Elegant Tappan Hill Mansion Wedding
Ashley Therese is to thank for bringing us the fairytale-worthy pretty below, and I want to reach through the screen and kiss her for it. It's pure elegance. With the gorgeous Tappan Hill Mansion setting the scene, every gorgeous detail sitting in this gallery will stand the test of time, and you can see it all here.
From the Bride...Rob proposed a week after our five year college reunion, which was five and a half years after I whispered to my college roommate late one night, “I think I want to marry him”, which was six months after we started dating. He brought me to the site of our first “real world” date (post-graduation, post-first apartments, post-first-jobs) and proposed. It was just the two of us under the stars on the Boston Harbor, and I felt a wave of excitement rush over me- as if I literally felt the page to the next chapter of our lives turn.
And so began what I had been imagining since I was a little girl- the wedding planning! While Rob and I prepared for our marriage, my mother- with an unparalleled eye for design, my sister- with creativity and a voice of reason, and I- the dreamer and event planner, got to work planning the big day.
Although I dreamt about my wedding day for as long as I can remember, the only specifics I knew for sure was the “where” (my hometown church) and the band (who has always left me wanting more). Once the date was set, we found the perfect venue, the Tappan Hill Mansion tucked away in the beautiful Hudson Valley. The mansion is located on the former estate of Mark Twain and was just perfect with its rustic elegance in a picturesque, natural setting. I then found the most stunning dress (timeless and romantic with a modern flair), the perfect "something old" (my mom’s and grandmother’s cathedral lace veil), and an invitation to set the tone for our guests (classic yet customized with a fresh twist). Our floral design and soft candle light tied in perfectly to the elegant and romantic feel of the whole day.
These adjectives would guide the rest of our planning, and no detail went undiscussed. We hand-embossed our thank-you notes, designed and printed our mass programs (mirroring our invitations with rounded corners hand-cut by the groom-to-be), made mix CDs of our favorite upbeat love songs for the drive from mass to the reception, and assembled welcome bags for our guests with treats from the area (including my mom’s kitchen). My mom even surprised us with personalized chocolates and a sparkler send-off!!
It was our goal to craft a wedding that truly reflected Rob’s and my personalities as individuals and as a couple, scattered with special personal touches to not only create the perfect day for us, but a memorable experience for our guests- from the save-the-date to the last dance.
One of my favorite moments of the wedding day was when Rob and I strolled the grounds with the photographers while our wedding party and guests enjoyed the cocktail reception. Just like the night Rob proposed, it was just the two of us, but this time as Mr. & Mrs. I will never forget how it felt to feel like my best self, accompanied by my best friend, surrounded by everyone I love dearest, in my fairy tale setting. This reality blew away every dream I had ever dreamt for my wedding day.
My advice for brides to be? Keep your focus on the marriage and your identity as a couple- the craziness of wedding planning can shake you, but keeping focus on your marriage and this powerful commitment to each other will keep things in perspective, allowing all of the decisions and details to fall into place!
And so began what I had been imagining since I was a little girl- the wedding planning! While Rob and I prepared for our marriage, my mother- with an unparalleled eye for design, my sister- with creativity and a voice of reason, and I- the dreamer and event planner, got to work planning the big day.
Although I dreamt about my wedding day for as long as I can remember, the only specifics I knew for sure was the “where” (my hometown church) and the band (who has always left me wanting more). Once the date was set, we found the perfect venue, the Tappan Hill Mansion tucked away in the beautiful Hudson Valley. The mansion is located on the former estate of Mark Twain and was just perfect with its rustic elegance in a picturesque, natural setting. I then found the most stunning dress (timeless and romantic with a modern flair), the perfect "something old" (my mom’s and grandmother’s cathedral lace veil), and an invitation to set the tone for our guests (classic yet customized with a fresh twist). Our floral design and soft candle light tied in perfectly to the elegant and romantic feel of the whole day.
These adjectives would guide the rest of our planning, and no detail went undiscussed. We hand-embossed our thank-you notes, designed and printed our mass programs (mirroring our invitations with rounded corners hand-cut by the groom-to-be), made mix CDs of our favorite upbeat love songs for the drive from mass to the reception, and assembled welcome bags for our guests with treats from the area (including my mom’s kitchen). My mom even surprised us with personalized chocolates and a sparkler send-off!!
It was our goal to craft a wedding that truly reflected Rob’s and my personalities as individuals and as a couple, scattered with special personal touches to not only create the perfect day for us, but a memorable experience for our guests- from the save-the-date to the last dance.
One of my favorite moments of the wedding day was when Rob and I strolled the grounds with the photographers while our wedding party and guests enjoyed the cocktail reception. Just like the night Rob proposed, it was just the two of us, but this time as Mr. & Mrs. I will never forget how it felt to feel like my best self, accompanied by my best friend, surrounded by everyone I love dearest, in my fairy tale setting. This reality blew away every dream I had ever dreamt for my wedding day.
My advice for brides to be? Keep your focus on the marriage and your identity as a couple- the craziness of wedding planning can shake you, but keeping focus on your marriage and this powerful commitment to each other will keep things in perspective, allowing all of the decisions and details to fall into place!