Abby and Ryan’s Eco-Friendly Estate Wedding in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Abby and Ryan’s love story began on 7/7/2007. They met on their High School lacrosse field and have been together ever since Abby asked Ryan out on a first date. Ryan proposed to Abby while the couple was on vacation in Hilton Head, S.C on the beach with their sweet pup, KONA close by. They were married by their beloved priest Father McLaughlin who was an integral part of Abby & Ryan’s lives. Father McLaughlin had baptized Abby and her sisters married her parents and the presiding HeadMaster of their local Catholic High School. Having him officiate the marriage for this couple was a dream come true!

But here’s the most UNIQUE aspect of their story- This couple SPENT OVER AN ENTIRE YEAR (EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND LEADING UP TO THEIR WEDDING) designing, handcrafting EVERY furniture design piece for their wedding from salvaged wood and fallen trees from Ryan’s childhood estate. They cut, sawed, stained, and built everything by hand…this includes, every beautiful bar, side table, lounge seating, coffee tables, bandstand, the ice cream station, and handcrafted all the light fixtures. They also re-purposed the barn on the estate to create a warm, inviting, and elegant space for guests to enjoy during the cocktail and reception.

In the days leading up to the wedding, Abby, her mother, and Ryan’s sisters created all the floral installation designs for the wedding that was featured at the cocktail and reception. The couple locally sourced all their floral trimmings from a local neighbor’s home and Ryan’s family home estate and this produced 5 beautiful eco-friendly and sustainable hanging floral light installations that Ryan built by hand. Each weekend, Abby and Ryan, with help from their families and friends worked tirelessly around the farm estate to build their dream wedding aesthetic. They shared moments with family and friends that made their wedding not only last a day but was enjoyed every weekend up to their wedding day. The day itself was a celebration not only of their marriage but of the new family connections and relationships they built together over that year!