Shannon + John | Romantic Winter South Farms Wedding

I’m thrilled to share Shannon + John’s rustic winter wedding at South Farms. As you can imagine, I don’t do a ton of winter weddings on the east coast. Most people opt for the late spring, summer, or fall, but there is something really magical about wintertime in New England. Although I don’t miss wearing puffy jackets and defrosting my windshield now that I live in California, at times I do yearn for the joy of waking up to fresh snow, or nights getting cozy in front of the fireplace. And let me tell you, with the help of Amy Champagne, Shannon + John fully embraced the feelings of winter coziness while also infusing romance + elegance. It was such a special wedding!

And the cherry on top was that it took place at one of my favorite Connecticut wedding venues, White Barn at South Farms. This Litchfield County wedding venue is one of my favorites. It features a working farm, amazing pastoral views, and so many fun architectural details.

They came to me ready to embrace the holiday spirit for their December wedding! After we got the photo save the dates out, we focused on the look for their custom wedding invitations. The goal was to combine the Christmas spirit with a rustic elegance. Shannon is one of those dream brides who cares about the details of the wedding—especially paper—but completely trusts her vendors to create the look she envisioned. It made the creative process exciting and stress-free for everyone!

The focus was on texture. I knew Amy Champagne had lot of it with the pine trees, lounge rentals, and other decor, so I carried that idea into the invitation suite. We had a forest green velvet envelope liner, Scottish plaid ribbon to match the family’s tartan, custom wax seal, and deckled edges on the cotton cardstock. And let’s not forget the vintage postage story + calligraphy from BL Calligraphy, a stunning duio! This suite had all the bells + whistles, but still felt light + airy. It is definitely one of my favorite suites I’ve ever created.

The green velvet made an appearance again with the mix + match bridesmaid dresses as well as the lounge furniture!. This is why I always ask to see the design deck from a wedding planner before I begin designing; it lets me pull inspiration and create a cohesive look for your overall wedding, not just the stationery itself.

Then it was on to the day-of stationery. We wanted a wow moment for guests when they entered the reception, and i always love incorporating textural eleements from the invitation into day-of pieces. So Amy Champagne and I came up with this seating chart display which incorporated wax seals, velvet, white ink, and custom wood signage. This piece involved over 6 suppliers, but all the coordination + planning was worth it. Look at the final product! It was the perfect way to enter the space full of textured greens, crisp white florals, and lots of warm lighting with candles + chandeliers. Romantic coziness as its finest!

I had seen early on that one of my paper suppliers had this amazing handmade evergreen paper. There was a limited run and with paper supply shortages, I made sure to buy this early so it would be ready when I needed it. I’m so glad I did because I cannot overstate how GOOD this paper smelled. With vellum printed with gold foil attached to the paper, the menu card was a feast for the eyes and the nose! I also got to play around with wood, creating small wood disc place cards with guest’s names printed on each one. And the custom watercolor illustrations of their sweet pooches from Letter Lane Design Studio had to be used for the cocktail sign!

Shannon + John, working with you guys was the highlight of the season. You were incredibly kind, creative, and just so easy to work with over the year. Thank you for trusting me to bring the creativity to your big day; it is one I will always remember!

Looking for more winter wedding inspiration? Check out our Maxwell House Styled Shoot featured on Every Last Detail! And for more rustic wedding details, visit Kiley + Matt’s wedding post.

VENDOR REEL

photo: Joanna Fisher
video: William Talameli Films
florals: Forever in Bloom
lighting: Vivid Event
stationery: Roseville Designs
venue: South Farms
catering: A Thyme To Cook
linens: BBJ La Tavola Linen
beats: DJ Lion King
beauty: Blush By Laura
lounge: Gather & Lounge
planning + design: Amy Champagne Events