A Hudson Valley Wedding for Fall Lovers
This fall-loving couple’s top priority for their wedding was to have an intimate weekend to spend time with their friends and family. They hosted their weekend wedding festivities at the Hasbrouck House in Stone Ridge, NY. The Hudon Valley venue was perfect for its rustic charm and modern elegance.
Renowned for its autumn foliage, the Hudson Valley is a stunning display of nature’s beauty. The area is saturated with maples, oaks, birches, and their brilliant shades of red, orange, yellow, and gold. It was the perfect setting for Sarah and Trevor, who love everything and anything fall.
Photography: Forged in the North
Meant to Be
The top priority for Pearl Weddings is to create a wedding that truly captures the unique essence of each couple. Sarah and Trevor share a deep love for literature, fall, Halloween, music, friends, family, and of course, each other. Pearl Weddings owner Chelsea Suddes was sure to capture all the elements that were quintessentially Sarah and Trevor in the wedding design.
The bride and groom have both roots in California. Sarah and Trevor’s family are both from the Bay Area. Trevor spent much of his childhood between the two coasts. Their paths crossed at a small liberal arts school all the way across the country in Long Island. There, they bonded over their shared passion for theatre, and music, and leaving their hearts back in California. “Our beginning always felt like a lifetime together that we were just catching up to, finding a home beyond the places,” the bride said.
At a dress fitting at Kinsley James in Sarah’s hometown of Walnut Creek, CA, Sarah instantly bonded with her consultant Rebecca after seeing her spiderweb-painted nails; the two instantly shared a connection over their love of Halloween. After trying only two dresses, Sarah tried on the Gala-1009 by Galia Lahav, a designer she always loved. “Everything about finding my dress felt so beautifully serendipitous much like how my husband and I met,” Sarah said.
Photography: Forged in the North
October Festivities
On the first day, family members and the bridal party enjoyed a casual Oktoberfest-themed dinner to catch up and relax. The next evening guests dressed up as their favorite movie characters for a Halloween Welcome Party, complete with a costume contest. A storm fitting for a horror movie poured outside as guests were cozy under a tent bedecked in gothic and apothecary decor. Halloween has been such an important holiday throughout Sarah and Trevor’s relationship that it “meant the world for all of our loved ones to show up for us in this way when we asked them to do something a bit unconventional,” Sarah said.
Despite the rain the night before, the sun came out as Sarah and Trevor exchanged their vows underneath a custom-made stained-glass arch by Pearl Weddings and its sister company, Rent Pearl. A string quartet played music from the couple’s favorite movies and musicals during the ceremony that bled into cocktail hour.
Sarah and Trevor’s October wedding perfectly encapsulated the couple’s love for everything fall. Deep, warm fall colors decorated the space with lush florals, dark wood tables, well-loved antiques, and gold accents.
Photography: Forged in the North
As guests made their way to their seats, they found handwritten notes full of memories shared with each person and the couple’s deepest gratitude for celebrating this day with them. The bride also handwrote each of their names. Table numbers were sheet music of the couple’s favorite songs.
Photography: Forged in the North
Sarah and Trevor wanted every detail to feel personal and sentimental so much of the reception decor was homage to the couple’s love of literature, music, antiques, and, of course, fall. They wanted the environment to feel warm and rich, with textures to compliment the stunning autumn foliage of the Hudson Valley.
Photography: Forged in the North
During the reception, every song was handpicked by Trevor, a musician, to play in chronological order through the decades. There was never a moment where people were not on the dancefloor.
After the reception guests were given apple cider donuts as they made their way to the after-party inside the main house where all of the couple’s talented friends played music as everyone sat together, singing the rest of the night away.
Photography: Forged in the North
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