The Details
The threads: Bride’s Dress: Handmade by the bride, Swarovski crystals sewn on by hand by Lorin Wortel, mother of the bride; Bridesmaid dresses: www.dhgate.com
The bling: Vanscoy, Maurer & Bash, Lancaster, www.vmbjewelers.com
The beauty: Hair by Josi, Gordonville, www.hairbyjosi.com
The rehearsal dinner: The Barn at Silverstone–The Stables. Catered by The Food Muse.
The ceremony and reception venue: The Barn at Silverstone, Lancaster, www.thebarnatsilverstone.com
The food: The Food Muse, Gilbertsville, www.thefoodmuse.com
The blooms: Petals with Style, Lancaster, www.petalswithstyle.com
The wheels: Premiere #1 Limousine, Middletown, www.premiere1limousine.com
The images: Erika Smeltz Photography, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York, www.erikasmeltzphotography.com
Meant-to-be: College classmates who first met during a fire drill. They hit it off and scheduled their hospitality management classes together. He interned at her parents’ inn. So did she. After graduation, they saw opportunities at the inn for an event venue. The Barn at Silverstone came from that vision, and Nick and Miranda held one of the first weddings in the restored space.
The proposal: Nick told Miranda they were getting a free hot-air balloon ride, so they could recommend it to guests. She wondered why they were the only passengers. One mile above Paradise, PA, he got down on one knee.
The venue: Renovations made to a historic barn with brides in mind. Neutral palette, picture windows with panoramic view, buffet table of trough topped with glass to create display space underneath. Barn floor knot holes encased small mementoes–a new penny, beads from Miranda’s wedding dress, a tennis racquet pin honoring Miranda’s late twin brother–for “little pieces of us throughout the whole barn.”
The theme: A fairytale fall, in black and white with hints of autumn colors. Miranda loves pumpkins, and some of the white pumpkins scattered about were grown on the property. The bride wore orange suede pumps.
The ceremony: Romantic ceremony in front of the grand fireplace, built with limestone recovered from the site, and now bedecked with flowers. A hand ceremony stressed the importance of their roles in caring for each other. Memorial candles included one burning for Miranda’s brother, Marc.
The dress: Miranda had made her own prom dress. Now, she made her wedding dress, and her mother added crystals. Nick recalls, “I wasn’t sure whether it was the sun or my bride that was so stunningly blinding. With the sun behind her, she sparkled.”
The surprise: Miranda told Nick she had recorded their first-dance song, “I Won’t Give Up.” She didn’t tell him she would also sing “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” a song close to her heart for its association with her brother, just after they debuted as husband and wife. She sang to her own recording, in case she ended up crying, which she did.
The serendipity: Nick’s mother, on chemo treatments for cancer, made it to the wedding. Miranda’s grandmother, recovering from surgery, couldn’t travel from Amsterdam. Nick suggested they ship her corsage there. It arrived in time for the ceremony.
By M Diane McCormick / Photography by Erika Smeltz
