Jason and June wanted a luxurious castle wedding with an intimate guest list. But since Jason’s parents had never flown before, the couple had to seek out the perfect venue that was in driving distance. One of June’s bridesmaids suggested the Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York and the couple instantly fell in love with the idea of a New York destination wedding.

The couple was set on having a small guest count to ensure their big day was spent with their closest friends and family. “We wanted to be surrounded by the love of the people most precious to us rather than friends of friends that we barely knew,” says the bride. “A couple of people were upset they didn’t get a plus one, but we had a very limited guest count due to the intimate setting, so we had to stay strong, say no and hope our loved ones would respect our decision.” Otherwise, most friends and family were thrilled to make the New York-based wedding into a vacation.

Jason and June ended up saving money by having a destination wedding since they had a smaller guest list. “Having a destination wedding enabled us to have the wedding of our dreams on a more affordable scale,” says the bride.

The couple spent a lot of time and hard work planning for their destination wedding but says it was worth it. The couple primarily relied on email and phone conversations to communicate with their vendors from afar and occasionally had to travel to New York. “It was a lot of work and at the time it felt like a full-time job,” says the couple.

Jason and June decided to hire a wedding planner to help organize all the details for their special day. The bride also purchased books and relied on Instagram to find and research local vendors. “Rather than searching tons of websites that were often difficult to navigate, I was able to look them up on Instagram and see a snapshot of their best work in a matter of seconds,” says June.

June kept herself very busy with a list of do-it-yourself projects before the wedding. She made the wedding invitations, programs, menus, place cards, gift tags, welcome bags and some hand-painted items for the reception. Impressively, the bride was also the designer of her wedding gown. Other things the couple thoughtfully included into their wedding were origami rose ornaments with a printed love poem. The bride’s departed father wrote the poem and the couple included it as one of the readings during the ceremony.

The bride has some advice for other couples considering planning a destination wedding. “Stay true to yourselves. Take a deep breath and remember this is your day,” says June. “When the day finally arrives, cherish every moment!”

Vendors: Photographer: Stephanie Brazzle Photography, Wedding Planner: India Rhodes of Wilkinson Rhodes Event Planners, Ceremony/Reception Site: Lyndhurst Mansion, Florist: Designs by Ahn, Stationery: Momental Designs, Cake: Ana Parzych Cakes, Hair: Styles on B, Makeup: WZ Beauty Studio, Gown Designer: June Leschek, Groom’s Clothing Designer: Nicolas Villalba Couture, Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: twobirds Bridesmaid, Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Calvin Klein, Videographer: Joseph Edwards, Harpist: Erin Hill, Fashion Illustrator: Mats Meyer & Ballerina: Lea McGowan