I’m really not sure where to start with this stunning couple and their utterly beautiful New England wedding captured by Kelly Dillon and executed perfectly by Mstarr Event Design. Their story made me blush nearly a dozen times, along with those bursting blooms from Petal Floral Design, but the icing on the cake? This unbelievably sweet Groom made his Bride their dream farm table for her wedding gift. It doesn’t get any sweet than that folks.
From the beautiful Bride…Jared and I met working as neuroscience lab partners at Boston College. Despite our initial first impressions of each other based solely on our geographical locations—I was from New Jersey and assumed everyone in Wisconsin owned at least one cow; Jared’s impression of my home state was limited to MTV’s “The Jersey Shore”—we immediately clicked. By the end of our first week of work, I had already told my roommates that I would be marrying my lab partner, and sharing my future name with a designer. Fast forward to five years later, I was right!
After graduation, Jared and I began to build a life together in Boston, and subsequently developed a love of the New England outdoors. We talked about our future while watching the sunrise in Acadia, Maine and a few months later, Jared proposed during a hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It wasn’t a difficult decision for us to ask both of our families to travel to Massachusetts on October 10 so we could get married during the New England autumn that we absolutely adored. Choosing a venue proved more difficult as we both wanted an original space—one that was warm, cozy, and inviting. We wanted something that felt entirely like the setting of our love story. However, we were managing a long distance relationship and graduate school at the time, and my dreams of converting old estates or barns or industrial warehouses into this story’s setting were a bit out of reach. We settled on a country club that didn’t fit our initial vision of off-the-beaten-path originality, but boasted gleaming wood floors, arched ceilings and beams, dual fireplaces, and on-site catering that received rave reviews.
Next we turned the page to photography, which was the highest priority from the very beginning. I had heard other brides lament at how fast the day had gone, and I vowed to find someone very special to capture not only the day, but also the feelings and emotions that were such an integral part of it. I had been studying (aka stalking) Style Me Pretty even prior to getting engaged and found myself completely in love with Kelly Dillon’s work. Her images were so warm and genuine that I could feel the emotions of the day radiating from my computer screen. She has a way with lighting that I can’t begin to describe, and when I found myself tearing up at complete strangers’ wedding days, I knew we had found our dream photographer.
I then realized I had too many ideas and not enough time, and began to research the concept of a wedding planner. That search led eventually to wedding designers, and ended immediately once I found Emily of mStarr event design. Coincidentally, Kelly Dillon had photographed her wedding two Octobers before our very own, and I knew the stars (no pun intended) had aligned in finding the two women who would execute and capture our day. Working with Emily was a dream: she took my jumbled, unorganized notes and my all-over-the-place Pinterest boards and immediately cultivated a theme and more importantly, the feeling I knew Kelly would be able to capture: New England organic, rustic elegance, by bringing our beloved outdoors inside. We envisioned moss covered escort cards, greenery draped chandeliers, and lots of romantic candlelight. Taupe and gold and elegant neutrals set the stage for bold pops of berry, inspiration taken directly from the New England autumn colors and light. Emily’s impressive professional network probably surpasses my entire social one and we were immediately smitten with her recommendations for everything from paper (Gus & Ruby letterpress), to rentals (New England Country Rentals), from naked cake (Mayflour Confections) to luscious blooms (Petal Floral). Without her vision and expertise and endless patience, we couldn’t have pulled off the day of our dreams. Without Kelly, we would be left without the picture perfect proof of the beautiful memories.
In retrospect, our day went flawlessly because we promised ourselves from the very beginning to stay true to who we were as a couple. The Boston College neuroscience professor who introduced us five years ago officiated our ceremony. We wrote our own vows and planted a tree with dirt from our childhood homes as a part of the unity ceremony. Our guitarist specifically learned “Angel” by Jack Johnson, one of our favorite songs, so I could walk down the aisle to it. Our cupcake flavors were custom designed for us, and were named after our five favorite locations—including Boston College, Acadia National Park, and the White Mountains. We aimed to honor and recognize important people from our past who shaped us and guided us and led us to each other. The “A” pin in my bouquet belonged to my grandmother, from whom I received my middle name. My wedding gift to Jared was a hand embroidered handkerchief with his late father’s handwriting on it. It came from a note his dad wrote Jared before he left for Boston College reminding him of all the new and exciting people he would meet. Jared channeled his great-grandfather’s carpentry skills and built me my dream dining room farm table, recording the whole process and gifting me with the video on the morning of our wedding. We conquered long distance wedding planning, and emerged as even better partners and friends. The whole thing was a major success because of all of the people involved, and we remain so grateful to each and every one of them.
Photography: Kelly Dillon Photography | Event Design: mStarr event design | Florist: Petal Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal | Cake: Mayflour Confections | Cupcakes: Cupcake Mojo | Invitations: Gus & Ruby Letterpress | Wedding Shoes: Dolce Vita | Bridesmaids: Joanna August | Hair & Makeup: B Boutique | Calligraphy: Charlie Whiskey | Groom's Attire: Joseph Abboud | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Country Club: The Villa | Getting Ready Location: Caleb Beal House | Rentals: New England Country Rentals