Stephen Brayda proposed to Lindsay Blackmon alongside the Hudson River. The two met through church, where Stephen’s father is the pastor, and Lindsay took a liking to him right away. The river played a role in their dating life, so, during a beautiful October sunset, it was the perfect place for a proposal. “He wrote and recorded an original song for me,” Lindsay says. “We sat by the water as the sun was going down, and he said he wanted to play the song for me. At the very end, when it got to the part where he asked me to marry him, he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring.”
When it came time for them to choose a wedding venue for the following May, the Hudson River played an important part once again. They chose Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison for an outdoor wedding that overlooked the River. “We just loved the space so much,” Lindsay says. “The backdrop was the perfect spot. And Colleen, who’s the wedding director there that we worked closely with, was so wonderful and so lovely. Everyone there was so nice, which was important to us when we were choosing a venue.”
The couple relied heavily on their own artistic skills. Stephen, a book-cover designer, made all of the invitations, signs, programs, and menus. Lindsay, a photographer and photo-retoucher, scoured antique stores everywhere from Cold Spring to Pennsylvania for the typewriters, suitcases, and other details that lent a romantic, vintage vibe to the affair. Even their fathers got into the act. Stephen’s father officiated the ceremony, where Lindsay’s father sang his own original song. Lindsey’s father also handmade Stephen’s ring, along with the centerpieces, which were made from Hudson Valley driftwood and set on long banquet tables.
“We say our relationship was a spiritual journey,” Lindsay says, “so our overall theme was travel.” The invitations had a passport design, and the ceremony programs were made to look like boarding passes. Instead of a guest book, guests were given postcards that they could drop into a vintage suitcase during the wedding, with the promise that Lindsay and Stephen would read them on their first anniversary.
Though they had a blast at the reception, from walking out to “Son of a Preacher Man” (for obvious reasons) to ending the night with Van Halen, Poison, and Mötley Crüe, Lindsay says her favorite moment from the wedding might be the first: “When I walked out, just seeing all my family and friends there, and seeing Stephen’s face—it was just so special.”
RESOURCES
Photographer
Simply Bloom Photography
Huntsville, Alabama
(256) 656-6456
Ceremony and Reception Venue
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison
(845) 265-3638
Caterer
Pamela’s Traveling Feast
Newburgh
(845) 562-4505
Bouquets
A Simple Start
(via Etsy)
DJ
Party Time Productions
Highland Falls
(845) 446-3826
Bridal Attire
WHITE by Vera Wang
Purchased at David’s Bridal
Hair accessory by Mignonne Handmade
(via Etsy)
Bridal Hair and Makeup
Beauty by Nicole
Kenilworth, NJ
(845) 325-7986
Groom and Groomsmen Attire
H&M
Invitations, Signs, and Paper Goods
Stephen Brayda