December 12, 2015
Need to know more about how this beautiful day came together? So did we. Luckily, we were able to track Lauren down (a.k.a. stalk her on Facebook) and get a few more details. ❄️❤️
Edited by Kaitlyn Murray
How did you two meet?
Kate and I are both from Massachusetts. We met when we both lived on Cape Cod through mutual friends.
Who proposed to whom? Was it a surprise?
Kate proposed to me on our 4 year anniversary. I had made her dinner and afterwards she put a bedazzled collar on our dog with a huge rose. When I had her come over and see me, I looked at the collar and it said “Marry Me,” and then Kate came in and got down on one knee.
Did you always know that you wanted a winter wedding? I LOVED the decor — how did you pull off the “snow”?
I always thought I’d someday have a fall wedding until I met Kate, her love for Christmas, snow and winter is absolutely contagious! Having a winter wedding suited us. Also, I did not want an outdoor wedding and never wanted to worry about sweating at my wedding so it worked out perfectly. We had actually hoped for a snow flurry on our wedding day, but it was 60 degrees haha. Lakeview Pavilion has a snow machine to use for special moments and it was the most amazing thing!
What made you decide to go with Lakeview Pavilion?
The owners! We booked our wedding when there was only a foundation for the venue. We did not get to walk into an actual ballroom and think “this is it!” Instead we went to the owners’ makeshift office and looked at plans and pictures of the new venue. The feeling we got in that office with the women was enough for us to have complete faith and trust in them to book the venue sight unseen and everything FAR exceeded our hopes and expectations. The women who run Lakeview Pavilion are top notch!
Tell me more about the retro Volkswagen van shown at the beginning of the video.
I had a vintage VW bus pick Kate up at the hotel and drive her to the venue, the bus was used in our pictures and was also a photo booth in the back! Kate has an obsession with VW buses. She has an entire collection of them (like collector’s stuff, not actual buses haha) from shirts, to die cast, to plates, to legos etc….they are everywhere in our home! I knew it would be the perfect gift and surprise for her so I scoured the internet to find one to rent. I found Ben from Photo Booth Planet online and he traveled from far up in Vermont to make Kate’s surprise come true. I had Ben dress in Tie-Dye (Kate’s favorite) and stand outside the bus holding a sign that said Kate to surprise her, she immediately started crying. My videographer caught the moment for me. It was amazing!
Your vows were absolutely beautiful (seriously, I teared up a bit) but also hilarious at some points– Did you know you were going to write your own from the beginning? And do you have any advice for couples when it comes to writing their vows?
Yes, I was not sure because Kate has not always done well with public speaking but man did she nail it! I never cry, Kate calls me a robot….but if I were to cry ever it would have been during her vows, they were beautiful…..My advice is to start early, and reread and tweak until you are sure they are exactly what you want to convey about the other person. All we do is laugh and joke around, we are rarely serious so throwing in jokes and zingers were important to us.
I also saw you had a little karaoke session at the reception – was that planned?
We wanted to do it, but Kate sprained her ankle badly so we were not sure if she was going to be able to walk let alone dance on the wedding day. We decided to actually do it 10 minutes before. We sang it in the car a bunch of times in the weeks leading up to the day and that was all the rehearsing we had. The song is Good to be Alive by Andy Grammer.
Were there any vendors you were particularly impressed with?
Oh my goodness, all of them. They were all phenomenal!!! But our photographer, David Volkmann, captured so many special moments. He had a second photographer come that day as well, Alison Ebacher, and they were both beyond awesome.
What was each of your favorite moments from that day?
We took moments throughout the wedding to stop and look around and really take everything in and enjoy it. We had heard so many people say the wedding went by in a flash and they did not remember stuff. So we made sure and by that I mean Kate made sure to make me stop at times and look around and see how many people showed up for us and how much love was in the room, they were special moments for us to see how much love and support we were being given that day, and everyday.
Do you have any advice for recently engaged couples?
I had people ask me at the wedding, “Was it worth it? Would you do it all again?” and my answer will always be “YES!!!” Start planning early so you do not get overwhelmed and enjoy every single minute of it! Do not get hung up when little things go wrong (because they will) and just keep in the forefront of your mind the end goal, to be married and to celebrate spending the rest of your life with your soulmate!
The Details
Videography: I DO Cinematography // Photography: David Volkmann Photography // Ceremony, reception, catering and uplighting: Lakeview Pavilion, Foxborough, Mass. // Hair by: Tanya Marie from Hair Connection, Danvers, Mass // Makeup by: Lindsay Rose from Hair Connection, Danvers, Mass. // Lauren’s dress: Judd Wadell, Allegria Bridal in Belmont, Mass. // Lauren’s veil: from Allegria Bridal // Kate’s suit: Vera Wang, Men’s Wearhouse // Bridesmaid dresses: Vera Wang, David’s Bridal // Groomsmen suits: Vera Wang, Men’s Warehouse // Flower girl dresses: David’s Bridal // Ring bearer’s suit: Vera Wang, David’s Bridal // Ring bearer’s rad sunglasses: LaLaurel shop (Etsy) // Officiant: Reverend Joanna // Cake: Konditor Meister // Flowers: Melissa Horne from The Plant Bazaar // Music: Benny Goodman from Entertainment Specialists // Coordinator: Anastasia from Lakeview Pavilion // Photo booth: Entertainment Specialists // VW Van: Photo Booth Planet.