Hello and Happy Monday!
I'm so excited and honored to share this rustic, deeply sentimental and oh so creative wedding with you.
Earth tones and natural beauty abound in Sophie and Peter's wedding which was handmade from the ground up. Literally.
There was a whole lot of reaping and sowing involved in turning Sophie's parent's vast cornfield into a truly unique wedding venue.
Friends and family all chipped in to help with an array of inspired DIY projects (including Sophie's gorgeous lace wedding dress, which was lovingly handmade by her aunt) while Sophie and her parents creatively repurposed odds and ends from around the family farm.
Sophie explains so eloquently just how much heart, soul, family heritage, community and hard work went into their wedding day.
I have always loved the earth, to the extent, in fact, that I used to follow my mom in the garden at a young age and eat chunks of dirt behind her as she weeded. (She likes to tell this story everywhere).
And I have always loved old things, especially when I discover them myself after they’ve been hidden for a while or if they had been unloved for years.
I would say that these two concepts were major players behind every aspect of my marriage celebration to Peter. When I got engaged, it didn’t take me long to realize that I practically had everything I needed to create a wedding that represented me and Peter right at my fingertips. It wasn’t going to take lots of money and shopping around. It was going to take a thoughtful eye and a desire to create.
Luckily, I have a family that was very willing to jump on board with our visions, and two parents who match me in creativity and energy. But I guess the story starts before me, to the fact that I was born into a family of hardworking farmers, dedicated carpenters, and traveling missionaries.
The details of my heritage—maps, travel, wood, seeds and plants—gave me a taste for everything that I now appreciate so deeply. I come from a long line of people who value family, hospitality, and oneness. I knew that I wanted to make our wedding day not only a celebration of us but an invitation for our friends and family to participate in our lives more than ever, representing true community.
Deciding the location of the ceremony was easy. Both my grandparents and my parents were married in the church that I was raised in.
The sanctuary is old and paint is chipping off the walls. There are stains on the carpet, probably representing some mistakes I made as a little girl. But the place is so full of memories for me—so full of happy, ignorant times when I was too young to understand anything. Following as the third generation to make this decision was a deeply spiritual decision, as well as a feel-good heritage one.
We limited the décor in the church. In fact, we added nothing, but removed the pulpit and the altar rail. I wanted it raw and simple; simple, not plain. I think we achieved that, as the atmosphere was so filled with love and support that it felt so far from plain, and so simple in a beautiful way.
Nothing could have ruined how perfect that ceremony was for me and Peter; I am so thankful for how we decided to plan each movement, each transition, each song, reading and reflection.
The reception cornfield idea was born out of a late night conversation with my dad, sisters, and grandma up at my grandma’s house at the top of Red Hill. Some laughed when I proposed the idea. Indicative of the entire wedding planning process, my dad jumped right on board in all seriousness, explaining that we could just plant grass in a 40×100 foot area, and keep the regular field as is. So we did. In planting season, we sowed grass seed instead of corn in those patches.
Later on in the summer, when the corn had grown, dad and I walked through, marking the corn with zig-zagging paths to get from the main tent to the parking lot (aka: hay field), the restroom area, and the food tents. By mid-summer my brothers and dad pulled the corn stalks in the path area and rodatilled the ground, planting grass in the paths.
I guess my parents’ sacrifice and overall support of our vision to welcome people can be illustrated best in this: Thirty minutes before the ceremony started, when it was pouring rain on the farm and all of our paths were getting muddy, my dad was shoveling mulch on every walk way… in his three-piece suit.
What a wonderful account of the day from Sophie. It's so moving how much love and hard work went into this wedding. These photos by Mary Dougherty Photography capture that love so beautifully.
Meet me back here tomorrow for Sophie and Peter's detail filled reception ~ Sophie will be sharing all 30+ DIY projects from their incredible day. If you like all things rustic, natural and creative, trust me, you won't want to miss it!
