This Couple Created a Fake Summer Camp For their South Jersey Wedding
Camp Say-I-Do was open for one night only.
Photography by Two17 Photo + Video
We’ve told how to host an incredible wedding in your own backyard. We haven’t told you how to host an incredible wedding at a summer camp. Luckily for us, we don’t have to: The bride behind this Appel Farm Arts & Music Center wedding, photographed by Two17 Photo & Cinema, left no detail untouched when it came to “rebranding” the entire camp venue — she personalized just about everything, putting a new emphasis on do-it-yourself.
Nick Vermont and Stephanie Harvey met at a party on the eve of the 2011 Manayunk Bike Race. The pair exchanged numbers that night, but it took a month before they saw each other again on a Friday night out at The Institute. It was here that Nick asked Stephanie on a date for the first time.
The pair went on that date the following week, dining at Coyote Crossing restaurant in Conshohocken. “We sat outside in the courtyard, drinking margaritas and getting eaten alive by mosquitos,” Stephanie remembers. She also remembers thinking Nick was a gentlemen — and how excited she was to be on a real date. The evening led to a summer of enjoying each other’s company; by September, the duo made their relationship official.
A week before Nick and Stephanie’s fifth anniversary, during a weekend trip on Long Beach Island, Nick popped the question at a bayside park during sunset. The pair’s friend (and future groomsman) Paul had been hiding in the bushes to photograph the special moment, and after the teary photoshoot, Nick and Stephanie shared the news with their parents and friends.
Two years later, the couple envisioned and brought to life Camp Say-I-Do, their version of a wedding celebration, at Appel Farm Arts & Music Center. The late-summer wedding featured custom everything — invitations, signage, favors, menus and more — designed by the bride herself. She even created a wedding-themed game sheet for every place setting and, with Nick’s help, renamed all Appel Farm’s bunks after New York’s Finger Lakes.
The whole affair was personalized — and fun. “We rented a Wacky Waving Inflatable Tube Man on a whim,” Stephanie says. “It was the hit of the night.”
THE DETAILS
Photographer & Photo Booth: Two17 Photo & Cinema | Venue: Appel Farm Arts & Music Center | Planning, Design & Invitations: Exit343design | Florals: Pickells & Posies | Catering: Jerry’s Kitchen Food Truck | Bride’s Gown: Ashley’s Bridal | Hair & Makeup: Glamour Me Bridal | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Entertainment: Lovesick | Cake: Sweet Box Bakery | Tent, Table & Lighting Rentals: Ocean Tents | Additional Rentals: Karcher Event Rental | Rings: Parian & Sons
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