"Natural Elegance" in Stowe, Vermont

I've been waiting all summer for this wedding!  

Merrill & Ryan tied the knot at a favorite family spot where Merrill has been vacationing since she was a child--the Stoweflake.  The ceremony was in the field behind the family's townhouse, followed by a reception under a sailcloth tent next to the Stoweflake's renowned garden labyrinth.  

When we were planning, Merrill described a "natural elegance" vision that would feature blush and peach, with pops of coral and mixed metallics.  We opted for big, blousy blossoms including hydrangea, dahlias and roses.  Miraculously, we even managed to include a few "Coral Sunset" peonies for the arbor (yes, on August 20th!)  

The roses were my favorites: en masse when I was processing them earlier in the week...

and even better after they had a chance to open in the summer heat yesterday!

Merrill wanted a bouquet with some horizontal movement, unevenly trimmed stems and a blousy bow.  

We poured over many inspiration pictures and discussed the perfect balance neutrals, pops of color, and foliage.  

What's not to love about this bouquet?  "Cafe au lait" dinnerplate dahlias, roses, lisianthus, scabiosa pods, 

and tiny succulents nestled in Italian ruscus, eucalyptus, and pepperberry!

Merrill had ten bridesmaids who all wore sage green JCrew dresses.  

I loved designing each of their unique bouquets!

We placed three small arrangements on each table along with 

mercury glass votive candles and Vermont maple table numbers. 

Here are a couple other takes from the studio...

The bright summer sun made the colors in the arbor flowers pop!  Check out those peonies!

A simple garland of seeded eucalyptus and Italian ruscus for the bride and groom's chairs.

Merrill & Ryan were the sweetest...and a stunning couple. 

The whole day was about as close to perfect as you can get.

 I can't wait to do a follow-up post with their photographer's pictures.  Stay tuned!

Creatively Yours, 

Sarah Jo