An Elegant Winter Wedding at The Garrison in Garrison, New York

Amy Kwan (34 and a public health researcher) and Michael Beilstein (31 and an analyst) created a winter-inspired theme using pinecones and elegant decor to complete their wedding at The Garrison in Garrison, New York. Michelle Wolfe Photography captured the beautiful wedding with views that overlooked the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. Amy and Michael credit The Garrison's wedding planner, Todd Smith, for making the planning of the wedding run smoothly while they prepared to move to London. The wedding's winter theme perfectly matched the outdoor setting of the venue. "We unintentionally stumbled into a wintery pinecone theme," Amy says. Michael's parents collected various pinecones for the couple to use in their decor throughout the day, including place settings and place cards. Keeping with this theme, Lee Vasquez Floral Design even incorporated pinecones in the colorful centerpieces of roses, calla lilies and greens. With their London move on the horizon, Amy and Michael also wanted to include elements reflective of New York and London. Their winter-inspired invitations, for example, featured illustrations of the two cities. "In general," Amy says, "we were going for a rustic yet classy wintery theme." Even with their detailed wedding, Amy admits that making sure everyone had a wonderful time was the most important aspect of their wedding. "Having lived in London for half a year at this point," she says, "it meant so much to be surrounded by all our friends and family, and to have so many people be involved and help make the weekend personal and meaningful, and just so much fun."