Tell us a little about yourselves!
Luke and I met on our college swim team as freshmen in 2013 and became best friends. We started dating a year later and have been together ever since! Now we live in Boston and enjoy running, biking and spending time with our dogs, Tom and Max. We also love trying new foods and cocktails, with Luke always making adventurous recipes.
Luke planned our engagement for over a year and it was perfect! He proposed in late June 2023 at Stone Barns at Blue Hill in the Hudson Valley, and managed to totally surprise me. When it came to our wedding, we went with almost no planning at all - we decided to elope in Italy 3 days before we left for the trip.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We had started to plan a wedding once we got engaged, and we kept feeling like we had to compromise what we wanted for what our guests would be expecting. I had floated the idea to Luke about eloping next year, and he was open to the idea. Three days before we left, Luke asked if I wanted to get married during our upcoming trip to Italy, and I immediately said yes. It was a hectic few days sorting out all of the details, but the day came together beautifully.
How many guests did you have?
We had a private ceremony, but we plan to host a reception with family and friends at one of our favorite cocktail bars next year!
Tell us about your outfits.
I overnight shipped some dresses from Reformation and found two that I loved! I started the day in my shorter dress as our photographer Yazmine May took pictures of us exploring Florence, then switched to the longer dress for the ceremony! Luke actually found his suit the day we left. He went to a few different stores and decided on one from Brooks Brothers.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
For us, it was the vows! We had always wanted to write our own vows to each other, but had also wanted to keep them between us. That was something we felt like we would need to compromise on if we had a larger wedding ceremony, and it was the most important thing for both of us. We wrote them on a three hour train ride from Naples to Florence the day before the ceremony. It was so fun to have that time to reflect back on our relationship, soak in what we were about to do and really think about what it was we wanted to say to each other.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Photography was one thing we did not want to compromise on, as we felt like our pictures should be pieces of art we’d want to show our friends and family for the rest of our lives. We also really wanted to incorporate the beauty and history of the city, and our photographer, Yazmine May, understood exactly what we were looking for! Yaz was amazing to work with and we’re so thankful she wanted to be involved in our crazy last minute plans.
Any tips for couples getting married?
It’s your day and you should do it in whichever way you and your partner want!
Photographer : Yazmine May @yazminemayphotography | Brides Dress : Reformation @reformation | Grooms Suit : Brooks Brothers @brooksbrothers