Farmhouse Fresh Weddings Blog

       Today we are featured on Farmhouse Fresh Weddings! Thank you April for writing about our business. We are honored that you think we're blog worthy. 

Photo by Alison Conklin for Lehigh Valley Style Magazine

Julie and Simon's Wedding-Bally Spring Inn

Last Summer we had the privilege of working with Julie and Simon on their beautiful wedding at the Bally Spring Inn. Julie requested farmhouse tables, special chairs for she and Simon, an easel and a large gold frame. She had a great eye for design and knew exactly what she was looking for. Birds Of A Feather Photography captured every detail. This beautiful wedding was featured on Rustic Wedding Chic. Head over there to see all the beautiful images. Congratulations Julie and Simon!!!

Burnside Plantation-Mod meets barn

On July 28th we did two styled shoots in one day (never again folks, never again). Luckily for us, both shoots turned out fantastic! We're featuring the one that took place at the Burnside Plantation in Bethlehem, PA below. 

Once again, as seems to be our lot, we were peppered with rain throughout the day. We also had a major wardrobe mishap as the dresses we had ordered literally got lost in the mail. Then our "Bride" for the day had a family emergency, but we had a stellar team to work with and we weren't ready to throw in the towel yet. So, we chose to press on and I'm sure you'll agree, we made the right call. 

 Burnside Plantation provides several wonderful backdrops for photos. It's full of rustic, historic, and natural beauty. Burlap, lace and wildflowers work beautifully in this space, but Sarah Kudlak from Juniper and Dash envisioned a unique, bold, mod take on the traditional barn wedding. It's a refreshing look and proves that this venue can work with any style. Sarah K. created a palate of tomato red, bright peach and cobalt blue. She rigged up this super simple, sweet ceremony backdrop in the orchard.

Alexandra Gergar of Alexandra Whitney Photography was our fearless leader. She's a very thorough photographer with an eye for angles and details and she captured some gorgeous shots. 

Jill Kozar, owner of Jill Kozar's Up-Your-Do not only did hair for the models, but she stood in as our Bride as well! We played up her purple hair with a blue sash. Her jewelry was provided by Nicole Bridal . The dashing man by her side is her husband, Joe. 

The bridesmaid, Rebekah Defreest, wore a simple, blue dress. We were going for a 1960's style, but with a modern, eclectic flair.

Kelly Quinlan of Face the Occasion provided make-up for the ladies. Kelly added just the right amount of eyeliner and a retro pout to create a subtlely vintage face. 

Sarah Petryk from Allium Design wowed us as always with her incredible florals. Zinnias, dahlias, and even dill, burst forth in vibrant shades. 

We featured several of our favorite pieces from the 60's. Our card catalog, stuffed with flowers made a fantastic escort card table. Our Alice trunk made an appearance in the lounge set up in the corn crib (a popular location for cocktails). 

Amy from Cozze Cakes graciously provided a cake to sit atop our Jacobean Buffet. 

 Sarah Zero of Jackalope Heart, created beautiful table numbers, menus and stationary to coordinate with the theme. 

A big thank you to all the talented folks that gave their time and energy to this shoot. It was a fun one!

Up in the orchard we had the misfortune of stepping on a rabbits nest! Baby bunnies scattered everywhere and we all scrambled to get them back in the nest. I used to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic and I proudly claim to be an animal nerd. So here's a little behind the scenes photo of our bunny adventure.

And here's a tip: if the bunny's eyes aren't open, it still needs its Momma. A bunny can be handled without being rejected by its Momma, so don't hesitate to pick it up and put it where it belongs. May bunnies never spring out at you on a photo shoot!

Durga-Boho Shoot

In May, we provided a few pieces for a styled shoot at the gorgeous Woolverton Inn in Stockton New Jersey. Our Eleanor Couch, Caroline Side Table, Penelope Arm Chair, European Farmhouse Table and an assortment of chairs all took the trip. The Inn was literally magical. The place was covered in intoxicating lilac bushes and jaunty sheep. The day was drizzly and overcast, changing hourly as the clouds rolled on. It felt like a day spent at an English countryside inn. 

Melissa from M2 Photography applied her boundless energy and incredible talent to the 8 hour shoot. 

Lauren and Liz from Belovely created amazing florals including a Belovely favorite flower, the exotic king protea. They are also responsible for all the styling and the delightful floral crowns. Check out their website for classes teaching the fine and fun art of floral crowns. They are located just outside of Philadelphia, PA. 

They set the table with dishes from Anthropologie and a delectable assortment of grapefruit and blackberries. 

The ladies also created a one of a kind backdrop for photos, with hand-painted flowers. 

This shoot was designed to promote a gorgeously practical collection of bridesmaid's dresses created by Durga-Kali. Believe it or not all of the dresses in these photos are reversible! One side comes in a dizzying array of colors and styles, the other side shines in black satin. They wear effortlessly and you get two dresses for the price of one. What an ingenious idea by Durga Sundaram-McCurdy, the founder and creator of these lovely dresses. 

Gina Kay Osborne, owner of  True Beauty Marks worked her magic with hair and make-up. Every model was given a unique look and all 6 of the ladies looked remarkably fresh hours later as the sun set and the photo shoot came to a close. 

A note about the models. They were absolutely fearless. Notice that they are barefoot the entire shoot. Abby and I kept trying to protect them by pointing out poison ivy and wild rose bushes creeping along the ground. But, they paid no heed and yet no one left bleeding or itching to my knowledge. Hats off to you ladies!

Until next time my lovelies!

Spring Wedding Shoot

In April we put together our favorite photo shoot to date. Once again, Alison Conklin worked tirelessly, capturing every detail down to the wedding rings and the cake crumbs. We got about half of our furniture in place when the rains came. It rained for a good hour or more as we set up. But the show must go on and we just prayed it would stop when we really needed it to. 

Inside, our fearless allies kept plugging away. Naomi Storey, owner of Storey Threads modeled a vintage, lace wedding dress for us. Steve, a waiter from the best restaurant in town, Bolete, stepped in as "groom". While the rain poured and our moods soured, Kelly Quinlan from Face The Occasion did Naomi's make-up. She gave her a fresh Spring look that really brought out her gorgeous eyes. Jill Kozar from Up Your Do wowed us with the loose braid she did for Naomi. 

Sarah, from Allium Design provided the incredible florals and provided styling assistance as well. It was pleasure to watch her work. She makes it look so easy, but her arrangements come out flawlessly organic. 

By the time we were ready, the rain hadn't let up. But that's what vintage umbrellas are for! 

We had just gotten our Geraldine Vanity and were so excited to see her in action. So, here she is. Every Bride needs a place to freshen up. 

The garland is from our friend Faith, the extraordinary Momma behind Ordinary Mommy

We couldn't wait to get our hands on these desserts from The Flour Shop in Bethlehem, PA. They provided delicious macaroons, almond cookies and our delightful bunny-topped cake. The cake topper is from BHLDN.

This dress that we used for the second part of the shoot is also from BHLDN. Naomi styled herself with jewels and a vintage, fuschia, birdcage veil. 

A huge, heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who participated in this shoot. We loved this team! In spite of the rain, it turned out to be a gorgeous shoot. We're so proud of these photos and the efforts of all who made them as beautiful as they are.

We can't thank Alison Conklin enough for her participation in the building of our business. We could not be here without her. She is immensely talented and incredibly kind. Abby and I are so thankful for her friendship. This is the last of our photo shoots with her for now. So, enjoy!

Farmhouse Tables?...yeah, we've got those

Farmhouse tables....they symbolize family and solidarity. They provide a sturdy, handsome foundation for fabulous meals and they go with just about any style. We are in the process of building our own fleet of handcrafted tables. My tireless Husband is sawing as we speak. Our tables will be 3 feet wide and 8 feet long. Wide enough for all the tablescaping your heart desires, but shallow enough to encourage good conversation. We can comfortably fit 10 people around the table, or 8 if you desire to connect the tables and eat family style. Our tables will wear a dark, walnut stain.

We've also added a vintage Schwinn Collegiate Bike to our inventory. Check out our Pinterest for creative ideas for bikes. 

Til' next time,

Meg

Junkyard Romance

In March we styled a romantic shoot in the cleanest junkyard you'll ever see on film. We asked a couple we know, that have modeled in the past, to don some vintage duds and smile pretty. We dressed Megan in a classic, organdy prom dress from the 1950's. The day was below freezing, so we draped her in a vintage fur and tried to keep her warm whenever possible. Her teeth were chattering through much of the shoot, but she never complained and she looks amazing in the photos. 

 Once again, Alison Conklin was our incredible photographer. 

Megan has an ageless beauty and dramatic, green eyes. Her make-up was flawlessly applied by another talented young woman named Hillary. She provides on site make-up artistry and is a joy to work with. She has a background in production and works on sets as well. Feel free to reach out to us for contact info for any of these young talents. 

Megan and Brent are a real couple and their love for each other can be seen in so many of these photos. We enjoyed capturing their real life romance. 

After this scene we put Megan back in the car to warm up and drove down to our next site. We set up our Gregory Barrister Bookcase with a set of vintage encyclopedias and board games. 

Alison decided to pull out her black and white film camera and take a few shots. 

And here's our favorite shot from this junkyard romance. Thank you to Brent, Megan, Hillary, D and J's auto in Coopersburg, PA and of course Alison Conklin for a super fun, offbeat day.