1. Real Weddings

Melinda & David: An Outdoor Wedding in Amenia, NY

Mel and David planned a wedding weekend so that longtime friends could catch up and spend more time together. They found the perfect spot to cater to

Mel and David planned a wedding weekend so that longtime friends could catch up and spend more time together. They found the perfect spot to cater to their desired mix of informal (the BBQ rehearsal dinner) and formal (a ballroom wedding with all the trimmings) events: the Troutbeck Country Inn just two hours north of Manhattan. THE BRIDE Melinda (Mel) Greenberg THE GROOM David Morris THE DATE July 4 Mel and David's mothers had been good friends for many years, but with Mel and David's age difference (she's 33, he's 40), interest in each other was limited when they were growing up in Long Island, she says. They reunited when Mel opened a stationery store in Brooklyn, a few blocks from David's apartment. From there things proceeded quickly. Less than a year after asking Mel to move in with him, David was proposing on Christmas Eve with a ring he'd been secretly working with a designer to create.

The Bridal Bouquet
Following the ceremony, guests were encouraged to mingle, eat from the buffet, and enjoy the groundsof the Troutbeck Country Inn to keep the free-flowing garden party feel, Mel says.
Mel, a self-described nontraditional bride with a whimsical wedding, wore an Amarildine halter-neck gown with organza flowers scattered down the back.
Mel carried her flower theme over to the bridesmaids' and flower girl dresses, which were handmade by one of the attendants in fuchsia, pink, and green, the wedding colors. The dress design was based on a vintage fun and whimsical cocktail dress from the '50s, says Mel.
As the owner of a stationery store, Mel knew the invitations had to be special. She sent kiwi-colored pocket folders were wrapped in fuchsia satin ribbon that held a personalized tag with each guest's name on it. The folders listed all the activities planned for the weekend, including the main event.
Guests at Mel and David's celebration moved to the Troutbeck Country Inn's formal ballroom where sunflowers, peonies, hydrangea, green and fuchsia roses, and big green lush leaves and berries helped bring the outdoors in.
After shaking things up with a swing band, the newlyweds prepared for their Italian honeymoon
The Flower Girl Details
As Mel walked down the aisle and saw her program fans in use, she knew her vintage garden theme had come to life in a fun yet practical way.