"Brett and I met while out with friends in New York City. He is the style correspondent for GQ magazine and I am a model also studying interior design. He was so charming that we exchanged emails and corresponded over the holidays. After our first official date, we became almost inseparable.

"A year ago in January, after an evening stroll along the lake in Central Park, Brett surprised me with a heartfelt proposal. After I emphatically said yes, he pulled out a bottle of champagne and a single red rose that he had hidden in the rafters of the pavilion by the lake.

"As a surprise, he rented a hotel suite. The room was decorated with flowers and the view was spectacular, but it was the comfy clothes he had brought for me to wear home the next day that really touched me.

"We decided an autumn wedding in the Hudson Highlands would be romantic. We were encouraged to visit the newly renovated Highlands Country Club. Adorned with windows and book-ended with two roaring fireplaces, it had just the authenticity we’d been looking for.

"Our too-good-to-be true wedding planner at Highlands Country Club, Jennifer O’Toole, recommended nearby Catrock Castle as the place to have our ceremony. We decided to pull everything together for a mid-October date, to coincide with the peak foliage in the area.

"We spent the beginning of our wedding weekend with 40 close friends and family on Glynwood Center, a beautiful farm with old-fashioned lodging. The morning of our wedding day we woke up early for coffee and a hayride. We spent the rest of the early afternoon playing bocci ball.

Danielle Palmer & Brett Fahlgren Ceremony: Catrock Castle Reception: Highlands Country Club Gown: Lazaro Bridesmaids: Adrian Papell Hair & Makeup: Jacqueline Phillips Tux: Yves Saint Laurent Ring: Custom Florist: Croton Florist Cake: Cheryl Kleinman Cakes Photographer: Maggie Heinzel-Neel Honeymoon: St. Lucia Highlands Country Club 845.424.3254 www.highlandscountryclub.net

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"When we walked into the sparkling ballroom at Highlands, it took our breath away. The tables were adorned with centerpieces of burgundy calla lilies surrounded by tall tapered white candles in silver candelabras. My mother and aunt, both being Pennsylvania Dutch, had made chocolate-covered pretzels as the table gifts.

"Many of our guests mentioned that the locally grown food, prepared by Culinary Institute Alumni Chef Peter Kielec, was a highlight. We wanted autumn comfort food, and dishes like Grand Marnier glazed cornish game hen with truffle mashed potatoes tasted nothing like wedding food.

"Brett and I loved sitting next to the fireplace with our bridal party, who made us laugh and then brought us to tears with their toasts. After many more dances, we fed each other chocolate mint cupcakes. They were beyond delicious.

"We wanted our wedding to feel timeless and elegant, un-staged and joyous. When I look at the pictures, that’s exactly what I see!"