Katie & Izzy's Hilltop Wedding in Strafford, VT
Every now and again we hear from folks planning their own wedding that we incidentally met years ago as guests at another wedding and whenever that happens it reminds us how full-circle we’ve come since starting this business back in 2018. Katie and Izzy attended a wedding we photographed in 2022, also in Strafford, and reached out to us at the beginning of this year to tell us about their very DIY wedding plan at Katie’s childhood home. From our first chat we remarked at how similar their plan was to our own wedding and it became clear quickly how at home we would feel at theirs. This was the house her parents built, the house Katie and her sister were born at, and as such was imbued with decades of family history. Entirely by accident these two picked the day that would also mark the 43rd wedding anniversary for Katie’s parents.
We arrived to find Izzy outside, barefoot, directing traffic and prepping for the day which he and Katie had so carefully planned. Florals grown by friends, table settings featuring illustrated farm animals of theirs, and wedding linens (and officiant/wedding party outfits!!!) hand dyed by Katie and Izzy using dried flowers from their own garden dotted the single long dinner table designed to mimic the curve of the property. The family dog was roaming around, mildly intrigued by the goings on, and the sky was bright but overcast.
Katie got ready upstairs in the bedroom she and her sister shared growing up. The dress she wore she made herself in a simple white cotton which she hoped to dye at some point in the future. Their dog waited patiently downstairs while parents and siblings divided tasks still remaining on the to-do list as guests began to park at the bottom of the drive and make their way up to the house. Izzy awaited them, welcoming each guest and instructing them up the path. A bucket of walking sticks and more hand-dyed linen flags delineated the fifteen minute or so hike through the forest they’d have to complete in order to reach the ceremony site. It’s hard to overstate how much this part of the day meant to Katie and Izzy; the walk through the woods and view at the top was something they both wanted to share with their favorite people. Their ceremony and following cocktail hour atop the hill were dramatically gorgeous with the backdrop of rural Vermont fading into the horizon, and the hike back down through the woods lead straight into a dinner that felt like the best reward for the effort. Their favorite local Indian restaurant provided a bountiful buffet of sweet and savory bites while family toasted and sang (!) to the newlyweds as daylight faded. The atmosphere then slowly shifted as DJ Taka (Burlington’s ‘King of Disco’) filled the cooler evening air with what started as ethereal ambient noise and turned to primordial oozing funk.
Katie and Izzy welcomed us as warmly as they welcomed their guests and from the minute we stepped foot on the property we knew this day was special. Déjà vu from our own wedding aside, everything here reminded us of the charm the classic backyard Vermont wedding has. It’s come as you are, it’s simple, it’s beautiful.
Venue: Private residence
Florals: Grown by Luke @ Honey Field Farm, arranged by Marya @ Wood Frog Flowers
Catering: Aromas of India
Dress: Made by Katie
Cake: Made by family
Officiating: Couple’s best friends Michael & Alden
Tunes: DJ Taka
