Adam and Holly 's Wedding in Maplecrest, New York

The story of our wedding

My husband and I fell for each other in the Catskill Mountains, spending every summer there at his cabin in the woods, bonding over our love of the outdoors. Getting married in those same mountains was the obvious choice when it came time to select a destination. Our wedding theme centered around a song by my favorite artist, Kacey Musgraves, called “Love is a Wild Thing.” It encompasses the untamed love we feel for each other and the wilderness of the Catskills that we were excited to share with our guests.It was important for us to feel connected to nature throughout our celebration. We married under the shade of two 200 year old apple trees on an idyllic, sunny summer day. Birds chirped above and the creek below babbled as we said “I do.” Guests threw dried petals and fragrant lavender from a holder with the inscription introducing them to our “Love is a Wild Thing” theme. Steps away from our ceremony stood the barns where our reception was held. Our seating chart used Catskill mountain peaks as table names that were displayed from a tree on a linen scroll. Each guest was welcomed to their seat with a raw edged linen menu adorned with their names and watercolor sketches hinting at the feast ahead. Our menu was served family style and included Catskill staples that we’ve enjoyed over the years in nearby restaurants in the area, including malbec braised short rib, local trout and garden fresh pasta primavera. The communal style of passing plates to each other on long banquet tables added to the intimate feeling and laid back experience. Our cake was all decked out with wildflowers and had summery mix of lemon and lavender flavor.As much as we wanted to share our affinity for nature with our guests, we didn’t want to have a full on rustic affair. Instead we focused on creating an air of romance with a tablescape of soft lavender and vivid fuchsia, draped linen runners, tapered candlesticks and vases of lush overgrown flowers. Our mezzanine lounge served as a dreamy hideaway with a rich brown leather sofa and deer skin rug, accented by the glow of a neon sign emblazoned with our slogan. Every single detail of our day was bespoke and the barn served as a blank canvas for us. A local florist used wildflowers grown right from her backyard in the Catskill region to create sprawling installations and a bouquet as wild as our surroundings. The seasonal flowers she used were a colorful mix of lisianthus, cosmos, lace flower, straw flower, feverfew, delphinium, echinacea, larkspur, yarrow, phlox, autumn olive and gooseneck loosestrife. She also added huge blooms of pink and burgundy roses to her designs that added a touch of glamour to the barn backdrop.My husband's accessories used natural elements to pay homage to our outdoorsy lifestyle. We incorporated our love of fishing into his boutonniere, hand selecting feathers for a fly fishing lure that matched our color scheme. His bow tie was made of a show-stopping mix of iridescent blue pheasant feathers that popped against his navy suit.An important detail from our day was incorporating our two rescue dogs (Toby and Ayi) since we couldn’t have them physically at the ceremony with us. An illustrator created watercolor replicas of our dogs to serve as mascots for our guestbook and signature drink display. We actually found Ayi (the black furry one) while searching for wedding venues upstate 2 years ago. It was a snowy day in February when we found him in the woods. The poor thing was starved and his hair was matted with dirt and twigs. We took our mountain boy home that night and nursed him back to health. His name means bear in Turkish, for obvious reasons.An unforgettable memory from our wedding was having my Dad there with us. He has COPD and needs to carry oxygen with him at all times. He not only walked me down the aisle but also shared a passage at the ceremony from a book of prayers that he would read to me as a kid. I was so worried he would be too unwell to attend, so having him by my side that day was incredibly special and something I will always be thankful for. Another special memory is our first look at Deer mountain Inn. We hiked to that section of the property overlooking the Catskill Mountains many times before and fell in love with the view. My husband waited for me there while my photographer drove me up the steep winding path surrounded by fields of wildflowers. There is a moment where we meet at the top when a butterfly circles our heads and my photographer captures it directly between us. Later we were told by a friend that moths and butterflies are symbols of relatives who have passed on. My Grandmother passed away in April, only a few months before our July wedding. We now believe that was her spirit rejoicing with us on our special day. She made it after all!