Allie Lemke & John Sharry
June 22, 2013
The Inn at Round Barn Farm
Waitsfield, Vermont
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
A hiring freeze quashed John Sharry’s chances of scoring the digital marketing job he’d applied for in Chicago. But although he didn’t get the gig, he did get the girl: Allie Lemke, the hiring manager who interviewed him, agreed to go on a date.
After three years together in the Windy City, the couple decided to move to Boston to be closer to their families (Allie is from Connecticut, and John is from Westwood). But before they left, there was one thing John needed to do: On the coast of Lake Michigan, where they had taken their first picture together, he asked for Allie’s hand. “I wanted to propose in Chicago, because we met and had fallen in love there,” John says.
For their wedding day, however, the couple decided to embrace their New England roots, scouring venues all over Vermont and Maine for the perfect spot. The Inn at Round Barn Farm—the first place they visited—was the clear winner. “We ended up falling in love with it—not just the space, but also the people who worked there,” Allie says.
They made the location their own with unique touches, from customized sacks of bourbon-bacon-caramel corn to hand-drawn programs designed by family members. One place where the bride and groom chose not to stray from tradition, though, was the vow exchange. “We were already nervous enough,” John explains. “We wanted to say the words that other couples have been saying for generations.”
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
The groomsmen relaxed on the inn’s porch.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
Both families had a hand in the programs: Allie’s uncle created the pencil drawing of the Round Barn Farm for the cover, and John’s brother designed the layout.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
“We cared more about the taste of the cake than the aesthetic,” Allie says. The rustic confection, half carrot cake and half genoise, was frosted with maple buttercream.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
Allie helped each of her bridesmaids pick out a different blush frock.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
The reception was held in one of only a handful of round barns left in Vermont.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
Allie and John used a stamp from BHLDN to make the seating tags.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
Candles and jars of flowers dotted the tables.
Photograph by Hendrickson Photography
“I was kind of the anti-bride because I did not like the notion of wedding colors,” Allie says. Working with the florist A Schoolhouse Garden, however, she settled on a soft pink palette of peonies and dahlias.
THE FILE
Gown: Reem Acra, L’élite Bridal Boutique
Band: The Grift
Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade
Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan
Rings: Bouvier Jewelers
Flowers and Décor: Schoolhouse Garden
Cake: Sweet Simone’s
Menswear: J. Crew
Hair: Indigo
Makeup: Stacy Hunter
For additional inspiration, check out more Real New England Weddings.
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