Connecticut Weddings

A Midsummer’s Night Dream-inspired wedding brought to life by some of the best of the best vendors? You just know this is going to be good. We are talking Judy Pak, Candice of A Jubilee Event, and Datura, A Modern Garden all bringing their talents together to create a dream come true wedding for this adorable couple at The Webb Barn – that level of good. It’s picture after picture worthy of your favorite pin board, and you can get your fill of all the pretty right here.

From the Bride… I knew the moment I shared my inspiration board with Candice Coppola, of  A Jubilee Event that I was in good hands. With a single glance at the moss draped tables, and woodland imagery and without knowing that I was hiding a tattooed quote from the play itself on my shoulder, Candice stated without hesitation, “OK so we’re creating a Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding!” And I was sold. My husband and I had agreed that we wanted to create an experience for our guests, one that felt unplanned and organic. One that felt more like the kind of party you happend to stumble upon versus a scripted and stuffy affair and one that ultimately put the surprise and delight of every guest at the top of the priority list.

Our vision was executed beyond our wildest expectation with the help of some of the best in the industry, and I would throw an event a year if I could, just to bring them all back together again. From the road-less-traveled location of the Webb Barn and the wildflower beauty of Datura, A Modern Garden, to the palate intoxicating buffet of a thousand dishes prepared by Emily’s Catering, to every moment captured by the soulful lens of Judy Pak Photography, and entertained by the psychic DJ Revuelo of Scratch DJs, what transpired that day was a storybook love in a storybook setting filled with laughter and dancing, full bellies and even fuller hearts. A special thank you to all who brought this dreamer’s midsummer eve to life.

Wedding Photographer: Judy Pak Photography / Second Photographer: Rowa Lee of Studio R Photography / Venue: The Webb Barn in Wethersfield, Connecticut / Wedding Planning + Design: Candice Coppola of A Jubilee Event / Floral Design: Datura, A Modern Garden / Stationery: Bridgit Espinoza / Rentals: New England Country Rentals / Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: The Dessy Group / Makeup: Kelly Scott

Since today is looking to be a perfect summer day, we figured it was high time we shared this perfect summer wedding. Super gorgeous, with a let your hair down feel, the soiree seemed the perfect place to toast the beautiful couple and practice your dance moves. Even the photos from IRIS Photography have a sweet, summer, clean feel to them. So what do you say, why don’t we hop on over to the gallery and celebrate the love, the laughter, and this season we call summer!

Click here to visit the FULL image gallery!

We met at a local yoga studio where the groom was taking yoga lessons for the first time, but didn’t want to be a creep and hit on another student at the studio. When he found out that his future bride was a public school teacher, he took the opportunity to connect on a professional level. Their first “date” was to a talk given by then Connecticut attorney general, Richard Blumenthal on Connecticut’s role in global warming.  The talk was in the Wesleyan University Memorial Chapel. The groom was intending to keep things “professional” until his future wife hooked her foot around his calf while they sat in the pews, at which point the groom had the remarkable feeling that the woman “hooking his leg” would become his lifelong love and they would marry.

She was more skeptical and guarded regarding the future, but very interested in him, nonetheless.

The groom proposed on the brides’ birthday, waking her up (at 6:30 am!) with the proposal and the ring. To celebrate they went to a local gourmet diner known for its breakfasts and service to the local community. We extended this celebration to include family when attending the bride’s nieces’ joint birthday party the next day.

We were engaged in late February and married in August. We knew we would not fuss much over every last detail of the wedding. It’s just not our style. Having said that, we wanted a wedding that reflected our personalities and values as individuals. We value family (this includes friends), food, music, and nature’s beauty.

First, the bride and groom discussed the vision for having a wedding with an emphasis on relationships among family and friends. The groom’s parents’ home offered a casual, comfortable, and beautifully distinct, customizable setting. The bride and groom were able to successfully implement their creative vision through engaging the help of family and friends in planning, landscaping, and decorating. (Thank goodness for help!) The effort and results were collaborative and the celebration reflected the satisfaction and joy of completing a task together.

We wanted to have a focus on high quality comfort food that we could eat with our hands and enjoy with our souls. We also wanted soulful music to get people on the dance floor. We wanted the wedding to be a party that celebrated the love we have for one another and for our families, new and old.

We knew we wanted a semi-DIY wedding. The bride and her friend cut and sewed 400 banners to serve as decoration for the tent. The vibe of the décor and wedding as a whole could be described as bright, relaxed, vintage. Shades of blue, yellow, and red were selected as the colors after much deliberation. The bride LOVES vibrant colors of every sort, so this was very difficult. Finding the bridesmaids’ dress at BHLDN helped to define the palette.

The groom had total autonomy over his attire, including his sneakers. Groomsmen were asked to wear seersucker pants, a white shirt, and shoes/sneakers of any color. One forgot to buy the pants, so he wore white. And we didn’t mind.

The bride and groom hand-picked every song played during the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing.

One of the bride’s favorite moments of the day was walking down the aisle to the theme to the movie True Romance. A friend advised me to stop and take it all in and I did. I came out of the house with my parents, walked down the stairs, saw all the smiling, joyous faces, and stopped for a moment. “I want to take in this moment,” I told myself as all the guests looked on.

Having my sister, a Rutgers University professor, and Buster’s uncle, a retired principal and JP, officiate our wedding is a special touch to the ceremony. Also, included in the intimate group of seventy or so were four of the bride’s family from Italy; one, visiting the U.S. for the first time, another, having returned after almost 40 years. Of all the gifts we received, this was most precious. So, naturally because of these special guests and the fact that the bride’s parents and other family are Italian immigrants, it would be fitting to include some Italian tunes to liven up the party.

Photography: IRIS Photography / Invitations: “Barn Party” by meg + emm, Minted / Flowers: Gutt Farm + DIY / Catering: All Smoked Up / Flowers: Gutt’s Family Farm, Glastonbury, CT, father of the bride / Event Planning + Design: DIY / Ceremony + Reception Location: Groom’s parents’ house/backyard / Dress Designer: Blush by JLM / Bridesmaid Dress Designer: “Beribboned Dress” BHLDN / Men’s Suits: J.Crew / Men’s Sneakers: Vans / Men’s Sunglasses: Persol / 1940’s estate engagement ring: Peter Suchy Jewelers / Wedding cupcakes: Jaime Jo Powers / Music: A&B Entertainment, DJ Stephen A. Morgan

Good Morning lovelies! We have a whole slew of Wednesday treats lined up for you in the form of knock out weddings and lest you forget, there is even more of these pretty nuptials to be had in the galleries so be sure to stop by throughout the day. Kicking things off is a Connecticut Wedding captured by Stephanie Ann Photography, with design and styling by the lovely Jubilee Events. Not only is this day bringing the quintessential barn wedding to a whole new level of whimsy but the fashion is positively killing it in terms of fun as well. I mean how can you beat men in kilts? There are quite a few bookmark worthy images coming your way right now and even more can be found in the gallery. Happy clicking.

see more of this festive barn wedding here!

Rose and David are one of those couples that you just know were destined to meet and get married. With 80 of their closest friends surrounding them, they were joined in a loving ceremony underneath the big tree at The Webb Barn in mid-june. Their ceremony was a mixture of their unique backgrounds and traditions they love. Guests arrived at The Webb Barn in Wethersfield to the waving Scottish flag and ambient sound of bag pipes. Rose floated down the rose petal aisle, escorted by her mom and dad, to the most amazing string arrangement of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.”

Rose and David worked on so many projects themselves, from their light and airy tissue poms that floated above the dance floor to the amazing scotch bar that entertained guests all night long. When I first met with Rose she said, “I want the barn to feel like the Queen would get married here.” She started with a royal color palette of regal blues and purples, added a bit of gold and guild, and hit the mark. Guests dined family style on a delicious grilled dinner by emily’s catering group, at tables dripping in rich purple linens, gold chargers, and hem stitched linen napkins. Azaela Floral Design created beautiful branch arrangement centerpieces with glittering crystals, bringing a bit of glamour into the rustic setting.

With the barn doors open, guests danced the night away to their amazing 80’s cover band and ended the night with a sparkler send off.

Photography: Stephanie Ann Photography / Flowers: Azalea Floral Design / Event Design and Planning: Jubilee Events / Ceremony and Reception Location: The Webb Barn, Wethersfield, Connecticut / Invitations: Staice Katz, San Francisco, CA; skatzdesign@comcast.net / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Hair & Makeup: Dana Bartone & Co. / Dress: Enzoani from RK Bridal / Caterer: Emily’s Catering Group / Officiant: Rev. Darren C. Politio / Kilts: Piper’s Cove / Ceremony Musicians: Millennium Music / Band: Marshall Nicols / Rentals: Jubilee Events / Wedding Cake: Chef Scott McMillen

We are celebrating two completely fabulous weddings today. The first, sent to us by the incredible Duston Todd, is all about sophisticated, unabashed gorgeousness. The second, photographed by the unbelievably talented Carla Ten Eyck, is all sweetness…vintage, rustic sweetness with details that would make any girl swoon.

Love it all. The pretty, pretty flowers tucked in mason jars. The family style dinner, where guests can simple reach across the table and toast the beautiful day. The rustic elegance paired with the undeniably gorgeous style. Every little bit of this wedding is simply lovely!

I usually try to feature all of the really pretty, really steal-able details from a wedding. But this one had so many, I didn’t get to share them all. If you want to see even more wedding goodness (including some more fabulous shots from second-shooters  Mike Romano and Katie Slater), head on over to Carla’s blog. Beware, it’s addicting!

Loving this sweet, family inspired wedding that Carla Ten Eyck sent us. Carla completely nailed it with the vintage style photography, capturing the intimate and yet totally elegant style of the day. You know, I am a firm believer that although a wedding should be a reflection of the couple…it is also one of the only times in our lives where our families come together to celebrate something so incredibly special. Celebrating the families behind the couple is so, so important in my book.

And this beautiful pair…did just that.

From the beautiful bride…My florist was my cousin, Moira Thompson. She lives in Cambridge, MA and is just starting her career in the floral industry. She’s a genius. She sent us a flower proposal (because I told her she could do whatever she wants and to just go nuts) and it was literally like she had reached into my mind and created a vision that I didn’t even know was there!

The name cards my mom and I hand-wrote. They were all stamped with clovers (Irish), olive branches (Italian), tropical flowers (South Africa), and daisies (Denmark) which are the main countries of Niels and my origin. Instead of favors, we made donations to three charities – The Jacob Riis Settlement House, which Niels’ father is chairman of the board of, The John J. Gale Scholarship, which is named after my grandfather and given to the senior at HPHS who has the highest GPA in U.S. History, and Art Start, which is a non-profit art program for troubled youth that I volunteer at. So, we wrote on all of the name cards “In lieu of a favor, a donation has been made in your name to __________”, alternating with each charity.

Ahhh, so beautiful. So much more on the way!

You know what I love the most about writing a wedding blog? It completely satisfies my completely irrational love of so many different wedding styles, so many different wedding perspectives. A chic, modern affair makes me completely giddy…but so does a fabulous rustic style wedding, a sleek beach side affair, a gorgeous traditional soiree. I love them all and I love that I have a job where I can get lost in each style every day of the week.

This one, sent to us by the AMAZING Carla Ten Eyck, is a little bit vintage, a little bit rustic. It’s all together completely lovely, filled with details that the bride and her family lovingly infused…

From Carla...Callie and Niels are an amazing couple with such beautiful energy and their entire day really reflected that – from the tiny little floral and photo details, the beautiful invitations and programs, to including their parents who had gotten married at the same location (The Webb Barn) 30 years ago. Absolutely beautiful.

And before we really dive head first into the beauty of  the day, I wanted to share the awesome invitations that Callie’s sister, Adrienne, designed just for this affair. Adrienne is going to be opening her very own print shop in the coming months and if these are any indication of her style, she is sure to be a HUGE success!

More to come from this incredible wedding!