Theresa and Jon's Modern Outdoor Wedding in New York

When he was a little boy, Jon Zast would dream at night of being a grown-up, and in his dreams his wife was always a woman with red hair. Years later in 1993, when he was a sophomore at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Jon was introduced to freshman Theresa Canning, a vivacious redhead from Princeton, New Jersey. He remembers wondering if this could be the woman in his dreams. Theresa and Jon dated all through college, then embarked upon separate careers. When Theresa visited Jon in January 2003, he drove her to the top of Mulholland Drive. With the lights of Los Angeles below them, he asked her to marry him and slipped an engagement ring on her finger.

The bride watches from the car as guests file into the church before the July 2004 wedding. Her French-net veil of vintage silk with chenille dots was custom-made for her by Suzanne Couture Millinery.

The bride carries calla lilies, wired gladiolus, sweet peas, and stephanotis on the vine--an updated version of her mother's wedding bouquet from 1956; the stems are wrapped in the same satin ribbon used as the sash on Theresa's dress.

The twelve flower girls (one ran off before the photo was taken), all Theresa's nieces, carry lisianthius posies wrapped in blue and white ribbon and wear white Swiss-dot cotton dresses with blue sashes and tulle underlays by Jen Jen.

Glassine envelopes sealed with homemade trophy stickers are filled with red and white confetti for guests to toss; tiny horses cut from blue card stock with a craft punch are mixed in.

Vintage ribbons are tied around racing trophies filled with flowers. "Carnations are so underrated," says Theresa. "When the stems are left long, they can be quite chic." The table runner, printed on rolls of paper with an ink-jet printer, has the same pattern as the invitation.

Letterpress seating cards display the four patterns used throughout the wedding.

Theresa with her seven siblings (she's the youngest).

Thoroughbred Coolers were served during the cocktail hour on letterpress coasters in two designs.

The newlyweds pose with Jon's parents and sisters.

Theresa with her parents at the reception.

The couple found an inexpensive way to decorate a large tent: Paper lanterns in the wedding's colors hang over long banquet tables; strings of lights, along with scores of white votive candles, brighten the space as evening falls.

In lieu of a wedding cake, a dessert buffet at the reception is laden with sweets from a favorite local bakery. Extra seating cards are calligraphed with the names of the desserts; patterned paper bands and red and blue cotton ribbon trim the cake stands.

The exquisite cake topper, made by artist D. Sharp using paper items from the wedding, including the invitation, illustrated map, and coasters; the veil on the vintage porcelain bride is a scrap of fabric from Theresa's dress.

One of the buffet's luxurious sweets: chocolate raspberry supremes (chocolate mousse wrapped in a band of tempered chocolate and topped with raspberry coulis).

Theresa's voluminous skirt swirls as the couple has their first dance, to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love."

Theresa and her father, Richard, dance to "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree," a song he used to sing to his daughters when they were little.

The favor, a cooler glass, is reminiscent of a racetrack souvenir; its box is lined with blue tissue paper and sealed with a ribbon and a patterned sticker.

Just in the nick of time (the evening before the ceremony), Jon and Theresa found a white 1959 Cadillac convertible with red leather interior to rent. Friends decorated the car with soup cans and paper fans in the wedding's color palette. The fans were made by accordion-folding ten-inch-square pieces of tissue paper and cinching them with red twine, which also ties it all to the car.

Reception Location: The Lodge, owned by Saratoga Gaming & Raceway, 518-581-5750
Catering: Glen Sanders Mansion Catering
Tent and Party Rentals: Clifton Park Rental Center
Stationery: A Day in May Design
Calligraphy and Map: Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls
Custom French-Net Veil: Suzanne Couture Millinery
"Theresa" Ball Gown: Shannon McLean Bridal
Dessert Buffet: Mrs. London's Bakery and Cafe