The Village Farmhouse

My goddaughter Chase lived with me my first magical summer in this house, in 2015, weeks after the restoration was “finished.” It was a slow, heartbreaking, magical summer, for both of us. I was recently divorced, my father had just died, and she was ending a difficult relationship. Sharing this place, which gave us both such comfort, made it feel like I had really built a home, for more than just me.

Last year, she decided she wanted to get married at what is now Matt and my house. She had a beautiful, precise, vision for the day, and wanted only immediate family. The guests list totaled 18.

She arrived a week before the ceremony date and settled in. Her guests arrived in shifts, slowly over the course of the week, staying in and around the village, in quaint rentals. We took long walks on the Phillips Farm after quiet dinners at the house. We picked fresh calming herbs from the garden every night for tea. We looked through the linens and candlesticks and chose the ones that felt right. We looked around the garden to see what looked good and decided together on the menu, which was cooked from scratch in the kitchen the day of the wedding. We met with Isabel, who designed a beautiful grazing board for the cocktail hour using locally procured fruits, veggies, meats and cheeses, and breads. The photographer was chosen carefully - she used real film and vintage cameras.

The day arrived and there was nothing left for Chase to do except bask in the love that surrounded her. The perfect cake was delivered, baked by a local pastry chef, the vegetables and herbs were harvested from the garden, dinner was cooking, the table was set, and the ceremony began at 5pm, under a tree in the back field, to the sound of a mockingbird symphony.

Every word spoken during the ceremony, given by the mothers of the bride and groom, and every moment shared at the reception, was infused with the divine.

That week confirmed what I have known all along, that this is why we built this home - not to keep it to ourselves, but to share the real magic of this place with others, in ways that deepen our own connection to people, to each other, and to this house and land.