New Hampshire Weddings

If you haven’t yet met Brideside, it’s time you do.  Because honestly?  They are about to change your world.  Think an array of stunning bridesmaid gowns, a could.not.be.easier ordering process, a personal stylist that knows a thing or two about helping you find the dress of your dreams AND a fabulous giveaway for your entire bridal party.  It’s your chance to win a $500 credit towards gorgeous gowns, sans drama, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. 

With one breathtaking collection after another in every style, shape and color of the rainbow, Brideside makes it easier than ever to make your besties forever happy.  Imagine shopping online in your yoga pants with a very fabulous twist – you can see the dresses in person before buying.  In other words? It’s how every girl dreams of bridesmaid dress shopping.  Here’s how it works:

Meet Your Stylist – Browsing gorgeous bridesmaid frocks online just got amazing with the help of one of Brideside’s FREE personal stylists.  Think of them as your very own wedding-style expert who will walk with you step by step throughout the entire process, from helping you create a “closet” of unique + oh-so-chic styles to keeping track of all of the specifics.  And Brideside introduced Jenny Yoo gowns this month, which means even more amazing styles to choose from.

Invite Your Besties to Your Brideside Closet – Now that you and your stylist are filling your Closet with some of the prettiest frocks imaginable, invite your bridal party to view your choices for those much-needed second opinions. And when you add or share a favorite, your stylist can see all of the happenings, so she is totally in the loop.

Try It On at Home! – Want to try on the dress before committing?  Once you have narrowed down all of the wedding loveliness to three must-have styles, Brideside will send them to you or your bridesmaids in a Brideside Box!  That means an at-home fitting party with your own shoes, jewelry and a little (or a lot!) of champagne.  Soooo fun.

Order “The One” – Now that you’ve chosen the perfect gown, you can work directly with your stylist to be sure everyone is fitted properly and that the dress of your dreams is ordered for each and every one of your ‘maids.  Oh, and it’s shipped directly to you.  It’s seriously awesome, and seriously stress-free. Seriously. I know, I know… you can’t wait to get started with Brideside.  Visit their website now or, if you live in Chicago, make an appointment with a stylist here.  You can thank us later.

What: Brideside is giving away a $500 credit to one bridal party! 

How: Simply sign up here by April 1, 2015 to be entered to win!

Who: The winner, chosen completely at random, will be announced right here on SMP on Friday, April 3, 2015.

Good luck, lovelies! xo

They say that when it comes to your wedding day, you should most definitely expect the unexpected. Even if that does happen to include a little rain… or in the case of this darling duo, a monsoon.  Yep, you read that right. A monsoon paid a visit to this breathtaking Lake Sunapee Country Club affair and it didn’t dampen (no pun intended) the mood one bit.  I guess that’s what happens when two people are as chock-full of joy as these two sweeties, who braved the weather, said “I do” and put on one seriously stellar party against the cloudy (yet romantic) backdrop.  See it all captured by Sarah Jayne Photography right here.

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From Sarah Jayne Photography… When you wake up to photograph a wedding and the forecast calls for rain, you know the day could lead to an adventure. And in this case it surely did! When my second shooter and I arrived at the Inn at Lake Pleasant in New London, New Hampshire, the weather couldn’t have been more lovely… blue skies, perfect temperature and a slight breeze. I thought there was no way that the day could turn. It was dreamy. After taking photos of the bride and her girls getting ready, we headed outside for some bridal party shots when the clouds started to open up… the rain had finally come. This weather pattern continued throughout the afternoon – with a few perfectly timed dry spells for portraits – but the worst of it was about to begin. A true monsoon arrived just in time for the cocktail hour. The winds and rains were so powerful event organizers shut down the tent. You would think with this news the bride and groom would have their spirits dampened, but that wasn’t the case. They continued smiling as the party went indoors for a bit, until the winds died down. Ultimately, the reception was a bit delayed, but eventually the tent was stable enough for the reception to begin.

While it was ugly and lifeless outside, the interior of the tent was beautiful and alive with a happy bunch of people and chic decor. There were so many artful details and the floral arrangements were breathtaking, but one of my favorite personalized elements were the ones with their pup Macallan. They framed table numbers featuring Macallan – the table number on a chalkboard around his neck! – and he was also a part of the cake topper. So perfect.

When the dancing began, I started thinking that while every bride dreams of perfect weather on her wedding day, sometimes a storm can bring a certain charm that will never be forgotten.

From the Bride… Robbie and I decided to get married in New London, New Hampshire. His parents have a second home there and we’ve always enjoyed the mountain views and quaint town. When planning our wedding, we knew we wanted an outdoor reception with a rustic feel. We really wanted our day to represent us as a couple so we tried to include as many personal touches as possible to really make it our own. Above all, we wanted to have fun.

My sister designed our “CCR” monogram, which we used for various aspects such as the invitations, cocktail napkins, programs, etc. Our signature drink – the “Bajan Sunset” – is a cocktail we created using Mount Gay rum (which comes from Barbados where we got engaged!). Since our boxer, Macallan, couldn’t physically be at the reception, we tried to incorporate him in as many details as we could (table numbers, cake topper).

Getting our families together has always lead to disaster.. natural disaster, that is. The first time Robbie’s parents were to visit my parents’ home, a nor’easter swept through Long Island preventing their trip. In December 2010, we had planned a joint trip to Barbados, Robbie’s family leaving from Boston and mine from New York. Yet again, a major blizzard slammed the northeast grounding all flights from NY. My family never made it. So, it was only natural that our wedding day would be no different.

Shortly after our cocktail hour began, our tent had to be evacuated due to the extraordinary winds from the storm that was passing through the area. Fortunately, Lake Sunapee Country Club was able to accommodate our group indoors. Eventually, we were able to enter the reception tent after only losing about an hour of time and it was like we never skipped a beat.

We were so lucky to have the help of our amazing mothers while planning every last detail and a wonderful team of vendors to put our vision into fruition. The end result was above and beyond anything we could have expected. I can honestly say that our wedding day was the most incredible day of my life and I wouldn’t have changed a thing… monsoon and all!

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Wedding Photography: Sarah Jayne Photography | Wedding Venue + Caterering: Lake Sunapee Country Club, New London | Floral Design: Emily Herzig Floral Studio | Event Coordination: Amy Piper, Signature Events | Ceremony Venue: Our Lady of Fatima, New London | Cinematography: Kelly Cicero Films | Tent: Sperry Tents Seacoast | Invitations: Noteworthy Papers, New London NH |Wedding Dress: Amsale | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale | Band: Soho via Nightshift Entertainment | Bagpiper: Gordon Webster | Rentals: Be Our Guest, Inc.+ Rentals Unlimited + New England Country Rentals | Transportation: Dineen Coach Company + Wolfeboro Trolley Company