A Planner's “Upstate Chic” Wedding at Southwood Estate in Hudson Valley

Being a wedding planner, Julie Lindenman, knows a thing or two about saying “I do.” But when it came to her nuptials with Dayne Jervis, who works in enterprise sales at Microsoft, she didn’t fall back on her experience or go-to venues. “Being in the industry, I really wanted to find a place I had never heard of or worked at that had a different feel to it,” Julie says of landing on Southwood Estate in New York’s Hudson Valley. “We were excited about a property surrounded by nature, and the owners made us feel really welcome from our very first visit.” 

Julie and Dayne invited 150 guests to Germantown, New York, for an outdoor wedding overlooking the Hudson River. Using the terms “romantic, organic, understated, and personalized” as a guide, they threw an “upstate chic” celebration with a menu inspired by their childhoods in New England and Jamaica; live music from Sound House that involved a surprise performance by the groom; mini wedding cakes for each guest; and a classic rose petal toss as the newlyweds were announced Mr. and Mrs.

The couple says that their personal vows, which included several humorous moments, were their favorite part of the day as well as the unveiling of the afterparty—a bonfire with pizza, fireflies, and the night sky. Julie was behind the day’s design and organization but on the big day, she passed the torch to trusted members of her team. For that, she says, she’s forever thankful. “It became a running joke in almost every toast that night,’ Julie says, to which she adds: “I could barely believe I was the one that just got married.”

Read on for all the details of Julie and Dayne’s Hudson Valley wedding, planned by Julie Lindenman Events and photographed by Sergio Sandoná. 

“I did become obsessed with wanting to hand stamp wax seals onto every envelope before mailing my invitations,” Julie says of her paper goods by Epoch Design. “That was a fun night to say the least!”

Julie and Dayne met on the dating app, Hinge, and four years later got engaged while on vacation in Greece. “I heard our song playing—Bob Marley’s ‘Is this Love?’—and I knew something was up,” Julie says of the moment Dayne popped the question in Santorini.

Julie saw her Rime Arodaky dress on the runway at bridal fashion week and knew she "had to have it" for their rehearsal dinner.

The couple created a gifting table for favors for their guests during the welcome party on Friday night. It featured local products from New York. “We wanted our guests to feel taken care of,” the bride says.

Dayne wore a custom SuitSupply tuxedo and coordinating velvet smoking slippers. Though he is a “watch lover,” he went without a timepiece for the big day. “I read once that traditionally a man shouldn’t wear a wristwatch with a tuxedo because checking the time implied that he had somewhere else he could possibly be,” Julie says.

Dayne’s groomsmen also donned black tuxedos to keep the day feeling classic and timeless. The boutonnieres featured white and green blooms, the general aesthetic for the day’s florals.

Julie fell in love with her Mira Zwillinger gown the moment she put it on at Mark Ingram Atelier. The form-fitting bustier top transitioned to a flowy, romantic A-line skirt.

Beautini gave Julie a natural makeup look with soft curls for her hair. She wore her own jewelry and a pair of block-heeled Jimmy Choo shoes to easily walk on the grass.

Julie added a very special touch to her white and green bouquet. To honor her late father, she wrapped a piece of his shirt cuff—stitched with his name—to the base of her bouquet. “It read Lindenman, which is who I am through and through,” the bride says. “He walked me down the aisle in that sense.”

To keep the formal look with the groomsmen in tuxedos, the bridesmaids all wore long dresses in shades of nude and blush. Julie’s niece, Alma, served as the flower girl. “She practiced for her special role by tossing silk flower petals in her backyard the months leading up to our wedding,” Julie says.

Due to inclement weather, the ceremony moved under a sailcloth tent, but it was equally as beautiful. The slightly serpentine aisle was lined with arrangements to appear as if they were growing organically from the grass. Behind the altar, guests could catch glimpses of the peaceful Hudson River.

Julie embraced summer style for the outfits for her page boys: gray pants, white button-downs, blush linen bow ties, and leather suspenders. The flower girl looked adorable in her flower crown.

“It was heartfelt and special in a way I can’t put into words,” Julie says of exchanging their own vows. The ceremony also included handpicked readings, like the lyrics of a Bob Marley song, a nod to Dayne’s Jamaican heritage. “It’s about embracing each other’s imperfections and reminds us that no one is perfect, but they can still be perfect for you,” Julie adds. 

Julie actually discovered their string quartet in the New York City subway. Diverse Concert Artists played during the ceremony, including a cover of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” and The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love.” Guests tossed small packets of flower petals as the newlywed recessed up the aisle.

“We liked that the property felt like a place to explore, so during cocktail hour, we hoped guests would do just that,” Julie says. Luckily, the sun came out just as the ceremony ended, so guests grabbed parasols to wander the estate while sipping drinks.

Julie admits that choosing the menu was one of the easiest parts of planning. For cocktail hour, they served signature drinks alongside a robust appetizer list like New England-style lobster rolls and Jamaican jerk chicken tacos—both meaningful dishes to the newlyweds’ hometowns. As a surprise for Dayne, Julie also had a fresh coconut stand, inspired by Jamaica, which could be served with or without the addition of Jamaican rum.

A garden-inspired custom wall featured the escort cards for the reception. Each card was attached to a single flower.

During the reception, the escort wall was repurposed into a photo booth backdrop. “We even used a bridesmaid’s bouquet for a prop!” adds the bride.

The reception arrangements featured earth-toned blooms, like garden roses, as well as foraged botanicals from the Hudson Valley. 

“We wanted to embrace the natural beauty around us,” Julie says of the inspiration behind the reception decor. Held under a sailcloth tent, the reception featured a mix of long and round tables surrounding a parquet dance floor. She stuck to light wood tones on the chairs and accented the tablescape with soft earth tones.

An installation of woven rattan pendant lights and greenery hung above the center of the dance floor in the middle of the tent.

The tablescape included low arrangements interspersed with table candles, sleek crystal stemware, and blush linen napkins. Matte white china was flanked by rose gold flatware and intentionally minimalistic menus and place cards. “We loved the idea of encouraging guests to sit and appreciate the beauty around us,” Julie says.

The couple’s song is Bob Marley’s “Is This Love?” so there was no question it would be the soundtrack for their first dance. 

“The speeches were also an amazing memory and one of our favorite parts of the day,” Julie says. “I can’t wait for our video to come in so I can relive them all, but the best man’s speech had the entire tent in stitches.”

Hanging bistro lights created a romantic mood under the tent as the sun set. The flower arrangements from the ceremony were repurposed as the blooms for the stage where the couple’s live band would kick off the dance party. 

Instead of a large, tiered wedding cake, Julie opted for mini wedding vanilla cakes by Cake Hero to be served to each guest. “It’s a concept I’ve had in my head for years,” Julie says. “So many times the wedding cake is an afterthought and it gets sliced and then abandoned after being served. I wanted something that made it more about the guest experience.” 

“Having to choose from so many good options was tough,” Julie says of the planning process. "I could have gone so many directions with the invitations, dress, cake, truly everything—the hardest part was creating limits. The whole ‘once in a lifetime’ mentality really weighs on you! It helped us to prioritize what was most important and then hone in on those things.”

After the celebration, the couple jetted to the Mediterranean for a few weeks, including a visit to an island off the coast of Corsica for "much-needed" beach time.