St. Louis native Sara Syed and her new husband, Christopher Nonack, wanted their October 2016 wedding to be simple and natural. On the big day, all the stars aligned in their favor.

The couple chose an outdoor ceremony and reception at Strawntown Farm in Haycock, Pennsylvania, near their Quakertown home. With the sun shining, the couple said “I do” near the bank of a sparkling pond in front of about 60 family members and friends. “We wrote most of the ceremony and vows ourselves,” Syed notes. “The wedding was short and sweet, but meaningful.”

Syed and Nonack were so determined to have Mother Nature as their guest of honor that they didn’t actually come up with a ‘plan B’ in case of bad weather. “We told each other, ‘If it rains, we’ll get wet,’” she notes. “As it happened, we got very lucky and had a beautiful day.”

The ceremony segued right into an outdoor reception complete with open-air tent, food, games and camaraderie. Decorative touches at the wedding and reception were as natural as the country setting. They included simple flower arrangements and table accessories Syed hand-made from birchwood. In lieu of a guest book, attendees wrote personal messages on wooden Jenga pieces, so the couple can read them and reminisce whenever they play the game.

Even the pair’s beloved four-legged friends got to be part of the day. Syed’s horse, Sister, and the couple’s dogs were present at the farm from start to finish. “The entire experience was perfect, easy and even stress-free, from the planning all the way through to the reception,” she says.

Syed is an MICDS graduate, and works in veterinary clinical trial research; Nonack is a design engineer and Philadelphia native. They met while studying at Lehigh University. The newlyweds enjoyed a mini honeymoon in Maine about a month after the wedding, and they’re planning a longer trip to the western U.S. in May.

resources
gown | Impression Bridal
cake | Nelli Rae’s Kitchen
florist | Brittany Reiger of Field Petals
music | Dayana Pereira
honeymoon | Kennebunkport, Maine

wedding party
maid of honor | Jennifer Pennebacker
best man | Raymond Rehberg
bride’s parents | Teresa Scott Syed and Ali Syed, both of Chesterfield
groom’s parents | Peter & Ruth Nonack of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
ceremony & reception | Strawntown Farm in Haycock, Pennsylvania

wedding date: Oct. 15, 2016

Photos by Kelly Bove Photography