For their September 3, 2022 Water Witch Club wedding, Ellen and Joe created a wildflower and butterfly fairytale. “A swallowtail butterfly was blessing the day and flying from flower to flower as our florist was setting up, and even as I was walking down the aisle,” says Ellen.
“Joe asked me to marry him at a wildflower preserve on a tower called Bowman’s Hill Tower in New Hope, Pennsylvania,” says Ellen. “He pretended we were meeting his coworkers for lunch in the area since Joe worked around Washington’s Crossing and I was totally surprised!”
“I wanted a bohemian feel to my wedding, but still with a level of chicness. I love an eclectic look, so the various colored goblet glasses were perfect. The yellow sun, green trees, blue ocean, and brown Water Witch club colors that were the backdrop and feel of our wedding, inspired my color palette,” says Ellen. They both love nature, and Ellen loves butterflies, so she wanted to add wildlife in some way. “I have always dreamed of a wedding with wildflowers, and even wearing some in my hair,” says Ellen. “I love the delicate look of chamomile flowers. I felt like a bohemian princess with them perfectly places around my braid and bun.” She adds, “It was important for me to have field flowers that were native and in season. It was amazing because a swallowtail butterfly was blessing the day and flying from flower to flower as our florist was setting up, and even as I was walking down the aisle. My butterfly and wildflower dreams came true. Butterflies wouldn’t be attracted to my flowers if they weren’t native to our area!”
“We chose the Water Witch Club because when we first started dating, we ended up driving through the Highlands on our way to something, and I turned around to Joe and said ‘we’re living here one day,'” says Ellen. “We always loved it there so we knew we wanted to share this special place we love with our friends and family.”
“My favorite moment was when Joe and I just officially got married and took a small break to eat and celebrate up at the top of the Water Witch,” says Ellen. “We soaked in the moment just us two, and through the window we looked at the beautiful waterview and all of our guests down below and thought—we did this! A feeling I’ll never forget.”
Their wedding planner Jennifer Tolento made the wedding planning process easy. At the Water Witch, you have to bring in all of your own vendors. “So picking who I wanted was a lot of work,” says Ellen. “Jennifer pulled it all together and it was incredible to see how the vendors all worked so seamlessly on the day. Planning the flowers with Flowerful Events was really fun because what girl doesn’t love flowers! She truly saw my whimsical and delicate wildflower vision and seeing her make it come to life was amazing.”
“One piece of advice I would give to brides,” says Ellen, “is to write your own vows to each other. I was so nervous, but making promises to each other in our own words from our hearts was incredibly special and authentic.”