A home wedding will always hold a special place in our hearts. By design, they are intimately personal, as they are set in a space that holds deep meaning for the couple and their family. That was no exception for Jason and Eli! Guests and vendors alike were hugged by such emotion, warmth, and personalization that this day holds the highest place in our memories.

Thinking back to this home wedding, three standout moments of the day shaped the essence of Jason and Eli’s wedding weekend.

Rain

Starting off strong here! In nearly every wedding weekend of 2023, rain was a guest. While unwelcome, Mother Nature showed up, and she often showed up pretty strong. While we had clear skies and radars for days, even minutes leading up to the ceremony, we were in a little pocket where the skies completely unleashed over the home. We brought guests under the tent, and with the help of the greatest vendor team to grace us that weekend, we set up their new ceremony location within a matter of seven minutes. Seven minutes! For a tented home wedding, this is a feat.

Completely unphased by what the weather was doing, Jason and Eli were watching out of the window together, cool as cucumbers getting ready for their vows. When discussing the immediate next steps together, they asked if we could hold off for about ten minutes. They were looking over the horizon, where the sun was clearly (and quickly) creeping toward us. They wanted to wait, and with the forty umbrellas we brought along with us, there was nothing but excitement to follow their direction.

When we invited guests back to the original ceremony location, there were only cheers leading everyone that way. Guests, like Jason and Eli, were there for all the right reasons. They were ready and excited to embrace our guys in all the love and support they had in them!

Family

When we curate home weddings, we get to know the couple intimately and their family, too. Homes are sacred spaces, and there are many unique nuances to consider in the scope of one day or a full weekend, so we are there for all planning partners.

It wasn’t difficult to see where these two come from. Their parents and siblings are incredible humans, a welcoming presence to anyone they meet!

We’ll never forget the ceremony recessional, once vows had wound down and everyone was heading into cocktail hour. Most commonly, we see one side of the family recess, followed by the other side of the couple’s family right behind them. In the case of Jason and Eli’s wedding, both sets of parents joined hands with one another and recessed as one full family force.

Planning Their Home Wedding

When it comes to wedding planning, we’ve always led the process with the mentality that our clients don’t know what they don’t know. Nor should they! We have experience in all facets of events to lend to our couples to ensure the efficiency, personalization, and success of their celebrations. That list grows exponentially when you’re building a venue from scratch, which is a home wedding!

This planning process was the kind we dream about with our clients, and though we know they’ll never have to plan their own wedding again, we’d jokingly rush to go back if we ever had the offer! They were invested in planning and loved understanding how everything worked to come together. They asked questions out of curiosity, explored levels of their day that reflected who they are, and engaged with everyone and everything that was a part of it.

Happy first anniversary, Jason and Eli! Wishing you two a hundred more years of happiness, adventure, and sun among the stormy skies! XOXO

Be sure to check out our favorite tented weddings here!

TOP-TIER TEAM:

Photography: Madison Abbey Photography
Event Planning & Design: Jubilee Events
Flowers: Halcyon Heroine
Entertainment: CZone Entertainment, Divina Artisti
Cake: Wingates Cakes
Catering: Blackstone Caterers
Tent Decor & Bar: Ryan Designs
Rentals: PEAK Event Services
Stationery: Karri Lee Designs
Tent: Sperry Tents

 

Right before this pandemic put a halt on 2020’s celebrations, a passionate group of creatives got together to create a photoshoot inspired by things we all love: fashion, style, and, most importantly, love! Thank goodness, as the pure epicness of this modern wedding shoot has gotten us through the rest of this year so far! This really began when my best friend’s mom’s partner was looking for an edgy, female suit for her sister’s same-sex wedding. I had nowhere to turn to, and when asking my fashion guru, Beth Chapman from Beth Chapman Styling, she had one source based on the other side of the country.

That wouldn’t do, but it was like the stars aligned because Enzo from Valentino Tailors reached out to Beth, saying he was starting a new line of women’s suits. Gorgeous, well-fitting, sexy suits! Kismet!

We knew we had to create a styled design to showcase this new line! It was with this that we hit the ground running, cooking up a shoot that not only dove deep into an edgy vibe but celebrated love in its greatest form! The Goodwin Hotel is the perfect setup as it’s dripping with modern elements around every corner of this boutique hotel. A color palette of black, white, and gold not only complements the venue but creates the perfect setting for our couple to get immersed in. There was so much I cannot get enough of, still, that I’m going to note here for you to spot throughout this gorgeous collection of images:

Things I Adore About This Modern Wedding Photoshoot

• The sheer ferocity of our brides
• Sara Gabriel‘s custom “One Love” veil. Is there nothing this fashion magician can’t do?! I might be biased but I’d say this blew Hailey Bieber’s right out of the water!
• That giant bow on Ines di Santo‘s gown. You can find her line at The White Dress by the Shore!
• Our linen, which switches from black to gold with a literal swipe of a hand
• The sleek back knot on our brunette babe created by Catie Bane. This is how I style myself when I’m going for the “casual” vibe.
• The Goodwin Hotel — those blue armchairs, that wallpaper, the historical brick structure right in downtown…!
• The gorgeous black and marble wedding cake by Sugar Therapy
• Every creative involved in this shoot!!

I invite you to look through and create your own list of things you adore!! XO

For more inspiration, visit our vast collection of designs and celebrations here!

 

credit reel

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Venue: The Goodwin Hotel
Planning + Design: Jubilee Events
Fashion + Styling: Beth Chapman Styling from The White Dress by the Shore
Flowers: Persephone Floral
Beauty: Catie Bane
Suit Designer: Valentino Tailors
Veil: Sara Gabriel Designs
Dress: Ines di Santo
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo + Hayley Paige
Cake: Sugar Therapy
Rentals: PEAK Event Services
Linens: Nuage Designs

There’s something about a modern, black and white, with a side of fierce design aesthetic that we love! It seems like Love Inc. felt the same way because they have featured our photo shoot that took place at The Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, Connecticut!

Designing this shoot was a treat — a slight departure from our usual approach to creating wedding specific content. While our inspiration normally begins with the venue — our surroundings and natural aesthetic, this shoot began with the couple. We wanted to focus more on their story and dynamic as that’s what the wedding day is really all about: the two people we are there to celebrate. From there, the other pieces would come together.

Check us out!!

Take a peek here and get soaked up in all the sexy, sequin goodness! Thank you to the team at Love Inc. for sharing such an inspiring day and collection of ideas and stay tuned to the blog for the full spread!

 

the A-team

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Venue: The Goodwin Hotel, Hartford
Planning + Design: Diana of Jubilee Events
Flowers: Persephone Floral
Beauty: Catie Bane for Willow Salon
Suits: Valentino Tailors
Styling: Beth Chapman Styling
Cake: Sugar Therapy
Gowns: Ines de Santo and Theia via The White Dress by the Shore
Maid’s Dresses: Hayley Paige, Jenny Yoo via The White Dress by the Shore
Accessories: Sara Gabriel
Rentals: PEAK Event Services
Linen: Nuage Designs

Need a little sophisticated, elegant, downright fashionable inspired boost to your day? Well, we are excited to announce that Brendan and Ryan’s wedding — which was all that and more — is featured on Carats and Cake!! Go visit and love up on these two and all their details. You’ve never seen a better looking wedding party… or two happier people!

Thank you to all over at Carats and Cake for featuring our guys. To enjoy their day a little more, visit their wedding over on the blog here!

 

CREDIT REEL

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck Photography
Ceremony + Reception Location: Lord Thompson Manor
Event Planning + Design: Diana of Jubilee Events
Flowers: Hana Floral Design
Videography: Vantage Point Films
Catering: Lord Thompson Manor
Ceremony Music: Millennium Music
Reception Band: The Elements – Elan Artists
Stationery: Coral Pheasant Stationery
Hair: Friend of the couple
Makeup: Giggar Makeup Artistry
Cake: On the Rise Bakery
Grooms’ suit: custom Tom Ford
The Most Amazing Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Officiant: Mary Coburn
Rentals: Nuage Designs via Jubilee Events, PEAK Event Services

Oh, how I love and miss Vanessa, Lauren, their children and their friends / families! They planned one epic summer destination wedding in Maine that culminated in a spectacular, Barn at Walnut Hill wedding.

I’ve know Vanessa for years as the hard-working, creative mastermind behind her design company Two Paper Dolls. She’s wildly talented, the true definition of a boss lady (and one whom I immensely admire), and has an enormous heart. Lauren is very much the same– she’s the wildly talented, boss lady of Vanessa and Lauren’s sweet family (and my admiration for how dedicated she is to her family is overwhelming) with a heart to match the size of Vanessa’s. As a team, they’re pretty incredible.

Barn at Walnut Hill Wedding: Vanessa & Lauren’s Story

Here’s a bit more of their story, as written in Martha Stewart Weddings:

Vanessa Kreckel and Lauren Martin go back—way back, to the 1980s, when both were growing up in eastern Pennsylvania. As grade-schoolers and throughout high school, they played field hockey and softball together. If you ask Vanessa, who is two years older, she’d say she was the cooler of the two. Lauren remembers it differently: “I thought she was annoying; I hung out with her best friend’s younger sister.” In 1993, Vanessa went off to college and the two didn’t cross paths again until 2008, when the magic of Facebook rendered them “friends.” Lauren was now a physical-education teacher living in New York’s Hudson Valley, and Vanessa owned a graphic-design and letterpress firm, Two Paperdolls, in Philadelphia. “The best day ever was when she invited me to ‘like’ the Two Paperdolls Facebook page,” says Lauren. (Vanessa swears she was oblivious to these cyber flirtations.)

Offline, the best day ever was still to come, when the pair met again at a mutual pal’s Boston wedding in 2010. “I walked in and was like, ‘Is that the Lauren Martin from high school?!’ She was grown-up, gorgeous, and gay,” says Vanessa. After a night spent laughing and catching up (and with Lauren copping to her Facebook crush), Vanessa says, “I pretended that I didn’t know how to drive back to Philly and thought it would be a swell idea to follow Lauren to her place and find my way home from there.” They’ve been a couple—well, really, a family—ever since: Landon, Vanessa’s now 9-year-old son from a previous relationship, fell in love with Lauren, too. “The first time he met her, he told me, ‘I know she’ll be my mom someday,’” remembers Vanessa.

Another “best ever” contender was Mother’s Day 2012. By that time, Lauren was living with Vanessa in Pennsylvania and pregnant with their son Cash, now 2. That morning, Landon walked in with a poster Vanessa had made detailing the women’s relationship. “He gets down on one knee and says, ‘Laur, will you marry us?’” recalls Vanessa. “Who could say no to that?”

After baby Cash was born, the pair started scouting wedding locales in earnest, hoping to find a New England barn. Lauren suggested Maine, and after the family spent a weekend there, they settled on The Barn on Walnut Hill, a four-acre estate 20 minutes outside of Portland in North Yarmouth, and invited 100 guests for a summer weekend soirée.

Barn at Walnut Hill Wedding: The Wedding Weekend

The celebration started with a chartered whale watch in Portland’s Casco Bay. “The Bloody Marys were gone before we even left the dock,” says Lauren, who, along with Vanessa, met up with guests that night at a local brewery for a backyard-style barbecue. The next day, on June 28, 2014, in a sun-dappled forest, Vanessa, carrying Cash, walked down the aisle with her father as a band played “Ho Hey,” by the Lumineers. Lauren, escorted by Landon, followed, to the sounds of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love.” The 35-minute ceremony, officiated by a friend, featured vows the couple had written themselves and a sweet speech from Landon.

Next order of business: partying down. After freshly shucked oysters and cocktails on the lawn, guests moved inside the barn for a dinner of dry-aged beef and poached Maine halibut. A DJ spun a mix of new and old jams as revelers ate slices from five kinds of pies (served instead of cake) and took turns at the penny-candy dessert bar. At night’s end, the newlyweds left amid a sparkler send-off—capping off what both women agree was the ultimate best day ever.

Barn at Walnut Hill Wedding: The Details

And now onto the details, as featured in Martha Stewart Weddings:

Vanessa, a graphic designer, created the letterpressed invites. The suite incorporated laser-cut wood pieces, rustic twine, and other Maine-inspired accents. Burlap bags, stocked with provisions, a “hangover kit” in a paint can, and the weekend’s itinerary, welcomed guests.

Lauren carried a free-form bouquet of peonies, anemones, succulents, seed heads, and blackberries, tied with an accordion-pleated silk ribbon. A vintage velvet ribbon, found in a Parisian warehouse, tied off Vanessa’s cluster of peonies, succulents, anemones, blushing bride proteas, and seeded eucalyptus.

Laser-engraved wood covered the programs. Included was a letter Vanessa wrote to Lauren’s father, who passed away in 2006. “Lauren’s dad was her favorite person, and vice versa. I knew celebrating this moment in her life without him was going to be really difficult,” says Vanessa. “By writing the letter, I wanted to honor him, tell him I would take care of his daughter for the rest of her life, and also let him know I’d come a long way from our field-hockey days!”

The couple (Lauren in Anne Barge Black Label and Vanessa in Claire Pettibone) wed in front of a canvas scroll custom-printed with a quote from the 13th-century poet Rumi. The ceremony, which was officiated by Vanessa’s childhood best friend’s husband, also featured selections from “We Are Six,” by A.A. Milne and the Goodridge Ruling, which legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts in 2003. The couple recited promises to each other that they’d written themselves. Lauren, who went first, surprised her wife with an original poem. “It was hilarious—and it rhymed!” says Vanessa. (An excerpt: You are gorgeous and smart, my perfect mate / And as everyone here knows, always fashionably late.) “My vows were more serious and emotional,” Vanessa says, laughing.

“The most beautiful part was that our kids were there with us on the day we became a legal family,” Vanessa says of her favorite memory of the day.

Die-cut escort cards printed with guests’ names and a map of Portland hung from a wall on the barn’s facade, where the dinner was held. For dinner, all 100 guests sat at two long tables under Edison bulb fixtures. Vintage vessels, holding a mix of blooms, plants, and herbs, helped set the boho scene. Table numbers referenced important numerals in the newlyweds’ lives—nine, for example, represented how many miles they hiked on their first official date. Inspirational quotes also appeared on the hemstitched linen napkins. The newlyweds started the dance party by twirling to Lionel Richie’s “My Love.”

Watch Vanessa & Lauren’s Wedding Film

Vanessa & Lauren | A Wedding Trailer film in Portland, ME from Matt Buckman on Vimeo.

 

Want to see more weddings like Vanessa & Lauren’s? Check out our destination weddings, barn weddings, same sex weddings and rustic weddings archives!

Vendor Credit Reel:

Location: The Barn on Walnut Hill

Event Planning: Jubilee Events

Catering: Eventide Oyster Co.

Floral and Event Design: Flora Fauna

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck

Videography: I Do Films

Stationery and Calligraphy:Two Paperdolls

Music: Carte Blanche [ceremony and cocktail hour]; Ray Jarrell [Reception DJ]

Rentals: New England Country Rentals; Revolve Furniture

Hair: Catie & Amy

Makeup: Diva Borelli

Brides’ Gowns: Claire Pettibone[Vanessa]; Anne Barge Black Label [Lauren]

Boys’ Attire: Trico Field

Boys’ Bow Ties: Forage

Wedding Rings: Anne Sportun; Todd Reed

Lighting: Ryan Designs

Custom Fabric Printing:Spoonflower

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I believe in love more than anything else. We witness it every day and, in many cases, I feel it is one of the highest powers out there. It’s true. And when I see a couple who holds so much love for one another that everyone around them feels it in their heart, I cannot help but turn grateful to feel this as well.

Brendan and Ryan. Every time I think of these guys, I get that warm feeling in my heart and my cheeks. They are a unit, a team, that I got the amazing chance to be a part of during planning and I am lucky for it!! I absolutely admired how much they were invested – and I mean committed to – absolutely everything. It wasn’t just the decisions that went beyond them and their guests on wedding day, but to each other as well. Where one may not have understood something, the other was there to offer a hand or a simple, yet profound explanation. To understand the touches in this wedding, one would only have to know these guys the slightest bit. Seeing their generosity and love for one other as well as their friends and family granted you a sense of awareness for why certain things were planned the way they were. This was a journey they were taking together in every sense of the word and, boy, did our end mark arrive us at one helluva day!

Our color story boasted classic elegance!! Strong hues of navy, gold, white, and black only fit into the warm home of the Lord Thompson Manor. To add a little more hue to the space, we did bring in some of those blush tones that we all live for, but our rooms were dripping with the perfect golden light that hugged each of our fabulous guests. Truly, I invite you to look through the photos of these gorgeous guests as they took fashion to the next level. This was no easy fete once you take a peek at our grooms, and especially that of Ryan’s shoes. Those gold tokens of ferocity are enough to make you eat your heart out!

Though there were many amazing memories made that day, there will always be one that stands out among the rest. Back in high school, Ryan used to sneak out and go see the broadway show, RENT, with a number of his friends, many of whom were in the wedding party. As a nod to that, our killer entertainment for the evening, The Elements, invited Ryan and clan up to perform “Seasons of Love” as a surprise to their guests! Organized, surprise group singing is the kind of stuff I live for, but in hindsight, this was the most perfect song! Ryan’s face was beaming from ear to ear the entire time with Brendan’s happiness to match! I have watched my phone’s version 50 times – at least.

During the course of planning, I heard this quote and it made me immediately think of our guys. In the end, all we can do is love each other with all we’ve got. Because love is the best thing we do. Brendan and Ryan: thank you for sharing your love with each other and, most gratefully, with all of us. It is truly a pleasure to see this and be a part of your story! We wish you many wonderful years of adventures, memorable meals together, and love!!! XOXO

CREDIT REEL

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck Photography
Ceremony + Reception Location: Lord Thompson Manor
Event Planning + Design: Diana of Jubilee Events
Flowers: Hana Floral Design
Videography: Vantage Point Films
Catering: Lord Thompson Manor
Ceremony Music: Millennium Music
Reception Band: The Elements – Elan Artists
Stationery: Coral Pheasant Stationery
Hair: Friend of the couple
Makeup: Giggar Makeup Artistry
Cake: On the Rise Bakery
Grooms’ suit: custom Tom Ford
The Most Amazing Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Officiant: Mary Coburn
Rentals: Nuage Designs via Jubilee Events, PEAK Event Services

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We are so excited to see the newest special issue of Martha Stewart Weddings– which features the gorgeous destination wedding of our clients (and friends!) Vanessa and Lauren. The newest issue is now available on your iPad and in stores. It was such a pleasure to work with Vanessa and Lauren on their wedding. You may know Vanessa Kreckel from her amazing company, Two Paper Dolls. The paper goodies of this wedding were off the chain! I can’t wait to share with you more images from Carla Ten Eyck of this truly special day… but for now, please pick a copy of Martha Stewart Weddings to see more details of the day!

CREDIT REEL

Planning, Coordination & Design: Candice Coppola, Jubilee Events
Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Paper Art: Two Paper Dolls
Location: The Barn at Walnut Hill
Catering: Eventide Oyster Co.
Floral Design / Props: Floral Fauna
Hair: Catie & Amy
Makeup: Diva Borrelli
Musicians: Carte Blanche of Elan Artists
Videography: I Do Films
DJ: Elan Artists
Airstream Trailer: Vintage Maine Vacations
Tents: Sperry Tents
Lighting & Draping: Ryan Designs
Furniture: rEvolve Furniture Company
Rentals: New England Country Rentals

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Leigh and Kelsey were married on a gorgeous and warm Monday afternoon in June at Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island. Not even a trip to the hospital on wedding day (fear not– everything ended up being okay!) could deter these two from celebrating their love for one another. They were surrounded by an incredible group of close family and friends and shared an intimate afternoon of laughs, love, and celebration! Leigh and Kelsey spent dozens of hours crafting their wedding, which was filled with personal paper touches. It was an eclectic mix of vibrant colors against a clean, modern backdrop. A huge thank you to the incomparable Carla Ten Eyck and her team for these stunning images!

Credit Reel

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Planning: Jubilee Events
Location: Belle Mer
Floral Design: Datura: A Modern Garden
Paper & Invitations: Leigh & Kelsey
Officiant: Rev Steph
Bridal Gowns: The White Dress by the shore