Fairy Themed NJ Farm Wedding

Found your soulmate? Want to spend forever together? Your family has a farm? Getting married in New Jersey is a once in a lifetime experience, and it should be everything you dreamed of.

Anna’s love of British pre-history aligned perfectly with her whimsical fairy forest theme atop a mountain, complete with a Stonehenge-esque rock formation, constructed by her father, including a significant stone with a Celtic cross.

The images are a glimpse into a Love Story. Stick around until the end, because the FULL Love Story of Anna & Dylan awaits you below.

How did you meet?

We met through a dating app, but turns out we grew up barely fifteen minutes away from one another! We’re sure we crossed paths at some points during the years, but sometimes the timing just has to be right. We both feel certain that if we had met even a year earlier, it would have been a “right person, wrong time” scenario. But the stars aligned for us, and the timing could not have been better. 

How has your relationship grown over the years?

Our relationship timeline has been pretty quick--we met in February 2021 and were married in June 2022. But even in that amount of time, we’ve grown as a couple and as individuals. We’ve bought a house that we are renovating, we’re both invested in our families and our shared faith, and, perhaps the biggest change, we’re expecting our first child in 2023!

How did you get engaged?

We both knew pretty quickly that this relationship was “it.” “I love yous” were exchanged within 2 weeks after we started dating, and after 4 months we started to discuss marriage. We actually started wedding planning before we were even officially engaged! After about 9 months of dating, Dylan proposed in the master bedroom of the historic home we are renovating together. We had about 4 months until the wedding. The timeline was fast from the outside, but we’re both very practical, no-nonsense people who had been in serious relationships before and knew exactly what we were looking for. It really is true--when you know, you know.

What are some fun things you do together as a couple and with friends? 

Dylan loves golf, so Anna has been learning a new hobby in order to join him (occasionally) on the greens. Likewise, Dylan has joined in on some board games nights with Anna. We’re both into gaming, and enjoy traveling and going to shows and concerts. We’re both musically inclined (Dylan plays the electric bass, Anna sings) and are members of our church worship team. 

What’s new since being married? What’s solidified/bonded/grown in your relationship since?  

Living together was a fun challenge, as we chose to wait until after we were married to make the official move to a new apartment. Luckily Dylan is the neat freak of the relationship (though Anna insists she’s merely cluttered, not messy!), so we’ve got a good balance and work together really well to maintain our home. But the biggest change (and growth!) is our upcoming baby. 

Details of your day (theme, colors, favors)

Our theme was “fairy/forest/whimsical.”. Anna kept describing it as “dark fantasy garden themed” to vendors, which seemed to get the idea across. Decor was mainly DIY with faux greenery and ribbons, and a lot of floral details, apart from the bouquet and boutonnieres, were simple forget-me-nots. Our colors were sage green, linen, terracotta and forget-me-not blue. We chose not to do favors and had a late night pretzel bar instead that was a huge hit!

Why did you choose your venue?

Our venue was Anna’s family farm, located on top of a mountain in NJ. We chose it for a lot of reasons: it was local for the majority of guests, we had the freedom to do whatever we wanted with it, and, of course, because it’s a truly picturesque spot. It’s also the place where we spent a lot of time together while we were dating, so it had sentimental value. Because it was a family farm, Anna’s dad was a huge part of the design of the ceremony area, which ended up being a carefully constructed stone circle that was distinctly Stonehenge-esque.

What was your menu, what was your cake flavor?

We had a buffet style wedding and didn’t really try to stick to one specific theme with our menu. We had a variety of appetizers (crab, duck, vegan, beef, chicken, shrimp). For entrees we served chicken in sherry cream sauce and fresh venison from the family farm (which is a whitetail deer farm). We also chose to serve a vegan entree (portobello mushrooms) as we had a number of vegan and vegetarian guests.
Our cake was just for us. We chose to do a small one-tier cake of chocolate and fresh berries, because doing a traditional cake cutting was important to Dylan. For our guests we had a dessert bar that included chocolate mousse, raspberry shortbread and pots de creme. 

Description of your gown? Why was this “the one”?

My gown was from a local NJ designer, Amarra in Farmingdale, NJ. It had a full skirt and a six foot train, and an open back with simple straps and lace applique. It was actually pretty different from what I had originally envisioned, as I was certain I did not want a “princess skirt” and my dress definitely contained more tulle than I was anticipating. I never had a true “this is the one” moment, but I did like the dress and my friends and family who came with me to my appointment loved it. It turned out to be the right decision: the number one compliment I received throughout the wedding day was “you look like a faerie queen,” and really, what more could you want for a faerie garden themed wedding? I also purchased a second gown from Lulus to change into before our departure. It had significantly less tulle!

What was your favorite moment of your wedding day?

Anna - Reading my vows to Dylan. I’d known from the very beginning that it was the most important part of the entire day to me, and I was not wrong. Once that was done, the entire wedding could have gone off the rails and I would have still been happy. 

Dylan - My first dance with Anna. We chose the song “Only You” by the Platters. A lot of the older guests were taken by surprise that we picked such an old song! It perfectly describes the way I feel about Anna, I would sing it to her all the time before we got married. 

One detail you couldn’t live without?

Anna - I really loved the stone circle, partly because I’m deeply interested in British prehistory and studied it at university, but also because it was so painstakingly and lovingly created by my father, Tim, and little sibling, Aran. They spent so much time making it perfect for me, and that meant more than anything else.

Dylan - The yard games we had set up for the guests. They were a big hit, especially the impromptu driving range. All the guests loved hitting golf balls off the mountain!

Did anything go wrong?

Yes! One major issue was with our quiet generator, which failed literally hours before the ceremony, and then shortly after our backup generator failed as well! As the wedding was in a completely remote spot with no running water, bathrooms, or power sources, this would have been an absolute disaster if not for the quick thinking and kindness of Anna’s father and his friends (all of whom are farmers). We were able to get a variety of generators to the farm within an hour and while they were a little louder than we had anticipated, everything ran so smoothly from that point on.
I, Anna, also found out after the fact that my bridal attendant accidentally snipped one of the straps of my dress clean off, thinking it was a hanger strap. Luckily my MOH, Aran, had brought their trusty sewing kit and was able to hand stitch it back together. I never knew about this until months later!

First dance song?

Only You by The Platters. Dylan jokingly serenaded it to Anna early on in the relationship and it stuck around.

Where did you honeymoon? 

We honeymooned in Aruba for six days! It was fantastic.

How did you find out about me? What was it about me and my services that told you I was the one?

Anna - I actually had been following your work for a year or two before I met Dylan or got engaged. I loved how colorful and vibrant your work was and I felt like your photos were so adventurous and experimental. When we got engaged and only had four months until the wedding, I was actually a little bummed because I was certain you’d be totally booked for 2022. But then, miraculously, our wedding weekend was one of the only ones you still had open. Obviously meant to be!
Dylan - Through Anna. She really loved Daniel’s work and meeting him for the first time made me really comfortable with choosing to work with him. His attention to detail is bar none.

Advice for other brides?

Anna - The vast majority of the things you lose your mind over during planning will be noticed by precisely no one. I DIY’d so much of my decor and spent a solid 2 weeks on my table numbers and the little ribbon streamers to give to guests to wave after the ceremony. Such a silly thing to waste time on--the table numbers would have gotten the same amount of attention if I’d simply bought the cheapest ones I could find, and I now have 100 little streamers in a box in my garage. Hire a planner (I emphasize: hire a planner!), focus on food and music and accessibility, and let the little things slide. Weddings feel so pressured and judged, but the truth is that as long as your guests are fed, dry, and entertained, you’ve done your job as a host. The rest is just for fun.
Also, know in advance that a DIY, open plan wedding like ours is not the cheap option. No regrets in the end, because our wedding was so unique to us, but I had no idea how much building a venue from scratch really adds up. Backyard weddings are a lot of work.

Dylan - I’ll give advice for other grooms. Help your bride to be out with as many things as you can! I know our brains operate differently when it comes to this kind of stuff but taking over as many things as you can I feel made a huge deal on the mental stress of planning that day.

Gown-Amarra

Shoes-Bandolino

Jewelry-Necklace and gold earrings are family heirlooms, opal earrings were from Fliegauf Jewelers, my local jewelry store.

Accessories-Porcelain flower crown was custom from Jennifer Cavicchi of MiaFloraDesigns on Etsy. 

Hair- Casondra Rolph

Makeup- Ashley Anastasio

Groom’s Attire-Linen suit from Men’s Wearhouse, Omega watch was an engagement gift from Anna. 

Groomsmen Attire- BM and MOH both wore linen suits from Men’s Wearhouse.

Flowers-Farm Girl Florals

Cake-Sweet Luxe Design

Invitations-Minted, designed by Anna

Rentals-Prestige Party Rental, LLC

Linens-Prestige Party Rental, LLC

Planner: Written In The Stars