DIY Rustic Vermont Wedding at the Barn at Boyden Farm {Ampersand Wedding Photography}

Hana and Eric, who met and fell in love in high school, held their wedding celebration in Vermont at the Barn at Boyden Farm – the perfect place for a rustic, country wedding while still giving off an elegant atmosphere. “Boyden Farm really was the perfect place for this, and we were so excited to show off Vermont’s beauty to out of state guests,” says Hana. At the farm they had sunshine, lawn games and excellent catering by The Skinny Pancake. It was also a fitting background for the many DIY details that Hana and her bridesmaids made – the rustic signs, clothespin photo lines, mason jars wrapped in lace, and more. And these two have quite the proposal story (read below) which involves nasty weather and camping! Congrats Hana + Eric. We wish you all the best!

From the Bride…

The Proposal:
We had been planning a camping trip to the Adirondacks to a secluded lake where my family has been camping since I was little (pretty much my favorite place on earth). We planned on going towards the end of the summer, but kept having to reschedule (later I found out that it was because the ring wasn’t ready!). Finally we set a date for mid-September, but as the weekend approached, the weather was looking horrible. It was supposed to rain every day and the nightly lows were forecasted in the 30’s. I figured this would mean we would have to wait a year to enjoy our camping trip and casually mentioned this to Eric, who suddenly seemed to be the world’s most determined camper. He made a huge deal about how we had been planning and the weather was always wrong. I remember being surprised by his insistence on going, but figured he just really needed a vacation. We ended up going that weekend and had a beautiful drive and hike into the campsite.

We set up camp and made a fire, but just after dinner we discovered pretty quickly that the weatherman was dead on this time. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees in a half hour and we literally could hear the storm whipping up the lake. That night was one of the coldest and most miserable nights I’ve ever experienced. We spent the whole night in one sleeping bag with clothes over us and our dog snuggled up to us to keep warm. The tent was soaked and we were up all night with the tent flattened to our faces by the wind and constantly checking to make sure the floor didn’t get drenched. After the longest night ever, the rain slowed and we were up at the first sign of daylight. We huddle around our pathetic fire covered in blankets with instant coffee and oatmeal. The last thing I remember before the shock set in was complaining about how awful the trip was and telling Eric that I hoped he learned his lesson when it came to questioning the weather in the Adirondacks.

The next thing I knew, there was Eric, down on one knee in the mud, explaining to me the exact reason why he wanted to make the trip work so badly and the reasons why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I never saw it coming! What made it even more special was the ring. My family gave my grandmother’s diamond to him (I didn’t even know it existed!), which he had put in a custom setting that he had spent the summer designing. I think I forgot just how cold and wet I was and that morning turned from one my worst to one of my best 🙂 At that point we both decided to pack up and ditch our second night camping and get home to share the news!

Most memorable moment:
I have to choose one?! I’ll always remember just slowing down and taking in the moment during our first dance. It felt amazing to be newly married to my best friend, and words can’t describe the happiness I felt looking over his shoulder around the barn, just taking in the smiling faces of the people I love most, all in the same room at once, just celebrating us. I’m not a mushy person, but it honestly was surreal.

Any advice to future brides & grooms?
I know you hear it over and over again, but the day goes by SO fast. Take a few seconds throughout the night to just pause and be in the moment. Remember how your parents’ faces look, how your flowers smell, how your cake tastes, how much love you feel. Other things? Splurge on your photographer (pictures are way more worth your money than the chocolate fountain), carry a clutch with emergency items in it or ask your maid of honor to do so, and ask someone to set aside some wrapped up dinner and cake to take home, because it’s so hard to find time to eat. Most of all don’t sweat the small things and enjoy every second!