grand isle, vermont {photography} ali kaukas {reception site} the ferry watch inn
{ Vtvows.co m }
{8.28.2010}
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Hayley has always had a fondness for whimsical children’s stories. Growing up, her very favorite book was Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Little did she know she would one day find a love worthy of a classic fairy tale. Hayley and Matt began dating during their senior year of high school. Even though they both left Vermont after graduation to attend college in different states, Hayley was sure that the time apart wouldn’t change a thing. “Even at that young age, I knew he was The One and that I would marry him someday,” she says. The couple dated long-distance until deciding they’d had enough, whereupon they both transferred to a school in Vermont to be reunited at last. By that point, it’s safe to say, they had fallen down the rabbit hole together. Hayley and Matt got engaged right before the Christmas of 2009. Matt unexpectedly came home early from work one afternoon and asked Hayley to join him for a hike in the same nearby woods where, nine years earlier, the then-teenaged couple had carved their initials on a particular tree. Now, as they made their way through the snowy forest, Matt asked if she still remembered where “their tree” was. “After a few steps, I said excitedly, since I had found it first, ‘Oh, you mean this tree?’ Before I knew what was happening, Matt was down on one knee in the snow with a beautiful ring, asking me to marry him,” she says.
Many of the wedding elements were a group effort. Guests even brought some of the flowers from their own backyard gardens.
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For Hayley, an Alice in Wonderland–themed wedding was the perfect idea. “The concept of nonsense, madness, tea parties, and the playful adventure of it all reminded me a lot of my relationship with Matt,” she says. As they embarked on planning, Hayley looked for ways to tastefully incorporate elements from the story. After purchasing card stock, ribbons, and a simple embossing kit, she created her own save the date cards, then designed the invitations online, assembling them herself at home with the help of a friend. Table settings were created for The Ferry Watch Inn’s rustic barn using an assortment of vintage baubles including clocks and bottles, as well as books salvaged from an old bookstore. On each table lay a vintage lace tablecloth, the result of many months of scouring antique shops in the months leading up to the wedding. “I love the idea of reusing items passed down for generations,” says Hayley. Each of the napkins was hand-sewn and adorned with vintage buttons.
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Catering: Lisa Farrar Catering entertainment: Jive Attic jiveattic.com Event Rentals: Weddings, Tents & Events weddingstentsevents.com Floral Design: Maplehurst Florist maplehurstflorist.com Photography: Ali Kaukas alikaukas.zenfolio.com Reception Site: The Ferry Watch Inn ferrywatchinn.com
Overhead, paper pompoms in pewter and yellow hung down from the rafters, made by the bridesmaids over a session of gossip and wine. For the bride and groom-to-be, the scene was perfect. “We liked to think the rustic side represented Matt, while the whimsical side represented me,” says Hayley. Guests found their way to the wedding thanks to wooden signs Matt created using leftover pieces of barn board from a recent renovation project. Strung across the barn, each place card was fastened to a clothesline and featured Sir Teniel’s original drawings of the Wonderland characters. As with most DIY affairs, many of the wedding elements were a group effort. For instance, all the flowers, with the exception of Hayley’s bouquet and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres, were provided by guests from their own backyards. Hayley’s aunt and cousin baked the wedding cake, and everyone pitched in when it came to baking and the assembling the shortbread. After the reception had wound down, a large group of guests, along with the bride and groom, adjourned to Burlington for a nightcap. Hayley says, “As the large group of us waltzed down Burlington’s infamous Church Street, we got a standing ovation from everyone sitting outside all the way down the brick-paved street.” It was a fitting conclusion to such a memorable day. 70
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