Katya & Jeremy's Cozy Autumnal Wedding at Hill Farm in Sunderland, VT

Although the temperatures continue to linger in the upper seventies and lower eighties here at the beginning of October there have been signs of fall arriving. On our drive up to photograph Katya and Jeremy’s wedding weekend at Hill Farm in Sunderland, VT we saw bits of foliage here and there despite the unusually dry summer, saw woodsmoke rising from a handful of chimneys, and were glad to have packed our sweaters as the temperatures rapidly dropped in the evenings. Vermont in early fall is an absurdly beautiful place: the air hangs differently with the change in season and the odd rainstorm we arrived to on Friday lent even more drama to an already dramatic landscape. Katya and Jeremy, both living and working near Washington, D.C., have been visiting southern Vermont for years as an escape from the hustle and bustle of city living, and found themselves wanting to invite their people, who hadn’t yet gotten the chance, to experience it at its best. Hill Farm is nestled just about ten minutes south of Manchester in the heart of the Green Mountain National Forest and, in our opinion, is one of the prettiest spots in southern Vermont we’ve had the pleasure of working at. Located on a historic farm property, the venue sprawls around a main inn building and well kept barns, silos, garden plots, and an alpaca pen. It’s bucolic and quaint on its own, but when paired with the mountain views in all directions it truly feels like a special place.

Katya got ready onsite with her friends and mom while Jeremy along with his two brothers and some pals got ready two minutes down the road. When we arrived they shared with us that they’d done pretty much all this on their own - no coordinator, no day-of planner, just the two of them and their vision. It’s a tall order to do this and do it successfully, and to say we were only more impressed as the day went on would be putting it lightly. Not only was the vision clear and beautiful, Katya and Jeremy could not have been more pleasant and lovely to both be around and photograph together. The moment they saw one another beneath an old black walnut tree their smiles could not be contained, the joy they feel in each other’s presence was obvious, and we found ourselves equally giddy behind our cameras as we photographed them read private vows to the other before saying hi to their families. Their ceremony was, again, shockingly pretty. Hill Farm lets couples pick between a few different ceremony sites, but ultimately these two picked the spot between two ancient looking weeping willow trees, backed by the alpaca pen and behind that a mountain valley view that’s as mesmerizing to look at as a raging bonfire. The ceremony itself, accompanied by their dog-turned-ringbearer Mishka and officiated by Jeremy’s younger brother David, was short and sweet and the celebrations that followed were so genuinely joyful. These two reveled in each other’s company, the company of their favorite people, and photographing that alone was an honor.

Dinner and toasts in the tent were moody and candlelit, pairing perfectly with the setting sun behind the ridge line. Guests finished their meals and were invited into the barn for dancing, although some lingered on the back porch to take in the last bits of light during sunset. It was, in all respects, a perfect Vermont day. For all of their efforts, Katya and Jeremy were rewarded with a picture perfect slice of the state close to its prime, and we could literally see the achievement on their faces as they danced the night away together. It felt good for our last travel wedding of the season to be in Hannah’s home state, and what a treat to get to be there at such a special time of year.

Venue/Catering: Hill Farm Inn
Florals: Tipsy Tulip
Dress: Anthropologie
Menswear: Indochino
Hair/Makeup: Vermont Bridal Beauty
Stationary: Alexa Nelson Prints
Cake: Blackbird Cake Design
Tunes: Wedding Pro DJs
Apples, sweets, treats: Mad Tom Orchard / Bob’s Maple Shop /
Rentals: Rain or Shine Tent Company