We’re total suckers for backyard weddings around these parts. They can be anything you want them to be…from casual to glamourous, and everything in between and we love them all. And right now we happen to be head over heels for this super romantic fete which was held at the bride and groom’s new home in Connecticut. Sent into us by the lovely Sara Wight Photography, this gorgeous soiree is sure to knock your backyard wedding loving socks off. Click here for more!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… Allen and I met waiting for a cab in the rain, outside the Mercer Hotel in New York. We shared a 15 minute ride, asked five questions each, and five years later in December 2011, Allen proposed in the back of another cab. Being the romantic he is the entire proposal was based around the ten-day weather report to ensure it would be raining. During this time, I moved my life from London to New York, and we took two of those years to build our dream home in Roxbury, Connecticut. It seemed very fitting to be married under the oak tree at the bottom of our garden, planting trees as part of our ceremony and concluding the celebrations with cocktails, dinner, dancing, a life band, DJ and pool party. The attention to detail was extremely important to us, wanting a very personal wedding that had a combination of elegance, romance, fun and humor. And the most important place to start in setting the tone for the entire weekend was the invitation.
The three-sided invite was a collaboration between the cartoonist Jamie Oliff and Mr Boddington’s Studio, and it proved to be a big hit with all our friends and family. Knowing I’d be out the country for four of the six months leading up to the big day, I started with an image board, a visual reference point for all the vendors that was particularly invaluable when collaborating with the very talented florist designer Loretta Stagen. Key vendors were sourced and booked locally by the end of January, and our wedding planner, Christine Eck, was brought on board in April, with us primarily communicating through Dropbox and email. The color scheme was based on pastels and grays to create a very soft, dreamlike and timeless feel. And in stark contrast, there was the yellow cab on top of the cake and yellow schools buses for the shuttle service. For personal touches, we had three trees inside the tent with escort cards hanging from the branches; sunset images taken from treasured trips as the table names; parasols and personalized fans to keep the guests cool; a collage board of photos of Allen and me when we were younger; and message cards for the guests. And let’s not forget the midnight snacks and pool attendant, who oversaw the safety of many a swimmer and left-over underwear!
The most important piece of information we had in the planning was a wedding budget spreadsheet given to us from a friend who also had their wedding at home. It was quite an eye opener on how much tents, toilets, lighting, generator and so forth were going to cost, but it proved to be invaluable when it came to the negotiations. The downside of having a wedding in your home is not only the added costs but the extra amount of work. The upside is that we get to look out of the kitchen window every morning and reminisce on what was for us, the happiest day of our lives thus far. Thank you to Sara Wight, our photographer, who really captured the weekend so artfully.
Wedding Photography: Sara Wight Photography / Wedding Venue: The Home of the Bride & Groom in Roxbury, Connecticut / Event Planning: Christine Eck of Eck Events / Floral Design: Loretta Stagen Floral Designs / Catering: Jordan Caterers / Wedding Cake: JCakes / Wedding Paper Goods: Mr. Boddington’s Studio / Wedding Invitation Illustration: Jamie Oliff / Entertainment: ETA Music / Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera / Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Hair : Joe’s Salon + Spa / Makeup: Katie Hollinshead / Bridesmaids’ Dresses + Necklaces: BHLDN / Groom’s Attire: Doyle + Mueser