You know what is always the beginning of a fabulous day at SMP? A beautiful French Countryside inspired soiree. Especially if said soiree is planned and perfected by Sixpence For Your Shoe and captured by Katie Slater of Carla Ten Eyck Photography. There is no better pairing to your favorite coffee when it comes to starting the day out perfect. Especially if you save a danish or two for the gallery perusing!
PJ and I met in college and had been together almost nine years prior to our wedding so our wedding was a long time in the making. It was completely fortuitous that almost nine years to the day that we began our relationship, and on the birthday of PJ’s late grandmother that we were married. We wanted our wedding to be intimate, personal, and to reflect our laid back fun loving personalities. We wanted our guests to feel like they were at an intimate dinner party and mostly just to have a blast.
Our venue was a natural choice. We fell in love with it when we first saw it and knew immediately it was the place. It has incredible vistas of the Long Island Sound, beautiful gardens, and fabulous architectural details. The separate rooms equipped with fireplaces, old paintings, antique chandeliers and moldings captured the romantic intimate dinner party feeling that we wanted to create.
We incorporated a ton of personal elements to give our wedding more of that intimate feel from the ceremony to the décor. Our ceremony, which was officiated by a close friend, was very non-traditional and included some of our favorite stories and memories that PJ and I shared in our relationship. Our incredible DJ actually found a softer version of one of our favorite punk band songs that we used to listen to constantly when we first met to play as our processional.
When it came to the décor I wanted a romantic feel with tons of candlelight along with a smattering of French inspired vintage elements. Talia and Lindsay of Sixpence for Your Shoe made that vision come to life and the result was more beautiful than I could ever imagine. From the toile linens to the old books and teacups filled with roses, every detail was incredible. The floral arrangements were the perfect shades of pink and peach and were elegant without being too over done to take away from the beauty of the mansion. Interspersed among the shelves, mantles, and nooks of the mansion were family photographs and photographs of our beloved Boston terrier, Chloe that added the personal touch that was so important to us.
Our family played a big role in our day. My mother in-law distressed the shutters and affixed vintage keys to the escort cards that we hung on the shutters. My mother made toss bags of lavender for the guests to throw at end of the ceremony. PJ’s sister and my nephew provided readings of inspirational poetry during the ceremony. To pay homage to PJ’s grandmother I carried one of her handkerchiefs she had given to his mother before she passed away.
It was also really important that we had some fun unexpected elements for our guests. We had a photo booth stocked with fun props which the guests frequented all night. The photos were absolutely hysterical and were some of our favorites from the day. We also had a Brazilian style barbeque which added an unexpected twist to our wedding and reflected our love of ethnic food.
One of my favorite memories from the wedding was when PJ and I managed to sneak off alone and share a private moment just the two of us. While everyone was happily dining and as we were heading back from snapping some sunset photographs we passed the empty dance floor. The song Heart of Gold was playing by Neil Young which happens to be one our favorites and we thought, what the heck we might as well dance. It turned out to be an awesome secret little moment that the two of us were able to share.
Overall, our day was perfect and I could not ask for more. We had incredible vendors that brought our vision to life and gave us a wedding day that surpassed our expectations. The food was fantastic, the music was great, and thanks to Talia and Lindsay we never had to worry about a thing. We could just enjoy ourselves and celebrate with our friends and family which was what we truly wanted. We had such a memorable day and are truly blessed that we were able to share it with our incredible friends and family.
Photography: Katie Slater for Carla Ten Eyck Photography / Event Design, Coordination, and Day-of Stationery: Sixpence For Your Shoe / Venue: Eolia, The Mansion at Harkness State Park / Caterer: Cloud Nine Catering / Flowers: Sharon Elizabeth Flowers / Musicians: Mike Connolly Sound Productions / Bridal Styling: Jennie Fresa Beauty Library / Cupcake Favors: Sugarbelle / Linens: Party Rental, LTD + Cloth Connection / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Dress: Lea Ann Belter purchased at the Plumed Serpent Bridal