Lyman Estate Wedding || Mike and Jenna

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” -The Alchemist

I’ve been so looking forward to blogging Jenna and Mike’s perfect spring wedding at Lyman Estate! I am so happy to have shared this day with them and their loved ones, and also now to share it with you!

Alright, first of all, how cute are Jenna and Mike’s meeting & proposal stories? You guys are my people - internet dating (also how I met, or “ordered,” my husband), garlic, books, and cheese :)

Mike and I met the same way you get most great things today: I ordered him off the Internet. He had me charmed from his first message about teaching Raymond Carver to his students (which is why Raymond Carver featured in our engagement pictures!), and passed my first date screening question: How much garlic is too much garlic? (Answer: none, or "until you get heartburn.") Mike proposed during a "Welcome Spring"-themed cocktail party at our house in front of our closest friends. He presented me first with my grandmother's engagement ring, and then--once I remembered I was supposed to say yes--he presented me with a ceremonial cheese platter to seal the deal.

I asked Jenna and Mike some questions about their day - their answers are in italics throughout.

Two of the most important things to us are family--both the family we were given, and the family we made--and good food. More than anything, we wanted the people we loved around us as we established our own new little family, and wanted them to have a great time while they did so.

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This was the first time I got to go into the Lyman Estate Greenhouses for wedding photos! We only had about ten or fifteen minutes to get in there before they closed for the day. Definitely worth it!

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What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

For Jenna, it was walking down the aisle at the start of the ceremony, the feeling of anticipation for what was about to come. We had done a first look, but that didn't make the walk down the aisle any less special. For Mike, it's a tie between our giddy first look moments--including revealing to Jenna which pattern socks I ended up choosing--and walking together up the aisle for our recessional hand in hand.

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We had spent so long putting everything together that it was really fun to share what we had been planning with everyone else. One of my favorite memories was having a quiet moment to myself, standing on the porch at the Lyman Estate watching all of our families mingle and laugh with each other out on the lawn.

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I’m sorry, I just can not get enough of all these details… Peonies are one of my favorites, and of course I love all the quotes and books. (I stole the quote at the top of the blogpost from one of their centerpieces).

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These toasts were amazing! I love that Lyman Estate does the toasts outside (when weather permits).

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The photos so perfectly captured the quiet joy we felt that day. They were exactly what we'd hoped they would be--and we especially loved all of the beautiful candids of our guests. We kept emailing pictures to the people who came to the wedding because they all looked so wonderful!

Neither of us are people who enjoy taking pictures. I'm always self-conscious about what angle I should be standing at, am I making a funny face, how many chins do I have. I was expecting to be "directed" a lot more--and in the end, I'm so glad we weren't, because our pictures came out looking so joyful and natural that I wouldn't have it any other way.

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I was just taking a little walk around the estate during dinner, trying to get some atmospheric photos…. And just happened to catch this little guy out the door, playing in the gardens.

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Our first dance was also really special. We had practiced dancing in our kitchen in the months leading up to the wedding, and every time we've done that since, I've remembered our first dance. We had picked Frank Sinatra's "Our Love Is Here to Stay," partly as a homage to my grandmother, who loved Sinatra, and partly because we had wanted something upbeat. We found out weeks later that she always called that "mine and Andy's [my grandfather's] song," too.

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What is one suggestion you have for other couples who are planning their weddings?

We say this as a former publishing professional and an English teacher: decide on a thesis for your wedding and stick to it. What do you want the celebration to be? A rocking party? A backyard family reunion? You don't need to be all things to all people. If you stay true to that soul, everything will fall into place, the things that don't matter will fall away, and you'll have a day that truly represents who you are as a couple. Also, when they say it goes fast, they're not kidding. I would love to do it over and attend as a guest!

Thanks again! I had such a fabulous time at your Lyman Estate Wedding :)

Florist:  The Celebrated Flower (Somerville, MA)

Cake: Whole Foods (Cambridge, MA)

Caterer: Cuisine Chez Vous (Somerville, MA)

Officiant: Bing Broderick (groom’s uncle)

Invitations: Minted

Jeweler: Berricle

Bridal Shop: Paisley Bridal (Queens, NY) 

Hair/Makeup: La Beautique (Newton, MA) ­­­­­­­­­­­  

Suit/Tux: Indochino

While you’re here, check out these other beautiful estate weddings!

Caitlin and Marc’s wedding at Stevens Estate

Sean and Roisin’s wedding at Willowdale Estate

WeddingsBrett Steiner