A Magical, Woodsy Fairytale in Quogue, New York

March 6, 2018

By far this was one of the most challenging weddings while also being one of the most fun, and honestly one of my ultimate favorites! The reason I say challenging is because it was the first time in my wedding planning career that I had to build a wedding from the ground up. Never had I planned and created a wedding in the woods and it turned out AWESOME!

The bride got ready in her family home in Quogue, New York. She was honestly the most relaxed bride I had ever met from day one! She had really put her full trust into myself and my team and for that I can appreciate her bride-chilla vibe even more!

She wore Mira Zwillinger and thanks to Michael of Chellise Michael Photography everything from the dress, to the tables were captured perfectly.

It was important to her that we create this effortless vibe and it started with these amazing invitations by Paper Studio New York. The small owl on the details card was a favorite all around!

When we sat with Victoria, from Designs By Ahn, there was no denying that she understood exactly what we wanted for the floral decor. We had some interesting requests like “covering the cemetery of decay” (something for when children visited the Quogue Wildlife Refuge to understand the amount of time it took for certain items to decay, but not the greatest detail for a wedding!) From the bouquets to that chuppah (you will see further down), she nailed it!

The groom got ready at a house that his family rented in the Hamptons. Another very relaxed groom for the MEW team, I think it’s that calm Eastern Long Island atmosphere.

The Quogue Wildlife Refuge never had a wedding on their property before so that certainly changed the game a bit, we were able to set the standard and really wow everybody!

Prior to the ceremony, everyone enjoyed some pre-wedding Jewish traditions: the Tish and Bedeken. I have done many Jewish weddings but none yet with these traditions, so it was exciting and interesting to witness and learn. For those of you reading who don’t know, the Tish is a celebration with all of the men, where they drink, sing and celebrate. The Bedeken is with all of the women and they can be blessed by the bride as this is her purest state; on her wedding day. Following, there is the veiling ceremony where the groom is then carried out of the Tish and into the Bedeken where he greets his bride by lifting her veil, ensuring he is in fact marrying the correct woman. I know there are several items that I’d read online amidst my research while planning this wedding but this is what I learned from these lovely families!

Details, details, details! We chose these lanterns from our stationer’s inventory to fit the woodsy environment, and that beautiful escort board created by Swell Anchor Studio was exactly what we needed!

Of course we had to have a beautiful Sperry Tent, and we went with light gray linen over white to create a softer more romantic feel that worked well with the masculinity of the surrounding woods. Twinkles lights, blush florals and clean white chairs tied everything together.

This couple went with a buffet simply because they didn’t want the party to stop and they wanted guests to eat at their leisure. Their dance floor was full from 9:30pm – 12:30am, they truly were party animals! If you do choose to go the buffet route, but still want to provide a sophisticated and delicious menu to your guests, you have to go with Gracious Thyme; Judy and her team are food and beverage experts!