1. Real Weddings

A Fall, Apple Themed Wedding at Quonquont Farm in Whately, Massachusetts

It's a tale as old as time: boy, Jonathan Joy (28, an electrical lineman for National Grid), meets girl, Alexandra Tillotson (26, a culinary center ch

It's a tale as old as time: boy, Jonathan Joy (28, an electrical lineman for National Grid), meets girl, Alexandra Tillotson (26, a culinary center chef and instructor for Whole Foods) at party and friends her on Facebook. Five years after their fateful meeting at a UMass Amherst party, Jon proposed in the privacy of their home. For their rustic, fall wedding the couple chose Quonquont Farm because "it’s absolutely gorgeous and was big enough to hold our large group," explains Alex. Instead of the typical barn wedding, they wanted the whole thing to feel rustic but still very elegant. "We knew we didn’t want to do the typical barn wedding with the mason jars, burlap and lace that you see everywhere now," says Alex. "We wanted to really transform the barn into this super-elegant, upscale space." They added glamour to the overall look with neutral shades of white and green and pops of gold. An apple theme, inspired by their October wedding date and their farm setting brought it all to life.

"I wanted my look to be classic, a little bit Grecian and a little bit vintage," says Alex. She wore a two-piece, sheath wedding dress by Allure Bridals with an ivory charmeuse slip, a lace overlay and a scalloped lace neckline.
Alex carried an all-white bridal bouquet of garden roses, calla lilies and peonies framed by gold-painted magnolia leaves.
Alex's eight bridesmaids all wore the same floor-length, cappuccino-colored dresses by Alfred Sung with their choice of neckline.
Alex and Jon had their wedding ceremony at the church Alex grew up in, St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. "We found out about six months before the wedding that Jon had actually never been baptized, and he needed to be in order for us to get married there," says Alex. "So we had a full-on 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' baptism with Jon in a bathing suit, standing in a tub full of water and olive oil."
Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony Crowns
Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony Traditions
Alex and Jon Wedding Ceremony Recessional
Alex and Jon's called their seasonal signature cocktail "The Caramel Apple" which included bourbon, apple cider and caramel sauce.
Bridal Updo with Hairpiece
Guests found their seating assignments pinned to fresh apples.
Vintage Gold Mailbox Card Box
Low centerpieces included garden roses, spray roses, lisianthus, hydrangea, dendrobium orchids, magnolia leaves, seeded eucalyptus and olive branches. She along with gilded apples and fresh herbs like rosemary, sage and bay leaves. rn
Tall Orchid and Seeded Eucalyptus Centerpiece
"The guests’ expectation was pretty high as far as food was concerned, especially since I teach cooking classes for a living!" says Alex. For the soup and salad course, the couple served a roasted pear salad with walnuts and goat cheese and an acorn squash bisque.
To keep with the fall/apple theme, Alex and Jon served a spice cake with a salted caramel apple filling and almond buttercream frosting. The wedding cake was topped with a beautiful cluster of gold apples and fresh white dendrobium orchids.
For favors, Alex and Jon set up a table with bushels of apples spilling out of wooden crates, all freshly picked from the farm.
Alex and Jon had their first dance to an acoustic version of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. "I fell in love with that song shortly after Jon and I met," says Alex. "He surprised me with tickets to see Jason Mraz play at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, and it seemed like right after the concert, that song ended up all over the radio. It definitely became our song."