This September Wedding at Downingtown Country Club Is Stunning

Photos by Pegi Kallioras of Wildflower Photographs

A couple embraces a garden party theme amid Chester County’s fall splendor while surrounded by family and friends.

As so many couples do these days, Katie Dabrow and Brad Casten met online—and it was their first date that sealed the deal for Katie. “I told Brad I didn’t have much time because I was studying for an upcoming social work licensure exam,” she recalls. “He ended up staying for hours just to help me study.”

The Chester County natives bonded over a mutual love for the area. After almost three years of dating, Brad proposed in the house they built together, enlisting the help of Katie’s sister and father to transform the inside. The bride-to-be came home to find over 500 flowers, with her fiancé kneeling in the middle of it all. They celebrated by delivering bouquets to family and friends.

When tasked with finding a venue, they knew they wanted to carry that same whimsical floral feel into their wedding—and they wanted to stay in the Brandywine Valley area that played such a role in their love story. On a day of touring four different venues, Downingtown Country Club was their last stop. “When we stepped onto the grounds, it felt like the place for us,” says Katie. “We both have so many fond memories of the area, and it was fantastic to get married in a place that was already so special to us.”

It was also the perfect setting for their garden party theme. The couple teamed up with Katie Auffant of That’s Darling Events to plan a day centered around stylish florals and stunning landscapes. To curate the perfect setting, wedding designers Creamery Hill joined the team. “I would’ve been lost without [Creamery Hill’s] creative vision,” says Katie.

On a clear, crisp September day, the couple exchanged vows under an elegant pergola adorned with flowers, their mothers reading a special Irish wedding blessing. Then it was time to celebrate with drinks on the patio before hitting the dance floor in the clubhouse. Each guest’s seat had a vase with a single rose, and the newlyweds presided over the room at a decorated sweetheart table.

Katie credits her team for making her day one to remember. “They continued to remind me throughout the day to breathe and enjoy the present moment,” she says. “I’m glad I did.”