1. Real Weddings

A Rustic Winter Wedding at The Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, Vermont

Rustic, whimsical and vintage perfectly came together to create Jeannine Cozzens (32 and an elementary school teacher) and Frank "Chip" Galusha’s (30

Rustic, whimsical and vintage perfectly came together to create Jeannine Cozzens (32 and an elementary school teacher) and Frank "Chip" Galusha’s (30 and a statistician) stunning winter wedding. “We had our wedding in Stowe, Vermont,” Jeannine says. “This was an obvious choice for us, being that one of the things we like to do most is ski. I always dreamed of a winter wedding, and this was the perfect setting for outdoor recreation with a quintessential New England feel.” The couple chose Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe, Vermont, for their traditional Catholic ceremony, which was decorated with stunning stained-glass windows and painted wooden walls. The reception at The Green Mountain Inn carried the same natural, rustic feel with birch tree branches, antlers and pine throughout the decor. Uncle George's Flowers created the gorgeous floral arrangements that included baby’s breath -- a detail that was important to Jeannine. “I used a lot of baby’s breath,” she says. “I liked the delicate feel, and it reminded me of snowflakes. It is also a flower my mom used around the house when I was growing up, so it brought back memories of my childhood.” In honor of their winter wedding, the couple used an icy blue and ivory color palette. LaMonde Photography beautifully captured all the details of the day. One of our favorite parts was the ultra-local menu. “I loved how the menu accented ingredients Vermont is known for, like maple syrup and cheddar cheese.” Jeannine and Chip loved how intimate their wedding was -- only 67 guests. “Our desire to keep our wedding on the smaller side was to allow us to make all our guests feel special,” Jeannine says. “With a smaller number of guests, Chip and I felt we were able to interact with everyone who traveled so far to be with us on our special day.”

One of the bridesmaids has a company called Bird and Buffalo in Jackson, Wyoming. She hand-drew all the stationery for the wedding. The ceremony programs had a whimsical drawing of the ceremony venue, Blessed Sacrament Church, on the front.
Jeannine and Chip used an icy blue and ivory color palette for their winter wedding. With that in mind, the bridesmaids wore Lord & Taylor cashmere ivory sweaters with ice-blue taffeta skirts. The groomsmen wore navy J.Crew suits with dark and light blue striped bow ties.
Jeannine and Chip loved the historical Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe, Vermont, for their traditional Catholic ceremony. The church was built in the '40s and the stunning windows, walls and ceilings were painted and decorated by international renowned French artist Andre Girard. The paintings depict the life of Brother Dutton, a native of Stowe, Vermont.
Rustic Wooden and Stained-Glass Church
A Traditional Catholic Ceremony in Vermont
Jeannine’s white bouquet included roses, sweet peas, eucalyptus and baby’s breath for her winter wedding. “I used a lot of baby’s breath,” she says. “I liked the delicate feel, and it reminded me of snowflakes. It is also a flower my mom used around the house when I was growing up, so it brought back memories of my childhood."
Rustic Mountain-Inspired Escort Cards
“On our first visit to The Green Mountain Inn, we both knew this was where we wanted to celebrate this special day,” Jeannine says. “The staff was welcoming and accommodating, and we knew our wedding would be everything we wanted it to be here, and it was.”
The rustic DIY blue-and-ivory menu cards were done by a bridesmaid’s businesses, Bird and Buffalo. To match the natural feel of the wedding, the centerpieces included birch-tree branches and seeded eucalyptus.
“Along with our wedding being a natural winter wedding, we also wanted a flair of vintage in there,” Jeannine says. “This ended up being in a lot of the accessories I wore.” Almost all the bride’s jewelry was her maternal grandmothers. The pearl earrings and gold bracelet added some glamour to her look.
Jeannine and Chip enjoyed a personalized two-tier wedding cake from Wegmans in Rochester, New York. The cake was adorned with baby’s breath, seeded eucalyptus and pine to match the winter theme. The two wooden love-bird cake toppers were made by Jeannine’s mother.
“Since it was the winter, I wanted to wear some fur,” Jeannine says. “I was lucky enough to have my paternal grandmother’s Russian rabbit-fur hat handed down to me, and my mother-in-law lent me her mother’s fur shawl from Sibley’s in Rochester, New York.”