Eclectic, fun, and personal were just a few of the words that bride Marisa used to describe her Upstate New York wedding, and it was all that and more! A color palette of navy, orange, and white and gorgeous florals by Sachi Rose lent an elegant style, while unique details added a personal, eclectic touch to the day. The picturesque, lakefront Southwood Estate, flanked by beautiful mountains, was the perfect setting for Marisa and Doug’s relaxed yet gorgeous wedding day. And of course our favorite part of Marisa and Doug’s day… that they included their adorable dog in the festivities! You are going to love the beautiful imagery captured by Mikkel Paige, and read on for Marisa’s wedding planning insights!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

My husband!!!! together with our groomsman. He/They worked so hard the day of the wedding to help set up & coordinate all our DIY details ie road signs, welcome sign, ceremony set up, placing all the day of oversized rentals, set up our DIY photo booth, 

My sister/maid of honor & coordinator Leah Weinberg/Color Pop Events — Leah filtered all the day of decisions/issues through my sister while we were sequestered in the bridal suite so I was able to enjoy the day 100% stress free and unaware of all the preparations that are necessary to set up the day of the event. Leah didn’t even speak to me until 1st photos. LOVED and totally appreciated this day of tactic! We had so many specific details in mind, Working in a creative design industry, I had printed a day of manual (a printed out PowerPoint presentation—pseudo/realized-plan for the day/space) with photoshoped mock ups of what and where I wanted most of the details to be or coordinate with. Any oversights were executed beautifully by Leah with her design eye.

The Internet! So much amazing inspiration.

Sachi Rose — our florist who saved the day in the end on last minute notice to sign up for our wedding. She made the the flower canopy for the ceremony and accented our tables perfectly with her arrangements. My fiance would not have made it to the ceremony on time because he wanted to make/build the ceremony flower canopy on the day of himself.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Their body of work, use of color, and fun personalities of our vendors.

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

Eclectic, fun, personal, relaxed, low-maintanence

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

1. all the personal details we were able to inject & seeing the photos from our photographer Mikkel Paige. She captured all the details. We were so anxious to see the photos because everything on the day of is such a blur. All the details didn’t matter and I didn’t even seek them out. It was great to see how everything came together.
2. Having one of our best friends, and also the reason the two of us met, as our officiant also made this day all the more special/real that another person could never have brought to our ceremony.
3. Being Outdoors on the beautiful Southwood Estates property, 
4. Including our dog 
5. Simple/earnest/honest short ceremony
6. Feeling so comfortable all day. The weather was great. My Clara Rosa dress wasn’t fussy. Our hair and make-up stylist Agata Helena did an amazing job making all the girls look flawless and effortless.
7. Our DJ, DJ Stylus keep the dance floor going and did a great job mixing all our first dance songs to match the eclectic theme of our wedding.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Don’t stress the day of your wedding. Enjoy all the present moments (aka, be in the present) and all the people who are sharing it with you.  Just remember that everyone there is going to have a great time and whatever turbulence you think might exist will pretty much amount to nothing—if you’re having a blast, everyone is having a blast. 

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer:  Mikkel Paige Photography // Event Planner: Color Pop Events // Event Venue: Southwood Estate // Floral Designer: Sachi Rose // Bakery: Momofuku Milk Bar // Vintage Rentals: Hudson Valley Vintage Rentals // Invitation Designer: Repeat Press // Hair Stylist: Agatha Helena // Lighting: BearFly Designs // Equipment Rentals: Events Unlimited // Dress Store: Lovely Bride // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Ralph Lauren // Dress Designer: rosa clara bridal // Etsy Designer: So Cal Wedding Gal // Catering: Wandering Dago Catering Co.