Long Island NY Farm Wedding

As soon as I read that bride Stephanie wanted her wedding day to be “equal parts magic and fun,” I thought, “This girl gets it.” Stephanie and Norman married under an old tree in upstate NY, surrounded by shades of mint and peach, and brought along Kate Murphy to capture all the gorgeous vintage details. We’re particularly fond of Stephanie’s vintage tea-length wedding gown, which she lucked upon online!

From the bride, Stephanie: We wanted to have a relaxed, laid back party – a celebratory day that was equal parts magic and fun. We also wanted to get married under a big tree – old trees have a magnificent grace about them and create a magic that we wanted for our day. It was important for us to honor our loved ones and those who have brought us to where we are today – my bouquet was tied with a locket that had photos of her grandmothers and we had photos of our parents and grandparents on their respective wedding days on our welcome table. We also wanted to use our day to give back, as we felt like we had been blessed with so much. Our gift registry included a donation option to a school and children’s home we’ve partnered with in Kenya. We had my Kenyan home stay dad read Scripture, which we pre-recorded and played during our ceremony. We choose readings from Norman’s favorite books, the Chronicles of Narnia. We loved having every element of our wedding infused with meaning – we tried to steer away from doing things just because that was the way they were done, but thought carefully about what meaningful elements we wanted to include.

I had a loose palette of muted colors in mind — muted corals, mints, purples and peaches to complement the natural beauty of the farm. We also incorporated a lot of wooden elements and Kraft browns. Norman and I are makers (him of the wood-working, handyman variety, myself of the craft and sew variety), so there was a LOT of DIY.

I tried to steer away from “disposable” wedding items — things purchased new and used only for one day. We had our food trucks serve food on compostable bamboo plates and bowls, we used mason jars for our drinks (that we use now in our home for canning and for storing pantry items), we scoured thrift stores and flea markets for vintage dessert plates and cake servers to use on our dessert table. We also used a lot of things that I already owned to decorate the welcome table and photobooth table – vintage luggage, books, lunch box, typewriters and cameras. Norman’s parents found a huge bag of vintage table linens a month before the wedding and we used them to decorate the dessert and welcome tables.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? It takes a village — we were so grateful for help provided by our talented friends and family. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help, most people are more than happy to pitch in. Also, your wedding is ONE day but your marriage is forever — details are important, but don’t get so mired in them that you lose sight of what your day is really about.

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Staralfur,” Sigur Ros
Recessional: “The Unknown,” Athlete
First Dance: Baby Soda played a rendition of Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”

Wedding Location: East Setauket, NY / Photographer: Kate Murphy / Wedding Venue: Benner’s Farm / Wedding Dress: Vintage / Wedding Shoes: Seychelles “Password” / Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Jessica Lee / Bride’s Robe: Plum Pretty Sugar / Groom’s Suit: Men’s Wearhouse / Wedding Music: Baby Soda / Photobooth: Classic Photobooth / Food Trucks: Morris Grilled Cheese, Korilla, Schnitzel & Things, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream / Drinks and Bartending: All Star Bartending / Desserts: Friends and family / Succulent Favors: Mountaincrest Gardens / Rentals: Westside Party Rental / Mustaches on Sticks: Something’s Hiding Here / Globe String Lights: Party Lights / Bamboo Boats: Eco Catering Supply / Bamboo Plates and Wooden Cutlery: Food Biz Supply / Wedding Invitations: Bride and groom