A Colorful Backyard Barbecue Wedding in Rutland, Vermont

Katrina Milo (31 and a speech-language pathologist) and Sandy Lynn (49 and a physical therapist assistant) couldn't have predicted that their long-planned wedding—they were engaged for two years—would end up falling just one day after same-sex marriage was ruled legal by the Supreme Court. It was a total coincidence. But that's exactly what happened—making their day feel even more special. 

Even without the monumental news, Sandy and Katrina had planned a day that was special and highly personal, incorporating lots of custom and handmade details. After a intimate ceremony in front of 65 guests, the couple's off-beat reception took place under a tent in Katrina's parents' Vermont backyard. "We wanted our wedding to feel casual and carefree, like we had just invited all of our favorite people for a backyard celebration," Katrina says. "I didn't want it to feel like we were trying too hard. I wanted it feel eclectic and random; I wanted it to feel organic and thrown together." They decided to skip a color palette, instead using a rainbow of kites to decorate the inside of the tent, and going for multi-color Gerbera daisies (purchased the day before from the grocery store) in bright glass bottles atop red gingham tablecloths. Lawn games, Southern-infused picnic foods, and a finishing treat of s'mores helped keep the festivities as laidback and playful as the couple had hoped. -Michelle Thomas