A Traditional Wedding at The Pavilion at Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, Connecticut

Megan Sweeney (32, a music teacher) and Sean Nelson (30, a professional musician) met through a mutual friend in February 2012.“I went to college with Chris and now he and Sean play in the United States Coast Guard Band together,” Megan says. “Both Sean and I were getting frustrated with online dating and both decided to take a break from dating right before Chris introduced us. Sean was apparently a little reluctant, but luckily Chris was able to convince him to meet me! Chris was there with us when we first met, and then he left when he realized we were hitting it off. Sean and I spent the night talking and getting to know each other over drinks, but we never asked for each other’s numbers! I found his number on his music website the next day, sent him a text, and planned an official dinner date for the following weekend in Mystic. A friend jokingly warned me he was probably going to bring his trombone, and he did! After dinner we walked to a bar and he sat-in with the jazz combo. The next day I went over to his apartment and he cooked me dinner -- we have been inseparable ever since. Sean proposed in April 2013. He planned a weeklong vacation during my spring break. We traveled to Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. We stayed in a different bed and breakfast every night. Sean loves photography, and the first night we stopped to take pictures of Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse Maine. Apparently, he was originally going to propose there, but he couldn’t figure out how to get the ring out of his luggage without me finding out. The next morning we hiked the Beech Mountain Trail at Acadia National Park and when we arrived at the top of the mountain, he hugged me and told me he has felt complete ever since meeting me and then got down on one knee. I was completely surprised and in awe of how beautiful the ring was! The ring is a cushion-cut diamond in a halo setting. I could not have picked a better ring out for myself and he did it all on his own!”Since Megan is originally from Pennsylvania and Sean is from Texas, they wanted a New England theme. “We both love the water, so the Pavilion at Rocky Neck State Park -- which sits on the Connecticut coastline -- was perfect,” Megan says. “The Pavilion is a rustic, depression-era cobblestone structure with working fireplaces and native wood pillars. We rented out the second floor, which included a rooftop terrace so our guests could enjoy the ocean breeze and views to Long Island Sound. We decided early on that we were not trying to stick to a specific wedding style—if we liked it we went with it! I think the end result was classic, rustic and glamorous. The color palette was rosewood, navy blue, silver, and white. Sean is a trombonist in the United States Coast Guard Band and Dixieland Jazz Band, and his strongest opinion throughout the entire planning process was that his friends play at the reception. Members of the Coast Guard Band got together and formed the East Coast Ramblers—a Dixieland jazz band—that performed lighter selections during the cocktail hour and upbeat dance tunes as the night unfolded. Probably the most fun part of the whole day was when Sean and his groomsmen got out their horns and started playing with the East Coast Ramblers. People were passing trumpets around, playing in the crowd, starting conga lines—the energy was unbelievable! People were so excited they were just yelling and screaming and EVERYONE was on the dance floor—our goal was to have an epic party and the consensus is we did just that! A school bus (homage to my profession) transported our guests to the ceremony and reception, and Sean and I joined them on the trip back to the hotel. The entire bus unloaded and went straight to the bar where we partied all night!