A Whimsical Barn Wedding at Rufflands Farm in Rhinebeck, New York

Although it took New Jersey natives Tammy Porto (33, an account executive) and Anthony Bartolomeo (35, a general manager) almost a decade to meet, their romantic engagement was well worth the wait!“I had been traveling for work to London,” says Tammy. “At the tail-end of my trip, Anthony surprised me with an extended week in Paris. The whole thing was completely unexpected really. After several hours of touring the city -- and four sore feet later-- Anthony subtly led me to the secret gardens just beyond the Louvre where he popped the question. It was a bit surreal. We were in this secluded area, in the middle of Paris, the Eiffel Tower was shimmering in the backdrop... I felt like that snippet of my life was cut straight out of a romantic comedy.”Since the couple had such a gorgeous proposal setting, their wedding venue had to be just as beautiful – and Tammy knew exactly where she wanted it to be.“I had done plenty of research during our engagement and I knew the kind of wedding I wanted to have which was the driving force behind finding my venue,” Tammy says. “Dreaming of an intimate countryside celebration with plenty of DIY details was an absolute must for me. Finding the barn at Rufflands Farm was like finding the perfect canvas for me. Not only was it filled with rustic charm, it was the raw space that would allow my creativity to run wild -- which was an absolute must for me.”The rustic wedding’s color palette was comprised of dusty pink and soft gray hues, with pops of color throughout the space. Anthony and Tammy's Southern-influenced menu consisted of barbecued ribs, chicken and skirt steak with “a ton” of shared sides. “The whole experience really was a reflection of who we are as couple and a family,” Tammy says. “I love to host, I love an event and I love details! As a host, it was more important for us to feel like guests were a part of something. We wanted it to be unique. From the moment they got there, everything was personalized to them, from the handwritten notes to the initialed buntings at their place settings. Every guest who had a birthday that month also got an additional cupcake and birthday song from me and my husband. It really became more about celebrating love all around for us, and I think people felt that.”