We're still smiling from an amazing 2016 show which was hosted at Quonquont Farm on October 16.  This year's show was even more beautiful than our inaugural event and, with the additional of the tented patio, included ten more of the best established and emerging Western Massachusetts wedding pros. 

Couples have been telling us, "We had so much fun at the show," "We loved meeting all the local vendors," and, "Thank you so much for the curated selection at Valley Wed!"  If you missed this year's show, you can still find our vendors here...and there's always next year!  We hope you enjoy these highlights. 

Photos were generously offered by Sandra Costello Photography.

A perfect fall day in New England.

Tanya Costigan Events did an incredible job designing the entryway decor
including all the flowers, props and chalkboard calligraphy.

Mainely Drafts Horse and Carriage offered complimentary
horse and carriage rides, always a show favorite.

Attendees enjoyed the delights of the season.

Live music filled the barn all afternoon from Classic Wedding Ensembles,
Claire Dacey of Simple Gifts Event Music and Annika Amstutz and Daniel Plane.

Rob Alberti's Event Services added the perfect lighting accents for the barn.

Big Wheel Press offered custom wine tag hangers with their traditional letterpress!

Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies and Coordinator of Valley Wed.

Thanks to all our vendors for being a part of the show, and to everyone
who came out on Sunday to meet us.  Happy wedding planning!

Not only does the Daily Hampshire Gazette's Fall Bridal Supplement have a nice spotlight on Valley Wed, but it's chock full of features with our wedding pros including show coordinator Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies, Lynn Newdome of Classic Wedding Ensembles, Tanya Costigan of Tanya Costigan Events, Marcie Muehlke of Celia Grace, plus  Ellie's Oils and Dean's Beans!

Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies talks about couples
planning for their wedding.

Lynn Newdome of Classic Wedding Ensembles shares about wedding music and Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies offers advice for picking an officiate.

Tanya Costigan of Tanya Costigan Events gives tips on being frugal
and who to invite to your wedding.

Learn more about Marcie Muehlke of Celia Grace and her fair trade wedding gowns.

Ellie's Oils and Dean's Beans are featured for their wedding favors.

Check out Valley Wed's two-page feature in The Republican's
Fall 2016 Weddings Magazine

To the Soon-to-be Bride or Groom,
 
You may be wondering what an Interfaith minister has to do with a wedding show.  It’s not that much of a stretch, really.  Before I became a minister I spent a decade in small galleries selling handcrafted engagement rings and wedding bands.  I met a lot of brides and grooms in those years, and we talked a lot about weddings.
 
Then, when I was in seminary, I realized I wanted to help people create custom ceremonies to honor important transitions and special occasions in their lives.  And so I started my own business, Grace Ceremonies, where I get to design all sorts of unique events from baby namings to memorials to home blessings, but especially wedding ceremonies.
 
The most significant connection, though, was getting married and discovering for myself what planning a wedding was all about.  I understood, as most couples do along the way, that finding the right wedding vendors, adding personal details and keeping it all in budget is no small feat. 
 
That’s why I was so excited to launch Valley Wed last year.  Along with my friend Tiffany Hilton – a local potter whom I first met when my husband and I chose her handmade dinnerware for our wedding registry – it began with a simple idea: invent the wedding show we wish existed back when we got married.

Valley Wed offers couples a curated selection of the best wedding pros in the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts.  Featuring more than 30 local businesses, you’ll find everything you need to help you plan your big day.  Our vendors are passionate about their work and excited to give you a fresh perspective for your wedding.
 
Valley Wed is definitely not your average wedding expo!  In other words…no cake dives, crazy music or convention centers.  Instead, the show is hosted by Quonquont Farm, a 140-acre farm and orchard in the historic town of Whately, MA.  (They also have an amazing farm stand and their orchard will be open for pick-your-own apples!)
 
Crazy music?  Uh-uh.  But we’ll have live tunes from local musicians like Classic Wedding Ensembles, Claire Dacey of Simple Gifts and Annika Amstutz of The Rambling Kind.  And the only cake dives will be for a delicious sample from Frosted Swirl Cupcakes and Cakes by Amanda.  (Did I mention Amanda is giving away a free bridal shower cake for 50 guests?)
 
This year’s show will have dozens of great door prizes, gift bag goodies and giveaways including the grand prize of $500 off a pair of wedding rings from dmg Don Muller Gallery Inc. and the second prize from Pinch for a $250 gift certificate to the shop.  Plus, there will be complimentary carriage rides from Mainely Drafts Horse and Carriage, free coffee from Dean's Beans Organic Coffee, and the bar at Quonquont will be fully stocked and staffed.

In the fifteen years I’ve been involved (in one way or another) with wedding planning, I have never seen anything like Valley Wed.  I am proud to be the coordinator of this alternative wedding show, offering couples a place they can make personal connections with the best wedding pros around, and have fun while they’re at it. 
 
I hope you’ll join us for the show in October – please stop by my table to say hello! – or you can go online now to find profiles of our handpicked, locally-sourced vendors on our website.
 
Happy planning,
            Hannah

Enter Now for a Chance to Win Free Admission for Two
from The Republican and MassLive.com! 
Contest ends 9/30/16

Check out our feature in the totally redesigned and newly relaunched
Wedding Day Sourcebook Summer 2016

A note from Valley Wed Coordinator Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies.

I’ve met a lot of brides and grooms in my years as a wedding officiant, and before that, in a decade spent in small galleries selling handcrafted wedding and engagement rings.  But nothing could have prepared me for planning a wedding like my own marriage three years ago.
 
In the thirteen months from our engagement to the big day, I sweated and huffed and cursed my way through budgets, bridal magazines and those abundant wedding planning checklists.  Let’s just say I was not the most graceful bride-to-be. 
 
Plus, I was a DIY bride.  Invitations?  I designed them.  Flowers?  We bought them by the bucket to arrange ourselves. Favors?  Homemade jam.  Ceremony?  A dear friend officiated.  Table centerpieces?  Collected from a year’s worth of antique store finds.  Hair and makeup?  Well, you get the idea.
 
So what have I learned from all those brides and grooms, and from being one myself?  Planning a wedding is hard work.  Sure, it’s amazing, too.   After all, it is a blessing to be able to have a wedding, right?  And what more joyous occasion is there to commemorate? 

At least I was lucky to never lose sight of the “why” of it all…that I was joining my life to my beloved before our dearest family and friends and getting to celebrate with a gigantic, fabulous party.  
 
But it still is a lot of work.

Valley Wed is the kind of wedding show I wish was around when I was a bride.  If only someone had said, “Here, I’ve curated a small group of some of the best wedding pros in western Mass.  They’re awesome.  They will help you.”  If only I had known I could have my independent, DIY vision – to go my own way – but not have to go it alone.
 
When my friend Tiffany Hilton and I dreamed up Valley Wed in 2015, our motto was, “Not your average wedding expo.”  A potter in Florence, we first met when my husband and I selected Tiffany’s handmade dinnerware for our wedding registry. 
 
Nothing about that experience felt typical.  We went to her studio to pick out our own glazes in the exact shapes and sizes we preferred.  People got to talk to Tiffany when making their purchases and everything was thoughtfully packaged and delivered to us with a lovely, personal note after our wedding.
 
As an ordained Interfaith minister, I like to think that’s also true about the experience I offer couples.  I can honestly say that in all the years I’ve been a wedding officiant, no two ceremonies have ever been the same.  I have yet to meet two couples that are the same!
 
When it comes to Valley Wed, I‘m looking for other wedding pros like me; like Tiffany: local, independent entrepreneurs who both love and take great pride in their work.  They are folks who are deeply knowledgeable about their field and offer couples something truly exceptional. 

Valley Wed’s inaugural event last November was an astounding success.  Hundreds of couples attended and vendors could barely leave our tables long enough to scope out the show for ourselves. 

This year’s show is shaping up to be even better.  Quonquont Farm in Whately is hosting Valley Wed again on Sunday, October 16.  As if being one of the most beautiful and unique wedding venues in the area wasn’t enough of a draw, Quonquont’s farm stand will be open, as will their pick-your-own apple orchard.
 
I am excited to have so many stellar vendors return for 2016 including Tiffany Hilton who, though not a coordinator this time around, will be an enthusiastic supporter as well as tabling with her handmade pottery wedding registries.  And thanks to Hilltown Tents, the stone patio adjacent the event space will be tented so Valley Wed can welcome more new and emerging vendors as well.
 
A huge hit last year, Mainely Drafts Horse and Carriage will again give complimentary carriage rides drawn by their majestic Belgian and Percheron horses.  The bar at Quonquont will be staffed and free coffee will be flowing from Dean's Beans Organic Coffee. Plus, we'll have live music from Classic Wedding Ensembles, Claire Dacey of Simple Gifts and Annika Amstutz of The Rambling Kind.

One lucky Valley Wed couple will score our grand prize giveaway, generously donated by dmg {Don Muller Gallery, Inc}. of $500 off a pair of wedding rings.  Pinch is offering our second prize giveaway of a $250 gift certificate for their gallery in Northampton.

Other prizes include artisan olive oils and balsamic vinegars from Ellie’s Oils, a floral arrangement from Badger's Flowers & Co., a set of 4 logo coasters and pint glasses from Love & Perry, a gift card from Jackson & Connor, custom letterpress save-the-dates from Big Wheel Press, $100 off AG Ambroult’s Wedding Ring Workshop, a bridal shower cake from Cakes by Amanda, and a whole lot more!

Planning a wedding may still be hard work, but I couldn’t be more delighted to help make it a whole lot easier for couples in the Pioneer Valley and western Massachusetts.  I hope you can join us for the show in October, but even if you can’t, you will find profiles of our handpicked, locally-sourced vendors on our website. 
 
And it’s okay…you don’t have to thank me.  I’ve been there, after all.

I moved to Western Mass from Brooklyn in 2008.  I met my husband in 2010 and we were married in hay field in Ashfield in the summer of 2013.  I gave birth to our daughter, Bhramari, the next spring. (Her name is Sanskrit - it's pronounced BROM-ery and means "bumble bee.")

My husband and I are both self-employed so we split our time between working and being with our girl (she just turned 2...CRAZY!).  We live in an old farmhouse in Florence with a quarter-acre of land that feels like a little slice of paradise.  We grow fruits, veggies, flowers and starting this spring, chickens.

When I'm not at the office or being a momma, I love to read (especially for the spirituality book group I belong to) and journal, garden, walk in the woods, swim whenever possible, dance if the music is right, sometimes do yoga, go out with my husband, talk with my sister, mom and girlfriends, make granola and bake bread.

I was ordained in 2012, after an unexpected calling to ministry.  What is Interfaith?  According to the seminary I attended, "It is a liberating spirituality that allows us to find comfort, guidance, healing, solace and wisdom in the tenets, rituals, sacred texts and practices of many faith traditions.”

In my business, Grace Ceremonies, I help people recognize important turning points in their life through ritual and ceremony.  They can honor a marriage, vow renewal or commitment - I do that A LOT! They can celebrate a new baby, home or promotion at work.  They can mark a major transition or the death of a loved one.

I'm also trained in Psychosynthesis (spiritual counseling) and am a Reiki practitioner and experienced Hospice volunteer.  I can offer prayer and chaplaincy to those in need of a peaceful, non-directive presence.  In other words...I'm really, really lucky to get to do such meaningful and fulfilling work. 

My friend Tiffany (of Tiffany Hilton Pottery) and I launched Valley Wed in 2015, after discussing the idea in my living room one winter afternoon over steaming cups of hot tea (in mugs Tiffany made, of course).  Our goal was to create the kind of wedding show we wish existed back when we got married. 

Hundreds of people showed up for the inaugural Valley Wed wedding show at Quonquont Farm on November 1st, 2015.  Photos graciously provided by Sandra Costello Photography.

Daisy Stone Studio did the entryway design and, along with Forget me not Florist, created beautiful arrangements for the event.  

The barn was festive with special lighting from Rob Alberti's Event Services and music from Heavenly Elegance, Classic Wedding Ensembles and The Rambling Kind. 

Keith and Mark (the horse) of Mainely Drafts Horse and Carriage were busy all day giving carriage rides, and the Chanterelle To Go food truck was hopping.

People were loving the samples from Blue Heron Restaurant, Frosted Swirl and Cakes by Amanda and drinks like cider margaritas from the Quonquont bar.

We had almost 200 entries for the dmg {Don Muller Galley Inc.} Grand Prize Giveaway of a $500 gift certificate toward the purchase of a pair of wedding bands.

Everyone loved the old-fashioned letterpress save the dates Big Wheel Press custom made just for Valley Wed couples.

Valley Wed coordinators Tiffany Hilton of Tiffany Hilton Pottery and Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies were thrilled with the turnout.  The inaugural event was a huge success!

Every single vendor added something unique and fabulous to the event and the guests clearly couldn't have been happier.  Here are a few more highlights from this year's show, and stay tuned for 2016 show details!

We're not your average wedding expo.  We don’t do cake-dives or gimmicks.  Instead, we offer a curated style of wedding show; one that focuses on real relationships with the best wedding vendors the Pioneer Valley has to offer.

Valley Wed is designed for couples who want to go their own way, but they don't want to go it alone.  We're here to help you find everything you need to have an amazing wedding day.  It'll be fun - we promise!  Here's the scoop:

Bring your fiancé.  Bring your friends!

We've got great door prizes including two $75 gift certificates from Blue Heron Restaurant, two $100 gift certificates from PINCH and a grand prize giveaway of a $500 gift certificate toward the purchase of two wedding bands at dmg {Don Muller Gallery, Inc}.

We have three sets of live music lined up from harpist Tara Alterman of Heavenly Elegance, the Classic Wedding Ensembles Quartet and country bluegrass from The Rambling Kind.

We've got concessions from Chanterelle To Go plus samples from our other caterers and bakers.  If it's beverages you crave, bartenders will be standing by with your choice of cocktails, craft beers and wines by the glass.

That's right!  Mainely Drafts will be offering carriage rides through the beautiful orchards at Quonquont Farm.

We're delighted to announce the incredible door prizes and giveaways lined up for our Valley Wed couples on November 1 at Quonquont Farm.

Settled in the middle of the best farm land in Massachusetts, located in Sunderland's historic Old Town Hall, the Blue Heron Restaurant celebrates our Valley’s best local, sustainable ingredients in one of the coziest and most elegant dining rooms around. 

The Blue Heron is an intimate, relaxed upscale restaurant featuring globally inspired cuisine sourced ethically from the Pioneer Valley and beyond.  Whenever possible, they use seasonal, regionally grown products, farmed without the use of antibiotics, hormones or GMOs.

View the Blue Heron menu here.

PINCH is a vibrant, eclectic artisan gallery in downtown Northampton, MA with a focus on art for the home and art to wear. 

Owner Jena Sujat's philosophy for PINCH is to support others - craftspeople, artists, as well as all the staff who are also friends - to make a life doing what they love.  Whether you're setting up your wedding  registry, shopping for yourself or your home, you will find unique, interesting and beautiful ceramics, tableware, jewelry, accessories and home goods arriving each week.

Shop PINCH online here.

Located in downtown Northampton since 1978, dmg features distinctive fine jewelry, art glass and gifts from over 300 artists.  From traditional to unique, the gallery showcases a large collection of engagement rings and wedding bands from local and award-winning designers. 

The $500 gift certificate is good toward the purchase of two wedding bands at dmg {Don Muller Gallery, Inc}.  The gallery features a large collection by many of the leading U.S. jewelers with styles ranging from traditional diamond wedding bands to handcrafted bands with a distinctive design.  They offer a diverse selection of metals including platinum, gold, titanium, steel and meteorite. 

See a sample of the dmg wedding band collection online.

It's easy to register online here for a chance to win our Valley Wed door prizes and grand prize giveaway.  Winners will be notified after the event.

Door prizes will only be awarded to attendees of the Nov. 1st event.
dmg Don Muller Gallery gift certificate expires June 1, 2016 and cannot be combined with other discounts or promos.

Check out Valley Wed's cover story and two-page feature in The Republican's
Fall 2015 WEDDINGS magazine, written by Maureen Sullivan.

Featuring Valley Wed creators Tiffany Hilton of Tiffany Hilton Pottery
and Rev. Hannah Grace of Grace Ceremonies