Cecilia and Ryan were married on the cusp of winter and spring. Mid-March is a dreary time of year in Connecticut so having a wedding to look forward to is always exciting!
These two came to me five months before their wedding day. They had decided they wanted to be married in Hartford City Hall with a reception to follow at the Pond House Cafe. Besides these two pieces, they hadn't started any other planning. We set up a time to visit the venue together and then began the work.
When clients are at the very early stages of planning, it's important to sit down and start a deep dive into what matters most to them. Cecilia and Ryan wanted to keep things simple, embrace the weather with a cozy & romantic atmosphere and incorporate their love of hiking into their design.
We got to work on building their dream vendor team and design creation. With only five months to plan everything, we didn't have any time to waste!
When the wedding day finally arrived, Cecilia and Ryan both decided to get ready at their home in Hartford. Even though they were together in the space, they stayed separate all day so that the first time they saw each other would be when Cecilia came down the aisle.
I coordinated separate shuttle pick-ups and entrances for each of them at Hartford City Hall. This venue is such an iconic spot for ceremonies and wedding photos. It has an old world charm and grandeur to it that you can't find anywhere else in the state. The highlight of the ceremony (besides them exchanging their vows) was when Cecilia's aunt, a trained opera singer, performed a set for them in lieu of a reading. It was absolutely breathtaking to witness and something I know they will cherish for years to come.
After the ceremony, we spent extra time taking pictures before boarding the bus to Pond House Cafe for cocktail hour. One of the best details we incorporated into their day was their seating chart and gift table. They created both themselves (a DIY project gone right!). They named their tables after hikes they have done together (their table was named after the mountain they got engaged on) and created mini mountain stands as the table numbers. The gift table featured a huge mountainous display that Ryan created with a mailbox they plan to use at their home as the card box. Guests could also decorate the mailbox with various stickers the couple had purchased throughout their travels together. What a fun and cute way to personalize the wedding!
The reception started with their first dance and a shared parent dance before guests were invited up to the dinner stations. A late night surprise of macaroni and cheese came out shortly after (who doesn't love a surprise mac & cheese station?!) We sent guests home at 11:30pm after enjoying a memorable night dining, dancing and celebrating our newlyweds!
Cecilia & Ryan - our biggest congratulations to the two of you!
Vendor Team:
Planning & Design: Alyssa Jean Signature Events
Venue: The Pond House Cafe
Ceremony Venue: Hartford City Hall
Photographer: Stella Blue
Florals: Amberworks Floral Design
Officiant: Love, Honor, Cherish
Beauty: Dana Bartone
Transportation: Elite Limo
Make sure to check out Cecilia's 5 star review:
Alyssa did an amazing job! My husband and I did not have much time to organize our wedding and had pretty packed schedules, she was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, flexible with meeting scheduling and professional. I don’t know what I would have done without her! We were very happy with all the vendors she suggested, they were all people she had worked with before and who she knew would do a great job. She was very responsive and communication was always easy and not overwhelming. She did a lot of work and managed to organize and coordinate a perfect day for us. I can’t thank her enough!