You’ve followed her style musings on her infamously chic blog, City Tonic, and now that she’s rocking a left hand ring Jessye is joining the SMP ranks as our newest Blogger Bride. She’ll be sharing the ins and outs, ups and downs, and everything in between on her road to merry matrimony. Scroll below and read on to get to know Jessye a wee bit better!
From the beautiful Bride-to-be… Hello, Style Me Pretty brides! I’m so excited to share my wedding planning adventures over the next few months as SMP’s newest blogger bride! I’m a Boston-based art director/designer and a style blogger at citytonic.com – So, I’ll be writing about bridal fashion and accessories, plus offering some creative ideas for stationary, favors and more. This September, I’m marrying my best friend and the love of my life, Kevin, on Martha’s Vineyard (woohoo!).
My first official post felt like the perfect opportunity to share a few favorites from our engagement session with the amazingly talented (and fellow blogger Bride) Cambria Grace. We had so much fun walking around Beacon Hill (where our relationship began!) on a pretty spring evening—taking in the neighborhood’s historic charm and a stunning rooftop view of the city.
I met Kevin in December of 2011 when I was working at a Boston ad agency that was known for throwing legendary holiday parties every year. At the time, Kevin had just moved to Boston from Hawaii (by way of Australia… lucky guy) and was working for the event company that happened to be planning our agency’s holiday soirée. I had noticed him around the office and jokingly told my co-workers that I thought he was cute. So, the day after the party, one of them slipped Kevin my business card (unbeknownst to me) as he was leaving. An hour later, I received a text saying: “Hey, it’s Kev!”… and I figured I might as well take a chance, even though I had never gone on a date with a total stranger before. I tried to play it cool and suggested we grab a casual weeknight dinner in Beacon Hill. A few days later, I found myself seated across from Kevin in a cozy neighborhood restaurant and immediately knew I was with someone special.
Fast forward three years, it was pouring rain on Christmas Eve and I had just gone to the gym and grocery store after a half day at work. I told Kevin I’d be home by 3:00, but I ended up doing some last-minute holiday shopping and got home two hours later than promised. I was drenched, exhausted and juggling too many grocery bags when I opened our apartment door and realized all the lights were off. There were about 200 votive candles in our living room and every surface was covered in rose petals. Our dog, Oscar, was lying on the sofa nonchalantly—but there was no sign of Kevin.
I was standing immobile in the doorway, still holding my gym bag and groceries, when he finally walked into the room looking very dapper and carrying a beautiful bouquet. He literally had to instruct me to close the door and drop my bags because I was in some crazy state of shock! Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Sadly, he had planned to film the whole thing with his GoPro, but the battery died because I arrived so late! Still—despite the snags—the proposal was more perfect than I could have imagined. I loved that it was just the two of us (plus Oscar!) in our cozy apartment. Afterwards, we celebrated at my parents’ house (they were in on the whole plan!) with champagne and an amazing Christmas Eve dinner.
I’m so excited to share this amazing wedding planning journey with you – we’re in this together! Until next time!
Photography: Cambria Grace Photography | Jessye's Blazer: Rent The Runway | Jessye's Dress (look 1): Rent The Runway | Jessye's Dress (look 2): Rent The Runway | Jessye's Shoes (look 1): M.Gemi "Cammeo" Pumps | Jessye's Shoes (look 2): Saint Laurent | Kevin's Jacket: J.Crew | Kevin's Shirt: Blank Label