When the Bride’s from Australia , the Groom’s from Long Island, and friends and family are from around the world, where do you say “I do”!? That was the question for these two, and they settled on Shelter Island, complete with beautiful views and the summer sun. But even that beauty didn’t compare to their celebration, with the blushing Bride, and her ladies’ Jenny Yoo dresses blowing in the breeze. Ryon:Lockhart Photography captured it all, making our VAULT shine just as bright as that day.
From the Bride… When Chris proposed our first question was, “Where in the world should we get married?” He is from Long Island, and I had lived in England, New Zealand, Long Island and Australia at that point. We were both in the process of moving to Boston, after a year of a distance relationship between New York and Australia. We eventually decided that Long Island was the best place for us, because that is where we met and fell in love, where most of our mutual friends were, and it was a middle point between Europe and Oceania for my friends and family to travel to. We wanted to find a venue where our families and the wedding party would be able to stay together for a few days. I had always hoped to be married by the water, so the Ram’s Head Inn was perfect. When picking our photographers, we looked for someone who would be fun to have around on the day, and who would be able to take consistently amazing photographs in the changing light throughout the day and night. Sarah and Tim are two of the most wonderful people we have ever met, and their photographs captured the beauty and happiness that defined our wedding day.
The largest challenge of the wedding planning process was planning the wedding in New York from Boston. My mother was in Australia and my bridesmaids were scattered all over the world, so we had to utilize the internet in every way possible for planning. My mother Skyped in every time I went dress shopping, even if it was the middle of the night for her!
My vision was to keep the wedding design simple and elegant, and to enhance the natural beauty of the grounds at the Ram’s Head Inn. I love bright colors, but felt that keeping the bridesmaids’ dresses in a neutral palette and allowing the colors to be in the floral designs was the look that most suited my vision. This was also inspired by my grandparents’ house in the south of France – so many old stone buildings there are covered in beautiful flowers.
I found my dream dress, Penelope by Watters, which ticked off every one of my wishes – simple, low back, fun tulle skirt, and Jenny Yoo’s Annabelle dress in Cashmere was the perfect bridesmaids match. The versatility of the top half of these dresses allowed each bridesmaid to wear a look that they felt beautiful in. I found a picture online of flower girls wearing a leotard and a tutu, and loved it immediately. Seeing all the girls together in their dresses with their bouquets for the first time was a definite highlight on the day! The men went for a classic charcoal suit, and even though the looks were formal for an outdoor wedding, it came together beautifully.
When I walked down the aisle I could not stop smiling. I am quite an emotional person, and I expected to cry, but I was just so happy. Seeing Chris standing there made me realize how fulfilled I am in our relationship. Also, the scenery was so beautiful, the floral archway was exquisite, and the pianist playing “Can you feel the love tonight” was letting me embrace both my Disney and Elton John fandom! Most importantly, there were family and friends who had literally traveled from all over the country and the world to be there. It was so special, and we both feel such immense love and gratitude towards everyone who traveled from near and far to share this day with us. The ceremony included a speech by my grandfather: he and my grandmother were married sixty years in January. Chris and I had written very simple vows to share: to honor and respect one another, and to treat each other’s dreams as if they were our own. We performed a sand ceremony with sand from New Zealand and Long Island.
The reception was mostly outdoors under fairy lights. The food was local and delicious. We had a few personal touches – Chris had built a swing, and two groomsmen had built a fun photo frame for guests to take pictures in. We had a map where people pin where they had traveled from, and where they thought we should travel to one day. After dinner, we danced the night away. Dancing with people from all different parts of our lives is something I will never forget. The evening ended with toasting s’mores, made from Whittaker’s chocolate (a New Zealand specialty) to commemorate our first date, where Chris had tempted me to come to the beach with him to try this American delight. It was a magical day and is so special to re-live via all of these photographs!
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Photography: Ryon:Lockhart Photography | Cinematography: Ben Childs | Floral Design: Kim Jon Designs | Wedding Dress: Watters | Cake: Ram's Head Inn | Bride's Shoes: Stuart Weitzmen | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Ram's Head Inn | Makeup: Sonomi Obinata | Band: Silver Arrow Band | Groom's Attire: Bonobos | Venue: Ram's Head Inn | Hair Accessories: Arsiart