Sweet Rustic Barn Wedding at Worsell Manor

So many sweet details make up this rustic barn wedding at the beautiful Worsell Manor, down to the classic country menu from Magnolia Caterers & Bread Co.! Check out all the stunning shots from Artful I Photography below.

From Julia of Magnolia Caterers & Bread Co.: When I met Megan, I knew I had a bride who knew exactly what she wanted! So many of  her choices included nods to tradition or to other features of their wedding day. Their venue, historic Worsell Manor, was the perfect setting for these sweet and thoughtful details. 

The menu the couple chose started with passed hors d’oeuvres including old school Crab Melt-Aways (like grandma used to make), Pulled Pork in Cornmeal Cups, and Old Bay Shrimp Shots. The first course was a pretty, seasonal Spring Garden Salad of mixed lettuces, pansy petals & local asparagus with Buttermilk Herb Dressing.  The entrees included wood-fired Angus Beef Steaks, Chicken Chesapeake (marinated chicken breast topped with local jumbo lump crab), Smashed Klondike Rose Potatoes with Sour Cream & Chives, and Haricot Vertes with Caramelized Pearl Onions and Bacon.  

The four-tiered wedding cake was covered in fondant with a sugar rose and a cascade of ruffled sugar petals. The bottom tier was Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream filling, the next largest tier was Carrot Cake with Vanilla Buttercream filling, the third tier was Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla Buttercream filling, and the top anniversary tier was Vanilla Cake with Nutella Buttercream filling. It wasn’t until I saw Megan in her wedding gown that I realized that the cake, based on a photo she had emailed me a year before, perfectly echoed the gorgeous froth of ruffles on her dress.

The bride–a member of a fourth generation family of farmers, and the groom–part of a large extended local family, included numerous meaningful touches reflecting generations of Delmarva tradition. The country motif was echoed in the swing in the back yard which was constructed from wood from a great-grandparent’s barn. The bridal bouquet was wrapped with a lace-buttoned sleeve from Megan’s great-grandmother’s bridal dress.  An old door from her great-uncle’s barn was fitted with glass knobs from which hung generations of family wedding photos. Best of all, the tiniest flower girl was third generation: 30 years ago her mother was a flower girl for Megan’s mother, and thirty years before that her grandmother was a flower girl for Megan’s grandmothers–cousins all.

After a week of weather forecasts that see-sawed between rain and more rain, by ceremony time the sky cleared and the sun appeared (as the bride had assured one and all it would). The couple exchanged vows on the lawn under an arbor built by her great-uncle from wood salvaged from a 160 year-old local chapel.

Afterwards the happy couple and guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in a tent on the lawn before moving into the rustic 250 year-old barn for supper and dancing.

I loved the choices Megan made for her dining tables–a fun and lovely mix of burlap and sparkling gold. We set burlap-covered tables with Dover Rent-All Tents & Events beautiful gold chargers, gold flatware, and gold edged china. The centerpieces were wooden boxes made by Megan’s grandfather, each inscribed with K&M. Her cousin, Teresa Murphy, owner of Gifts From The Heart, filled the boxes with gorgeous flowers including roses & hydrangeas. Teresa also twined the ceremony arbor with a lush garland of white roses and hydrangeas and had beautiful bouquets of roses lining the aisle. She decorated the barn with more flowers and lots of family mementos and photos.