Outdoor Wedding: Lexi And Ernesto At The Onteora Mountain House

Decoration for an outdoors wedding is quite easy when you let nature do all the heavy lifting, which is exactly what Lexi and Ernesto did when they exchanged self-penned wedding vows at the Onteora Mountain House. Located near the Catskill Mountain town of Woodstock, New York, the Onteora Mountain House is nestled amid cathedral-high fir trees.

Outside, it offers a spacious, 90-foot wooden deck providing an exquisite view of lush valleys and majestic mountains. For this outdoor wedding, the couple chose to have the ceremony on that deck, with the splendor of those valleys and mountains providing the ready-made backdrop decoration for an outdoors wedding.

Lexi displayed flower-child style dressed in a 2be Bride wedding dress that was feminine but not fussy. The soft, easy fit-and-flare wedding dress floated over her figure. The combination of an integral chapel train, unfinished edges, beaded flower appliqués, and lacy flutter sleeves delivered an earthy sense of elegance. White orchids decorating the flowing locks of Lexi’s half up/half down hairstyle added a regal and ethereal look that was consistent with the outdoor wedding. Lexi carried a bridal bouquet of garden roses, peonies, and tweedia. As her “something blue,” Lexi wore a Hawaiian toe ring, in addition to a pearl-drop necklace and earrings.

Central to the country color scheme the bride wanted was the color blue. As such, bridesmaids carried bouquets of blue hydrangeas and chocolate to help convey a relaxed feel in addition to coordinating well with the bridesmaid dresses, chocolate scoop-neck J. Crew dresses. As accessories, the two bridesmaids wore locally handcrafted necklaces that were gifts from the bride. Each necklace was tailored to each lady’s personal style.

One of the outdoor reception decoration ideas employed by florist Richard Simms was the use of tea light candles floating in glasses filled with both water and blueberries, as a tribute to the berries growing along the nature trail were Ernesto popped the question. As a way to make their wedding unique, guest tables were named after mountains the pair had visited together, counting Big Sur’s Santa Lucia range and the New Zealand’s Remarkables. A few do-it-yourself wedding decorations crafted by the couple included the wedding programs, note cards, and invitations, which included a “fun map” of the area, hand-drawn by Ernesto.

There are plenty of other ideas on how to decorate for an outdoor wedding that were not implemented at Lexi and Ernesto’s reception. Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo suggests giving miniature live trees as favors, with a note that says something like, “As our love grows, so will this tree.” Another of his ideas on how to decorate for an outdoor wedding includes eco centerpieces with locally grown flowers and in-season organic produce.