Fall in love with blissful autumnal airs in the Hudson Valley’s Germantown. Plus, there’s a giant dessert bar because cake is just not enough.
It’s the scenario every couple worries about: The wedding is planned, and then the venue is sold and suddenly your wedding is cancelled. For Connecticut natives Aislinn and Mike, that’s exactly what happened one year before their October wedding date. “I’m proud to say I didn’t have a total meltdown,” says Aislinn, who, with the help of her wedding planner, relocated her wedding to A Private Estate in Germantown. “I had flagged it a number of times because it looked so dreamy, but I hadn’t realized that it was a place we could rent. It was only 20 minutes north [of our original venue] and came with a barn and onsite accommodations for our small wedding party”
Aislinn and Mike were no strangers to disaster. The couple met through mutual friends, and each of their first two dates incurred some kind of bad luck. “On our first date, I was locked out of my apartment,” recalls Aislinn. “On our second date, a transformer blew leaving his entire block without power in the middle of a July heat wave.” Luckily, neither incident deterred their relationship, and four years after their first date Mike proposed at Lyman Orchards in Hartford, CT.
“Fall’s my favorite season,” says Aislinn. “I was really set on an outdoor wedding. I wanted the classic fall foliage as a backdrop.” She began looking for venues with views of the Hudson and/or Catskills that would give guests a sense of the Hudson Valley’s natural beauty. “We wanted a location that was sort of halfway between everyone,” she explains. “I have always loved the Hudson Valley, and it was conveniently located halfway between my Pennsylvania relatives and Mike’s Eastern Connecticut relatives.”
A palette of dusty pinks, pale green, burgundy, and copper, brought an autumnal feel to the barn space. Instead of the standard tiered cake, Baked TriBeCa created a dessert bar with cakes, cookies, and whoopie pies, plus apple pies from Aislinn’s grandmother, a nod to the orchard where Mike popped the question. “Like every other Millennial, I’m really into food and wanted to create a menu that blended our tastes,” says Aislinn, who used to run a baking blog. “As soon as we got engaged, the first thing I did, even before looking at venues, was secure a baker.”
At the ceremony, trees awash in fall color framed a Hudson River backdrop as Aislinn and Mike said their vows. “At the end of the day, you’re marrying the love of your life,” says Aislinn. “That is what’s most important.”
The Details
Photography: Uplift Photography
Venue: A Private Estate, Germantown; 518.965.4602
Planner: Danielle Defreest of Every Little Detail, Red Hook; 845.988.6486
Florist: Floral Fantasies by Sara, Rhinebeck; 845.876.0400
Caterer: Flatiron Steakhouse, Red Hook; 845.758.8260
Desserts: Baked TriBeCa, New York; 212.775.0345
Rentals: Hudson Valley Vintage Rentals, Rhinebeck; 917.804.987
Dress: Maggie Sottero purchased at Kleinfeld Bridal, New York; 646.633.4300
Hair & Makeup: La Tua Bella, Rhinebeck; 845.876.2826
