Windrift Hall Shoot & Vendor Dinner

I don’t even remember how I found this historic venue, but when I stumbled upon it I knew I had to do some kind of event there. Windrift Hall is one of Coxsackie’s oldest buildings. Built in 1975, Windrift Hall is situated on top of a hill the historic manor house is surrounded by 14 acres of pristine nature overlooking a private pond, gardens, stone walls, meadows, woods and a gently flowing creek.

I’ve worked with so many wonderful vendors in the Hudson Valley and one of the best ways I love to work is to allow vendors I have full confidence in to do their thing in their own creative way. That was my inspiration for this styled shoot/vendor dinner.

I simply picked some of my favorite vendors, knowing their creative abilities and allowing them to have full control over their execution. I created a design board based around the history and authenticity of the property and the home at Windrift Hall.

For photography, I have always loved Alicia King Photography‘s work and just knew she would just be perfect for this type of shoot!

For florals, I wanted to incorporate simplicity and nature by asking Sarah Saunders Studio to be a part of this shoot. I knew Sarah would be amazing and perfect for this type of event due to her love for nature and foraging using what is on hand, on the side of the road, or just native to the environment she is in. Sarah incorporated fresh florals with dried florals she foraged from around the property and around Coxsackie. The thought was to give the floral design a wild and organic look, which she executed perfectly.

I decided to do several different looks for this shoot, one being this immaculate fireplace in the 1800’s manor house that became the focal point for the start of our shoot. Sarah executed my vision perfectly with dried and fresh, foraged florals and greenery.

My first table design was to be set inside the historic home next to the fireplace. I knew I wanted to keep with the organic feel so I thought about producing our own, unique dinnerware pieces so I immediately reached out to Hudson Valley Pottery in Rhinebeck. I spoke with Judi, the owner and ceramicist and we discussed my vision and what I was looking to accomplish. We decided on lace-inspired pieces for the dinnerware and speckled organic-style appetizer plates for our Harvest Table.

For food, I knew I wanted something natural, local and creative. That’s why I immediately thought of CRISP Catering from the Berkshires. CRISP created a very simple yet elevated menu that included locally-sourced foods such as hay-smoked rainbow trout, a leg of lamb wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted in the ground, along with a summer salad and local vegetables.

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And of course, we weren’t going to this delicious food go to waste so I asked all of our hard-working vendors to join us for a rustic meal prepared by CRISP Catering. I designed a dinner tablescape for all of us to enjoy. Wine was sourced from Reed Street Bottle Shop and hand-picked based on our menu.

Nine Cakes created this picture-perfect rustic cake, with naked layers and artfully slathered buttercream to accent the organic feel of the shoot. Fresh fruit and berries kept the cake simple yet elegant!

CRISP Catering set up the bar surrounded by foraged and fresh florals by Sarah to serve specialty cocktails. KP Calligraphy lettered the bar offerings on this linen from The Bayith for a creative menu.

CRISP Catering created craft cocktails, including a Blood Orange, chili, Mezcal, and agave nectar drink with smoky rosemary springs. They also created a cucumber, fresh basil & lime gimlet, with gin from a local distillery and lemon, Vermont maple syrup, Campari, with a fresh cherry and dried lemon skewer.

CRISP also created this truly epic cheese platter to complement the Moroccan style lounge we set up using Windrift Hall’s inventory. CRISP paired locally-sourced artisanal cheese with meats, pickled vegetables, nuts, and dried fruits. And of course, Freddy the cow skull (who typically lives on my coffee table at home) had to make an appearance!

And for attire? Well I wanted to still keep it a wedding styled shoot so I did ask some of the best models I know if they wanted to participate. Dave and Jess were on board 100%! I asked Dave to come casual and for bridal gowns, we wanted to showcase many different options from Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique. We chose a gorgeous lace shawl that was draped over what is actually a bridesmaid’s dress. Next we chose this vintage-inspired fridge gown to add some texture and to tie into the history of the venue. We also chose a very simple elegant dress that fit Jess perfectly. Finally, we shot Jess in a trendy pants suit to change things up a bit. She was absolutely stunning!