A Rustic Fall Wedding at Zukas Hilltop Barn in Spencer, Massachusetts

For their wedding, high school sweethearts Sarah McNulty (28 and a full-time quality manager, dance teacher and owner of SweetCakes Cupcakery) and Douglas Landry (28 and a police officer) planned a rustic, autumnal affair with lots of fun, personal touches. The day kicked off with a traditional ceremony at Saint Anthony’s of Padua in Shirley, Mass., the church they both grew up attending, followed by a night of celebrating at Zukas Hilltop Barn in Spencer, Mass. The picturesque venue offered a quaint setting for the couple to celebrate their nuptials, boasting stunning views of the surrounding countryside and a historic barn with exposed beams, double sided stone, an outdoor fire pit and a beautiful pond with swans. “Douglas and I fell in love with Zukas the moment we drove up,” says Sarah. “It was truly breathtaking. It was everything we had imagined and then some. We felt like we were home.” With the location settled, the couple got to work on all the small details that would truly reflect them as a couple. They started by focusing on the details that would bring the rustic, fall-inspired theme to life, like a vibrant tangerine, tan and ivory color palette and decorative accents trimmed with burlap, lace and pearls. The flowers were kept seasonal and the couple even sent guests home with jars of assorted jams and jellies in flavors like apple cider and caramel apple. Both Sarah and Douglas love to dance, so kicking off the evening’s festivities with a few unforgettable dance routines was a must. The couple choreographed a full waltz for their first dance to Christina Perry’s “A Thousand Years” and surprised guests with a choreographed father-daughter dance mash-up. They even got some of their family members, friends and coworkers in on a flashmob and breakdancing later on in the evening. The pair also made all of the sweets for their dessert bar — an assortment of candy and cookie flavored cupcakes and homemade cookies for guests to snack on after dinner. And as a nod to their mutual love of dogs, they even had a dog treat cookie bar, where guests could fill up bags of doggie treats to take home to their four-legged friends. DJ Ray Richard kept guests out on the dance floor all night long and the couple treated their guests to a late night snack of mini burgers and French fries to keep the party going. A tip for the taking from Sarah: “The day goes by so fast. Take in each and every moment. Don't sweat the small stuff and have a blast planning your special day.”