A Striking Southwood Estate Wedding

Last September, we had the opportunity to plan this gorgeous Southwood Estate wedding for Jamie and Isaac. Southwood Estate is an incredible outdoor wedding venue on the banks of the Hudson River in Upstate New York. When they came to us, they had already started dreaming about their wedding day. Our gorgeous bride, Jamie, had chosen the Southwood Estate wedding venue because she knew she wanted her Chuppah (a Jewish ceremony arch) to have a large tree in the background. They both wanted the ceremony outdoors. They wanted their wedding to reflect their outdoorsy nature.

Despite several setbacks (postponing a year and the threat of rain on their wedding day!), they both agreed that their wedding day was exactly what they wanted. Their outdoor wedding ceremony was simply stunning. During the ceremony, several guests recalled seeing a bald eagle flying in the background. It was the most incredible backdrop for these two (and we take venue selection seriously!).

At Elite Wedding and Event Planning, we love watching incredible days come together for two incredible people. For Jamie and Isaac, everything came together flawlessly. We can’t wait to share some of the design details with you on the blog today! For more information on working with our team of Hudson Valley wedding planners, click here for our wedding planning and design packages.

outdoor wedding photos

Beautiful Ombre Wedding Stationery

When you think of wedding stationery, wedding invitations are often first to come to mind! However, wedding stationery can be so much more than that. In fact, we absolutely love when couples take their invitation design and carry it throughout their wedding day paper. Many guests may keep your wedding invitation as a keepsake. It makes it so much better when the style of your wedding invite matches your wedding day!

For Jamie and Isaac, we carried a stunning blue Ombre theme throughout their wedding stationery. This tied in to the gorgeous Hudson River backdrop of the wedding venue. We also brought in personal details – like the crossword puzzle in their wedding programs. The crossword itself featured words that were connected to them and their love story. Jamie and Isaac naturally love to do crossword puzzles together and it was such a fun way to incorporate that part of their personality into their wedding day for their guests! We always believe we want your wedding day to look stunning but still feel just like you.

ombre blue wedding invitations

crossword newspaper word search as unique wedding ceremony programs

ombre menu cards

navy ombre signature cocktail sign

The Wedding Day at Southwood Estate

Throughout the planning process, Jamie and Isaac loved being involved in the design – picking the décor for the tables and tent – and then trusting our team to bring everything to life on their wedding day! For their wedding color palette, we kept a lot of the pieces neutral. We incorporated an abundance of white and blush florals with greenery and added pops of blue throughout the lounge furniture and the reception. The different shades of blue in the furniture, vintage glassware, and table runners complimented the Ombre nature of the stationery so well. We also included pops of blush in the lounge furniture to compliment the other blush elements such as the napkins and wine goblets.

If you were waiting for a permission slip to not stick to 1-2 wedding day colors, these photos are it. We love to create unique and inspiring wedding designs.

Jamie is originally from Georgia so we toasted to her southern roots by including peaches both in the signature cocktail and the mini dessert tarts. When they first met, one of the things Isaac was instantly attracted to was the fact that she was NOT from Manhattan so we definitely wanted to include a bit of her origin in their day. Not all personal touches were “design-focused” though. Jamie wore a flower in her hair as her mom did on her wedding day which was a subtle but sweet sentimental detail.

greenery and white wedding at Southwood Estate

wedding ceremony at Southwood Estate

outdoor wedding photos at Southwood Estate Wedding

cocktail lounge furniture in Upstate New York

outdoor tented wedding at Southwood Estate

closeup of wedding table decorated with light blue table runners, white and greenery centerpieces, and rustic wedding decor

Georgia peach wedding tarts at Hudson Valley wedding reception

outdoor tented wedding with greenery chandelier over the dance floor

Hudson Valley Wedding Planning

Some say “when you know, you know”. We love watching this come to life both with our couples choosing each other and when they choose Elite Wedding and Event Planning as their Hudson Valley wedding planners! Jamie and Isaac had only known each other for 4 months before moving in together. They spent the start of their relationship dining at outstanding NYC restaurants, attending concerts, traveling to far away boroughs for beer, exploring the jungles of Costa Rica, and generally having the time of their lives. Friends and family may have thought they were crazy moving so fast, but they both just knew. Clearly, they couldn’t have been more right!

Jamie and Isaac had a unique planning experience, having to delay their wedding due to pandemic restrictions. However, when I asked them if they had any advice for future couples, they agreed. Decide what’s important to you and stick to it. Jamie and Isaac wanted to celebrate with their family and friends and it was worth the wait.

Jamie said – “I had lots of friends who got married who forgot items they needed for the ceremony or to put on their veils. Even though it was a lot of work I knew that once the day got started Angela had everything under control”. We love making sure our couples can remain PRESENT on their wedding day. Leave the logistics and worry to us – we have got this!

sparkler exit at Southwood Estate wedding

Elite Wedding and Event Planning

Whether you are planning a wedding at Southwood Estate, or don’t have a wedding venue yet, we would love to chat more. You can connect directly with Angela here! Or, for more real wedding inspiration, make sure to follow us on Instagram. We love to celebrate real wedding inspiration (and incredible couples). If you are looking for ballrooms, that’s not our thing. Want to see work we love? You can see a few of our favorite days on our portfolio page.