Francesca + Max’s Catskills Mountain wedding got us right in the feels, friends – it was super-intimate, in a ripper of a setting (hello, Catkills Mountains incredible scenery!), and they had a very special guest along for the ride with the bride finding out she was pregnant just a couple of months before the big day.
With a “nature and chilled” vibe, everything about this day was exactly as Francesca and Max dreamed, and keeping it super-small only ramped up the special factor. “Having no bridal party , I feel like we were able to connect a bit more with all our family on the day,” says Max. “ Lari (hair/make up) and I were chatting and laughing the entire time. Brandon our Day of Coordinator, was available remotely and was so down to earth and made us feel really at ease.”
THE VENUE
“The location was a really easy decision for us. We wanted it to be tranquil yet not far from our NYC home. When I stumbled across Spruceton Inn, we fell in love with the vast grounds, particularly love the creek that runs through the back and all the tall grass! It was definitely the perfect intimate vibez we were looking for. Absolutely breathtaking natural landscapes that just felt so epic yet peaceful and relaxed. It seemed like the perfect complement to our personalities so we decided right away that we would get married there.
FAV DETAILS
“ Our florist Molly created the most beautiful bouquet arrangement which featured air flowers as I didn’t want to have anything “ dying “ at my wedding. Our ceremony location had also been blooming with wild flowers and towering tall grass “
THE DRESS
“My wedding dress was the very first one I tried on. I immediately fell in love with it at from designer Claire Pettibone, and flew out to LA to set up my fittings which was such a jet-setting experience and the dress gave me that sleek romantic, but boho modern bridal feel. When I put it on I immediately felt myself in it.”
WE’RE GLAD WE…
We are really glad we took our time in the planning process. It meant that we got to enjoy being engaged without the wedding stress for about a year. We’re also so happy we organised a recovery party for the next night. This was such a nice relaxed evening where we could actually speak to our guests and not have to pose for ten million photos! We also organised wood-fired pizza, soft serve ice cream, a karaoke machine for the Saturday night and I could breathe and wear jeans – winning! There were some standout performances from everyone including the groom.”
MEMORABLE MOMENT
“Our accommodation was dog friendly, so we decided to bring our dog and include him in the ceremony in the ‘first look’. Walking down the end of the aisle to the Chuppa and our dog was waiting was a sweet moment. He’s so involved in our lives and was very well behaved on the day, it was really nice having him be a part of it.”
STANDOUT VENDORS
In our list of stand out vendors would have to be our planner from around the way Brandon. I initially thought he was local to the catskills but he was based in Chicago. It was fate and this day would not have been possible without him. 500 miles away and still felt like he was walking with us! My dress!!! their attention to tiny details and care was second to none. I am not a visual person and getting a custom made dress was at the time a bit daunting as I couldn’t imagine what it would look like but I knew I could put my faith in them. I have since recommended them to every friend getting married – just in the hopes I can go back with them and play dress-ups.”
WORD OF ADVICE
“Think about what you really want on your day and just go for it!We toyed with the idea of having a bigger wedding so more of our families and friends could be involved, but ultimately we really wanted our special day to be intimate and easygoing so that we could have the time to enjoy it together with those that love and will support us the best, and we couldn’t have been happier with the decision.