Gettin Hitched! Natasha and Josh’s Barn Wedding Lighting and Drape
Every once in a while, as a wedding professional, you get to be involved in an event that takes a very special place in your heart. Sometimes it’s because you just click with a fantastic couple, sometimes it’s the event design that really resonates with you, sometimes it’s the complete feel and ambiance of the day that hit it home… and, in some lucky instances, it’s all of those things coming together in one fabulous package. In the summer of 2012 I found myself positioned in the middle of this perfect wedding trifecta with Natasha and Josh for their barn wedding lighting and drape.
Natasha and Josh came to me with a rustic chic, barn wedding concept that made me start to fall in love instantaneously. First, the event was going to be held in a barn on the family property. Having grown up next to my grandparent’s farm in the rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I was immediately crushing on this idea. Second, they wanted to work with the natural setting of the barn, but make it a glamorous wedding venue version of itself. Oh, how I like a challenge! Third, Natasha and Josh were incredibly excited to be embarking on married life together – Josh had even written their names in a heart in the newly poured concrete of the barn floor. LOVE IT! Lastly, they had a vision for how they wanted to create their day, BUT they also gave me creative license to take the barn wedding lighting and drape concept to the next level. And, the fall was complete, I was head over heels.
The Vision Coming to Life
Since I was already in love (and couldn’t let this one get away) I was overjoyed when Natasha and Josh signed a contract with MDM Entertainment to provide the drape, lighting and décor for their wedding day. Next came a visit to the barn to meet my betrothed… and the time that all of my coworkers started to questions my sanity (Natasha’s mom seemed equally in question of her daughter’s sanity) as we walked through the fully functioning barn space. From the moment the doors opened, all I could see was the beautiful vision of what the space would become September 22nd.
Barn wedding lighting and decor before video from MDM Entertainment on Vimeo.
After many laborious hours of selecting drape fabric, lighting patterns, sketching the set-ups, measuring every inch of what needed to be covered and establishing rigging designs (not to mention the hours spent by the family cleaning out the barn, creating a stunning built-in bar and fancying up the troughs) it was finally time to create this sensational barn wedding!
Our crew left Chicago and headed east to Indiana to start our install with two trucks of supplies, a surplus of energy drinks and pure excitement in our hearts. As we pulled up the horse was grazing right outside the barn, awaiting our arrival! Over the course of that day the barn was transformed from a horse-housing, boat-and-tractor-storage, workshop space to a rustic chic reception venue that could easily rival any ritzy venue I’ve worked in during my 13 years in this industry.
Piece by piece the drape was installed, lighting fixtures were rigged from the exposed beams, candles stands stood proud down the length of the beautiful trough, paper lanterns strung overhead and ambient lighting was dialed in to pure romance.
The hours went by and I was truly lost in a world of complete metamorphosis. I had started the day accidentally putting my hand in poop in a barn (I’ve been living in Chicago long enough that I’ve forgotten my barn etiquette) and ended the day swagging back luxurious, ivory drape panels to create dramatic entries into a romantic wedding reception venue. By the time the sun set, the transformation was complete and, what I’d seen in my head the whole time, was in full sight for all to admire.
I wasn’t the only one who’d fallen for this barn wedding lighting and drape. The guests at the event were enchanted, Natasha’s questioning parents (and my coworkers) had become true believers, and Natasha and Josh were able to celebrate their first moments of married life in the same space where it will live in concrete infinity. As in marriage, it held true that with belief, dedication, a little TLC, and hard work, anything was possible!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY NATASHA AND JOSH!
(On a side note, a very special thank you to Drape Kings! Sorry about the spiders.)