An Elegant Wedding at the Gershon Fox Ballroom in Hartford, Connecticut

Lisa Kesting (26 and in administration at Children’s Hospital) and Kristopher (Kris) Kesting (26 and a U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant) met through a mutual friend who set them up to attend a dance together. They had a great time at the dance and started dating a few weeks later. After graduation, Kris got orders to be stationed in Seattle and Lisa started graduate school at the University of Connecticut. The couple stayed together and racked up a ton of frequent flier miles for the two years they were apart. Luckily, Kris’s next round of orders brought him back to the east coast. After living together for a year in Brooklyn, Kris proposed on the couple’s 4th anniversary at a pond in Central Park. The ceremony took place in the bride’s hometown of Glastonbury, Connecticut, and then relocated to a reception venue in downtown Hartford, the Gershon Fox Ballroom. The inspiration for the wedding color palette originated with the groom and his groomsmen. To complement their Coast Guard uniforms, the colors were navy blue, gold and white. To show their appreciation for their friends and family, each guest was given a homemade heart basket filled with cookies. “We knew that the most important part of our day would be the people we shared it with. More than anything, we wanted all of our friends and family there to celebrate with us, and celebrate we did!” says Lisa. After the reception, the couple invited all the guests to a local bar down the street to continue the party.