Tents, Enchanting Florals, and Colorful Lounges Turned This Backyard into a Dreamy Wedding Campsite
The celebration was dripping with flowers.
Annie Westphal and Nick Shuhan’s Newtown Square backyard wedding was an enchanting affair. Photo by Campli Photography
Over the past year and a half, backyard weddings have become de rigueur as couples sought to find ways to safely get married amid the pandemic. There were shindigs that blended different cultural traditions and DIY ceremonies, among countless others. Then there are the “I do’s” that took place even before COVID re-opened our eyes to this approach, like the gorgeous, enchanting and downright unforgettable Newtown Square backyard wedding you see here. The soiree was captured by Campli Photography with design photos by Afrik Armando, and you can check out all the glorious elements — and find some inspiration — below.
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Eddie Izzard, road trips and takeout were the passions Annie Westphal, a writer, and Nick Shuhan, a video-game streamer, bonded over after meeting at Ithaca College in August 2009. They spent the next few months “tooling around town” in Nick’s gold Saturn, says Annie, and by early October, they were best friends.
Life took them down separate paths until they reconnected six years later, when their relationship was once again fueled by comedy, car rides and cuisine to-go. They got engaged in late 2018. “Nick asked me if I would continue to live our silly, challenging, beautiful, hilarious, wondrous life with him for all the years to come,” says the bride.
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
“I do’s” came in the fall of 2019. Annie didn’t want a traditional wedding or ceremony; instead, she sought to create something unique and comfortable for her, her groom, and their 290 guests. They got that with their firefly-meets-fairy-tale celebration, held on a private property in Newtown Square. Annie and Nick were married outdoors by her brother in front of a pool. They wanted their ceremony to be special and quick.
Ten open-air tents (plus 10 sleeping ones located nearby) were outfitted with textured rugs and vintage furnishings in varying aesthetics, as well as photo booths and fireplaces. Colorful florals in a range of pinks and reds bloomed at every turn — roses, orchids, dahlias and ranunculus. There was a welcome champagne wall plus four bars for libations. And eight food stations dished out everything from dim sum to grilled cheese. Nick’s grandmother even surprised him with a korovai, a Ukrainian wedding bread.
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Photo by Campli Photography
Many of the day’s poignant moments were captured by main photographer David Campli, who’s been snapping the bride at special occasions for the past 20 years. Among them: Annie and Nick posed with a 1968 Ford F150. Annie’s mother grew up with a similar truck; her father found the one pictured and had it restored.
Photo by Campli Photography
The father of the bride wrote a poem to the couple, with props. During the speeches, the parents dressed up as knights and princesses before delivering their scripts. A last touch: The groom’s family performed “Tale as Old as Time” from Beauty and the Beast for the first dance. Says Annie: “Though our life has not always been simple or easy, it has been nothing more nor less than a life lived together.” A real-life fairy tale, indeed.
THE DETAILS
Photographers: Campli Photography (main); Afrik Armando (additional details) | Venue: Private home | Planning/Design: Kyle Michelle Weddings | Florals: Faye + Renee | Catering: Feast Your Eyes Catering | Bride’s Gown: Lovely Bride | Bridesmaids’ Attire: BHLDN | Hair: Amanda D’Andrea Hair | Makeup: Beke Beau | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Music: Street Beat Brass Band and Jeff Domenick and the Fraction | Audio: Light Action Productions | Cake: Sweet Jazmines | Invitations & Welcome Gifts: Chick Invitations | Videography: Tweed Video | Officiant: The bride’s brother | Furnishings: Maggpie Rentals | Party Rentals: Ocean Tents | Decking: Sperry Tents | Tents: Under Canvas Events | Lighting: Fabrico Productions | Heaters: Sunbelt Rentals | Ceremony & Dance Platforms: Staging Dimensions | Bars: 13th Street Cocktail Catering
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