1. Real Weddings

A White Beeches Golf and Country Club Wedding in Haworth, New Jersey

As a designer, Meghan (33, art director at XO Group) saw planning her early fall wedding to Greg (32, attorney) as the ultimate creative dream project

As a designer, Meghan (33, art director at XO Group) saw planning her early fall wedding to Greg (32, attorney) as the ultimate creative dream project. The couple went with a sage green palette with bright pops of pinks, oranges deeper greens and a touch of gold for their reception at White Beeches Golf and Country Club. “Overall we aimed for a classic look with a touch of whimsy and our invitation suite really set the tone for our colors we used,” Meghan explains. “I wanted to show off some of the brighter colors that you see in nature at the end of the summer in a garden.” The bride opted to orchestrate her stunning hometown wedding without the help of a planner and incorporated personalized design touches throughout from watercolored envelope liners to a stunning paper flower wall—all of the incredible details you’d expect from The Knot’s Art Director!

Each bridesmaid wore a Jenny Yoo Aiden gown but tied the tops differently to achieve their own unique looks. The pistachio color matched the neutral green used throughout all of the wedding's printed materials.
The bridesmaids carried colorful bouquets of David Austin garden roses, dahlias, ranunculus, green Hypericum berries, seeded eucalyptus, dusty miller and coleus (which came directly from the florist’s garden). I wanted them to be colorful and look like they were just picked from the garden, says Meghan.
The bride designed the pastel floral programs to match the invitation suite she created with a whimsical watercolor pattern. This watercolor really informed our whole color palette, and it tied into many other design elements including the program, favor and thank you notes, says Meghan.
The corsages worn by close family members featured a single big bloom to give them a modern edge.
The bride's nephew, Jack, wore a classic black tux from Jos A. Bank and carried a personalized ring bearer bowl with a sage green ribbon.
Meghan's something old was her mother's classic veil tucked simply into her sleek chignon.
As The Knot's Art Director, Meghan is surrounded by stunning gowns and happened to find her Hayley Paige dress while at work! I was looking for a classic gown with a twist, says Meghan. My gown, which I found at The Knot office, was just that! I knew that I didn't want a strapless gown, which really narrows the field of dresses and I love that the front of the dress felt classic and the back with cutouts and crystals was unexpected.
Classic white table clothes with sage green napkins housed menus which the bride calligraphed in gold ink with each guest’s name.
The lush centerpieces of garden roses, dahlias and hydrangeas referenced the colors in the watercolor pattern throughout the whimsical invitation suite. Seasonal end-of-summer fruits in bright colors (including plums, apples and peaches) surrounded the floral arrangements. The first time I walked into the reception room, the late afternoon sun was pouring in the windows and it was a great moment seeing how everything came together! recalls Meghan.
The bride designed each table name as a different location significant to the couple and displayed the signs in a pomegranate.
A whimsical paper flower wall with big garden roses served as a backdrop for the wedding cakes and created a focal point for the reception space.
Meghan always knew that she wanted a Croquembouche as a wedding cake and the traditional French wedding cake made from cream puffs added to the reception's decor.
As a surprise I ordered Greg a groom's cake that was carrot cake and decorated with the Canadian flag (which is where he is from), says Meghan. We put the cake toppers I made on the groom's cake and they actually looked quite a bit like us—the bride even had a piece of my mother's veil!
The couple had a poet, Katherine Ferrier of Thread, write personal and thoughtful poems for all of the guests during the reception. If they wished to have a poem written, they gave her a word for inspiration and waited while she typed it for them on her 1950 Royal typewriter on paper designed by the bride with the date.
Bright pops of pink garden roses complemented the sage green color palette and whimsy-yet-classy vibe.
Ivory and gold just married signs hung from the newlyweds' chairs along with lush green garlands.