A Wedding Editor's Flower-Filled Celebration on a Sprawling Farm in Chesterfield, New Jersey

Going Green

With help from a designer at Minted, Gabby and Sean created a custom invitation suite with a leaf design that carried through the vellum overlay to the envelope liners to the details card. "I don't really subscribe to the idea that a wedding needs to have a color palette; it tied into the whole natural vibe we were going for," says Gabby. "We used a lot of neutrals for things like linens and day-of paper, and we went with hunter green for our invitations, but we never sat down and chose a variety of colors that we wanted to use throughout the day. We did source vintage stamps for all of the invitations, which was a lot of work, but really fun."

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First Love

Gabby pictured wearing her Alexandra Grecco A-line wedding dress, with its silk crepe skirt and tulle-and-lace bodice, from the moment she saw it online. "I did my due diligence and tried on a variety of different dresses, but the one I bought was actually the very first dress I saved on Instagram years ago," she says. "I loved how I felt in it—it's classic and understated, which I think really speaks to my personal style."

Always the One

When she and Sean decided to postpone their celebration in 2020, she had her gown expertly preserved by J. Scheer and Co., which meant she went months without being able to see the garment. "When we unboxed my dress for my first fitting, it was literally perfect. Not a single wrinkle. They are magicians," she says. Still, she never considered exchanging it for a newer frock. "I had my fun moment of buying something new for my mini wedding," she explains, "and this was also a dress I had loved for many years, so it wasn't something trendy that I had just fallen in love with at a salon."

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Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

Along with her Alexandre Birman "Clarita" heels, which served as her something new, the bride wore a variety of accessories to fulfill the rest of the good luck rhyme: As her something borrowed, Gabby donned a pair of diamond stud earrings on loan from her sister; her something blue was a sapphire bracelet from Ring Concierge; and her something old was a diamond necklace she received as a gift from her sister on her own wedding day in 2017. Another lucky emblem? Sean surprised her with an additional something new in the form of a leaf-shaped anniversary band from Melanie Casey.

Quick Change

Gabby worked with an embroidery artist at After August Co. to create platform Vans sneakers that she could change into "during the reception if my feet hurt," she says. "Highly suggest a second pair of shoes to all future brides!" The floral motif was a nod to the couple's first wedding, and the artist used a photo from Gabby and Sean's original ceremony to create the design.

Neutral Territory

Gabby's bridesmaids, her sister and four sisters-in-law, wore matching BHDLN slip dresses. "I knew I wanted everyone in white—I don't like being the center of attention and I think all-white dresses are super chic!" she says. "Plus, with how lush and green our entire backdrop was, I felt like they would really stand out."

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A Bunch of Beauties

Amanda Twisted Willow Flowers created Gabby's "looser and ethereal" bouquet with white poppies, Japanese anemone, dahlias, honey Dijon garden roses, and white majolica, all tied with a trailing silk ribbon. "I gave Amanda, our florist, a lot of room to be creative with flowers, but she knew I wanted whites and greens for the ceremony, impactful pops of yellow, and a slightly more nuanced palette during the reception," says Gabby. "Everything evolved organically from that direction."

Her bridesmaids carried smaller posies compromised of similar blooms in a whiter color palette.

A Perfect Fit

Sean chose a custom hunter green suit—his favorite color—with a patterned jacket lining from Alton Lane, a black tie, and brown shoes. "His cuff links were vintage gold acorns, which I got him as a pre-wedding gift," says Gabby.

Wedding-Day Surprise

Gabby tapped artist Brenda Martin of BKgallerys to create a custom wedding-day gift for Sean: A bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label was painted with the dates of both their original wedding and their larger celebration—September 12, 2020, and September 11, 2021—as well as the floral-covered arbor from their first ceremony.

Classic Black

The groomsmen complemented Sean's colorful suit in classic black.

Little Attendants

Three of the couple's nieces and nephews served as their flower girls and ring bearer. The floral-patterned lace overlays on the flower girls' dresses were another subtle nod to Gabby and Sean's favorite blooms.

Happily Ever After

Gabby and Sean planned a first look where he could see her gown in-person before the ceremony—"That was the big surprise of the day for him," says Gabby—but went into it without nerves or anxiety. "We spent the entire morning together up until I had to start getting ready, so we were really only apart for a little bit on the wedding day," says Gabby. "Plus, we're already married!"

Sweet Signage

A linen sign, created by Willow Louvelle, hung from an iron stand and anchored with a spray of blooms, guided guests towards the ceremony space.

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In the Garden

"Since we were already getting married beneath big, beautiful trees, in a garden surrounded by shrubs and perennial flowers, we wanted the décor be brought in to feel super organic," says Gabby of the ceremony's floral adornments.

Vintage Gate

A wrought-iron gate from the 1920s served as a backdrop for the ceremony in the property's secret garden. "Amanda created an almost vine-like display of greens and flowers, which was intended to make the gate look like it naturally existed in the space," notes the bride.

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On the Aisle

Grounded arrangements, which complemented the gate's swag, lined the aisle; they looked as though they had grown right up from the earth.

Toss Your Petals

"Our youngest niece didn't want to walk down the aisle at the last minute, so our ring bearer happily took her basket of flower petals and tossed them with our other flower girl," the bride recalls. As for their other flower girl? "She ended up making a very adorable entrance all on her own shortly before they came down the aisle!" Gabby laughs.

Surrounded by Love

As Gabby and her father made their debut while a string group played Tom Petty's "Wildflowers," she took in all the loved ones who were (finally!) able to join them. "After waiting for this day for so long, it was so incredible to celebrate with all of our family and friends," she says. "Walking down the aisle and seeing everyone who couldn't be there for the first wedding was really one of the most special moments in my life. Of course, I was so excited to see Sean and to reaffirm the vows we made last year, but seeing how many people came from far and wide to be with us meant so much to me."

In Their Own Words

After reciting traditional vows during their micro wedding, Gabby and Sean wrote personalized vows to exchange during their larger ceremony. "I was the one who really pushed for writing our own vows and I was nervous that Sean was going to feel overwhelmed by it, but he did such a good job," says Gabby. "Sean's vows were so sweet; I know I wasn't the only person crying."

Petals Everywhere

Celebrants showered the pair with petals as they made their way back up the aisle.

Plant Base

A living escort display, presented in carefully arranged terra-cotta pots complete with calligraphy by Mary Fama, was one of the couple's understated references to their micro wedding.

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Floral Motifs

Twisted Willow Flower arranged a mix of fresh-cut flowers and live plants in the pots, which invited guests to "Please be Seeded" for the reception. "We definitely prioritized floral and greenery motifs throughout the décor, but beyond that, we really just chose what we liked," notes Gabby.

Greens Party

Wooden dining tables were set up outside the inn on a brick patio, under a white tent draped in greenery and twinkling lights. Colorful patterned chargers, terra-cotta place cards, and customized menus sat at each place setting. Sheer white linen ran down the center of the longest table, complementing tall, glass-enclosed taper candles and centerpieces in stone vessels.

Foraged Fruits

All stations held compotes filled with a "mix of largely seasonal flowers, including dahlias, roses, lisinathus, ranunculus, berries, chamomile, stock, and so much more," says Gabby. "They were so lush. Amanda even foraged some little fruits from the Fernbrook grounds for them!" Smilax greens strung across the top of the tent wove toward a large floral installation centered over the dance floor.

An Antique Touch

The table numbers, printed on handmade paper, included a line-drawing of a sprig of lavender, and were displayed using Gabby's personal collection of antique flower frogs.

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Dinner Time

"Fernbrook is a working garden center and farm, with a fantastic CSA, so there's a very large emphasis on fresh, seasonal farm-to-table food!" says Gabby. The meal included kale salad, beer-braised short ribs, herb-roasted chicken, and stuffed portobello mushrooms.

Signature Sips

Two drink stirrers—one with the couple's initials and one with an illustration of their dog, Milton—were placed in each of the couple's signature drinks. Their selections? The duo had three available at the bar, along with beer, wine, and other cocktails: "Hers" was a classic daiquiri, accented with fresh, edible flowers; "His" was a mojito with plenty of fresh mint; and "Theirs" was a dirty vodka martini.

Sweet Stuff

Gabby and Sean asked for fresh flowers to decorate their two-tier vanilla cake, which was filled with white chocolate buttercream and fresh berries.

Dessert Shots

"We also had mini chocolate mousse cups, mini strawberry shortcakes, mini blueberry pies, and then passed milk and cookie shots on the dance floor," says Gabby.

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Crown Affair

One of the evening's most memorable moments—even for the guests—came when Sean's brothers pulled out a selection of props to celebrate him during their toast. "His brothers gave a very funny speech that revolved around him being the prince of the family, which is an ongoing joke with him as the youngest of six kids," says Gabby. "They dressed him up in a crown and a cape and it got a lot of laughs."

Away from the Crowd

Gabby and Sean always knew they would choose a song from Coldplay's catalog for their first dance—"It's the very first thing we realized we had in common," she says—and opted for "Us Against the World." "The lyrics are really poignant after the year we've been through," says Gabby. "And our band"—AffinitiNYC—"just absolutely blew us away with their phenomenal performance. My biggest piece of advice if you're having a live band is to ask someone to record their rendition on your phone—it was so good and I only have clips of it!"

But the couple's favorite dance floor moment came just before they cut their cake, as they waited outside the tent for Pharell's "Happy" to end. "Everyone looked like they were having so much fun on the dance floor, so we started dancing alone in the back," says Gabby. "Looking at that picture really brings me back to that moment and reminds me how happy and special we felt all night long."

Sources

Photography, Abby Jiu of Abby Jiu Photography
Venue and Catering, The Inn at Fernbrook Farms
Flowers, Twisted Willow Flowers
Videography, Rivre Films
Officiant, Love and Light Wedding Officiants
Stationery, Minted
Day-of papers, August and White Designs
Music, Affiniti NYC
Rentals, La Tavola Fine Linen Rentals
Bride's gown, Alexandra Grecco
Bride's accessories, Alexandre Birman shoes; Vans sneakers; Ring Concierge bracelet; Melanie Casey ring
Hair, Gina Ribando of In Full Detail Hair
Makeup, Michelle Shultz of Willow House Beauty
Bridesmaids' dresses, BHLDN
Groom's attire, Alton Lane
Menswear, The Black Tux
Transportation, Arrive in Style