We are just so stinkin’ smitten with this wedding over here at SMP, and the images from KCK Photography have sent us straight from simply admiring to truly obsessing with every inch of this fete at the Latitude 41 Restaurant. I don’t know if I should start with the heartwarming story of the father of the bride’s courage and strength to rise out of his wheelchair and walk her down the aisle or with the wonderful team of supporters that helped fill this DIY wedding with all the loveliness and pretty perfection a girl could ask for. To top it all off, some of the most gorgeous and most radiant flowers from McQuades Marketplace gave the day just the right amount of charm. Find the full wedding in our gallery, right here.
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From the Bride… We knew that we wanted our wedding to reflect our laid-back personalities, non-traditional attitudes, love of the ocean and all things handmade, homegrown and locally sourced. This also meant involving our friends and family in as many aspects of the wedding planning and day-of celebration as we could. We wanted everyone to walk away from our wedding loving our day as much as we knew we would and to not only party the night away, but know that they were all involved in helping to create memories that we will hold onto forever.
The planning process was quick and easy, but the actual execution took forever!I am a graphic designer and thus took on the task of designing all of our wedding stationery (save-the-dates, invitations, menu cards, seating cards, program, etc.). I spent months collecting vases and mason jars to hold candles and flowers, sewed our burlap table runners and linens, built wooden garden boxes to use as vases, made our card box, animal-shaped meal cards (cut from wood, painted and name tags attached), our initial letters, the Mr & Mrs signs that hung from our chairs, the “fish on a hook” table numbers, sanded our oars to be used as our wedding guest book, and painted and wrote our seating chart on an old factory window that we found for $10 in a warehouse down the road. I even sewed the flower that I wore in my hair from material from my dress and the veil that my mother and aunt both wore in their wedding. My 10-year-old niece chose my dress. The bridal party wore bracelets made by my husband’s aunt to welcome us into the family, and anything that was not handmade was bought from other artists on Etsy. We collected props (hats, crazy glasses, eye patches, beaded necklaces and other fun props that you would find in a photo booth) and had them all available for guests to choose and wear through our reception.
Guests arrived to my cousin playing the cello, and our justice of the peace, DJ and makeup artists were close friends of friends. Our photographer is a close friend who I nannied for in Boston for many years, my jewelry was my grandmother’s, our hair was done by my sister’s best friend, and the list goes on. Our flowers and cake were from the local market in Mystic, and although I had no idea what I wanted and provided absolutely no direction to the baker and florist, other than “make it look simple/homemade,” I couldn’t have asked for a better cake and flower arrangements. Our amazing food and beverages were provided by Coastal Gourmet, and our guests are still talking about how delicious and beautiful everything was! The day was more than we could have ever hoped for and was, by far, one of the most emotional days of our lives. My father, who is confined to a wheelchair, found the strength to walk me down the aisle with my mother, and my husband and I were able to steal away few moments alone to leave our guests after the ceremony to honor his parents, who passed away from cancer just over two years ago. When I look back on our photos, I feel like I’m right back there on our wedding day. I can smell the salt water, hear the boats, feel the breeze, remember the emotions going through me and laugh and smile at all of the good times and great memories that will forever hold dear to our hearts. It was truly a simple but amazing day that I will remember forever.
Wedding Photography: KCK Photography / Wedding Venue: Latitude 41 Restaurant, Mystic, Connecticut / Wedding Coordination: Keri Gannon of Coastal Gourmet / Floral Design: Tracey of McQuades Marketplace / Event Design, Styling + Paper Goods: DIY by the Bride / Catering: Coastal Gourmet / Wedding Cake: Mystic Market East / DJ: Dave Christina (401-477-3952) / Wedding Dress: Jasmine Couture / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Hair: Mandy Thew / Makeup: Erin Infantino of Simply Gorgeous by Erin