Jade's Day

I had to share some photos that my husband, Tom took of our niece's wedding day yesterday, on October 11, 2008. The wedding was held at Millstone Farms in Darlington, Maryland. The farm is an estate farm rich in history and glorious in beauty. The sun was gleaming through the willow tree branches as the bride was escorted down the lawn by her father, Richard (Tom's brother). The temperature was around 73 degrees and the soft autumn glow that warmed the atmosphere coupled with the all the colorful chrsyanthemums, pumpkins and hale bales made for a lovely Autumn wedding. The guests were seated on rows of hale bales covered in off-white sheeting in rows much like the pews in a church. At the end of each hay bale row was a black candle lantern hanging on a a post. A brown and white springer spaniel wandered aimlessly across the lawn throughout the wedding ceremony. The ceremony lasted about 25 minutes and afterward the photographers were busy scrambling to document and preserve precious memories for a lifetime.

There was a white pitched tent edged in twinkling lights all around the canopy over the area where approximately 25 round tables covered in white tablecloths waited for the guests. Nearby the lawn where the wedding ceremony took place, was a rustic, working barn that had been cleaned out on the ground floor where they placed an antique jelly cupboard, sideboard, Duncan Phyfe sofa, hay bales, jelly jars, oers'doeurves, wine and beer...all under the glow of soft candlight in jars. Very charming scene in that barn! Outside the barn was a circular table covered with small jars of homemade blackberry jam. Attached to each jar was a piece of natural colored raffia with a handwritten tag with all the guests' names and their assigned table numbers. The homemade blackberry jam was a keepsake for the guests. I have to say, when we opened the jam and spread it on our English muffins this morning, Tom and I were delighted to say the least! Dee-lish!

The menu consisted of large Kaiser rolls, cole slaw, sweet potato salad, baked beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, sliced beef, BBQ shredded beef and more! After the bride and groom were finished with photographs and the bride and groom danced, guests were seated at their tables for the bride and groom toast. Dinner was served afterward, along with a live band and much dancing done by children and adults alike. Alongside the white tent was an old stone wall lining the property where numerous jar candles alit danced and glimmered in the night sky. A bonfire was to be lit later on after the bride and groom changed into more casual clothing and guests were invited to stay for that. Tom and I bowed out and headed home around 8:00 pm, leaving all the rustic activities to the younger set. All in all, quite a lovely wedding!