All photos taken by my incredibly talented father in-law, Jim Carmellini. Find him here!
On August 6th, on the top of a hill in Chelsea, Vermont, Ryan and I got married. It was a beautiful, hot day with clear skies, lots of tears, and our very own rainbow. It’s crazy to think that all the planning over the last nine months has come to an end (on to our New Hampshire celebration!) but it came together exactly as we had hoped.
A Little Backstory
Ryan and I knew right away when we got engaged that we wanted to get married at his parent’s place in Vermont. We’ve shared so many memories there and you really can’t beat those views. However, when we started looking at hosting everyone there, we began to realize how unfeasible that was. We also agreed we wanted a smaller, more intimate ceremony. Thus, our “two weddings” were born- a private ceremony in Vermont in August (which allows me to change my name before the new school year starts!) and a big, wedding celebration in New Hampshire in September. Much more realistic, much more compartmentalized, and way easier to plan.
That Morning
It was so exciting when everyone arrived in Vermont. Both my dad and my bridesmaids all flew by the house and continued up the hill. It’s the only house- I really thought you couldn’t miss it! Erin needed a breather after white knuckling it past the cliff side of the driveway, but her mom’s minivan did the trick.
After a lunch of wrap sandwiches and a wild ranger ride around the property, everyone had been fully integrated into life “on the farm.” Sharing such a special spot with such special people was really significant and I’m so glad they all made the trip.
Getting Ready
The Colbys (the greatest Vermont neighbors there ever have been!) lent us our getting ready space which exactly what the girls and I needed to get prepped and polished. There were tunes and beverages and laughs to spare. I am so incredibly grateful to have had all my best girls in one place. We chose to do our own hair and makeup which meant that everyone looked like themselves: perfect and beautiful. It was fairly cool in the house but we placed the curling iron by a sunny window so our curls were battling a lot of heat and sweat. In the end, I think we cleaned up pretty nice.
Our First Look
Based on our schedule for the day, Ryan and I wanted to do our first look and photos before our ceremony. I was worried I would get too emotional walking down the aisle if we hadn’t seen each other prior (and I got emotional enough even after the first look!) Beacon Hill provided the perfect backdrop and it was nice to have some time together before everything official took place. We even got to use a 48 Ford (again, Colbys- best neighbors ever!) which made for some very classic, Vermont styles photographs.
Our Ceremony
Emily officiated our ceremony and she did a wonderful job. Ryan and I joke that he is pretty poor when it comes to words of affirmation (which happens to be my top love language) but his vows were beautiful and they matched mine in so many aspects. We laughed as we tried to figure out what we were support to do, considering we didn’t rehearse anything ahead of time. The craziest part was after we said “I will” and shared our first kiss as husband and wife, a rainbow appeared in the valley behind us. Talk about picture perfect.
The After Party
We’ve spent many nights in Vermont “at the chairs,” which is a space that Laurie and Jim expertly crafted with the help of Jim’s excavator, and we knew we wanted our after party to take place there. The view is amazing, the fire pit blazes hot enough for barbecue and the drinks keep flowing. We had fun playing corn hole and going through some couples’ trivia (kudos to Jason who knew that “tractoring” was Ryan’s favorite outdoor activity when Ryan thought he made up the word “tractoring” when coming up with his answer.) Also, heads up to all- a grocery store cake really is the way to go. As the sun set and the stars came out, we realized that everything really had gone exactly how we imagined it would. It was the perfect day, with many more to follow.
