1. Real Weddings

An Elegant Summer Wedding at Lord Thompson Manor in Thompson, Connecticut

Jeffrey Costa (28, a financial planner) and Cristina Costa (26, a digital account supervisor) and met on a rainy summer day in between her junior and

Jeffrey Costa (28, a financial planner) and Cristina Costa (26, a digital account supervisor) and met on a rainy summer day in between her junior and senior year of college at a restaurant and it was love at first sight. They went out on a date later that night and we were together every day since.“We had our wedding on June 28th, 2014, at Lord Thompson Manor in Thompson, Connecticut,” Cristina says. “We chose the venue for a few reasons. One, the venue was unbelievably beautiful and was totally my style, two, the venue is very private, three, we had never been to a wedding there, and four, the ability to customize everything from decor to the food and beverage. We couldn't have picked a better place! Jeff and I designed each food and wine item ourselves alongside the chef and made sure all the wines paired perfectly with the entrees during dinner. Our guests definitely noticed all our attention to the details, which was very ‘us.’ We have a food, wine and travel blog called Costa Cucina, so we wanted to make sure the food and wine program was PERFECT! Our reception started with dinner that lasted a little over an hour. We had a delicious salad course will grilled asparagus with baby arugula, toasted marcona almonds, Dijon vinaigrette and shaved Manchego cheese. Then as an intermezzo we served a scoop of grapefruit sorbetto in an actual ROSE! It was so beautiful. For dinner, guests had a choice of coffee crusted filet mignon, miso glazed chilean sea bass, a duo of both the filet mignon and sea bass or tarragon chicken. Everyone really loved the duo and it was such a hit; people are still raving about our food!”

"To get ready, the bridal party started off in matching pink robes that I gave them as a gift, along with the mother of the bride and mother of the groom!" Cristina said. "I wore a silk white bride robe."
"For the wedding, the girls wore an elegant long, one-shouldered light rose gown," Cristina says. "We used the extra fabric from the gowns to make pocket squares for the guys so everyone was perfectly matching. The guys wore classic black tuxes and they looked awesome! The junior bridesmaids wore the same color, but the dress was a little more youthful with little spaghetti straps. The flower girl wore the cutest Watters gown that also perfectly matched the big girls -- she was too cute!"
"Our flowers were stunning," Cristina says. "The designer at Lord Thompson Manor made my vision come to life in a way that I didn't know was possible."
White Candlestick Reception Decor
"Our cocktail hour was a little longer than usual, about an hour and a half," says Cristina. "The food was designed by Jeff and I along with the chef and has a great mix of food paired with a signature bride and groom cocktail. "
Pink and White Decor
"I wanted accents that were simple and elegant," Cristina says. "I decided to go with a soft rose color and whites with a touch of gold and black. It was perfect for summer and we had a perfect weekend!"
"We had a raw bar, a fish taco bar, Italian antipasto, tuna tartare, flatbreads and numerous fantastic passed hors d'oeuvres," Cristina says. "The service was impeccable -- one of the guests' favorite parts was that the staff walked around with covered baskets to collect the dirty plates so nothing was seen!"
"Our band was so good!" Cristina says. "They had everyone up and dancing. I loved how engaging they were -- so much energy!" Looks like so much fun!
"After dinner was over, we headed out to the patio (which was indoor/outdoor) and danced the night away," Cristina says. We love this photo of Cristina and Jeffrey dancing!
"For dessert, we had a choice of two wedding cake flavors -- chocolate cake with chocolate ganache or coconut cake with passion fruit filling," Cristina says. "Both flavors were unbelievable! In addition, we had numerous petite, bite-sized desserts. We even had a truffle bar because we're such chocolate lovers!"
Bride, Groom Sparkler Exit