MA Private Residence Wedding: Elizabeth and Jonathan

– What lead you to have a wedding the way you did? Family, friends location etc?
We thought long and hard about what would feel like a celebration to us, and also honor the gravity of the commitment we were about to undertake.  Eloping to a castle or a vineyard somewhere sounded so marvelous and seemed much easier, but in the end we decided anything would take work and for us it wouldn’t feel like a wedding without being surrounded by loved ones. We wanted to include as many people as we could to be there to witness our ceremony, and who would support us for a lifetime of marriage. We looked for months for a venue that had natural beauty, felt like ‘us’, was in our budget, would allow us to choose or bring our own wine, didn’t shut down at 10pm, and was flexible with the number of guests since we are blessed with Many loved ones. We couldn’t find one. On a gorgeous Spring day a year before the wedding we were sitting on my parent’s porch admiring the flowers and greenery when it hit us that getting married at home would be perfect! My parents have a stunning property that allowed for all of the things we held important and had the space for a front yard ceremony, alcove for the new couple to have a private champagne moment, and a 40′ by 80′ reception tent in the back! I still can’t believe they said yes – but it was truly magical and an absolute dream wedding for us.
– What were you most excited about before the wedding?
Honestly, we were both most excited about getting to say ‘I do’ and become a Unit, surrounded by family and friends gathered from all over the world to celebrate with us.
– Did anything happened that you were’t expecting?
It rained a bit in the morning which turned out to be ‘just enough for luck’ and gave us the most stunning first look photos! The family dog Sophie who is normally glued to my mom decided to come walk around us and be a part of our ceremony, and bless her it was the most heartwarming thing. It also turned out to be the perfect amount of entertainment for our loved ones as I didn’t learn until after the fact that the officiant’s microphone was not working. Luckily Jonathan and I projected enough so everyone heard our vows <3
– Which images did you love the most?
The images of us exchanging vows with sweet Sophie looking on are just so perfect! Our very favorites though are the ‘story portraits’ as we call them – the stills in time of beloved family and friends. These are the reason we chose Angie to be our photographer and we were beyond thrilled with the way she captured the essence of people – my Nonna dancing with my cousin. Jonathan adjusting his bow-tie before the wedding. My daddy and I leaning in together while he’s trying not to cry. Jonathan’s dad and my dad telling each other jokes after the ceremony. My momma holding up a bottle of champagne she received at my birth, triumphant. She captured our memories and love and personalities in the most beautiful way.
– When you look back, would you have changed anything?
I will say we are very very glad we hired a wedding planner for the month of the wedding, and very glad we spent the money on the good restroom trailer! And we would have absolutely done a mic check for the officiant. But honestly no – not the rain, not the memories of gripping my dad’s arm while the wedding planner rushed to stop a car of guests from coming up the driveway just as I was about to start my walk down the aisle, not Sophie sniffing the groomsmen… Not a thing.

Vendors:

Planner: Corrine Hursh of Corrine Hursh Events

Florist: Paula of  Anjulans Florist

Catering: Liz of Emerys Catering 

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