A Country Wedding
Bonfires & Fireflies
August 13, 2011
Emily and Jed live in Brooklyn, NY but wanted a country wedding within driving distance of the city. We found Winvian which is a beautiful property nestled in the rolling hills of Litchfield Connecticut. A unique venue set amidst 113 acres of nature and serenity. It features 18 individually cottages that we used for the family and bridal party's weekend accommodations and the remaining guests stayed at the charming Litchfield Inn and Toll Gate Inn just down the country road.
Two dinners were held on the Friday before the wedding; one formal rehearsal for 40 guests and another dinner for 100 close friends of the families. Both menus were served "family style" to create a relaxed evening of good food and mingling.
Following the dinners the guests gathered at Winvian for dessert and drinks and some lawn bowling and croquette. Bonfires were lit on the lawn and the kids roasted s'mores and caught fireflies under a full moon. (I didn't plan the full moon but it was quite a spectacular touch.)
When the guests returned to their rooms and cottages they found their welcome gifts which were L.L Bean tote bags with a silhouette logo of their two dogs Frederick & Briscoe (see above) along with Frederick & Briscoe logo baseball caps and sunglasses!
It was an evening wedding so, while the bridal party spent the afternoon relaxing and taking advantage of the spa the guest were free to explore the area and partake in skeet shooting, fly fishing, hiking, bicycle riding or antiquing.
The ceremony took place in a beautiful meadow on the edge of a Lilly pond. The clearing was surrounded by tall bear grass and shaded by magnificent old maple trees. Emily wore a Victorian style dress, Jed a deep blue custom tuxedo and the bridesmaids wore emerald green dresses with vintage hair pins on broaches which were given to them as gifts from the bride.
The seated dinner for 250 was held in the party barn and under a clear top tent to take advantage of the light of the moon. Hundreds of votive candles were placed on the high beams above the guests and an abundance of wildflowers and fresh herbs made the centerpieces. A three course dinner was served starting with heirloom tomato risotto and caprese salad followed by Seared Diver Scallops with sweet corn succotash and beef tenderloin with garden Ratatouille. The wedding cake was a magnificent four tiered strawberry shortcake served plated and garnished with a meringue straw and orchids.
Just to make sure everyone had enough, the evening culminated with an after party with sliders, pizzas and a second dessert buffet.
Even though, Sunday morning came quickly just about all of the 250 guests showed up for brunch donning their Frederick & Briscoe baseball caps....and sunglasses.
CiBi Events
Wedding Planning & Design
Charleston, SC Washington, DC
843.749.2807 202.280.8481
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Copyright 2011: CiBi Events. Wedding Planners DC. All rights reserved.
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Quality of Service: 5.0 out of 5.0
Responsiveness: 5.0 out of 5.0
Professionalism: 5.0 out of 5.0
Value: 5.0 out of 5.0
Flexibility: 5.0 out of 5.0
Reviewed On: 12/20/11
Christina Baxter at CIBI events did an excellent job planning and executing our wedding, which was quite large and complicated given that it was a weekend-long affair with multiple events and more than 200 people from around the country joining us to celebrate.
Christina is cool under pressure, creative and totally responsive to her clients' needs. All are extremely important in planning a perfect wedding.
Emily and I would recommend CIBI events to anyone who wishes to sit back, enjoy their engagement and have a fantastic wedding planned by a true pro.
- Emily & Jed
on
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