Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in college just over 10 years ago and a stint of long distance, before moving in together in NYC in 2015. We are obsessed with our beautiful dog Jet, who was the star of our Friday night party.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
The area is very special to us, having spent many of our weekends in nearby Litchfield County CT, getting to know each other as well as our setting. We fell in love with one another but we also fell in love with the area and developed a deep connection to it. Troutbeck is beautiful with rich history and abundant natural beauty. The folks on the Troutbeck team are outstanding – meticulous but also warm and understanding. We knew the food was going to be good but it far surpassed expectations – it was outstanding. We looked at faraway destination wedding venues. While that would have been fun, we realized we could not justify asking others to shell out for expensive flights to a place that had no meaning to any of us. Especially after nearly 18 months of pandemic. Troutbeck is 2 hours north of NYC (where most of our guests were travelling from). It allowed us to have all of our loved ones in the same place for an entire weekend (which was important to us and ended up being INCREDIBLE), without them feeling like they were trapped somewhere with nothing to do.
How many guests did you have?
We had 98 guests along with our photographer Meghan of Henry + Mac.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted our wedding to be purposeful and natural rather than forced and contrived. We directed our focus on making sure everyone genuinely had a great time, and in doing so we worried less and actually had an amazing time ourselves.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We wanted our wedding to be purposeful, thoughtful, intimate, unpretentious, unfussy, organic, sustainable, and filled with lots of love.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Every couple channels a lot of energy into a wedding for the months leading up to the big event. Then it happens and it’s seemingly gone in an instant. We can’t believe we’ve already been married for over 6 months. When you are in that moment, try as best you can to be mindful and present so that you can maximize every second.
It’s one of the only times in your life that you will have all of your loved ones in the same place at the same time.
Oh, and depending on your crowd, consider doubling the suggested number of bartenders!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Everyone we worked with, including our photographer Meghan of Henry + Mac, florist Sarah Worden Natural Design and planner SHG Event Planning were so fantastic!
Photographer : Meghan of Henry + Mac @henryandmac | Ceremony Location : Troutbeck -Walled Garden @troutbeck.ny | Reception Location : Troutbeck Barns @troutbeck.ny | Celebrant : Jeddah Vailakis @revjeddah | Entertainment : DJ James Mulry @jamesmulry with 74Events + Paul Pesco @pescopaul | Styling : By the couple | Planner : SHG Event Planning @shgeventplanning | Flora : Sarah Worden Natural Design @sarahwordennatural | Makeup : Stacie Ford @staciefordbeautyco | Hair : Jonn Rhamani | Cake : Katie Rose Bakery @katierosebakery | Stationery : Jenny C Designs @jennycdesign | Saturday Pool Outfits : Beach Riot Bikini + Gigi C coverup (Sam) + Celine Shirt, Massimo Alba Pants and Gucci glasses (Kellen) | Wedding Dress : Lela Rose @lelarosebridal | After-Party Dress : Sam's High School Prom dress | Kellen's Tux : Cesare Attolini with Eton shirt and Brioni @brioni_official Bowtie (which broke before ceremony!) | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Ring Concierge @ringconcierge | Sam's Shoes : Jimmy Choo @jimmychoo | Kellen's Shoes : George Cleverly @georgecleverly | Ring : Sam's Grandmothers wedding band (as something 'old') | Kellen's Watch : Chopard @chopard Alpine Eagle XL