Our wedding was not a traditional wedding. We did not postpone our date and did not let the pandemic get in our way. We decided to adapt and move forward with our plans. This wedding was different, but it was not any less awesome. Combining all our knowledge, and modern technology, we made this a wedding to remember!
Overview
We made several changes along the way in order to ensure everyone could celebrate our special day in the safest way possible; the final decisions were made about 10 days before the big day:
- Eighteen people attended the wedding ceremony in-person, including our parents, the bridal party, and eight additional guests
- We invited twenty-two additional guests to join us on Zoom
- In order to keep the number of people gathered in the Fellowship Hall small, on-site vendors were located in other rooms at the church when possible
- After the ceremony, only our parents and bridal party stayed for hors d’oeuvres; the other in-person guests were provided take-home catered meals and joined us on Zoom for the reception festivities
- After the reception festivities, the bridal party members were provided with their take-home catered meals, and only our parents stayed with us for dinner
- In order for our guests (both in-person and on Zoom) to fully participate with us throughout the reception, we put together Guest Boxes which contained favors, a centerpiece, dessert, and more
- The wedding ceremony and reception festivities were also live streamed for anyone to watch, and the replay (and online guest activities) remain available to everyone
Vendor Information
Choosing the right vendors for any wedding is an exciting and exhausting part of the planning process. For us, it was also extremely important that our teams understood our overall vision while remaining flexible to changes. Those that weren’t able to adapt with us as we ventured into the virtual world were left behind, and we ended up with an amazing group of people who contributed to a successful and awesome day!
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Venue(s)
Ceremony
We had always hoped to be married at the Congregational Church of East Hampton, and we were thrilled when they re-opened in September. Regardless of the availability of the church, we knew from the start that we wanted Victor Acevedo as our pianist and Reverend Jim as our officiant. Both were flexible and patient with us as we made our final decisions, and we could not be happier with their involvement in our wedding.
Reception
Throughout the planning, we changed our reception venue twice. The first time was not our decision (the venue closed to visitors) and the second time was our decision (to reduce the number of guests staying for a longer period of time). Ultimately, we made the decision to have our reception at the church less than two weeks before our wedding date. Our church family was wonderfully supportive, and came together quickly to arrange what we needed in order to have a beautiful wedding in the Fellowship Hall.
We would also like to give a nod to the Plainfield Town Hall staff, who were very supportive and flexible as we made our difficult choices. Even though we did not use their auditorium space for our reception, we will definitely keep them in mind for future events.
Video – Live Stream & Zoom
Once we made the decision to reduce our in-person guest list and live stream our wedding, choosing to work with HB Live was easy (Dave works for HB Live). After several interviews with videographers regarding their services and compatibility with the live streaming equipment, we decided to work only with HB Live and treat the wedding as a live production!
The crew worked smoothly with our other vendors to coordinate a high-quality online experience, which allowed us to relax and enjoy the day. They made everything seem easy, and reassured us every step of the way… even Dave (who usually works the events) was able to be worry-free during the wedding, having full confidence that the streaming crew was coordinating everything online for us.
Also, in addition to handling the cameras, live stream, and Zoom meeting, they were able to set up a full wall of curtains (known as “pipe and drapes”) with only a few days notice, which made all the difference to the look and feeling of elegance in the room.
DJ & Emcee
We first met Joseph Koontz at a bridal show in January; the event was our first, and everything was a blur… but luckily, we still had his postcard in March when we began researching DJ services. Actually, we were actively in the process of meeting and interviewing different DJ companies when the state shut down. That was when we decided to keep going, not postpone, and so DJ Butters Entertainment was our first vendor hired entirely through virtual meetings!
One of the best compliments we can give is to honestly say that calling Joe was always the answer when faced with a challenge. In fact, there were a few times throughout the year when planning a wedding during a pandemic felt too overwhelming, and we would reach out to Joe to talk it through. Afterwards, we were always left feeling optimistic again.
Furthermore, when we decided to invite some of our guests to join us on Zoom, we asked Joe if the second emcee could greet our guests online; he was quick to agree and suggested a trivia game as entertainment. We were happy to provide this for our guests, and we received many compliments from the Zoom attendees on Jonathan Tessman’s virtual emceeing.
Additional Note: Joe is also the founder of Giuseppe Miguel's, our new favorite pasta sauce. He is also a realtor, so we may be retaining his services again soon!
Catering
Food
It was very important to Crystal Rose that she not have to worry about having an allergic reaction from the food at her wedding. This also meant that Dave could not eat any food containing her allergens, otherwise, there would be no smooching allowed. By March, we had already planned our menu and met with the Catering Manager at our original location. We had scheduled our follow-up meeting and tasting for spring break, which is exactly when the entire state shut down, so we were never able to taste our choices from our first planned menu.
By late summer, we were discussing what we wanted to do next about catering, and it was recommended to us to reach out to Matthew’s Catering Company. They were local to Plainfield, and so nearby to the Town Hall (where our reception was planned at that point), and they had remained open during the pandemic, meaning they had all their protocols quite sorted out by then.
Our first visit was all it took. We were very impressed with Matthew, the tasting experience, their safety protocols, and his ability to cook tasty food that we would both be able to enjoy without concern of an allergic reaction. We, and our guests, were also quite pleased with their flexibility, and adaptability, to our last-minute changes. Matthew’s provided impressive take-home catered meals for our guests, and a perfect full-service dinner for us and our parents at the church Fellowship Hall.
Wedding Coordinating
Matthew’s provided complimentary wedding coordination with our contract. This was an unexpected, and quite pleasant, surprise. In the month or so leading up to the wedding, we provided the Wedding Coordinator with all our wedding details and made arrangements to provide her with all our supplies; she was going to take care of all the set-up and vendor coordination at the Town Hall, and we would be provided with a different staff member as our Day-of-Coordinator to assist us at the church.
The Wedding Coordinator was the first person we called when we made the decision to change our venue and schedule for the reception, less than two weeks before the wedding. She coordinated all the changes that were needed, got us on the phone with Matthew to discuss the menu as take-home meals, and was extremely supportive through those very stressful days.
After the rehearsal, we decided having only the Wedding Coordinator at the church was enough, and we did not want to work with the Day-of-Coordinator just for the ceremony (Crystal Rose’s sister’s fiancé, Ashley, offered to help instead); the Wedding Coordinator helped us with that delicate situation as well. The reception went quite well, and the Wedding Coordinator and catering staff expertly executed our multiple floor plans exactly on schedule throughout the evening. We could not be happier with the assistance provided through this surprise complimentary service!
Photography
We met our original photographer at a bridal show in January, and got along with her right away. We were impressed with her packages and enjoyed getting to know her through several video calls. Our first engagement shoot was scheduled during spring break, which of course was also postponed. We finally were able to schedule the engagement session in August, and the experience helped us realize that her style did not match our vision. By this time, we also realized that she was not as adaptable to our fluid plans as we would have hoped. She agreed, and we parted ways.
After reaching out to several new photographers, we connected with Snapshots by Steph in late September. Crystal Rose has known Steph for many years, but never knew she also did photography until her mother mentioned it during our search. We knew she was the photographer for us after our amazing engagement session in October. Steph and her daughters were fun to work with at the park, and we were thrilled with the quality of candid shots; they really were able to capture our true personalities.
Throughout the changing wedding plans, Steph was always amendable, and easily adapted, as we made our difficult decisions. We were comfortable with both her and her daughter at the condo to capture our getting ready and first look pictures, and they were a great asset to our wedding experience overall. In addition to capturing our wedding memories in photographs, Steph also helped Crystal Rose and Dave with getting ready for the first dance. No one knew Crystal Rose needed to change, so when she needed help, Steph didn’t hesitate to jump in!
Both Steph and her daughter offered to stay right to the end of the night, even though our formal reception had ended, and we are grateful they were there to capture dinner with our parents, and the few songs we had for dancing.
Floral
Everything happens for a reason. Even though our first photographer was not a good fit for our photography vision, it is through our conversations with her that we were recommended to reach out to Rachael Silva at Sage Hills Florals, and she was exactly the right fit for our floral vision.
We wanted our floral to be as sustainable as possible; we did not want cut flowers which would die in the days and weeks after our wedding. Rachael understood right away, and after sending picture boards back and forth, and several phone calls, we were able to sit back and trust her to make our vision come to life. We were reassured, too, when our late changes did not phase her at all. We even sent her a picture of a bulletin board we wanted covered for a photo area, and she ordered a pipe and drape cover that worked within our budget and created a beautiful backdrop for our reception.
All our floral was living or dried. Boutonnières and corsages were made from air plants, potted plants were used for decorations, and our guests who attended on Zoom were provided air plants as their centerpieces. Also, the bouquets were made of dried flowers, air plants, and plants with roots, so Crystal Rose, Julie, and Melissa were each able to plant their bouquets to continue enjoying for a long time!
Baker
Since learning of her own food allergies, Crystal Rose has been intent on showing others that allergy-friendly is NOT synonymous with less than delicious. After reaching out to several allergy-friendly bakeries, we settled on scheduling a tasting with Dee’s One Smart Cookie. We were able to order one or two of whatever we wanted to try, and on Halloween of 2020, we picked up so many desserts and had our own tasting party at home!
We chose vanilla cake with sunbutter filling and vanilla frosting for our own wedding cake. We also offered our in-person guests the opportunity to choose the same flavor as our cake or apple spice for their cupcake flavor. We provided all guests with chocolate chip cookies. It’s easy to understand why Dee’s is so busy all the time, and our one concern was how much time it took to get our contract finalized, but it was worth it. We received many compliments on the cupcakes and cookies, and many people could not believe they were free from common allergens, such as gluten, dairy, nuts, corn, etc.
Attire
Wedding Dress
Crystal Rose knew exactly the style of wedding dress she wanted. Unfortunately, at her first appointment, she was told that what she was after was “out of style” and would be difficult to find. The way it was described to her was that she was looking for a Meghan Markle, but everyone now wanted a Kate Middleton. Once she looked up the royal wedding dresses (Kate on the left, Meghan on the right), she knew this assessment was accurate. So what was she to do? Schedule an appointment at a boutique consignment of course!
Love Me Two Times Boutique (which is now Love Me Forever Bridal) was, at the time, still primarily an “off the rack” shop for wedding dresses. The inventory was made up from “last season’s styles”, and were dresses that had been used in bridal shows, but never worn for actual weddings. This meant that Crystal Rose had plenty of options for a style that was “out of date”. It only took three tries… the third dress she tried on had almost everything she wanted, but it did not have sleeves, which included the boatneck style she wanted on the top. Kirsten, the owner, had the perfect cover that fit so seamlessly with the dress, it is now hard to imagine they are two separate pieces!
Seamstress
While not directly affiliated with Love Me Two Times, their recommended seamstress was Val at The Fitting Room, and Crystal Rose could not be happier with her alterations experience. Not only did Val help Crystal Rose to finally feel beautiful in her dress, she was very fast, provided advice to Crystal Rose’s mom who was making the veil, and worked on Crystal Rose’s turtleneck dance dress in secret (even with her mom and/or sister with her at each fitting).
Tuxedos
Dave has never wanted to wear black at his wedding. He then developed a very clear vision of his, and the groomsmen’s, tuxedo colors: orange, white, and blue. On February 6th, 2020, a little over a full year before the wedding, Dave picked out his exact tuxedo color scheme, and saved the images on his phone. At that point, he only needed to find the best place from which to rent them.
His first thought was one of the big national retailers, this of course was due to them being the primary sponsor at the bridal shows we attended. However, he has always made an effort to support local businesses, and once he learned that the boutique Crystal Rose got her wedding dress from also did tux rentals, he was intrigued. He also believed it would be convenient, and easy to match colors, if he rented the tuxedos from the same shop Crystal Rose had used. (Crystal Rose had also always wanted an orange sash on her wedding dress; so naturally, they wanted to be sure they matched.)
And so, Dave decided to give Love Me Two Times a chance. Having little experience with renting tuxes, it started off shaky, but Kirsten is a professional, and assured him everything would work out. She was true to her word (though there were a few kerfuffles), and in the end, Dave, the groomsmen, and the fathers, all got great tuxedos, exactly as Dave had envisioned.
Dance Lessons
We have so many songs that are meaningful to us, that we really don’t have a (one) song… so deciding on which song would be our first dance song took a little time. Once we decided we wanted to dance to (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, we knew we would need help with the choreography (and learning to dance with each other in general).
A quick internet search led us to Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Middletown, and we scheduled our free consultation on February 18th, 2020, which is when we first met Annie Rockhill, who became our dance instructor. After a few weeks delay (courtesy of us both getting the flu), we attended our first dance lesson on March 12th, which was also our last in-person dance lesson until July 28th. In the weeks between, we took virtual dance lessons from home, and we were even on the news!
Crystal Rose put together her dance outfit piece by piece, and we made great progress throughout the year. The staff at the studio are now considered our “dance family”, and they are just as proud of us as we are (they even celebrated our marriage and featured us on their website! We are continuing our dance lessons, and have moved on to learning the Lindy Hop… which we will show off at our summer sendoff!
Limousine
Since before we were engaged, there was one thing Dave was certain about… he wanted to ride in a limo for his wedding… so, Dave was in charge of finding our limo. After unsuccessfully reaching out to other companies, he found Elite Limousine of Connecticut. Their online form was easy to complete for requesting a quote, and they soon followed up with a phone call. The Customer Relations Manager listened, and easily understood, as Dave explained our wedding vision.
Yes, even the limo company needed to be included in our overall vision. Since we don’t drink, and Crystal Rose has food allergies, we didn’t want any alcohol or snacks in the limo. Neither of these were a concern for Elite Limousine, or even questioned. And they easily adapted when we notified them of the changed location and itinerary ten days before the wedding. On the day of the wedding, Dave received notification in the morning of who the driver was , and he was also notified when the driver arrived.
The driver showed up exactly on time and was very professional throughout the day. This was especially appreciated considering the majority of his time was spent waiting to drive us less than four miles round trip to feed the cats (after only driving us 1.6 miles to get to the church in the first place). The limo itself was luxurious, clean, provided plenty of water and ice (much appreciated by Crystal Rose during our ride after the ceremony), and the cost was very reasonable. Overall, we were very pleased with our limo experience, especially Dave!
See How it All Came Together:
So those are our vendor stories; we hope you enjoyed discovering more about our wedding journey! Now that you have learned more about our vendors, and are well informed regarding our choices, view our Wedding Memories to see how it all came together!
Farrell-Hill Wedding 2021 