Real Wedding at the Garrison: Nature Inspired White, Green and Yellow
Written by Ashley Hocutt Sunday, 25 July 2010 11:32
The Location - The Garrison in Garrison, NY 
Our ceremony and reception took place at The Garrison on July 12, 2009. My husband, Scott, and I drove up to The Garrison (after looking at many other venues) and knew immediately that it was the place for us.
We wanted an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception and a nice view surrounded by nature/simple things. The ceremony overlooked the Hudson River, the reception hall had tons of great windows that give it an "outdoor" feeling, simple chairs and tables. We were greeted by nice and competent people.
I would recommend all my vendors! The Garrison was perfect. Our wedding consultant, Michael Elbe, was great. He responded my questions on a timely manner, was very professional and listened to my ideas. He made sure we didn't have to worry about one thing the entire day of the wedding. All went smoothly and I got to just enjoy the day with my husband, family and friends. (The way a wedding day should be...especially after a year of planning!)
The Photographer - Janet Skinner of Ashley Studios in Poughquag, NY *All photos in this blog post courtesy of Ashley Studios. 
Janet was so amazing! She did a pre-shoot onsite at The Garrison the week before. It made the wedding day pictures run really smoothly.
She captured great candid shots without us even realizing she was there. Made us feel very comfortable.
The Flowers - Flowers by Reni in Fishkill, NY.
Caroline was very helpful because I knew nothing about flowers and she was able to pull my vision together in my price range. The arrangements on the tables and around the ceremony looked just as I envisioned.
The Band - Noiz Entertainment
Noiz Entertainment from Long Island was so fun! The dance floor was always crowded and they covered songs from The Hora to the Blackeyed Peas to Frankie Vallie. Everyone wanted to know where this band came from!
I got my dress at The House of Botticelli. The women there were extremely nice and knowledgeable. I told them what my style was and only tried on 3 dresses before I knew I had the one. I had already gone to a different dress place that same day...won't mention the name...but I tried on a million dresses there I never thought that I would find a dress I liked (I don't think the women understood my style.) But the women at the House of Botticelli got it right away!
The Theme - Nature Inspired
The theme of the wedding was simple and nature inspired. My husband and I like to spend time outside together, hiking, walking, biking, kayaking, picnicking...so I chose white (simple and clean) and green (nature) as the colors. We added a dash of yellow to brighten things up too.
I wouldn't change a thing about the wedding experience. In fact, I would do it all again in a second. Thankfully, we have an amazing album that captured all the great moments and allows us to "relive" the special day whenever we want!
Ashley's Advice
Do your research and plan the wedding to please YOURSELF! Planning a wedding has its stressful moments, there is no need to give yourself anxiety and to try to meet the needs of the world. It may sound selfish, but everyone else involved will (hopefully) 
enjoy the day as long as YOU are happy!
Make sure there is someone (not the bride or groom) that will "run the show" on the wedding day...You don't want to worry about ANYTHING! Just have fun and enjoy every minute!
Want to see more REAL Hudson Valley weddings like this one?
