Wheatleigh Wedding in the Knot

Wheatleigh is one of those magical venues that I just love. Set in the Berkshires, it's a jewel box of a luxury hotel which was once private, Italianate villa. So when the opportunity arose to plan a wedding there last December, I was delighted. I've decided to share these images today as I think about winter weddings, and as I ruminate over the amazing images shared with The Knot, and with me, by just married photographer, Karen Hill.The stationery palette was kona and white, my favorite. Engraved menu cards by CECI New York did double duty as place cards with white calligraphy by Nancy Howell peeking out of the monogrammed linen napkins. I searched high and low for the Italian favor boxes filled with traditional candied almonds, and Heather provided the grosgrain ribbon with a white stitching border, available at Midori. Here's a link to a easier favor box if you love brown, too -- Michael's.

Heather's bouquet was filled with ranunculas, white peonies, parrot tulips and calla lilies. We made sure Heather's heirloom locket was tied securely to the bouquet and tucked a hankerchief deep into her bouquet in case there were tears at the altar. Besides her Jeri Cohen wedding ring, the bride wore a family heirloom aquamarine - love the "something blue". The dress was a breathtaking Vera Wang.

The dinner spread throughout the hotel's dining room. Show tunes played during dinner (in memory of Heather's father, and noted on little cards at every place setting), and dancing was afterwards -- guests cut the rug to a Wedding Library destination favorite, Vali. The biggest surprise was when Heather's mother cued fireworks to go off before dancing. The hard part was getting everyone out into the cold winter air for no apparant reason. But once the fireworks went off, everyone forgot the chill!

Antiqued urns were filled in a palette of whites with tinges of green. The candlelight, glassware and additional lighting (essential) set the room aglow.

Luckily for the bride, she fell in love with a little white capelet that served her well in her journey to the church, outdoor photo shoot and during the fireworks. We brough our favorite hair stylist from Butterfly Studio Salon and makeup by Francesca from Kimara Ahnert to complete Heather's picture-perfect look.

Dancing took place in the grand entryway of the hotel. Shown here during the wedding and below as it looks normally.

This image captures the hotel before wedding, and is courtesy of Wheatleigh.

Antique cars don't run well in the cold, nor can they travel too far. We searched endlessly for the perfect option to bring the bride to the church and the couple to the reception. We found the classic Austin Princess at Silver Ridge Limousine. Needless to say, they arrived in style!
We love the maps, calligraphy and artwork provided by Nancy Howell. One tip I give brides using artwork is to try to use it again on other wedding items. We reprinted the fountain at Wheatleigh on Heather's LL Bean in-room bags, cocktail napkins, on her menu cards and even her save-the-dates. A good use of lovely graphics.

All in all, I could do at least one more long blog entry on this wedding and the fabulous resources we used and details provided.

All photos except Wheatleigh, noted, courtesy of Karen Hill and The Knot. Map image courtesy of Nancy Howell.