Hannah & Ross’s intimate fall wedding at Starry Night Cafe in Ferrisburgh, Vermont was magical.

“Pretty much from our first date, I never wanted it to end.  We share a lot of the same interests: a nerdy appreciation for mythology, especially the Iliad, Tolkien/Lord of the Rings books, science fiction shows, reading fantasy novels, outdoor adventures – however not skiing during Vermont winters – exercising and eating tacos, which are all great things to connect with someone over, but more than that, he is great to communicate with, solve problems together and creates a safe and caring space that it’s wonderful to a part of.  I’m still falling in love with him and that’s a really amazing thing.

Neither of us had been into having a large wedding in the first place and really liked the idea of having a simple ceremony, outside in nature with some friends and family – the pandemic was in full swing in fall 2020, so this was possible, but there were multiple family members who could not make it, which was challenging and difficult – there were lots of hard conversations that we needed to have.

In the end, we did not have lots of aspects that I think are traditional and expected: we did not have a wedding party, rehearsal dinner, wedding shower, being walked down the aisle, first dance – or any dancing for that matter – speeches, etc.: and it was perfect.

There’s a lot in the apparatus of getting married that given the pandemic situation did not feel really important, nor fit for what we imagined.  What mattered to us was having a really great day that we’d always remember and closing it out with good food, drink and friends – all while keeping everyone safe amidst the pandemic and we were able to accomplish that.

We didn’t have a wedding party, but we did have a couple of dear friends who were invaluable in supporting us through stressful moments, wedding dress shopping, sharing their experiences and knowledge and to eat sandwiches and cheers us as we got ready for the wedding day.  It’s definitely not possible to throw together a wedding completely on your own – and you need a support system because questions like “can I get a +1 to bring a blind date to your wedding” do happen and that kind of hilarity should be shared!

Our friend Brian McVey officiated our ceremony and married us – he and his wife Suzzanna are wonderful friends, and their relationship is an example to Ross and I in how we want to love each other and build our lives together.  Having Brian lead the ceremony was both personal with how he was able to speak about us and very meaningful to have him be a part of it!

The most challenging aspect was that many family members were not able to attend because of pandemic restrictions.  We had a Zoom call so that they could be included, but it was still something that wasn’t ideal, or how we had originally imagined it.  We did the best we could in an unprecedented time to have a celebration, as well as keep everyone involved safe and healthy. Hopefully soon we’ll be able to celebrate with all the family and friends that we haven’t seen in a year+.

After my experience, I am very for stripping down a wedding to what aspects are meaningful and valid for the day and experience a couple wants to have.  But it’s a lot of balancing the sentiment that this day is for you and your partner, with there being a formulaic expectation for how a wedding should progress. 

Julia gave us creative direction and inspiration throughout the process.  Direction was needed, I had no idea what I was doing at the start and Julia was invaluable with her checklists and experiences – basically she was a pseudo wedding planner, spirit guide and adviser through wedding planning.  Julia is a childhood friend who I’ve seen grow her artistic foundations into romantic, whimsical and gorgeous photographs, so it was a no brainer that I’d work with her.  We planned to spend a lot of time taking photos before the wedding ceremony, which was great since the first look was one of my favorite parts – it was amazing to finally have Ross get to see my wedding dress and then be just with him.

It’s not a typical part of my day that someone is snapping photos of us, so that was a little nerve-wracking to experience.  Especially when we drove up to Mount Philo for some romantic panoramic shots and it was a really overwhelming experience to walk down the trails full of people out for a hike or picnic in full bridal regalia – it was tough having that level of visibility, so there are a lot of shots of me hiding my face in Ross’s chest, which is hopefully being disguised as romantic!

Another big part of it was flowers – Alexis Szczypiorski from Boheme Blooms really brought together a vision of colors and LOTR/mythology inspiration and I’m forever enchanted with how they turned out.  

Starry Night Café gave us a lot to work with – their backyard area opens up to a perfect colorful palette, they use a lot of natural inspiration and materials in their interior design, and they were very attuned to small details and really delicious local food and drinks!  That was what attracted Ross and me to getting married there and it did not disappoint.  Additionally, we feel forever connected to such a wonderful place and are very excited to go back to celebrate anniversaries! “ – Hannah & Ross

Photographer: Julia Luckett Photography // Venue & Catering: Starry Night Cafe // Florals: Boheme Blooms // Cookie Dough: Vermont Cookie Love Rhino Foods // Hair Stylist:  Jubilance Salon // Rings: Perrywinkles Fine Jewlery // Dress: Lillian West // Boutique:  Fiori Bridal Boutique // Shoes & Jewelry: Lulus // Suit: Menguintux // Watch: Rolex // Shoes: Ecco Shoes

Ross does not like cake, but he does love cookie dough. They decided this was the perfect opportunity to have Rhino Foods build a custom cookie dough cake! I can attest that it was epic and delicious!

It was a pleasure to design a custom album for Hannah & Ross, and I was even able to include the design they made for their menus as the feature on the front cover of their leather bound album! I highly recommend including an album in your wedding package, there are so many great moments that happen with friends and family when you are looking through a tangible wedding album that just don’t happen when you are viewing a huge gallery of hundreds of images!