Blythe & Colton Private Farm Wedding
Vendor Team:
Planning and day of coordination: 618 Events, Maggie Farchmin and Kylie Houchin
Photography: Schilling Photography
Videography: Niki Erin Films
Flowers and Rentals: Le Fleur and Palace Events
Catering: Pioletti’s Catering
Dresses: BHLDN and Birdie Gray
Tuxes: The Black Tux
Portapotties: Illinois Portable Toilets
Golf Cart: Prairie Land Golf Cart Rental
Generator: United Rentals
Blythe called me when she got engaged to ask if I’d help her plan. It was an immediate YES! Blythe’s family is basically my family (through my husband’s side) so I was honored they’d like to hire me to help. Plus, my sister in law just got married at the family farm last summer 2022 as well so it was really fun to be back and planning there again.
Blythe has had 3 others before her get married at the farm so she wanted her and Colton’s day to be unique and different from the other weddings. For the most part, Blythe was really laid back and didn’t care about the small details. However she had her vision for design and layout and stuck to it which I so appreciated!
I worked mostly with her mom, Sheila, which was an absolute ball. I love Sheila! Blythe and Colton got engaged in January and wanted to have their wedding in May. Whew! Talk about a quick turn around for planning! Sheila handled most of the planning and we met periodically to discuss next steps, what (if anything) she was missing, etc.
We met out at the farm in March for a walk through. The property is really SO beautiful. There’s a farm house on site that the family stays in from time to time- the grandparents actually live there in the summer. The farm house is where the bridal party hangs out and gets ready in the morning. There are several barns and a cattle shed which is where the reception takes place. It’s completely open to the pasture on one side and has two large doors on either end. Stunning!
But the ceremony “chapel” is where it’s really at. It’s a short walk from the main property/where cars park. The walk is through grassy meadows/pastures. There’s a clearing with several gigantic oak trees surrounded by woods. It’s TO DIE FOR. So serene and perfect to commit your life to your new spouse.
Blythe wanted her wedding to be different from her cousins’ weddings so one idea they had was appetizer stations for dinner. Instead of having a table and chair for each guest they wanted the reception to be a mingling and socializing event. We rented a handful of high top tables for guests to stand at and spread them around the barn and outside in the pasture.
There was a head table still for the bridal party to sit at and the immediate families did have tables and chairs. They also rented benches from Le Fleur and we set those up in semi circles to form a “cozy” place for people to sit and chat.
The food stations were heavy apps so people could walk around and choose what they wanted from each station. There were soft pretzels with cheese, nachos, Italian beef sliders, and fresh veggies. Colton’s favorite cake is the tuxedo cake from Costco so, of course, that’s what was served!
We knew hosting an outdoor wedding in Central Illinois in May is risky (let’s be honest, it’s always risky in Central IL). The weather leading up to that week was gorgeous with low humidity and beautiful temps. Of course that weekend was calling for rain so we planned for worst case scenario. Palace had already come earlier in the week to set up ceremony chairs and because it was 300 people we couldn’t move all the chairs. So for the rehearsal we practiced at the outdoor chapel and also in the barn if it was rainy. We planned to have help moving ~100 chairs to the barn for guests that needed a place to sit and the remaining would stand. Additionally, we planned if it was rainy to bring everything under the barn. Food stations would be shifted to the far wall away from the opening (no one wants soggy food!).
Like I mentioned, my sister in law got married at the farm last summer and it poured down rain during their reception. So the grandparents actually had the barn roof patched in places we realized it was leaking because of that wedding. We also knew how the barn did work to shelter from the rain (even though one side is completely open). We were thankful for that experience while planning Blythe and Colton’s wedding.
Another way Blythe wanted her day to be different was the position of the altar at the ceremony. Instead of the same altar spot her 3 family member’s used, she shifted it 90 degrees and it was amazing! It’s hard to explain if you haven’t seen the spot but you can trust me it was beautiful. There is no bad view of the nature and overall setting of the outdoor chapel. Le Fleur created a unique altar piece with two free-standing posts covered in flowers, greens, and spanish moss. It looks like they are coming out of the ground. These were positioned on either side of the bride and groom at the ceremony altar.
During the ceremony, there was a slight breeze so the unity candles would not stay lit. Here are some tips for outdoor unity candles or unity ceremonies:
Don’t do a unity candle if you’ll be crushed it doesn’t stay lit. The chances the candles stay lit is very slim.
Try putting the candles in tall glass cylinder vases to block the wind.
Try an alternative unity ceremony such as sand, tying ropes together, watering a plant (my personal fav!)
Have your unity ceremony during your reception if your reception is indoor. Do this right before your first dance as husband and wife!
The weather on their wedding day was extremely humid and the sky looked like it would pour at any moment. I guess it’s what we expect for an outdoor event in Central Illinois. So we moved more chairs, tables, and benches inside while still keeping some outside in case the weather did hold.
The ceremony was hot but no rain! We were so thankful for that. There are ATV trails from the ceremony spot to the reception barn which guests walk on after the ceremony. Thankfully those weren’t too muddy so guests could use the trails. It’s such a serene walk. Unfortunately, shortly after the reception started, it began to sprinkle so everyone moved under the barn. It did clear up not long after but the benches and chairs never made it back outside. That was one thing I wish I had done to help clear up space inside the barn for dinner and mingling.
I love when friends and family are involved on a wedding day as it makes everything so personal to the couple. However it does present some challenges. When a friend or family member is providing a service they don’t normally provide (i.e. DJ) it requires more hand holding on our part as the day of coordinator. When the DJ is someone who does this every weekend, we can trust they’ll do their job and focus more attention on other details. Blythe and Colton had an ARMY who was ready to help where and as needed. Every event is different which is one of my favorite parts about this job! So that was one way this event proved unique.
Overall, I learned a lot from Blythe and Colton’s day. It was such a special weekend and I was honored to play a part in helping them plan and execute! I was so thankful for Kylie’s help that weekend- especially because the property is so spread out I just couldn’t be everywhere needed. I walked a whopping 13 miles just on Saturday alone! Now that’s a successful day!