A Classic and Romantic Garden Wedding in Hartford, Connecticut

For their romantic garden wedding in Hartford, Connecticut, Mary Kate, dressed in a custom suit from Bindle and Keep, "was my 'something blue,'" Elena shares. Next-level fashion played an instrumental role in bringing the couple's "timeless garden party" to life. Mary Kate's suit was, "created with the help of [the Bindle and Keep] team in Brooklyn, New York. She also selected to wear a pressed white shirt with her initials embroidered on the sleeve from them as well. For accessories, her brother gave her a rose gold watch which he had engraved with the wedding date and she wore her grandmother’s ring on her right hand." Meanwhile, Elena, " wore a Caroline Castigliano gown that I found with my mom and my aunt at Madeleine’s Daughter in New Hampshire. I made my veil from a piece of fabric that was supposed to be used as a detachable train from the Justin Alexander gown that I wore to the reception. I wanted to keep the gown and the accessories simple and clean, but exciting and new. And nothing beats a gown with pockets!" 
 
When it came to the rest of the elements of their wedding day, Mary Kate and Elena chose to take on planning it themselves. " Together as a couple, we chose the vendors and kept in contact with them throughout the planning process to ensure that each vendor knew where they were supposed to be during the day. We selected the color palette, décor, and fine details ourselves, which was exhausting but truly worth it. The wedding felt very unique to us and we weren’t worrying if our vision would get translated how we wanted. On the big day, our photographers really stepped in to get us and the bridal party corralled and onto the party bus to keep with our timeline." However, one thing Elena didn't complete DIY was the couple's stationery. "After creating, addressing, and wax sealing all of our save the dates myself, I decided that it would be well worth the money to hire out stationery and signage for the big day. One of my best friends even watercolored icons of our venues that we were able to turn into a keepsake map of the wedding day."  

As for the reception, Elena, "looked to Etsy for some acrylic items such as signage with our wedding hashtag, seating chart, and a card box. The guests were able to choose from three meals and I really wanted something less conspicuous than a pig or cow symbol next to their name on an escort card. Instead, I found a seller on Etsy who laser cut each guests name on wood, which I then spray painted with specific colors to reflect their meal choice. This sat at their place setting and they were also able to take them home!" 

Elena recalls her favorite wedding day moment as the time when she and Mary Kate snuck, "away from cocktail hour to just spend a little time together as newlyweds. The “coordination” part of the wedding was over and we were able to relax and enjoy a couple cocktails during golden hour. The wedding can go by so quickly, so taking time to sneak away was so special."