An Elegant Tented Wedding at The Branford House in Groton, Connecticut

Valia Capuano (27 and a lead financial analyst) and Alexander Santaniello (27 and an operations manager) planned a sophisticated gray and silver fete beneath a white sailcloth tent in Connecticut.

“The minute we stepped onto The Branford House grounds, I knew it was the place,” Valia says of the venue on the Long Island Sound. “Alexander kept saying it reminded him of a castle from a fairy tale."

Instead of cluttering the waterfront ceremony with an altar, Valia and Alexander set the scene with hydrangeas. Paper fans and lemonade kept guests cool during the vow exchange. 

An open-air reception followed, a must for Valia, who worked with a planner to design a tented celebration that allowed guests to mingle on plush vignettes. A total of 19 crystal chandeliers were used to illuminate the tent, and silver candelabras borrowed from the groom’s mother added elegance to each tablescape.