We’re so happy to have been invited to photograph Aly and Aaron’s magical New England wedding. Partly because their planning approach matched so well with our style, but in larger part because Doug had known Aly while growing up in his little hometown of Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Full the full wedding story, tune in below after viewing all the images, as Aly and Aaron share how they planned their fairy -tailed celebration…

The Happy Couple:

Bride: Alyson, Executive Administrator at New England Wood Pellet LLC.   Groom: Aaron, Case Manager of Survivor Services at Fidelity Investments.

What Made Our Wedding Creative:

We had a fairly traditional wedding ceremony and reception, but what made it creative was the personal detail that we brought into everything from the music, to the photo slideshow, to the napkins.  A few tidbits:

• We had non-traditional, acoustic music performed by a friend for our ceremony that fit each of our personalities
• Our reception entrance was dedicated to Aaron’s real true love, the Boston Bruins
• We offered a candy buffet to our guests so they could share in our serious sugar addictions
• We provided pink bracelets, which also served as napkin rings, in lieu of traditional favors to accompany a donation that we made to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in honor of Alyson’s mom, Aaron’s grandmother and all of our other family and friends affected by the disease
• We were very fortunate to have a spectacular Fireworks display gifted to us to showcase a favorite childhood event of Alyson’s.

Our Biggest Challenge:

The weather.  We took a gamble and planned to hold our ceremony outdoors at the stone terrace overlooking Mount Monadnock, an icon for the Jaffrey/Monadnock region in New Hampshire.  An outdoor, autumn wedding in New England?  We should have known that Mother Nature had other plans for us.  It poured the entire morning and we were forced to move our ceremony into our reception area, but it all worked out in the end.  It just made walking in heels a little difficult and the background of our photos is a little cloudy.  But it cleared up in time for a lovely horse & carriage ride and fireworks!

Our Favorite Moment:

Too many to choose from! However, once we were announced as husband and wife, we were picked up by our horse & carriage and whisked away for a private 10 minute ride away from the hustle and bustle of the reception.  It allowed us to let the reality of being married sink in and to enjoy each other’s undivided attention for a few minutes before the party started. It was the perfect way to start our lives as Mr. and Mrs.

Our Advice:

Don’t let a little rain ruin your wedding day.  As my cousin told us on the day of the wedding, “It is harder to untie a wet knot than a dry one.” Enjoy every moment!

Favorite Vendors and Links:

We were very fortunate to have amazing vendors- ALL of them.

First and foremost, our Photographers.  Doug and Katherine are so kind, easy going and very talented.  To us, the photographer was the most important vendor… and we aren’t just saying that because it’s his blog. We will always have the memories of our wedding in photographs even when the details in our minds start to fade away.

• Our DJ, Summer Brown, was the best!  We had a rockin’ party with a packed dance floor from the minute it opened until the last dance.

http://atlanticsoundnh.com/index.html

• Our cake was so delicious!  And Denise Fox really outdid herself with the gorgeous sugar flowers she made.

http://www.nhweddingcakes.com/index.html

• Our florist, Carrie Niskala, was fabulous to work with- she listened to the ideas we had and took our (well, Alyson’s) vision and truly made it a reality. The flowers were vibrant and absolutely perfect.

http://www.cjnflowers.com/Home.aspx

• And our officiant, Reverend Marie Olmstead, helped us navigate the journey of writing our ceremony together with ease.  We were able to personalize the details to incorporate elements of both of our religions, Catholicism and Judaism, and to focus on the true purpose of our ceremony- united love.

Planning Help:

We were engaged for two years, which allowed us to pay such close attention to details.  While we wouldn’t suggest waiting that long (we just wanted to get married!), it was the right decision to make at that moment in our lives.  And it just made the whole day even more exciting and not so stressful!