A Globally-Inspired Eclectic Vermont Wedding

Fiona and Peter

After Peter Montgomery proposed to Fiona Thomas in the fall of 2014, a number of friends and family trotted out the exact same wedding advice: Don't worry about the details; no one notices those little touches anyway, and if they do, nobody really cares."But I notice, and I care," says the bride, a designer who owns Thomas Sires, a clothing and home boutique in Manhattan. Which is why, in the midst of all the planning frenzy, she did things like cut and iron the beige linen napkins that would grace place settings at the reception. "I can see people thinking it was the most idiotic thing to do, but ultimately, that's what I wanted," she says. "I think guests do notice the little things, and those things represent you." Sure enough, the oh-so-Fiona-and-Peter touches—a cheese table straight out of a French still life; a simple, heartfelt ceremony by a pond; inflatable guitars doled out on the dance floor—left an impression. Fiona recalls, "Everyone kept saying, 'This is so you.'"

It was a celebration two decades in the making. Fiona and Peter, who works in financial services, met and became friends at Hamilton College in upstate New York. After a series of moves (he to Switzerland, she back home to San Francisco), both settled in New York City. "We always remained close," says Peter. "By the time we got together romantically, in the summer of 2013, we already knew each other so well." Just over a year later, Peter popped the question. Then he handed his fiancée the reins planning-wise because, he says, "Fiona has a great eye and a style that's colorful, understated, and warm."

Which isn't to say the bride-to-be knew exactly what she wanted in her nuptials. "I love to throw a party, but I don't love being the center of attention," says Fiona. She and Peter contemplated eloping until they found River Road Farm in southwest Vermont. With on-site lodging, a pool, and plenty of land, it was just the spot for the idyllic weekend they imagined. "The morning of the wedding, vendors were setting up and kids were jumping in the pool," she says. "It felt very utopian."

That afternoon, September 19, 2015, 230 guests strolled the fields, sipping Champagne en route to the ceremony. One friend officiated the civil service, and another played guitar and keyboards, performing songs he had composed for the occasion. During cocktails, Fiona's young cousins skateboarded through the crowd, then everyone sat down, unraveled their favors—crepe-paper party balls with trinkets tucked inside—and donned their paper-crown and temporary-tattoo prizes before tucking into Chilean sea bass and grilled tenderloin. As dinner wound down, Fiona had her friend Peter Som cut yards of tulle off the dress he had designed so she could dance more easily.

"I like things that are steeped in tradition, but I wanted the day to be relaxed and funky, too," says the bride. That feeling carried over from the raucous pig-roast rehearsal dinner to the tail end of the reception: Rather than cut a cake, the newlyweds opened up the dessert bar to end all dessert bars, with nearly a dozen different treats. "I'm by no means a minimalist!" says Fiona. Just a realist who knows that when it comes to love, laughter, and sweets, more is definitely more.