It made complete sense for Jennifer and James to have a Connecticut wedding, since it was where they spent a great deal of their relationship together. When they began planning their wedding, they immediately knew the general location they wanted. As they began searching for their venue, they fell in love with Wee Burn Beach Club. The Club offered the pair and their guests a fantastic terrace overlooking the water for the ceremony and floor to ceiling views of the Long Island Sound during the reception.
Because of the venue’s amazing location along the water, the couple chose to accent their design with a navy, ivory, and blush palette – classic, elegant, and completely timeless. The bridesmaids wore navy gowns from Bella Bridesmaids, and the groomsmen wore navy suits (and teal socks!). Flowers and Flowers designed lanterns filled with lush white and ivory florals for the ceremony, which let the view truly shine. I also adore how the florist mixed in blush dahlias and garden roses into the garland centerpieces – two truly wonderful flowers for a fall fete – for the reception tables.
Out of all of the styles from which to choose, nautical, elegant, and timeless are just a few adjectives I love to see used to describe a couple’s wedding day, and J+J’s wedding day truly encompasses them all! I so hope you enjoy taking a peek at the gorgeous photos captured by Kelsey Combe Photography and reading through Jennifer’s top tips for wedding planning.
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
We planned everything ourselves but I would say my parents were the biggest help leading up to and during the big day! They knew exactly what to take on and how to support me so having them throughout the process was essential to our wedding turning out as wonderful as it did.
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
Reviews and word of mouth were HUGE in helping us identify good vendors (such as a photographer, florist, photo booth) to work with – you can only look at so many photos but actually speaking with other brides helped me the most.
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
Our details and design really stemmed from our desire to have an elegant and timeless wedding. We love being by the water, and finding a venue that gave us water-front property in a laid-back atmosphere was really important to us. Drawing slightly on the nautical thematic, we utilized navy as our accent color and lanterns instead of candlesticks but wanted everything else to be neutral (ivory, white, cream and a little blush) which I think really came through in our floral arrangements. We really wanted to be able to look back in 30 years and still fall in love with everything we chose so it was important that all of the details, from my dress to our decor, be elegant and timeless. Our florist (Adam from Flowers & Flowers in Darien, CT) was really able to understand this vision and helped me pull together the most beautiful, elegant beach-side wedding and we were blown away with the final results!
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
Our favorite thing about our wedding had to have been having everyone we love in the same place. It is so rare that all of your friends and family from various life stages can be together in one room to celebrate you! James and I took the time to sneak away for a few minutes and just reflect on the overwhelming support we were shown on this day and that feeling will stay with us forever.
What is your best piece of advice for other couples?
My best piece of advice would be to enjoy the process! Don’t let the color of napkins stress you out and try to remember that this day is yours for a reason – to celebrate the love that you have found. Being engaged is such a special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you should always remember why you’re planning this wedding to begin with. The point is not to have the perfect size candlestick but to create an atmosphere that mirrors your relationship and creates a moment in time you will cherish forever.
Vendors who made it all happen…
Photographer: Kelsey Combe Photography // Reception Venue: Wee Burn Beach Club // Invitation Designer: Crane & Co. // Band: eta music // Floral Designer: Flowers and Flowers // Dress Designer: Judd Waddell // Shoes: Kate Spade // Hair Stylist: Noble Salon // Bakery: Palmer’s Bakery // Fashion Designer: Plum Pretty Sugar // Dress Store: A Little Something White Bridal Couture // Bridesmaid Store: Bella Bridesmaids // Ring Designer: Betteridge // Groomsman Attire: Brooks Brothers
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Great wedding and all captured nicely!