Beyond the sea: Wedding morning

12 February 2013

Oh my! Apologies for the belated posts. I was planning to have them go up one after another, but things on the home front (hint hint) took an unexpected turn toward busy last week… Also, I meant to recap in only three posts, but I’m already on the third post and John and I haven’t even seen each other yet. Sooooo, please indulge me — I only get one wedding :)

I stayed up a little later than I would have liked the night before our wedding, but it was for a good reason – I had finished all of my notes for special people (parents, bridesmaids, readers) earlier that afternoon, but I hadn’t had a chance to write John’s. We have written some pretty epic letters throughout our eight-year history, and I knew that I couldn’t just dash this one off as I was getting dressed for the rehearsal. So yes, even though it cost me a half an hour of sleep, it was worth it.

But oh my, morning came early! I am not one of those people that normally hops out of bed chipper, and when the alarm went off at 6:15, even the excitement of W Day didn’t stop me from hitting snooze once or twice. When I did roll out of bed, I simply washed my face, tucked the last few things in my overnight bag, and hopped in the car with my mom and sisters.

Em for Marvelous

A few minutes later, still in the gray of the morning, we arrived at the Steamboat Inn, where Tia, our hair and makeup magician, was waiting for us. (She was looking chipper enough for all of us!)

steamboat inn mystic

Once we had set down our things in the spacious room, she immediately went to work curling our hair in big metal clips one by one. In between turns on the chair, we scavenged breakfast from upstairs (I had half a tomato asiago bagel with cream cheese, a hard boiled egg, and some fruit) and chatted. My special playlist was perfect!

mystic connecticut wedding

John’s two sisters arrived around 7:45 and were slotted into the hair lineup, too. As soon as all of the curls were set, Tia immediately went to work on our faces. The funniest part? She decided that we all needed eyebrow tweezing, and it was the first time for four out of six of us! My brows have never looked so good… I just wish she lived in North Carolina for maintenance!!

In between turns in the chair, we pooled all of the bridesmaid jewelry options and picked pieces for each lady. I also laid out all of the “details” Tanja might want to photograph — invitation, save the date, ring bearer bowl, clutch, shoes, etc. — and snuck away for a few quiet moments to transcribe my toast and vows onto index cards.

calligraphy wedding invitation

navy wedding invitation

custom wedding map

Marget made those gorgeous maps — aren’t they lovely?

ring bearer bowl

In case you can’t see, we decided on simply “grateful” (and our wedding date) for the inscription on our ring bearer bowl.

Em for Marvelous

Beautiful Brisa and my pretty shoes!

I also found a moment to check Instagram, and happened to see a photo of downtown Mystic posted by MacKenzie just a few minutes earlier. After a few exchanged texts, we met up outside our suite and they had a chance to greet everyone before heading over to the house to shoot some B roll.

Tanja arrived to begin shooting at 11, and we all ate lunch at around noon – a platter of wraps and chips (and cookies!) from a gourmet market down the street. I was hungry, and would have eaten more had Tia not been itching to start on my makeup! :)

Em for Marvelous

Em for Marvelous

Let me just say this for the record — Tia is a master at her craft. We basically nodded at each other and said things like “loose curls” and “soft swoop” and “pretty eyes” for a few minutes, and then a half an hour later, I had exactly the look I was wishing for. She is so kind and funny, too!

mom helping with wedding gown

Web

bow wedding heels

tanja lippert photography

After I slipped on my gown (with a little help — and a few tears — from mom), it was time to open John’s present. The sentiment of his note was so sweet, but what cracked me up was that he had written it on a notepad from his company! Not the most romantic choice of stationery, but I’ll take it.

horse hair edged veil

wedding morning letter

His gift was oh so sweet, too — a five-diamond necklace which I happily traded for the pearl one I had been wearing.

Em for Marvelous

blue nile necklace

I remember getting excited at that point, though hilariously not specifically for the wedding, but more because I was about to step foot on “my” property for the first time!! (If you haven’t read the story of this house, you must do so now!) Of course, I was thrilled about seeing John, too, and got more and more excited as we stuffed my tulle into the station wagon and made the quick drive through the streets of downtown Mystic…

horsehair veil

To be continued! :)

Photographer: Tanja Lippert / Videographer: Inkspot Crow Films / Day-of-Coordinator: Diana Chouinard of Jubilee Events / Hair and Makeup Artist: Tia Reagan / Save the Dates: Minted / Invitations: Magpie Paper Works / Invitation Calligraphy: MM Ink / Ring bearer bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Bride’s Dress: “Brisa” by Christos / Bride’s Shoes: “Paladin” by Nina from 6pm.com / Bride’s Earrings: “Toulouse” by Nina / Bride’s Necklace: Blue Nile / Bride’s Veil: Chaviano Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: “2834” by Dessy

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Emily
February 12, 2013 2:10 pm

Emily, what did you give your bridesmaids as a gift? and your parents? Curious because I have a wedding of my own coming up!

thanks so much for sharing! really enjoying reading.

February 12, 2013 2:14 pm

That last shot is so stunning, the kind of image that lingers with you. What a beautiful day I’m sure this was, cannot wait to hear more!!

Wanda
February 12, 2013 3:33 pm

It sounds like your morning was so wonderful! I really love the sea-side details in the photos, especially in the shots of print material and your lovely gown hung on the armoire. Also, your mom is the best. :)

Shelby
February 12, 2013 3:48 pm

Yay! Keep em’ coming, these are beautiful! Spread them out over as many as you please

February 12, 2013 4:55 pm

Can you hear me squealing with excitement all the way from Maine?! I love everything about this blog post!

Rob
February 12, 2013 7:33 pm

The best part is the smiles…

courtney
February 12, 2013 9:58 pm

I love this series, Emily! And I adore the story about “your house!”

February 12, 2013 10:17 pm

If I were you I’d look at these photos every.single.day. I LOVE them!! Such euphoria! That last veil shot takes my breath away!

Kat
February 13, 2013 1:45 am

AH Emily I just love how you kept such a beautiful documentation of every single detail! It’s so inspiring. I only hope I can do the same for my wedding!! Didn’t you say on an iloveswmag post that you wrote down everything that transpired on “wedding day” the day after? I MUST remember to do that!! Can’t wait to hear the rest :)

February 13, 2013 2:53 pm

Absolutely loved seeing more details from you morning-of! What did you give John as a gift and did Tanya spend any time with the men while they were getting ready for some shots?

Cannot wait to see more from this beautiful day!!

February 24, 2013 2:34 pm

Your prep photos are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen!

Christine
March 19, 2014 4:48 am

Emily, I love your blog and your beautiful pictures! I am trying to DIY my own horsehair trim veil, but am finding it difficult to attach the trim to the veil – could you please tell me whether the trim was sewed on, and whether by machine or hand, and with what kind of thread? Thank you in advance!

Katie
June 6, 2015 2:16 am

Hi Emily! I’ve recently discovered your blog via Southern Weddings via the recent-ish CT interview…small world :). I just got engaged a few weeks ago and have had fun reading through the posts on your wedding week/day. Would you mind checking to see if your wedding morning playlist is available somewhere? The link on this post links back to an earlier post, but I don’t see any actual playlist anywhere (?). Just curious.

Warmly, Katie