September 19, 2015

📷: Sarah Pudlo Photography 

This wedding is so autumn-meets-rustic that it hurts — and we mean that in the best possible way.

By Kaitlyn Murray

How and when did you meet?

We met our junior year in college. We didn’t begin dating right away (despite Angelo’s efforts!), but were very close friends for eight months or so. Then we began to date. I think that gave our relationship a great start because we were friends first.

How long were you together before you were engaged? Was your proposal a surprise?

Let’s see, it was about two and a half years. Something quirky about me is that I love Disney. We took a trip in September 2013 and leading up to it, everyone around me was like, “Oh my gosh, you’re going to get engaged.” I found myself staring at his pocket all of the time just to see if I could locate a ring (ha!) A few days into the trip I told myself it wasn’t going to happen and decided to just enjoy the trip. Happy to admit that the next day he popped the question!

Did you always know that you wanted to have an early Autumn wedding?

Yes! The end of September was great because you got the best of both worlds – the leaves were beginning to turn which was great for pictures but it was still nice and warm out! Fall is our favorite season so we knew we wanted a fall rustic theme. There is something about the way the leaves change in new England that just puts a smile on your face. We wanted it to also be a reflection of us, which I think came through in the décor.

How did you come across Harbor Lights?

Off of a tip from my Dad, we stumbled upon it driving around one Sunday afternoon. The minute we went inside we knew it was the place for us. It totally doesn’t give off that “country club” vibe (which we didn’t want). It appeals to all aspects of taste. The lantern lights were my favorite part because it added to the rustic theme I was trying to achieve.

So judging by some of your details, I’d say someone’s a major superman fan? 

It’s funny, when we first started dating he told me that his dad calls him “superman”, but it had nothing to do with the actual superhero. It was in reference to a line from the movie Remember the Titans. So I started calling him that for fun, too. Then as time progressed we helped each other through ups and downs and in a way, he became my own super hero. Oddly enough, the signs at our wedding were actually from the song “Drink in my Hand” by Eric Church. People probably didn’t realize that but it meant a lot to both of us. I bought the cuff links from Bloomingdales, I wanted to give him something memorable of our past and our future together.

I really enjoy the spectrum look when it comes to bridesmaid dresses, and yours looked especially amazing (LOVED the colors)! Did the girls pick them out themselves?

Thank you! I knew I wanted an assortment of fall colors. We all went together to look for them (which was amazing that nine people could coordinate a schedule!) and each bridesmaid got to pick a style that worked for them and we all decided on the colors together that would work best.

Whose boat did you commandeer and take photos on?

No clue! Ha! Heather and Michael from Harbor Lights are to thank for that. They rode around with us while we took pictures and made sure we could take advantage of our surroundings, I think it must belong to a member of Harbor Lights.

The little log/ tree bark accents at your reception were such a nice touch. Did you make those?

My father-in-law helped us to create the little details in the wedding; we actually cut down a tree from our backyard and made the escort logs from it. He also made us a wooden bench that we used as our “guestbook.” It was such an awesome idea and a great addition to our home décor.

I saw that you had a sweet video playing while you each danced with your parents — who put that together?

Luke Renchan Entertainment did those for us and they came out amazing! I was nervous that I’d spend the whole song crying (I tend to be a little emotional!) so in a way I wanted the focus off of me. I also wanted to give our guests the chance to see how we both grew up.

What was your favorite moment from that day?

My dad isn’t a huge fan of public speaking, and rarely does so, but his speech was unforgettable. It was great to relive past moments and laugh at the crazy times we’ve all shared together.

Did you run into any issues? 

Of course, there are always things that come up and things that I remembered after the fact. Our cocktail hour went a little long so we decided to not to the bouquet and garter toss and you know what? It was still a perfect day!

Were there any vendors that you were particularly impressed with?

Honestly, all of our vendors were AMAZING. Sarah totally captured every moment perfectly, the video we have from our videographer, Mike, helps us relive that way whenever we want and Luke totally went with the flow with last minute changes and revisions to the schedule. However, I have to give full credit to Pranzi Catering and Events for the overall success of the day. Lisa and her team are INCREDIBLE! She made everything so simple. I didn’t have to go to bakeries or florists because she did it all. I told her my inspiration and she made it happen. I would recommend anyone looking for a full service vendor to use them.

Now that you’ve been married for a year,  what’s been the best part about being married? Do you have any advice for recently engaged couples?

Planning all the details of the wedding was great but I have to say that being able to just enjoy time with each other (without worrying about calling vendors or deciding on décor, food, etc.) is really the best part of married life. I would say my advice is to figure out what is really important to you on the big day. You don’t want to look back with any regrets. Make the effort to step back a moment during the reception to take it all in, everyone is there to celebrate you and its pretty amazing feeling!

Details

Photography: Sarah Pudlo Photography // Videography: Mike Picard Videography //  Ceremony Venue: Saint Phillip Church // Reception Venue: Harbor Lights // Hair and Makeup: Bianca Nastari  // Headband: From Etsy // Bridal Gown:  Enzoani design from Alexandra’s Boutique // Sneakers: Converse All Stars // Groom’s and Gromsmen’s Suits: Jos A. Bank // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jim Hjelm // Catering, Cake/Desserts and Flowers: Pranzi Catering and Events Reception Video and DJ Services: Luke Renchan Entertainment // Invitations, Programs and Menus: Designed by Leah Saccoccio (bridesmaid); printed by Crosstown Press // Signage: Bethany Wong (friend) of Wong Writes // Transportation: Rockstar Limo // Koozies: Custom Ink // Rings: Ephraim Doumato Jewelers