Bryan and Duane’s DIY fall wedding

The moment I had been waiting for all my life was here. He asked me the biggest question of my life, and my answer was “Yes!” I was going to marry the man of my dreams! I knew from that moment that every detail had to be perfect, and it was.

Duane and I  began planning for our wedding and thought it would be about a year-long engagement. When we met with Maureen Huntley, at The Riverview in Simsbury, we knew instantly that we had to have our wedding here. We sat down with Maureen and she gave us a few dates, one of them being October…October being only 6 months away from our engagement. “Don’t panic!” I thought, but inside my heart was racing! “A Fall wedding…we’ve got this!” I told myself. Only having 6 months was a blessing in disguise: decisions had to be made and they had to be made quickly…no second guessing. 

So the real inside work began. I’m a First Grade teacher by day, but a decorator at heart, so the pinning began on Pinterest. I wanted to create a rustic wedding to match the very country feel of our home. Twigs, branches, pumpkins, leaves, corn stalks, burlap, lights…all of these inspired me to create the beauty of our magical day. From the table centerpieces down to the wedding party’s bouquets, I had envisioned and created it all.

We got very busy ordering bittersweet, burlap, lights, twigs, lanterns, sunflowers, etc. from various companies and websites. The packages arrived day after day. That summer, I spent most weekends in our basement tying burlap bows, painting wooden signs, putting bouquets together. There were lots of tears and many times I wanted to give up and hire someone to do it all, but I knew I couldn’t. 

On the morning of our wedding, I knew the biggest job was at hand: the actual decorating day. We got up early and headed to “The Pickin’ Patch” in Avon, CT in the pouring rain, to stock the cars full of pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks. As we arrived at the Riverview with cars full of decor, the rain began to let up and the fun began! With the first set of lanterns and pumpkins I put down on the aisle, I knew that the vision I had inside my head was becoming a reality. 

The Riverview was extremely accommodating to our needs to get in to decorate, set up, and even create a cake that I found…yes…on Pinterest!  The cake matched our rustic feel with sunflowers and burlap. 

As for our photographer, I would have had no one else capture our day. Yolanda Christine Pucinski and I have been friends for about 10 years now and she captured our day just as I had envisioned it. She made the New England colors of Fall come alive around us and made our day one we will never forget because of her artistry. 

The day finally arrived and our wedding was as magical as I had expected. I would give anything to live in that moment again. Just to sit back and take it all in. Every guest that we had at our wedding commented on the beauty and the magic in the day. 

A year later, Duane and I continue to be just as in love as the day we held hands and said “I do.” There isn’t a thing I would change about our wedding day, as it reflected the love we have for each other. The Fall has always been one of our favorite seasons, but now, for an ever greater reason!

LGBTQ-friendly wedding vendors

Photographer: Yolanda Christine Photography 
Venue: The Riverview 
DJ: Jason Hart 
Attire: Express 

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