I have a soft spot for the color blue. And while I’ve yet to meet a shade I dislike, French blue in particular is special; it’ll be showing up at my own upcoming nuptials. So when I see it in other weddings, I take note, and this wedding by Sixpence For Your Shoe and Hana Floral Design didn’t disappoint. Filled to the brim with beauty, Michelle Gardella and DMO Films got it all on camera for us to enjoy in this gallery here.
[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/103949044 600 338]
From Sixpence For Your Shoe… Linnea and Joey have an amazing presence together. Head over heels in love, beautiful inside and out, being around them makes everyone feel welcomed and happy. We sought to design a wedding that captured their warm hearts and welcoming spirit, as well as both backgrounds and all the places they had lived both apart and together. They dreamed of a wedding that was sophisticated but accessible, polished yet whimsical, and we worked to translate this vision through garden style florals, fanciful linen and witty details. The Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate could not have been a more ideal venue to host their event, from the dinner party ambiance of the ballrooms inside, to dancing away the night under bistro bulb lighting outside. It was just like hosting a gathering at their own home.
The ceremony was breathtaking. Yumiko from Hana Floral Design truly outdid herself with the magnificent florals that framed the couple and they read personalized vows to one another. After the ceremony, guests were able to enjoy cocktail hour throughout the estate as they munched on creative bites such as grilled pizzas and toasted the couple with their signature drink, “The Sydney Crush.” When the guests were invited indoors for dinner, we revealed an incredibly romantic setting. The palette of French Blue, chartreuse, blush and taupe created a lovely balance against the ballroom grandeur. My favorite detail was the lush garland on the head table with soft peony and flickering candles. It was a showstopper! Guests danced the night away to two minute beats under the Sperry Pagoda tent and refreshed with ice cream sundaes. Chocolate favors with a cheeky saying from Charles M. Schulz bid guests a sweet farewell. The end result was one of our favorite events of all time and we were so lucky to have Michelle Gardella and DMO Films to capture it flawlessly.
From The Bride… When my fiance and I were envisioning our wedding, we wanted there to be an air of elegance and sophistication. As we were bringing together guests from both the Rockies and the East Coast, we wanted to create an atmosphere that was intimate, warm and inviting. We described the theme of our wedding to be “accessibly elegant.” The Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate captured the exact feeling that we wanted to evoke. We wanted there to be an element of the outdoors but knowing the weather in Connecticut can be unpredictable, needed to have a back up plan…the “Pagoda” tent from Sperry was the perfect option!
Lindsay, our wedding planner extraordinaire from Sixpence For Your Shoe, helped to turn our vision into reality. With an all-star cast of vendors the day was simply magical! We could not have asked for a better group of people to work with for our wedding.
We wanted our wedding to be as personal to our eight year long relationship as possible. A few of the ways that we tried to accomplish this was to incorporate Joey’s Colorado roots with my Connecticut upbringing. Our beers were all from Colorado, the welcome bags contained only products made in Connecticut and we had delicious Bridgewater Chocolate’s serve as our wedding favors! Our signature drink was called “The Sydney Crush” as a nod to our meeting in Sydney, Australia. Having my high-school history teacher serve as our officiant only felt natural! And at the end of the evening luminary were placed around the mansion as a non to the childhood Christmas tradition in my hometown.
Our favorite part of the day was the toasts (and part roasts) given to us by our siblings and parents! The biggest compliment we got from numerous guests was that they all felt like they were part of our family… we could not have asked for anything more. It was the most amazing day of our lives!
Photography: Michelle Gardella Photography | Videography: DMO Films | Event Planning: Sixpence For Your Shoe | Florals: Hana Floral Design | Wedding Gown: Oscar De La Renta | Catering: Coastal Gourmet Caterers | Makeup: Jennie Fresa Brow & Beauty Bar | Hair: Naomi's Studio & Salon | DJ: Elegant Occasions DJ | Favors: Bridgewater Chocolates | Venue: Wadsworth Mansion | Tent: Sperry Tents | Ceremony Musicians: Harmonia Strings | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Party Rental Ltd. | Stationery And Calligraphy: Lettres Stationery Of Distinction | Veil And Bridal Accessories: The White Dress by the shore