We went to the farm again this last weekend with ours friends Mark and Tawana. Tawana is a fabulous floral designer and is graciously gifting us with her talents for the day. We treated ourselves to the best brunch ever at Blue Hill.
A little known fact: I am a cermic artist after my full time day job (more on that later) and really enjoy a beautiful piece of fired clay.
The bread plate at our place settings were made by Laura Zindel- her studio is in Vermont. Of course I asked if these would be our bread plates for the wedding. The private dining area typically does not use them, but I am insisting. They are simply gorgeous- a fresh little hint of nature at each guest's place. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Pics from Artful Home
Having a wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns is simply amazing. It is romantic and fresh, lush and modern all at once. Needless to say, many couples have chosen it for these very reasons. Browsing on Brides.com, I came across this wedding that was designed by the editors of Modern Bride and Michelle Rago at Blue Hill in the Hudson Valley... see more pictures and read all about "A Little Bit Country" here.
Pics from Brides.com
Browsing through the recent issue of edible Brooklyn, I saw an ad for Sweet Pea Nourishment. Their specialty is linking your event with local farms to supply the food- THEY DO THE LEGWORK! and will design a menu, etc. Their sample menus look delish!
You no longer have to settle for a menu that is sourced from all edges of the globe to feed your guests- you can keep it fresh (Farm Fresh!) and local. Sweet Pea Nourishment works within the Northeast and is based in in Philadelphia. Founder, Liz Solms, is from NYC originally.
pic from www.sweetpeanourishment.com
We have AMAZING Baker's Men (Jay and Victor) at Lulu's Bakery in Scarsdale, NY.
Not only do they try their hardest to use organic ingredients and support local sustainable agriculture- their cakes are true works of art and are absolutely heavenly. We clicked with them right away and they did not shy away from our non-traditional wedding cake visions. In my quest to create our farm-chic confection, these two cakes were the ones that charmed me the most.
above: from the Winter 2008 issue ofInStyle Weddings. below: Wendy Kromer's Magical Forest Cake kit inspired by Martha Stewart's Magical Forest Cake. 
I know it is spring, but thinking so much about the middle of September makes me think of how similar this weather is to Fall (minus the anticipation of being able to shed all coats). AC and I try to go apple picking every Fall. Our favorite place to pick is Breezy Hill Orchard (first discovered with my friend Anna). The owner of this fabulous place, that makes the best cider- hands down AND allows my dog to run around like a mad-woman, is Elizabeth Ryan. She was more than happy to arrange for a few green varieties to be a part of our favors in September. Green apples, Green (the eco kind) favors.
AC and I have lived in NYC together now for 8 years. Most of this time we have been lucky enough to own a car. We take trips galore up to the Hudson Valley and the Catskills for day hikes, long weekends, and fresh air- our dog Molly loves it too.
We love good food. We had eaten at Blue Hill in the city and really liked what chef Dan Barber was all about; sustainable, local food.
We looked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns for these 2 reasons in particular. Our first visit there was on a very cold Saturday. The sheep were kept in a shelter so they could have access to water that wouldn't freeze. We gave them a little visit and finalized our decision to have our wedding here.
