food Company, was served family-style and included scrumptious fried chicken accompanied by fried green tomatoes, macaroni & cheese, and a delicious cole slaw served in mason jars. Instead of traditional wedding cake, there was a large selection of yummy pies served with whipped cream.
The bride shown with her cousin Abby Dwyer, who was married two weeks later in Bellport, NY to John Yoder (not pictured). John is the son of Jen and Tom Maclean who lived at The York House in the CWE for a couple of years before relocating to Boston.
The flowers were abundant and spectacular, as was the whole weekend. We also had a chance to explore the area a bit, including a Saturday morning excursion to Dia:, a fascinating contemporary art museum about an hour away in Beacon, NY.
Thanks to Elizabeth and Dan for their generosity in allowing me to share these photos with readers of this blog. It’s rewarding to share happy moments in such tumultuous times.
What a stunning wedding. And those watercolor invitations – just
incredible.