Ithaca NY, Quaint Family Style Wedding

m2 photography

Within their first year of dating Alissa took Braden to meet her family at her cousins lighthearted backyard wedding. Little did they know that their love for the easy going event would lead to them say 'I do' in nearly the same way, on exactly the same weekend, six years later.
This down to earth couple chose to say their vows at Alissa's parents breathtaking lake front home. You can see all of the gorgeous images of this quaint family style wedding captured by M2 Photography in the full gallery here.

getting wedding ready

wedding bouquet by plenty of posies

bridal looks

From the Bride:If I did it all over again, I would have done hair and make-up at the house (wedding location). When we got back to the house, everything was very rushed - the pictures, reading Braden's letter, etc. I really was soaking up every second and would have loved to have more time. It just goes by so much faster than you think it's going to.

Being in an open, free space allows you to create your own story and make the event feel 100% your own. I'm not someone who has always dreamed about my wedding, in fact, I didn't even think I would wear a wedding dress (and ended up in a giant princess ballgown, of course) - I just wanted to kiss Braden, dance with my dad and see my mom smile. I wanted Braden to hear me tell him that his confidence, patience and thoughtfulness inspires me and that he makes me feel safe. I wanted him to hear me promise that every night, for the rest of my life, I would go to sleep loving him. I wanted my brothers to see me in a wedding dress, for my friends to go crazy dancing to middle school throwbacks and for everyone to eat some of the best food they'd ever had.

drink table

drink station ideas

Love this eclectic drink table set up. Complete with a burlap table cloth with gold dots, polka dot straws, orange infused water and mint and lemon water. Not only does it look fabulous, but we are sure that guests enjoyed the refreshing drink station.

chalkboard wedding program

outdoor wedding ceremony

ceremony decor ideas

wild flower decor ideas

Ithaca NY lakeside wedding ceremony

wedding kiss

M2 photography

fun wedding cut outs

I learned that a wedding is so much more than a dress and a beautiful Sperry tent and the perfect bouquet, but it is about all of your favorite people coming together to make you smile, laugh, cry and enjoy one of the biggest and best moments in life.

The only other thing I would have changed is to splurge on a videographer. That was one thing I crossed off the list to help the budget but I would love to have all of these memories captured on film.

cocktail sign