1. Real Weddings

Lia & Lex: A Home Wedding in Malvern, PA

City slickers through and through -- they met as juniors at Cornell University and were engaged at Belvedere's Castle in Central Park -- New Yorkers L

City slickers through and through -- they met as juniors at Cornell University and were engaged at Belvedere's Castle in Central Park -- New Yorkers Lia and Lex turned to the country when it came time to plan their wedding. We both love the outdoors and I could never really imagine my wedding being any other way, says Lia. THE BRIDE Lia Roggio a 25-year-old advertising media planner THE GROOM Alexander (Lex) Smith, a 25-year-old business analyst THE DATE September 7 They didn't want a long engagement and wanted a personalized wedding without much restriction, so a little over five months after Lex proposed, a wedding unfolded at Lia's parents' property in Malvern, about 25 miles outside of Philadelphia. The ceremony was held under a tent at the highest point on the property, says Lia, affording a two-mile view of the Charlestown and Chester Springs landscape.

The best part of the festive evening: the dancing that never stopped. The band played classic hits throughout the party, starting with One by U2 for the first dance. The band was incredible, says Lia. Everyone was out dancing all throughout the reception.
The Ceremony
The ceremony began at 5 in the evening as the sun was headed toward the horizon. Lex and I wrote our own vows, which we read to each other in front of everyone during the ceremony, says Lia. We didn't hear each other's until the ceremony, which worked out really well. They weren't very long, but they were heartfelt and completely individual and unique to us.
The Centerpieces
The Formalwear
Chocolate-covered strawberries accompanied the round, four-tier wedding cake.
Lia's younger sister, Kate (her maid of honor and only adult attendant), donned a two-piece, pale yellow silk outfit by Serafina and carried a cluster of yellow, white, and blue blooms.
The Ring Bearer
Tables at Lia and Lex's reception were adorned with random bunches of flowers (anything from blue hydrangea to yellow snapdragons to white spider mums) in white antique ironstone vases, pitchers, and bowls that Lia's mother collected.