A Classic, Rustic Wedding at Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, New York

Nicole Kratochvil (28 and a product development manager) and Matt Taukus (33 and a senior vice president) both grew up in the small town of Ringwood, NJ but, despite having mutual friends, never really knew each other. It was not until they both moved to Hoboken, NJ and returned to their hometown for a summer party when they finally met. After three years together, Matt proposed to Nicole on Fourth of July weekend. They were on their way to the beach house they rented for the summer and, before they left, Matt told Nicole he had a surprise waiting for her. When they reached the house, Matt told Nicole to open the center console where she found the engagement ring. Little did Nicole know, but Matt was not done with the surprises for the trip. Inside the house, Matt and Nicole's friends were waiting to celebrate their engagement and later on in the weekend, their families came to celebrate as well. Nicole and Matt decided to have their wedding at the Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY. "We went up for a visit and absolutely fell in love with the space," Nicole says. "It was the first and only place we saw but booked anyway!" They wanted to create a day that embodied an autumn feeling. Instead of using traditional fall colors, they used a color palette of blush, gold and champagne. "We put so much of ourselves into the details of the day so we truly felt that we had created exactly what we wanted, a beautiful venue surrounded by the people we really love," Nicole says. Their florist created beautiful arrangements for the ceremony and the reception using blush florals, lanterns, pumpkins and tulle. Despite having to move their ceremony from the outdoor space after an unexpected rain shower, Nicole and Matt's rustic, autumn wedding style continued throughout their day.