A Rustic Barn Wedding at a Private Residence in Westminster, Maryland

From start to finish, Katie Salafia (22 and an inclusion assistant) and Eric Stephenson’s (25 and a personal banker) wedding was truly a labor of love. After announcing they were tying the knot, Katie’s mother suggested the pair host their autumnal affair in a historic barn set on a family friend’s property in Westminster, Md. “At first we though she was crazy — the building was covered in ivy and brush, there were tons of birds living inside, and the floors were falling apart,” says Katie. “But, after countless hours of work by family and friends it looked incredible! It provided the rustic, charming and warm feel we were after.” In addition to helping get the barn into tip-top shape for the wedding, the couple’s families and friends, specifically a close friend and Matthew’s brother, arranged all of the flowers and custom-designed their invitation suite.

Before kicking off the evening’s festivities, Katie and Eric exchanged vows in an outdoor ceremony overlooking the vast natural landscape and quaint red barn. As a nod to the locale, Eric handcrafted a wooden arbor for the ceremony, under which the pair said their “I dos,” with branches he salvaged from a nearby river. “He also took some doors that we found inside the barn and built a frame for them, so that I had something to walk through as I made my way down the aisle,” says Katie.

The reception was a fun, laid-back affair complete with a mouth-watering spread of barbecue fare and a cookie table overflowing with homemade treats. Bouquets of wildflowers in shades of warm yellow and berry hues topped the tables, bringing a pop of color to the barn’s rustic interiors, while strands of bistro lights and panels of printed fabric amplified the space’s warm, inviting feel. “The inside of the barn was so beautiful, so we didn't want to overdo it with the directions,” says Katie.

A tip for the taking from Katie and Eric: “We hosted a ‘play day’ the night before our wedding for all of our out-of-town friends. We grilled out, played two-hand-touch football, and made s'mores by a bonfire at night. It was the perfect way to spend time with people while they were in town and took a ton of pressure off of the wedding day. We had already gotten to catch up with most of our guests so we could really enjoy the day!”