A Rustic Fall Wedding with a Bohemian Theme

Photo: Lauren Ross

Jamie and David both hated blind dates, but when Jamie moved to New York City, they began to reconsider. "Each of us kept running into mutual friends who wanted us to meet," she says. "One couple even told David that his wife had arrived in New York." They finally agreed to dinner. "And we've been together ever since," she says.

After David's job took them to Los Angeles (he's a movie executive), he proposed just before a second-anniversary trip to Big Sur. "He knew I'd never expect him to be that predictable," says Jamie, an Internet entrepreneur. Indeed, she was so shocked—she'd thought the breakfast-in-bed and blasting of their favorite Phoenix album were just part of the festivities—that she asked him to propose again.

As for where and when they'd get married, there was never any doubt: "We love autumn for the food and mood," says Jamie. "And the mountains of Utah have a special place in our lives—both our families have connections there."

Photos: Lauren Ross

"My jewelry was by Irene Neuwirth, who also designed my engagement ring and our wedding rings," says Jamie. The bride carried a purse by Judith Lieber and a bouquet of lavender roses. Because of the terrain, guests were encouraged to leave their stilettos at home.

rustic nature-inspired wedding invitations

Photos: Lauren Ross

On October 29, 2011, 190 of Jamie and David's friends and family gathered at the Sundance Resort to watch the couple wed under a vibrant huppah of aspen branches and fall leaves. In lieu of bridesmaids, Jamie had "spice girls," friends who sprinkled the path with herbs that have symbolic meanings—like mint for virtue. While Ann Elizabeth designed the wedding invitations, Jamie created the rustic save-the-dates and menu cards herself.

Autumn foliage was far from the most colorful thing at the ceremony—that honor belonged to Jamie's dress, a black, magenta, and gold vintage Oscar de la Renta confection that perfectly reflected the wedding's "sophisticated, bohemian garden party-barn vibe. When I saw it, I knew it would set the tone for the whole night," says the bride. The groom also went vintage—with tux shoes from the Titanic movie archive!

colorful wedding dress and bouquet pairing ideas

Photos: Lauren Ross

The Roadside Ramblers, a brass band, struck up the music as soon as the glass was broken at the end of the Jewish ceremony, and guests carrying unity candles lined the path of the processional. Afterward, the newlyweds posed with friends who helped out with the processional and played music at the ceremony.

After a cocktail hour that featured a New Orleans jazz band and a tequila-and-mint signature cocktail named the Kantrobaum, everyone headed to the barn. "Meredith Parsons, our planner, designed these incredible branched canopies for the ceiling," says the bride.

Photos: Lauren Ross

"The room felt like a magical forest on a starry night," says the bride. The "enchanted forest" theme was aided by a 30-foot chandelier of fall foliage, a sod floor, and smoke machines that replicated dewy mist.

rich centerpiece wedding reception ideas

Photos: Lauren Ross

Dinner included trout and beef filet, followed by red velvet and maple-spiced pumpkin cupcakes. Arrangements of dahlias, ranunculus, and succulents brightened up the reception. Three long tables were decorated with perfume bottles, bowls, and votives. "Lighting is everything," says event planner Meredith Parsons, who covered tables with candles and hung more than 100 paper-star lanterns over the dance floor.

It was the perfect setting for the couple to celebrate another autumnal passion: Halloween. "It's David's favorite holiday—for the past ten years, he's been George Hamilton," Jamie laughs. So after dinner, the reception turned into a costume party, where David and Jamie (wearing custom wings) were lifted on chairs during the hora. "One of our main criteria was we didn't want a curfew," Jamie says of the partying, which went on till the early-morning hours. Guests had been instructed to bring what they needed to assume their "enchanted animal alter ego." A "costume valet," who had collected guests' headdresses and accessories before the ceremony, distributed them at 11:30 p.m. ( "I didn't want guests to carry around their stuff all night," says Jamie.)

The newlyweds' alter egos? "I was a phoenix. And David was the Mad Hatter, because I think he looks a little bunny-ish," Jamie says. "Besides, isn't the Mad Hatter just the George Hamilton of the forest?"