We Said “I Do” on New Year’s Eve in an Enchanting New Jersey Barn

Kristin DeStefano and Adam Johnston’s New Year’s Eve micro-wedding took place in a beautifully decorated barn. Photography by Kelly Giarrocco

There’s just something special about a NYE wedding. Aside from the obvious — you’ll always have plans when the evening inevitably rolls around again — the night has a sense of magic. You’re starting fresh — with your new partner in life, after all. And this fete has a particularly enchanting feel to it. The New Year’s Eve micro-wedding took place in a New Jersey barn that had been transformed into a venue, complete with a dreamy, ethereal hanging floral installation that draped from the ceiling. Kelly Giarrocco captured the soiree, which you can raise a toast to below.

Like many couples, Moorestown native Kristin DeStefano and Bel Air, Maryland-born Adam Johnston started out as friends. They met in their first year at Lehigh University, formed a bond, and began dating as seniors.

Another eight years went by before Kristin, a director at The Knot Worldwide, and Adam, an executive director at real estate financial services provider Walker & Dunlop, took the next step. They got engaged while on a trip to Lausanne, Switzerland, with Kristin’s parents to see where her grandparents were married.

The D.C. duo planned to get hitched on January 23, 2021, at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park, with 175 guests. But they altered their approach — twice — as citywide pandemic guidelines changed.

A month before the Big Day, they decided to shift entirely to a family friend’s home and barn in New Jersey. They also pushed the date up to New Year’s Eve, to add a festive feel, and cut the guest list to 12 — a move the couple embraced.

“I always secretly wanted an intimate wedding,” says Kristin. (For once, procrastination paid off: The pair had dragged their feet in sending out save-the-dates, so they didn’t have to uninvite anyone.)

With time ticking by, the duo’s planner, Clover Event Co., transformed the barn, which served as a storage area for a tractor and other equipment, into a wedding venue. (The couple had the space cleared out and deep-cleaned.)

The team reimagined it with a romantic color palette of matte black, blush, mauve, eggplant and burgundy. Stationer Ettie Kim handwrote the greeting on a piece of linen fabric bedecked in florals.

The ceremony and reception both took place in the barn, so the decor was flipped after the “I do’s,” with one long farm table consisting of multiple tables pushed together, black cross-back chairs, and an artful setting with velvet runners, blooming centerpieces, and twinkling taper candles. A NYE countdown clock was projected onto the floor, and the couple’s dog, Parker, frequently lounged near it.

And an installation of hanging-basket lights and 40 kinds of flowers (‘Wild Spirit’ roses, tinted mauve hydrangeas, ‘Purple Mulberry’ sweet peas and dyed asparagus, to name a few) presided over the room, where guests rang in 2021 with a champagne tower that the couple poured at midnight — a toast to the happy lifetime ahead.

THE DETAILS
Photographer: Kelly Giarrocco | Venue: Private New Jersey barn | Event Design, Planning, Coordination, Stationery & Branding: Clover Event Co. | Florals: Belovely Floral Co. | Catering: Constellation Culinary Group | Bride’s Gown: Amsale from Carine’s Bridal Atelier | Hair: Ariel Katrina Hair | Makeup: Shimmer and Spice | Groom’s Attire: Custom-made by Alton Lane | Entertainment: Rio from EBE | Transportation: Ace Limousine & Airport Service | Videography: Tweed Weddings | Officiant: Eric DeStefano (bride’s brother) | Linen Signs: Ettie Kim | Rentals: Maggpie Rentals and Party Rental Ltd. | Linens: Nüage Designs | Lighting: Lumos Co.

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