Emma & Greg's California-inspired wedding under a tent in Old Lyme, Connecticut

Emma and Greg - two of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure of working with. And a pair that was equally involved in the planning. Often times, I am working solely with the bride and the groom pops in for the catering tasting and the final walk-through. Not Greg! He was just as involved in planning as Emma.

Emma and Greg were also longtime clients of mine as their initial wedding was scheduled for June 2020. Naturally, the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 and state mandates prohibited their wedding from happening that year. We did what many couples had to do and postponed to June 2021.

We had the majority of their vendor team booked and details ironed out so the year in between had a lot of downtime. We picked things back up right where we left off in early 2021. Covid was still hanging around but we had to make a decision on whether or not to move forward as planned. I remember giving them a deadline as to when we absolutely had to make a final decision. Literally the day they had to decide was the day that Governor Lamont lifted many of the capacity restrictions and mask mandates for larger events. We were ecstatic!

The property where they were married has been in Greg's family for years. Emma and Greg got engaged here and they knew it was where their wedding was going to be. Being that they live in California made planning an east coast wedding a bit more challenging. They knew they had to have a planner on their team.

I came on board mid-way through the process to help them manage the vendors they had booked, help them finish building the vendor team, work out wedding day details, help coordinate the layout of the space and offer design suggestions and ensure the day flowed perfectly.

We wanted the day to feel very laid back and relaxed, for guests to feel welcomed and for the main goal to be to celebrate their love surrounded by the people they love the most. From the moment I arrived on the property, I could feel the energy in the air. Emma and her girls were busy getting ready inside the house and Greg and the guys took a morning swim in the river right behind the house before they put on their suits.

They did not do a First Look and wanted the first time they saw each other to be as Emma was walking down the aisle. They exchanged their vows under a gorgeous tree on the property with the Connecticut River in background. Guests then made their way to the expansive lawn for cocktail hour before finding their seats at long tables under the tent.

These two incorporated many personalized details into the day - from the chalkboard seating chart crafted by a family member to the funfetti cakes shipped by MilkBar in New York that Emma just had to have (which they sliced with Greg's grandfather's sword. A McKillop family tradition!)

I can honestly say that I have never seen a wedding dance floor so packed for the entire night. When the reception ended at 10pm, no one was ready to leave. So they decided to keep everything rolling into overtime. They danced the night away under the stars and around the firepit. The festivities continued the next morning with a post-wedding brunch on the property under the tent.

Emma and Greg - thank you for being such wonderful clients and equally as wonderful people! It was a pleasure to help you plan (and replan!) your wedding day and I hope you both loved every minute of it.

For anyone wondering, the family has decided to allow a handful of weddings on their property. If you are interested in getting married here, please reach out to me directly and I can help you work through the details!

Vendor Team:

Planning/Design: Alyssa Jean Signature Events

Catering: The Farm Belly

Bar: Two Pour Guys

Tent & Rentals: Tents Unlimited & PEAK

Photography: Cora Jane

DJ: Jay McElfresh

Cake: MilkBar

Florals: Earth Blossoms

Beauty: All Dolled Up