1. Real Weddings

Julie & Christopher: A Fall Wedding in Ridgefield, CT

Julie O'Brien's fall nuptials to Chris Deasy were stylish and natural -- the perfect combination for a relaxing party at her parents' Ridgefield home.

Julie O'Brien's fall nuptials to Chris Deasy were stylish and natural -- the perfect combination for a relaxing party at her parents' Ridgefield home. The Bride Julie O’Brien, 31, marketing manager The Groom Christopher Deasy, 32, ratings analyst The Date October 1 Julie wasn't too surprised when Chris asked her to go running on a Saturday morning beside New York's East River (When we first started dating, we bonded by going for runs on the pathway, and then going out to breakfast at the local diner afterwards, she explains). On their way there, though, it started pouring down rain. Instead of listening to Julie's suggestion to head back inside, Chris asked her to wait out the storm under an awning. Forty minutes later, the skies cleared and Chris proposed, surprising Julie with a diamond ring from Tiffany & Co. Julie accepted his proposal, and soon began planning a Connecticut wedding with the help of her mom and three sisters.

The invitations announcing Julie and Chris' fall affair were engraved on heavy, dark brown paper invites by Claudia Calhoun. The font was a modern printed typeface, combining regular and italic characters. I didn't want any flowery cursive or script, she explains. The programs, though on basic white, incorporated a similar aesthetic.
The First Dance
The Ceremony
The Escort Cards
I like very tight and clean arrangements, and I didn't want traditional fussy wedding flowers, Julie explains. But my mom loves flowers and wanted tons of them around. So we had to come up with a compromise that we both liked. Julie's florist helped please them both by using lots of greens and natural elements. The bride carried light and dark orange and warm red roses wrapped in ivory ribbon. The bridesmaid bouquets featured light and dark orange roses, as well as pea-green hydrangeas, ferns, and hypericum berries wrapped in orange ribbon.
From the church where the ceremony was held, guests need not go far for the reception. Next door, at Julie's parents' house, a large tent was set up with tables draped with bright green silk and surrounded by brown chairs with velvet cushions. Ivory porcelain plates were teamed with aged brass chargers and brown napkins. Bars were set up inside the tent with brown tablecloths and decorated with vases containing twigs and berries. The couple chose not to include too many traditional elements during the reception, foregoing the bouquet toss and dances with their parents in favor of constant music and dancing.
Julie's soft ivory silk Reem Acra gown featured silver and pearl embroidery, which she accessorized with a crystal headband. Her custom-made veil featured silk trim and two layers -- cathedral-length for the ceremony and elbow-length for the reception. Diamond and pearl drop earrings and custom-made Manolo Blahniks completed the look. Julie had an easy time choosing her bridesmaids -- who wouldn't want her three sisters to stand by her side? The maids wore chocolate-brown silk dresses from J.Crew featuring a scoop neck, small ribbon detailing on the waist, and an A-line tea-length skirt.
Julie and Chris offered their guests carrot cake with light cream cheese frosting as their main dessert. A dessert bar with pastries, pumpkin crème-brulee, several flavors of cupcakes, and Ciao Bella gelato and sorbets also satisfied everyone's sweet tooth.