In my most recent post, Living the Post and Beam Dream: The Summer of 2010 Part I, I began a recounting of events which took place over the summer of 2010 in and around our Yankee Barn Homes carriage house. I quickly discovered there was too much to tell in one post. Here is Part II of “The Summer of 2010” and how our carriage house played an integral role in the events of that most memorable season.
A pea stone path meanders its way to our Zen garden tea house.
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The Wedding of the Year
As summer was winding down and the lull of fall was settling in for many, our little piece of the world was gearing up for the most important event of not only the season, but one of the biggest milestones in any parent’s life: our daughter’s wedding. Kirsten had chosen our carriage house and grounds as the setting for her big day. The house itself would host a bevy of people both as overnight guests and as the central locale for the wedding party to get ready on the day of the wedding.
- Our bedroom was turned into the bridal party’s prep area the day of the wedding.
- The post and beam frame provided a perfect backdrop for pre-wedding activities, not to mention a great place from which to hang clothes.
- The bride and matron of honor have a semi-quiet moment with mom, a.k.a. my daughters and me.
Every inch of the extensive grounds and gardens would play a role in the outdoor wedding. The marriage ceremony would take place under the gorgeous canopy of trees by the brook.
- By the brook, under a canopy of trees, was the perfect place for the ceremony.
- The ceremony gets underway.
The post-ceremony cocktail party would be set in the Zen garden. The tea house would host a bar and standing-height bar tables would be placed within the pea stone pond. Twinkle lights, candles and flowers would complete the setting.
- The cocktail party was great fun and extremely relaxed. Guests got their beverage of choice and either met at one of the tables, or strolled through the garden.
- The cocktail party has come to a close and tranquility settles over the Zen Garden.
Once cocktail hour was over, guests would wind their way back across the bridge, past the ceremony area and enter the tent. The mulched walkway would be lined with white luminaries.
- Let the party begin!
Once at the tent, participants and guests alike would enjoy toasts, a sit-down dinner, speeches, dessert, and some serious cut-loose dancing. Did I mention the Candy Bar? This tent was truly a spectacle to behold.
- The candy bar was an extremely popular spot for young and old alike!
- The wedding cake was a custom design made specifically for this wedding.
- The interior design of the tent included Birch branches with twinkle lights, a table scape theme to reflect the season, a sweetheart table for the happy couple, and a large dance floor.
- Everything is ready and waiting as the wedding guests begin to arrive. Even the jelly jar twinkle lights suspended from the ceiling are beginning to glow.
- The atmosphere is one of informal garden elegance.
Now that you’ve seen the pictures, it may not surprise you to hear we received compliment after compliment on all aspects of the wedding; including our carriage house. It seems a number of guests made touring our home part of their fun-filled day. My husband and I were thrilled…and totally exhausted! As you might imagine it took months and months of planning and preparation to pull off this wedding. I’d heard tell that outdoor weddings are the most expensive and toughest of venues to do well. I now can testify this statement is 100% factual…and totally worth it!
- Our carriage house definitely played a major role in the atmosphere my daughter wanted to create. We believe it was a smashing success!
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Our Everyday World
In winding up this trip down memory lane, I’d like to complete our story of “The Summer of 2012: Living the Post and Beam Dream” with a few pictures of everyday life here at our Yankee Barn Carriage House. These reflect our day to day life and make me smile every time I look at them. Life is good!
- Walking through the Zen garden with a cup of coffee is my favorite way to begin the day.
- The brook in our backyard is the best water feature I’ve ever had!
- After high levels of rain, we often find the most interesting pieces of driftwood have been deposited on the shoreline.
- The walkway to our front door is lined with beautiful gardens three of four seasons of the year.
- Come on up! Our main living is on the second floor. These stairs take some heavy traffic and remain looking great.
- This welcoming committee is likely to great you when you arrive at the top of our stairs!
- Our home is more likely to look like this than the perfectly staged appearance in the photo shoot pictures. Actually, these counter tops are a bit too clean; usually there are dog treats and human snacks sitting on them.
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[ybh-cta]
Great job on your Carriage House. I was wondering what type of Radiant Flooring you installed? A Hot Water system or an Electrical Mat system? Do you have the system operating on both floors – Concrete & Wood Floors? Do you have any additional heating source – Gas, Oil, Electrical? Thanks
Hi Victor,
We installed a hot water radiant heat system which operated on both floor (separate controls); the upper level is under wood floors and the lower level is under concrete. We have no additional heating source (unless you count our large windows that do a bang up job of passive solar heat!). Thanks for the question, BeamBabe (a.k.a. Holly)