Watercolor-Inspired Catskills Farm Wedding: Betsy + Raul

bride and groom

Betsy + Raul knew they wanted to have a low-key DIY farm wedding, inspired by two of their favorite things: watercolor + wildflowers. And as luck would have it, the perfect location for their big day was right at their fingertips and they hosted their celebration at Raul’s gorgeous family farm in the Catskills. Both of their families worked very hard to help them handcraft fun design elements that ensured their day was both beautiful + meaningful. From watercolor-painted menus to hand-carved and personalized birch wood candle favors to pretty chalkboard directional signage, no detail was overlooked, and every element was made all the more special since so much love went into bringing it to life. I know a lot of you are in the beginning stages of planning a handmade day of your own, so here’s some sound DIY advice from Betsy that you might find helpful:

You need a reason to have a DIY wedding that extends beyond saving money or else you will lose your mind. Many projects can end up costing you more–buying equipment, supplies, buying replacement supplies when you make a mistake, driving back + forth to the craft store, spending hours and hours searching on Etsy for the perfect stamp, taking time off work to hot glue sticks to paper…you get the idea. All the DIY elements I made for the wedding – the program fans, menus, confetti cones, popcorn bags, windows with table seating, string globes, tissue pom-poms were because I wanted to add a personal touch to our wedding that money can’t buy. When I contemplated making personalized water bottles to have on hand, one of my very wise bridesmaids asked me, “How will you feel when you see all the time and energy that you put into those sitting in the trash?”…in other words: is the level of joy your guests will get out of these projects going to be worth your time + energy? If the answer is YES! Then go for it!

Big thanks to Nadine of Love Me Do Photography for sharing Betsy + Raul’s gorgeous day with us + congratulations to the newlyweds! :)

wildflower bouquet

getting ready

bride

bride

bride


Majorly love everything about Betsy’s look! Her Jenny Packham dress + headpiece were purchased at Allegria Bridal in Massachusetts. And isn’t her pixie haircut darling? Betsy had a hard time finding styling inspiration for brides with short hair, so I hope this helps any of you who are running into the same issue!

crystal hair piece

wildflower catskill farm bride

catskill farm bridesmaids

groomsmen

ceremony

groom

ceremony

ceremony


During the ceremony, my mentor Tracy acted as our master of ceremonies + invited the guests at our wedding to make vows to us as a couple. Everyone held hands and shouted WE DO! as Tracy read off vows like “We promise to honor the commitment the two of you have made today and do everything we can to protect it” and “We promise not to give you advice unless you ask for it”

ceremony

ceremony

ceremony

ceremony

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Being showered with biodegradable confetti as we walked hand in hand down the hill after the ceremony. It was the utmost expression of joy and love that we could feel literally radiating off of our guests. Also it was a deliriously happy combination of crying, laughing, and choking on the confetti until it dissolved in our mouths...

ceremony

wedding party


Such a sweet wildflower-inspired bout by the Catskill Flower Shop!

wildflower boutonniere

wedding party

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

seating chart

watercolor seating chart

straws

giant jenga


Betsy + Raul are vegans AND foodies! And even though some questioned their plan to serve an all vegan meal, they knew it was what they wanted + they went for it! They served the meal family style on vintage plates to encourage people to interact. According to Betsy, When you’re passing food around to others at your table, conversations start & everyone has something to discuss…the food!

vintage plates

family style dinner

bride and groom

ruffle cake

roses

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Staralfur – Sigur Ros

Recessional: This Will Be Our Year – The Zombies; Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever – The Four Tops; Let Nothing Come Between You – Warren Zevon

First Dance: You're the One For Me – Jonathan Richman

first dance

first dance


And you won’t want to miss their beautiful wedding video by Adventure We Can!

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Stay true to yourself! Don't be afraid to be the same person you are on your wedding day that you are every other day...just a little more dressed up. If you have short hair, embrace it! If you are a vegan, celebrate it! I had so many people question our decision to "force" our guests to eat vegan, but when they tasted The Cinnamon Snail's delicious + satisfying food, they changed their minds! People wanted to take our menus home as a souvenir. Oh also, one of the best pieces of wedding planning advice that I got was from my former boss, Nanette Lepore: Have your wedding earlier in the day so the party lasts longer! She was right...it worked!

photography: Nadine Rovner of Love Me Do Photography // venue: Family Farm Catskill Mountains, New York // event design: the Bride + family // month-of coordinator: Catskill Weddings // event rentals: Big Top Tent Rental // vintage china rental: Something Borrowed Vintage // floral design: Catskill Flower Shop // wedding dress + hairpiece: Jenny Packham; purchased at Allegria Bridal // bridesmaid dresses: 3 Nanette Lepore print dresses & 1 Diane Von Furstenburg // bridesman outfit: BarIII suit, J.Crew Shirt, Fine & Dandy bowtie + pocket square // hair + makeup: Tiffany Abercrombie // groom suit: Phineas Cole by Paul Stuart // videography: Crystal Arnette, Adventure We Can // paper goods: My cousin Ellie Snow of HelloTenfold // catering + cake: The Cinnamon Snail // dj: Obey City

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