Real Wedding: Lydia & Mike

Gorgeous garden wedding in New York

The goal of Lydia and Mike was to celebrate their wedding in an atmosphere of nature in bloom, similar to what one would experience in a secret and cosy garden in Europe. Upon arriving at their future wedding venue, the couple immediately realised that their bridal experience would be perfect thanks to the magical and vibrant blooming setting. Read the interview with the bride below to learn every detail of the wedding planning and enjoy the photos captured by our talented member The Light + Color.

Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?

We found each other on a dating app and exchanged quips about The Office. Mike has this uncanny ability to recite most of its scenes… which later came full circle when our siblings referenced The Office in their reception speeches. I worked in luxury floral and event design for nearly 10 years, prior to a recent pivot. That set us up for wedding planning success, both in ease of the experience and a wonderful network of very generous people who aided in our weekend celebration. Presently, I work for a private equity company, and Mike works as a consultant. Outside of work, our recent time has been spent renovating our 210 year old home. Buying and renovating at the same time as planning a wedding is certainly not for the weary, but 2023 was great to us.

Did you have any pre-wedding events, like a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower?

Every married couple’s advice about the wedding day is always similar to, “enjoy every moment, it goes by so fast!” Taking that to heart, we wanted to create a weekend out of it. We stumbled upon two neighboring rental houses that slept 44 of our closest friends. It was epic — shuffleboard competitions, pool time, nightcaps… and if any of our friends are reading this, can we do it again next year? Another reason that we loved our venue, M&D Farm, was due to its proximity to Hudson, New York. It’s a fun little town that lights up each weekend with visitors from the city. We hosted an intimate rehearsal dinner at Feast & Floret (go for any of their pasta dishes). Followed by a welcome party for all of our guests at BackBar, a funky indoor-outdoor space in the center of Hudson. Being able to see our friends and family multiple times throughout the weekend really let us slow the experience down and enjoy every moment.

Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?

We were married at M&D Farm in Westerlo, New York. We were all over the map for a brief bit — looking from California to Maine. Over Christmas, we were visiting Mike’s family and I had googled ‘European Garden Wedding Venue’ — ha! We were enamored with it immediately. Mario and Daniel (M&D) have created such a special place. Leading up to the wedding, we visited M&D in April and then June. Both times were a hint of what was to come in late summer. Walking in that last weekend in August, we were blown away — it truly felt like we were transported to a secret garden in Europe.

What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?

One of the perks of having worked in the wedding industry is that the options to tap into from your experience are endless… and one of the negatives is that the options to tap into are endless! For the concept, we were set on al fresco dining, an overall effortlessness, the warmth of summer, and of course — flowers. I used this stunning lily of the valley patterned linen as the foundation (fun fact: we repurposed these as drapes in our home after some legendary work from the dry cleaners on red wine stains — signs of a good party!). Shades of greens, apricot, soft yellow, and blush worked so well with the softness of the pattern and the floral season. I’ve had my eye on these mossed terracotta urns for years and paired them with etched glass and silver julep cups to vary texture. It was so fun to see everything come to life on the big day and was perfection for us.

How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?

We were engaged in December and married the following August. All in all, it was a relatively seamless process and for that, we’re grateful! A majority of it was due to an amazing group of people — vendors, friends, and family — that we’re so lucky to have in our court. Our biggest unknown was always going to be weather-related… late August in Hudson Valley can be temperamental and the weather report in the week leading up to the wedding played at our hearts a bit. When Saturday came, every cloud had dissipated and the chance of rain was 0% and it felt like our loved ones that have passed had just pulled all the strings for us.

How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?

We landed at 80 guests on the dot… it was intimate while still including all of our favorite people. We used all long tables, pairing as many together as possible to make it feel like one big, fun dinner party. The meal was served family style (platters of mains and sides that are passed from guest to guest), which aided the dinner party feel and hopefully sparked conversation for people that hadn’t met yet.

Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?

With some custom ordering timeline-related nerves, I ended up selecting a crepe Amsale gown with Chantilly lace. And then about two days later, I had a sinking gut feeling that I couldn’t shake. Somehow, my internet stars aligned and I found some gorgeous Danielle Frankel ready-made gowns on Net-a-Porter and MyTheresa. There’s an effortlessness to her gowns and everything she does is perfection, but this cowl-neck, silk antique white gown felt so me as soon as it arrived. Surprisingly, trying it on in my living room by myself also felt fitting — it was a special moment in its own right.

What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?

'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison. We improvised! Although we would have loved to take lessons, it felt like an added pressure that we didn’t want to add to our plate at the time. It was so special and looking at photos, we were both just beaming and elated and soaking up the moment.

Did you have any special performances or entertainment?

We selected our band, King of Hearts, after an epic dance floor at our friends’ wedding in upstate New York. It put us at such ease to have experienced them live and they absolutely crushed it. I should also shout out my husband’s dinner playlist — Mike put pen to paper on an amazing al-fresco-dinner-party meets Italian-cooking-in-the-kitchen playlist that we were treated to under the tent.

What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?

We both have a really hard time with this question! It’s a once in a lifetime feeling to have memorable moment after memorable moment go on and on for an entire weekend! Mike really loved the first dance. There’s this quiet time you get after the ceremony that’s so peaceful and surreal, and then going out for drinks with everyone, and topping it off with a dance is just very special. Mine would be the speeches that our siblings gave. We opted to have single person bridal parties — my sister as Maid of Honor and Mike’s brother as Best Man. There was some solid roasting as siblings do, a few happy tears, lots of laughs, and major joy that they spread throughout the tent. Those moments just felt like one big hug.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

I’ll sing this one from the rooftops — Wildroot Floral! We are so utterly grateful for owner, Kayla Gaczewski. Kayla is one of my very closest friends and did major double duty from designer to wedding guest (along with the help of many other friends!). It was so special to design the floral with a lifelong friend who fully understood our vision before I even opened my mouth. We selected mostly locally grown seasonal goodies — Crème Brulee phlox was our star of the show, paired with foxglove, cosmos, butterfly hydrangea, echinacea. Unbeknownst to us until the day-of, nearly all of the flowers were in bloom at our venue. It felt serendipitous. Another sweet friend that pitched in was Bethany Opoku-Debrah of Rosemary Events. She seamlessly jumped in for weekend coordination, was meticulously organized while also so thoughtful and kind. All of our vendors were spectacular, but Ellen of The Light + Color was another highlight. I mean — just look at these photos! We’ll cherish them forever.

What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?

Don’t get caught up in the small design details! There are so many details that feel of utmost importance in the planning process because they’re all over Instagram and Pinterest. I kept coming back to this — guests care about good music, good food, and a celebration of your love. Trust me, those little details won’t be missed! Similarly, just because it’s part of the ‘norm’, doesn’t mean you have to do them! We opted to not hire a videographer, didn’t do a guest book or guest gifts, no photobooth, and kept it pretty simple for invitations. It allowed us to focus our energy and budget to things that were of higher priority to us like the rental house, hosting a welcome party, amazing food, et cetera.

Were there national/religious traditions at your wedding and how did you implement them?

Mike and his family are Ukrainian, so many of the special, traditional elements were folded into our nontraditional day. His sweet grandmother was a master at needlework and passed down cross-stitched pieces for our day, one of which was placed under our feet for the ceremony, and another under the Korovai, a symbolic braided bread with decorative figurines. During the reception, Mike’s brother led a short blessing over the Korovai, during which we were accompanied by both sets of parents and toasted to health, happiness, and prosperity.

Did you have any special or unique elements (such as a signature cocktail or a fragrance) at your wedding?

Our caterer, Kim, of Lily and the Rose went above and beyond for our signature cocktail. I grew up in Maine and loved the idea of tying in an element of Maine blueberries into a special drink. It was a family affair for her and her grandchildren to pick Maine blueberries and save them for us over the summer and is such a testament to selecting great vendors that treat you like extended family. A Maine blueberry shrub, mint, tequila — yum!