Willowdale Estate + Natalie & Matthew + their friends and family = The most fabulous day!
From start to finish, Willowdale Estate was the backdrop for their day and such a perfect choice! It was my first time here and it is just GORGEOUS!! A great layout for a wedding and not a nook or cranny that isn’t beautifully photographic:)!
This is Natalie’s mom – where Natalie gets her natural beauty from:)
Natalie’s Badgley Mischa shoes were gorgeous and I just loved how the leaves were shaped like a heart:)!
Natalie’s fabulous mom helped to de-wrinkle her veil and it took some time for that fabric to de-wrinkle! She worked hard!
I absolutely loved Natalie’s choice for bridesmaid dresses. She wanted something that the girls could wear again and I think she totally succeeded!
This is one of Natalie’s “Co-Mo’s”! They created that name for their co-maid-of-honor duties and I love it! I will tell my future “Co-Mo’s” about it:)!
Natalie did her own make-up and she looks FABULOUS!
When the guys arrived, I scooted down to say hello and capture a bit of time with them!
Back in Natalie’s suite it was time to get the dress on!
These two are just gorgeous – inside and out!
Matthew sent over a card for Natalie..
Then we headed outside for some pictures of the girls while the guys stayed tucked away:)
Stunning:)!
Gorgeous girls, gorgeous dresses, gorgeous flowers and gorgeous Willowdale – how can you go wrong?!! 
Inside the details were being set up…
and Natalie’s dad arrived!
Once the girls were tucked away, we spent a few minutes outdoors with the guys..
This was the moment I knew that we were in for a fun night of dancing:)!
So many Willowdale photos because I loved the look oh-so-much!
The guests arrived and it was just about time for the ceremony!
The best series of Matthew’s reaction to seeing Natalie – adorable!!
Maureen, their JOP, is a good friend and it was a very personalized ceremony, filled with a ton of laughter while also being so beautiful and sweet. The personalization gets me every time and I was wiping away happy tears behind the camera!
A quick signature drink and apps and we were off to squeeze in our photo time during cocktail hour:)
The details under the Willowdale tent were GORGEOUS! Fantastic job Derby Farm!
The reception was set to being with fun intros across the courtyard and and an awesome first dance!
All of the speeches were fantastic but this guy had the timing of a stand-up comedian:)!
While they ate, I snuck their rings off their fingers for a few pictures!
The rest of the evening kicked off with a thank you toast and a joint parent dance…
As you could see from the parent dance, Matt and his mom like to dance and then his dad kicked off the night with some high energy tie dancing AND a round of tie limbo!
While we ate, it poured but we were so thankful it held off until then! It also cleared up again, so we could get back outside of the tent and let some fresh air in (it was a HOT and muggy day – but no rain during all of the important outdoor parts – YAY:)!!
Natalie and Matthew – Congratulations to you both!! I wish you nothing but the best and I hope that I get to see you again in the near future !!
Vendors
flowers | Derby Farm Flowers and Gardens
bride’s dress | Giggi’s Bridal
bridesmaid dresses | Adrianna Papell
dj | 617 Weddings
videographer | iWed Films
officiant | Maureen Kavanaugh
Music
introductions | Love Shack by B52’s for the parents and Latch by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith for wedding party & bride and groom
first Dance | I Choose You by Sara Bareilles
parent dances | My Wish by Rascal Flatts (danced at the same time)
Bride & Groom Q & A
Q. What was the most memorable moment of your day?
A. For both of us, seeing each other at opposite ends of the isle was the best and most memorable moment that day. One of the few traditional parts of the wedding we kept was waiting until the ceremony to see each other, so we didn’t do a first look. The moment we saw each other was an image, feeling, and moment we have and remember forever.
Q. Funniest memory from your wedding day?
A. The dancing, 100%. We knew that we had a group of party animals and dancing kings and queens, but we could never have imagined just how good the dancing was going to be. Once Matt’s dad’s tie came off for his famous tie dance, we knew we were in for a treat!
Q. What was your favorite detail?
A. As we mentioned, we ditched some of the more traditional pieces of a wedding, which, to my mom’s chagrin, included a wedding cake. Instead, we opted for warm chocolate chip cookies, cold milk, and an ice cream sundae bar! Not only did our venue knock this out of the park with the presentation and deliciousness of everything, it was super hot and humid outside, so ice cream was the perfect cure for people overheating on the dance floor.
Q. Any advice for future brides/grooms?
A. There are so many things we could say here, but we will give our top three, short and sweet pieces of advice:
1. Wedding planning is hard but you can do it! You will hear people say this and it is true – it really is all worth it in the end when your wedding day is the best day of your life!
2. Stay true to what you want and need as the bride and groom – it is your day. You will get A LOT of outside influence, but stick to what you want and agreed upon together. Everything will be fine in the end.
3. Don’t leave for your honeymoon right away! If you can, give yourselves at least a day or two for recovery time. It is amazing how much you will (finally) sleep after all the planning and partying is done. You don’t want to sleep away your honeymoon.
Q. If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
A. Not one thing! There were definitely bumps in the road, but none of that mattered in the end. It was the most beautiful, perfect day and we couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Q. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
A. We are planning on Hawaii early 2018.