Our Charming Little Life in Philly: Bucks County Wedding

Last weekend, my childhood friend Meg, got married to her sweetheart Gabe. They chose beautiful Tinicum Park in Bucks County as the wedding location. Bucks County is known for their diverse communities, having parks, country, and lovely downtown areas. Bf and I took advantage of this weekend by staying the night in Frenchtown, NJ and doing some sightseeing the next day. But first - the wedding!
It started out a rainy September morning, but by the time the ceremony rolled around, the sun was shining in their honor. The wedding took place in a rustic old barn, where they were allowed the freedom to bring in all their creative decorating ideas. During their engagement year they spent a lot of time collecting vintage linens, plates, chandeliers, lamps, vases, and making crafts, to pull it all together in a beautiful, unique way.

There was a clothesline hung around the barn holding black and white photos of Meg and Gabe

The ceremony started simply, with one of their newly ordained friends running the show. You could feel the love in the barn as Meg and Gabe gazed into each other's eyes. The couple chose to pass their rings around the room, it was a nice way for all their friends and family to feel connected to the union.

They wrote their own vows together, ahead of time. It was obvious that they spent much time choosing each word carefully. You could hear the excitement in their voices about finally being in the place to repeat them to each other. After their kiss, the "minister" played the wedding recession song on his sax, as they floated down the hill and into a carriage that was rolling down the lane. It was straight out of a fairy tale.

After they headed off into the sunset, we all went inside to start the party with some food. The guests were asked to bring a covered dish since the wedding wasn't being catered. Bf and I chose to bring Philly soft pretzels, a little something from the city and also a snack that everyone loves! My original idea was to take them out of the box and stack them in a nice basket with a vintage tea towel, but we decided to keep them in the box, so as not to take away from where they came from. They turned out to be a big hit!

Half the box is gone after only ten minutes!

After lunch, we took a few photos and the boys got a little silly

Next came the speeches. The father of the bride made a lovely toast ending with a memory from Meg's childhood. When he asked everyone to raise their glasses, he toasted by saying "kissy, kissy, kissy" because it was something Meg used taunt her parents with if they smooched in front of her. He shared that he had been waiting for the day to say it to her. There was such pride in his eyes as he toasted his only daughter and her new husband. Next the Maid of Honor, also a childhood friend, made a speech which had Meg in tears and Gabe all smiles. It was obvious how much love surrounded these two on their wedding day.

Later on I found one of my "awesome" pretzels being fed to the horse. Hopefully he enjoyed it!

Meg and Gabe had lots of talented musician friends so we were entertained by live music all afternoon.

Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs.! It was a beautiful September afternoon, filled with love and laughter. Here's to many, many happy years!

After the wedding, we checked into our historic hotel room and got ready to meet Little Sis and her boyfriend for some fun in New Hope, PA. We had decided to get out for a drink and of course, to spend time with them. New Hope is a quaint little town full of fantastic art, diverse food choices, historic buildings, and tons of antiques. But on this night we were looking for good music so we found ourselves at Havana's dancing to a band (or in my case cheering them on from the sidelines).

Sunday brought a relaxing day for Bf and I. We began our drive on River Road headed to brunch in Stockton, NJ. We chose Meil's for the family atmosphere and homemade comfort food. The server's are friendly and the food is delicious, what a great start to our day!

Next we drove to an outdoor flea market to spend some time browsing their goods. We didn't come across anything too inspiring so we jumped back in the car shortly after we arrived. Our last stop was going to be Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA. This shopping center was designed to feel like an old colonial village with unique shops and kid friendly themes. After walking around and purchasing a few holiday goodies, we shared a pumpkin pie icecream and headed back home.