A Traditional Christmas Wedding at the Catlin Gardens Inn in Slate Hill, New York

When Jennifer Toussaint, (26, a deputy animal control officer) met Shane Toussaint (26, a physical therapist), she was only 16 years old!“I was 16 years old and a sophomore in high school,” Jennifer says. “My older brother had just deployed and Christmas was just two weeks away. I was upset because Christmas time is always a very special time for my family but we were feeling the absence of my brother. I got a ride home from the gym from my friend and cross country teammate, Shane, whom I had just met that year. Shane was a junior in the same high school. I ended up sharing with him how upset I was about Christmas and missing my brother. The next day after practice he surprised me and took me to a Christmas tree farm. He let me know he had cleared it with my mother and he cut down the tree I chose. He came home with me and set it up in the living room and as he was leaving he gave me a quick kiss and said, "I've been waiting a long time to do that." I have been head over heels for him ever since! We dated all through high school and college and got engaged around Christmas. Shane had wrapped a container of jewelry cleaner and put it in my stocking, when I turned around to ask what it was he was down on one knee. All of our traditions as a couple have been wrapped around the holiday season and that is why we chose to get married in December! We had a two year engagement and we celebrated our 10 year anniversary together just days after our wedding. We were married at Catlin Gardens in Slate Hill, New York, just a few miles from the high school where we met. We chose the location because the Tri-State area will always feel like home and both of our families still live in the area. We picked that specific location because it went with the sophisticated, traditional feel we were going for and given it was a December wedding, it was a safe driving distance for our guests should the weather be bad! We had a strictly indoor wedding and that location had plenty of locations for photos. Our wedding photographer, Custom by Nicole, was the best! She and her staff were friendly, accommodating and on point throughout the day. Given the poor weather and limitations, my wedding photos are better than I could have ever expected!”