Is it possible for a wedding to be chic, elegant, and clean yet warm, vibrant, and full of energy? Julie Morawski of Carla Ten Eyck Photography and her lovely and lively couple have proven that not only is it possible, but it is fabulous. The wedding is one of those kinds of weddings that just puts you in a great mood for the rest of the day – scratch that – week. You know the kind. The weddings that plant a grin firmly on your face and goosebumps all over your arms. Especially when it comes to the FULL gallery!
My husband, Virgil, and I met while attending WPI in 2005. We were both college athletes, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that we first crossed paths in the athletic training room! We briefly conversed while tending to our injuries but went our separate ways. Throughout the winter, we ran into each other at parties, Virgil would come to all of my home basketball games, and we frequently studied together at the library. After a few dates and playful arguments, we joked that we would never last past April Fools’ Day. Not only are we still together, but we got married six years (minus one day) later!
After visiting dozens of venues with some family members, the Riverhouse really stuck out in all of our minds. The grounds were beautiful with a view of the river from the back porch. The areas were neutral-colored, so we felt we could bring in our own color scheme without clashing with the existing colors. Most of all, we had heard nothing but great things about the food! (We’re still hearing about it today!!) We also really loved that we would be the only wedding there all day and night.
We chose to have an early spring wedding for many reasons but knew that we were taking our chances with possible cold weather. Our wedding colors were vibrant pink and eggplant, as we felt neutral or pale colors wouldn’t be as flattering (no tans yet!) nor as energizing… not to mention that my favorite color has been pink for as long as I can remember! My overall vision was classic and fun.
We got married at the church in my hometown where I received all of my sacraments. It was really nice to have our marriage ceremony in a familiar place of mine.
To cover my “something old”, I had a portion of my mom’s lace veil wrapped around my bouquet. It was comforting to include something from my parents’ wedding (who have been happily married for 37+ years) in our wedding.
At the reception, my dad welcomed our guests to the celebration. During his speech, he honored Virgil’s dad, who passed shortly before we met, by showing a picture of them when Virgil was young and speaking about him. It was an emotional moment for all of us and one that we will never forget.
Lastly, we were really excited to have our beautiful wedding cake baked and decorated by a family friend, Kathy Aylward. It was chocolate cake with ganache cream and fresh raspberries, covered with white buttercream and fondant, eggplant ribbon, fresh flowers, and a “V” monogrammed topper. It was so tasty and beautiful and even better to know that our close friend made it for us!
One of my proudest DIY projects was the personalized monogrammed hangers I gave to each of my bridesmaids as gifts. I was surprised how well they turned out!
One of my favorite memories from the day was hanging out with our 12-person bridal party in the bridal suite at the Riverhouse during cocktail hour. After some drinks and snacks, we let everyone know that they were welcome to join their significant others and friends at the cocktail hour, but no one wanted to leave! We ate, drank, and danced, and you wouldn’t have been able to wipe the smile off my face if you tried!
Photography: Julie Morawski for Carla Ten Eyck Photography / Flowers: TK Florist / Ceremony Location: Saint John Church / Reception Location: The Riverhouse / Cake Designer: Kathy Aylward, Creative Cakes by Donna / Hair and Makeup: Alta Moda