A Wedding at Graeme Park: Hilary & Isaac

Our busy weekend of July weddings concluded with Hilary and Isaac on Saturday, who chose to say their "I Dos" under the oak tree in front of the Keith House at Graeme Park. 

Since the bride and groom were from opposite coasts (Pennsylvania and California) and met at college in the mid-west, arriving guests were asked to indicate where they were from on a framed map with a pin. 

After the ceremony, guests gathered in the barn yard for refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. 

Back by the Open Aire Affairs wedding tent guests had a variety of lawn games to play and could easily find their seating assignment on a board set up with little tags.

The tent itself was decorated in white and peach linens with multiple vases of orange and green zinnias and baby's breath grouped together to form simple, pretty centerpieces.

In addition to her tiered cake, the bride opted for several smaller side cakes, and for a topper she used two silver spoons - so cute and unique. The cakes were made by a friend and the buffet dinner of chicken, pork, mashed potatoes, string beans and pasta primavera was prepared by Catering by Rich.

At the end of the evening guests lined up along the path to send the couple off with sparklers and best wishes.

Congratulations Hilary and Isaac and thank you for choosing to celebrate at Graeme Park.

A Wedding at Graeme Park: Jillian & Patrick

Last weekend was a busy one for weddings at Graeme Park, with ceremonies and receptions taking place both Friday and Saturday nights. The weekend started off with Jillian and Patrick getting married down in a clearing in the woods under a custom archway built by the groom and decorated with pretty, bright sunflowers.

Guests were greeted with a water station set up on a cute customized dresser, also diy'd by the couple, so they could take refreshment down to the ceremony site with them.

The bridesmaids wore navy blue short cocktail dresses and carried bouquets of sunflowers and the groomsmen were in gray suits.

The bride and her mother came down another path through the woods to her waiting groom and guests.

The Open Aire Affairs wedding tent was decorated in navy blue and white linens with custom built (again by the groom) round wooden table toppers that looked like old barrel tops (these, along with the wedding arch, are now owned by Open Aire Affairs and available for rental).

The centerpieces were twine wrapped wine bottles with sunflowers and baby's breath - so simple and cute and perfect with the rustic wood touches.

The buffet dinner of chicken, barbecue ribs, wild rice, green beans, and sauteed zucchini and summer squash was prepared by Georgina's Foods.

The simple three layer cake was presented as separate layers (one was red velvet, one was chocolate, not sure about the top layer) decorated with sunflowers around the bottom layer. There were also peach and margarita cupcakes.

Congratulations Jillian and Patrick, and thank you for choosing Graeme Park to begin your life together.

A Wedding at Graeme Park: Lisa & Maurice

Lisa and Maurice were married at Graeme Park on a warm day at the end of June. Due to a glitch at their original venue, they had just a few weeks to reorganize everything and move the festivities here, but you would never know it by how beautifully they pulled everything off. 

After a quick ceremony by the pond, cocktails and hors oeuvres were served in the barn yard. The crowd is deceptively small-looking as many sought refuge in the air conditioned barn while they sipped and snacked.

Table settings in the Open Aire Affairs wedding tent were classic with blue and white linens, and centerpieces of hydrangeas, irises, daisies, and mumms.

On the dance floor, you may notice the guests are mostly all in white and neutral tones. But wait, isn't it against the rules to wear white to a wedding? Not if it is done at the bride's request ...

... because she wore a lovely shade of emerald green! The neutral colors on the guests allowed her to really stand out, and of course she can wear her dress again if she wants to for many anniversaries to come.

After a homey meal of ribs, pulled pork, mac and cheese, cornbread, and the like, it was time to cut the cake. Graeme Park board president Beth MacCausland was again responsible for this delectable beauty, which was a classic vanilla pound cake with vanilla butter cream frosting and decorated with blue and silver ribbons and hydrangea flowers.

Congratulations Lisa and Maurice and best wishes for the future! Thank you for choosing Graeme Park for your celebration.