Our Tented Wedding Reception

12.02.2022

Now that we covered all of the details from Matt and I’s Autumnal Colonial Wedding – let’s chat wedding reception and vendors! Take a peek inside our reception – while I share some wedding advice for future brides – and […]

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Our_Tented_Wedding_Reception_Aubrey_Craig

Now that we covered all of the details from Matt and I’s Autumnal Colonial Wedding – let’s chat wedding reception and vendors!

Take a peek inside our reception – while I share some wedding advice for future brides – and most importantly share my list of New England-based vendors with you all. I feel so blessed to have worked with each and every one of the companies who shared in my special day.

When designing our wedding, I knew I wanted a clear tent under falling fall foliage.

To say my vision came to life is an understatement! The moment was even more stunning than I could have pictured. Of course, none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for my Dad. My parents allowed Matt and I to get married in their backyard, and my dad spent months reseeding and preparing the grass for our event.

Another pivotal person that helped me pull off this wedding was my wedding planner, Kayla, of Madden Made Events; and Sarah – Madden Made Events – my day of coordinator. I’m not kidding when I say Kayla saved me. She and I started working together late in the wedding planning process. August 2022 to be exact – just three months before my wedding! I previously had a different wedding planning team, but due to scheduling conflicts, we parted ways.

When I started interviewing once again for local planners – Kayla and her team instantly felt like the right choice. I LOVED their no-bullshit approach to planning! I always received a straight-forward answer to my questions and genuine opinions.

Even on the big day, they were golden! My family and I can be a lot of energy with multiple dominant personalities under one roof: myself (the creative), Matt (the worrier), and my Dad (the everywhere but nowhere at the same time). But, our Day-Of-Coordinator, Sarah, handled everything. The team is legendary and I highly recommend them.

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Now let’s talk reception design and details!

I wanted our wedding to feel like a family get-together. It was mostly family, after all! So, when it came to tables and seating I knew I wanted to do as few ‘tables’ as possible and make the event feel communal.

We chose four long tables made up of five individual farm tables. Having our seating like this eliminated the pressure of a seating chart and made it easy to get to mingle with everyone.

I knew I didn’t want to spend too much on the tablescapes and florals. But, I’m a sucker for brass candlesticks. Since I already had so many candlesticks – sixty to be exact – I rented the additional sixty from my florist. This allowed me to keep the table florals to leftover greenery and sugar pumpkins, which my dad and I hand-picked from a local farmstand earlier that week.

I kept the dishware extremely simple: walnut charger, white matte plates, smoke gray drinkware, gold silverware, and a pop fall in the napkin with buffalo plaid.

Tent ambiance was a huge focus of mine when designing this space! First and foremost I knew I wanted a hanging floral arrangement over the dance floor and Jakkelyn Iris, our florist, did not disappoint. She used a variety of dried hydrangeas and greenery to create a giant moody-autumn display. She also suggested reusing the floral arch from the ceremony at the entrance of the tent and repuposing the aisle florals – 100 mums – to be displayed in front of the band stage.

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A few last-minute add-ons that contributed to the overall coziness of our tent was the addition of six chandeliers from Ryan Designs. The lighting really elevated the space. But, I have to say my favorite element of our reception area was the walnut circular bar we got from PEAK Event Service.

When Matt and I were planning our wedding we had one goal in mind: no long bar line. By placing a circular bar in the center of our reception space, we were able to not only maximize space but also provide two bars in one!

Last but not least – let’s talk about the cake, shall we?

The team at Lovely Cakes killed it. I wanted something very streamlined, clean, and subtly masculine. I just kept repeating the phrase “Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren.” They created such a stunning design.

Very clean, matte, me!

Not to mention it tasted so good. Matt and I’s chose our favorite chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and one layer of raspberry preserve.

Whether you’re planning a wedding, bar mitzvah, company event or holiday party, I wanted to share links to every vendor I used. All of which come with a strong recommendation from yours truly. Happy planning!