1. Real Weddings

A Romantic, Bohemian Backyard Wedding at a Private Residence in Gloucester, Massachusetts

Inspired by their love of nature and a desire to highlight the organic beauty of their woodland home, Jenna Craig (28 and a financial manager) and Jon

Inspired by their love of nature and a desire to highlight the organic beauty of their woodland home, Jenna Craig (28 and a financial manager) and Jon Janes (28 and a property manager) planned a romantic, bohemian bash with dramatic palette of pink, red and purple, homemade details and fresh seasonal blooms. “We worked for 17 months to get our backyard and forest ready. We kept adding projects that would highlight little pieces of our personal lives—the keystone arch made out of firewood, our garden that I planted in the spring with flowers that complemented the palette, the kissing bridge that we built for guests to venture off into the woods and the bonfire pit that let guests get toasty at night,” Jenna says. The ceremony took place in an intimate rock cropping in the woods in Gloucester, Massachusetts, which the couple spent over a year clearing and bringing up to wedding day standards. Jenna’s aunt officiated, Jon’s sister shared an Apache love poem, and the couple exchanged vows they’d written themselves. “There was so much love in the air—you could hold it in your hands,” Jenna says. As the newlyweds made their exit to the beat of Rusted Root’s “Send Me on My Way,” family and friends showered them in fragrant dried lavender. A backyard bash was an obvious choice for Jenna and Jon. The pair spent months revamping their outdoor space for the festivities, growing grass, planting flowers and creating garden beds. The result was a lush, inviting landscape that was just as much a part of the decor as the handmade macrame plant hangers, dream catchers and fringe-flecked table linens that filled the reception tent. After dinner and dancing, guests left with jars of homemade jam: strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry and blackberry. A tip from Jenna and Jon: “Our motto is to always be on our team. The best part of being married is that you always have someone on your side supporting and loving you—we try to make that evident in anything we do.” —Libby MacCarthy

Flowers were an important part of Jenna and Jon’s outdoor affair in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from the fresh-picked centerpieces to Jenna’s Frida Kahlo-inspired flower crown. Moonstone & Moss created the vibrant headpiece that illuminated Jenna’s long romantic waves.
“Nature and the outdoors are a big part of our lives. We wanted the day to be about our love for each other and our love for nature and for our family and friends to enjoy both the company and the view,” Jenna says. The pair spent 17 months preparing their backyard and forest for the fete, clearing a path to a stone cropping for the ceremony and planting extra garden beds to bring their intimate outdoor space to life.
Jenna and Jon made all the decorations for the intimate woodland affair, including the wooden welcome sign at the entrance to the reception tent. To capture the organic, nature-inspired theme, the sign featured fern and vine flourishes in a soft shade of green.
All the decor for the wedding was made by Jenna and Jon with the help of their friends and family members. Details such as macrame plant hangers, lace dream catchers and fringe-trimmed tablecloths gave the spacious open-air tent a decidedly bohemian feel.
Jenna wanted her bridesmaids to show off their different styles. She pinpointed a palette and let them choose their own dresses. The result was a striking melange of ethereal jewel-tone gowns that played up the day’s bohemian feel.
To match the laid-back vibe of their backyard bash, Jon ditched the traditional tuxedo for a sharp navy suit, crisp white button-down shirt and a matching navy tie. He completed the look with sleek brown dress shoes and a white pocket square. His groomsmen followed suit, opting instead for blue shirts that let Jon’s getup stand out.
“I had a really hard time finding a dress,” Jenna says. “Everything was too overdone or too underdone, and nothing seemed to fit my style. I wanted something a little different—vintage but modern at the same time.” She found just that in Daughters of Simone’s Barlow dress. Featuring a sheath silhouette, floral crochet and long sleeves, the gown perfectly captured the day's romantic-meets-bohemian theme and Jenna’s low-key style. “I felt cool, comfortable and chic. I wore suede fringe boots, and my mom thought I was crazy,” Jenna says.
To capture the wedding’s free-spirited feel, Moonstone & Moss filled vintage-inspired bud vases with small bouquets of seasonal blooms in shades of red, purple and pink. The petite bundles were offset by eucalyptus accents that gave the centerpieces a fresh scent and a cool contrast.
After dinner, Jenna and Jon treated their guests to a slice of naked cake with fresh berries and an assortment of from-scratch pies. “For dessert, we got together with Jim who owns our favorite bagel place in Gloucester,” Jenna says. “We go almost every Sunday for coffee and bagels.”
Together with her stepmother, Jenna made homemade jams as a thank-you for the couple’s friends and family members who attended the wedding. The pair made a selection of strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry and blackberry jams, which they placed in customized jars finished with raffia ribbon. “The jams were delicious, and guests loved them,” Jenna says.