Something Blue Wedding at Fernstone Retreat

Relaxed and serene, this shades of blue wedding at Fernstone Retreat embraces one of the hottest colors to hit the bridal scene in recent history. Ever since Pantone chose serenity as one of the 2016 Colors of the Year, blue has been HOT and I’ve been obsessed. Imagine my excitement when I saw Ali and Adam’s wedding, where they chose to embrace the entire spectrum for this shade. Baby blue, cerulean, periwinkle, navy, royal and just about everything in between makes an appearance in this celebration. With the gents clad in their own blue suits and the ladies wearing mismatched bridesmaids dresses – one of which is a GORG floral print – the ombre vibe came alive with the bridal party. Add in a variety of antique china place settings all bearing the day’s palette, a bridal bouquet of forget-me-nots, thistle, and hydrangeas, and even a color-matched umbrella for the first look and blue was the star of the show. With darling DIY centerpieces, a menu of BBQ and local beer, and an all-you-can-eat pie bar for dessert, this affair was casual and heartfelt. Flawlessly executed by Pittsburgh wedding planner Kim Allera of Olive & Rose Events and captured by The Oberports, Ali and Adam’s big day is the perfect “something blue!”

About the Couple

We were introduced by Adam’s cousin and my friend Kari. Kari and I worked together at a restaurant in Washington D.C. She invited me out to her lake property for Memorial Day weekend, which is where I met Adam. He (unsuccessfully) tried to teach me to wakeboard, and (successfully) impressed me with his cooking skills. After that, we ran into each other a few more times that summer while I was hanging out with Kari’s family, and then we started going out of our way to see each other. No five hour commute was going to stop us! We’ve been together since September 2012.

About the Wedding

We loved the idea of having the wedding in nature, which is why we chose Fernstone Retreat. The venue was ours for the entire weekend and we could host our whole wedding party on-site. We wanted the bridesmaids and groomsmen to feel comfortable in what they were wearing so our only requests were that they wear blue, which turned out great! I loved the idea of mismatched blue china so we rented it from Forget-Me-Not Rentals. We wanted personal touches throughout the wedding, so I made our signs from windows and cabinet doors that we got at Construction Junction. I also made our centerpieces, and Adam and his dad built our beer bar. We wanted people to really be able to see aspects of us everywhere they looked.

Adam and his dad built our beer bar by hand! They got Pittsburgh (and some Michigan) beers from local breweries and had those on tap all weekend. We also had our “guest log,” made by a local carpenter who we met in the Strip District at his store. I hand drew all our signs and made our centerpieces out of recycled liquor bottles that we asked friends and family to save for us for the year leading up to the wedding. We also traveled to Louisville, KY to pick out our very own barrel of signature bourbon from Woodford Reserve. Adam was born in New Orleans, so we also had a second line entrance into the reception, which was a lot of fun! Adam’s cousin Kari, who introduced us, was also our officiant, which was very meaningful for us.

Favorite Moment

Adam’s – The second line entrance and dancing with all of our friends to the live band; seeing friends and family enjoy the signature bourbon and the homemade beer bar; and of course, getting married!

Ali’s – All of our friends and family stepping up to help and keep everything stress free when it rained (tropical monsoon) and our ceremony had to be moved indoors; seeing Adam’s smiling face while Kari performed our ceremony; and our first dance when it felt like we were the only people in the world.