Lush White-and-Green Flowers Filled This Wedding at Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut

Tram and Johnson chose to host their garden-inspired green-and-white wedding at Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut, because that's where they "met and fell in love in our home state of Connecticut. There was no more meaningful place for us to get married. On a random chance, we toured Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut, and knew that this was where we wanted to get married. Nestled along the coast of our home state was this beautiful European-inspired garden. Tucked by the ocean, it had an Old World and romantic feel, with vines climbing the pergola and the mansion’s exteriors. When the sun hits just right, the place feels magical. We always joked that we thought this was a piece of Lake Como in the United States," explains Tram. 

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing once the couple settled on their dream wedding venue. "Our wedding was postponed from last June due to COVID-19," says Tram. "As healthcare workers, we had happily accepted that we may just get married in a small ceremony with our parents and siblings. While we had to drastically reduce our guest list, we are so grateful we got to have our immediate families and a handful of friends each. It was the first time I hugged my grandmother in over a year. That, in itself, made the gathering feel intimately special." 

As for the aesthetic of the couple's Eolia Mansion wedding, they "envisioned a night of romance—a beautiful candlelit dinner and to celebrate the historic beauty of the mansion. We emphasized the florals and drew inspiration from the venue’s gardens and the season. We worked with our amazing florist who designed classic arrangements with a touch of 'whimsical,' using peonies, garden roses, sweet peas, lisianthus and trailing vines. I fell in love with a lace dress embroidered with flowers overlying nude underlining, which inspired the wedding palette. Our color palette was soft shades of ivory, cream, lavender taupe, champagne and muted blush. Due to our small guest count, we envisioned more of an intimate dinner party, with guests weaving in and out of the mansion’s many rooms. I didn’t have a wedding planner and did most of the planning. I love art and designed the letterpress invitations and day-of stationery myself. The invitations also had trailing vines, inspired by the venue. I designed our linen favor bags with our logo and filled them with boba mochi, our favorite treat. I also wanted to do something unique with the escort cards and designed and printed envelopes with custom wax seals to match our wedding invitations. As for pandemic safety precautions, everyone who attended the wedding was vaccinated including all of the vendors," says Tram. "The wedding night was beautiful and feels like a dream. While there was the threat of thunderstorms that morning, the weather turned out beautifully. We felt so calm. A light mist and fog enveloped the gardens. My favorite moment was walking down the aisle to our violinist playing Ave Maria alongside the sounds of birds chirping. With the grey clouds lingering above us, it gave the place the most romantic feel."

Impressively, Tram stylishly brought together her storybook wedding without the help of a wedding planner. "I didn’t have a wedding planner and did most of the planning myself! The cocktail space was draped in a beautiful nude blush fabric with a crystal chandelier. The reception was divided into two rooms, with a mix of rectangle and round tables. We wanted the florals to be the focal point. Our florist created beautiful, tall hanging centerpieces. My florist used my favorite florals including peonies, garden roses, sweet peas, lisianthus, and trailing vines. The smell of fresh garden roses always takes me back to the wedding day. We wanted to re-create the feeling of the venue’s pergola, with the hanging vines and flowers, and for our families to feel like they were dining under a canopy of flowers. We also lined the tables with tall ivory taper candles, and it illuminated the mansion so beautifully that evening."

Looking back on the memorable waterfront wedding day at Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut, Tram advises current to-be-weds in the throes of wedding planning to remember that "the planning process can be tough, but there is nothing more memorable than seeing your loved ones gathered so joyously. It is all worth it! I remember seeing how happy our parents and grandparents were at dinner, and it felt so warm and special. Our other advice is to lean on each other – with everything that happened last year, the tough times make the beautiful times that much more meaningful."