Modern Take on a Traditional New England Wedding at Wadsworth Mansion

Lauren Megerdichian
April 25, 2023
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]Sage, Cream, and Gold. [/field]

[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]When we started planning the wedding we knew pretty early on that we would be getting married in Connecticut. Once we chose our venue (the stunning Wadsworth Mansion) our goal became to design a wedding around the beauty and history of the venue. We really wanted to have a modern take on the traditional New England wedding.[/field]

[field title=”Proposal Story”]I am a YouTuber (@therudgefam) and lifestyle instagrammer (@terryannmelisa), and I am always getting content! Michael suggested that we do a staycation in the city of Boston where we lived at the time. He booked us a room at the Godfrey Hotel, a spa day, dinner reservations at many of the restaurants we had always been meaning to try but never ended up trying. It was a long weekend filled with so many fun activities! In between our reservations, Mike suggested we go to Acorn Street to take pictures for my blog. Acorn Street in Boston is the most photographed street in America. I always wanted to see it in person so I was very excited to go! When we arrived Mike seemed a little fidgety, but I was so excited to finally see Acorn Street that I didn’t think much of it. After admiring the area for a bit, Mike started taking photos of me for my blog. He was getting very into it, insisting that he get all of my angles! At one point, he gets down on the ground to take a photo from a lower angle. Before I knew it, he was on one knee and reaching into his pocket. I was absolutely shocked when he pulled the ring out. It’s one of the happiest moments of my life! Now we go back to Acorn Street every year on the anniversary of our engagement (October 25th) and recreate our last photo there as boyfriend and girlfriend![/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]I was so inspired by Meaghan Markle’s wedding reception dress. The halter silhouette seemed so classic to me, and I definitely wanted to go that route with a bit of a twist! I chose style C525 from Allure Bridals Couture collection. The halter silhouette was exactly what I was looking for, the fit and flare style was flattering. What I really fell in love with was the beading which I felt matched/complimented the old Hollywood glam of our venue.[/field]

[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]All of the bridesmaid dresses are from Jenny Yoo. I wanted the girls to wear sage, satin dresses. Jenny Yoo had the most style options for dresses in that color and fabric. It was so important to me that my closest friends felt comfortable and beautiful in the dress they would be wearing. With all of the style options Jenny Yoo had, my bridesmaids were able to choose the style that best fit them and their body. A couple of them have actually re-worn their dress to other weddings![/field]

[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]Michael definitely wanted to wear a tuxedo but wanted to stand apart from his groomsmen. He chose a dark blue tuxedo with a satin shawl lapel from Bonobos. His shirt had a fun white monochromatic floral detail. All of the groomsmen rented their tuxes from The Black Tux which shipped the tuxes 10 days before the wedding so everyone could have enough time to make any changes![/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]Mike and I really wanted our guests to enjoy all aspects of the meal. I would describe the food we chose as elevated comfort foods! The passed hor d’oeuvres included chicken and waffles, grilled cheese and tomato soup, cheeseburger sliders, and short rib buttermilk biscuits. It was decadent and delicious! Our signature drinks were Mint Juleps (my husband’s fave), and a twist on my favorite drink the French 75. We named it the Mexican 75 because I had the bartenders switch out the gin for tequila (my personal favorite). We had an open bar, so needless to say, everyone had a great time![/field]

[field title=”Florals & Decor”]We wanted our floral design to be simple but impactful! So we had baby’s breath lining the aisle. We had beautiful greenery down the length of the reception seating, and huge plumes of baby’s breath cascading down the end of each row of seating. Additionally, we had baby’s breath and beautiful white roses affixed to the pipe and drapes that arched over banquet seating. I thought it was simple and so beautiful! Our florist Petal & Wren nailed our vision! For my bouquet I had beautiful white roses.[/field]

[field title=”Wedding Cake”]We had a minimal “naked” cake. The twist was the cake and the icing were raspberry flavored! It was soooooo delicious![/field]

[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”][/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #1″]We got married in the summer of 2021. There were still so many Covid protocols in place, and it was also the peak of the Bridgerton frenzy! I took a chance and asked if we could have our wedding reception on the lawn of the Wadsworth Mansion. Instead of going the circular table route, I worked with my wedding planner Angie, at A Perfect Soiree, to have two long rows of banquet seating. At the very last minute I thought it would be absolutely beautiful to add pipe and drapes to the seating. I imagined how beautiful it would be to have long white, sheer drapes fluttering in the wind as our guests ate on the lawn of this amazing mansion. I am still to this day, so pleased that our vendors were able to bring the vision to life. The seating is definitely my favorite aspect of the wedding![/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #2″]It was a dream of mine to have a string quartet play while I walked down the aisle. Ariana Strings is the second vendor we booked after booking our venue. I walked down the aisle to a beautiful string rendition of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love which was one of my dad’s favorite songs.[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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