A Rustic, Outdoor Wedding at Codman Estate in Lincoln, Massachusetts

Since they both studied history in college, Kaitlyn O'Brien (25 and a customer-service specialist) and Andrew Clark (25 and a regional sales-operations manager) knew they wanted to have their wedding on a historical site. Upon visiting the Codman Estate in Lincoln, Massachusetts, the couple knew they found their perfect wedding venue. "Codman wowed us with its Italian Garden; a reflecting pool in the center, statuary in the front and rear and beautiful floral all around." With The Codman Estate's swan-themed benches, Kaitlin and Andrew knew their Oktoberfest-themed wedding would fit well with the venue. "Swans are icons of Bavaria and the royal family that hosted the first Oktoberfest," Kaitlyn says. Their "Clarktoberfest" wedding, was inspired by the first Oktoberfest, which was actually a celebration for the Bavarian royal wedding. Mark Davidson Photography captured the entire wedding day, from the Italian garden ceremony to the outdoor, tented reception. Keeping with the Oktoberfest theme, they chose a blue and white color palette with pops of marigold to match the fall setting. The reception was held under a large tent on the open field at the Codman Estate, where long, rustic tables were decorated with bright floral arrangements of dahlias, ranunculus and delphiniums made by Dogwood Floral Designs. The most prominent element of their decor was the blue-and-yellow bunting that hung from the tent. Unable to find bunting matching the color palette, Kaitlyn decided to make it all herself. "We cannot imagine the reception pictures without those beautiful pops of color in the background," Kaitlyn says. After experiencing the stresses involved with planning a wedding, Kaitlyn and Andrew highly praise their wedding planner from Gracie Lou Events. With this help, they were able to create their envisioned wedding day. "The wedding, ultimately, is about the happy couple, so make sure it is the way you intended and dreamed," Kaitlyn says. "There is no need to compromise on your big day."