Country Chic
For a rustic, country-style reception and outdoor ceremony, look for a spot with exquisite natural scenery. We think it's hard to beat The Barns at Wesleyan Hills, set among willow-shaded ponds. Say your vows on one of two small islands, which are connected to the site's sprawling lawns by charming footbridges. Then, head to its turn-of-the-century "big barn" for the party. It offers spacious 40-foot ceilings, exposed beams and a hayloft-style balcony. Capacity: 200; catered exclusively by Pavilion Catering. Available April through November; rental fees start at $1,200.
Use Anything but Paper
Jody Brefere, an event planner based in Greenwich, 203-661-2692, jodybrefereevents.com, frequently hires calligraphers to pen guests' names on items like fall leaves, apples and ivory garden stones—even tiny bottles of maple syrup. "When it comes to place cards, I always try to be creative," says Brefere. "You can look to the theme or season of your wedding inspiration."
Cotton Candy
Yes, this childhood treat is sure to shake up your dessert table. The typical pink and blue colors are great for spring and summer celebrations, but for a fall wedding, try maple-flavored cotton candy from Merle Maple Farm, merlemaple.com, which sells Maple Cotton Candy Mix at $9 per pound. Most rental companies have machines available (for example, CT Inflatables in Tolland, 860-872-3662, ctinflatables.com, rents them out at $50 per day).
Train of Events
Instead of a traditional sit-down rehearsal dinner, take your family on a tour of Connecticut's beautiful countryside. The Essex Clipper Dinner Train, 800-377-3987, essexsteamtrain .com, offers delicious four-course meals served aboard its lavishly restored 1920s Pullman cars as the train travels through the scenic Connecticut River Valley. The $65 per person fee includes meal, train fare and tax. Special rates for groups of 20 or more are available; a private charter can be arranged for up to 100 guests. Operates May through October.
Mini Cake Favors
You don't have to serve a traditional wedding cake at your reception—anything from key lime pie to banana splits will work. Then, send guests home with miniature wedding cake favors, instead of individual cake slices. "Baby cakes are becoming a popular take-away dessert," says baker Kristen Ehrlich of Kristen Lynn: A Bakery, in Chester, 860-526-5024, kristenlynnbakery.com, who created this mini-blue fondant–covered cake trimmed with grosgrain ribbon.
Colonial Style
If you love the idea of getting married in a classic New England church, but don’t subscribe to any one Christian denomination, check out the Newtown Meeting House, 203-270-8293, newtownmeetinghouse.com. Maintained by the Heritage Preservation Trust of Newtown, this traditional colonial church was built in 1792 and is not currently affiliated with any religious organization, making it a great location for nondenominational, interfaith and civil wedding ceremonies. Inside, you'll find a pipe organ, velvet-cushioned pews and seating for up to 200 people; outside, the 100-foot steeple houses a bell from 1763.
Seasonal Sips
Offer guests a pre-ceremony beverage bar that features festive, seasonal selections. In the spring and summer, serve iced tea and lemonade. Add ginger or dried blood oranges to give these country classics an updated twist. In the fall and winter, give guests something toasty like hot chocolate or warm apple cider with a dash of cinnamon from B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill in Old Mystic, 860-536-3354—the first and only remaining steam-powered cider mill in the country is open early July to late December.
Fab Photo
We were trying to figure out what makes this picture by Devonshire Photography, 413-596-2267, devonshirephotography.com, look so fabulous. We know the photographer, site, flowers and linens are amazing, but then realized it's the lack of chairs that lets those amazing elements shine through. If you've put a lot of thought and effort into making your dinner tables incredible, ask your photographer to take some shots without the chairs so you'll always remember every unobstructed detail.
Double Duty
Save money by having your escort cards double as favors. For their wedding on Elihu Island, off the coast of southeast Connecticut, Emily Fries and Ben Elder presented guests with ivory bags full of treats from California-based See's Candies (When Ben, who used to live in California, visited Emily in Connecticut, he would bring her See's Candies). A tag displaying guest name and table assignment, as well as the name of one of the couple's favorite travel destinations, was tied to each bag of sweets. A sign instructed guests to match their destination to a corresponding table marker.
Scented Invites
Infuse your invite paper with a scent that hints at the event to come. "Essential oil is mixed into the pulp at our paper mill, so the scent really holds and doesn't destroy the paper the way it might if it was just sprayed on," says Christine Toner of Stonington Design + Paperie in Clinton, 800-394-0175, stoningtonpaperie.com. For a beach wedding, try a "seashore"-scented oil; for a wintertime affair, try "sugar plum" or "winterberry" (left). Fee: $150 plus the price of the invitation package (custom-made letterpress designs start at $25 per set).
New Location Alert
Generic hotel ballrooms are often the only option for couples with mile-long guest lists. But sometimes these larger venues lack intimacy and charm. That's why we're excited about the recent debut of Stonington Meadows, a new reception hall in Stonington, 860-572-1111, stoningtonmeadows.com. Though the site is equipped to handle large crowds, it lacks the harsh lighting and stodgy (or overly glitzy) decor of your average banquet facility (and you won't have to share space with other parties going on at the same time). Instead, it offers exclusive access to its private grounds, as well as a cozy-but-elegant reception room with large windows overlooking acres of picturesque meadows and Long Island Sound tributaries. The outdoor terrace and gardens are perfect for cocktails, or even the ceremony. Capacity: 250; no outside caterers allowed; fees range from $76–$100 per person.
Nail Bar
In theory, the idea of bonding with your bridesmaids over beauty treatments the day before the wedding is great. But when everyone is being pampered in a different part of the salon at the same time, carrying on a conversation can be difficult. Consider the problem solved. At the award-winning Adam Broderick Salon and Spa in Ridgefield, 203-431-3994, adambroderick.com, you can all hang out at a circular nail bar, where manicurists are able to work on up to nine different clients’ hands at a time while you chat, gossip and giggle. Bring your own food and drinks, or have the salon bring in the items you want from a local gourmet market. The salon recommends booking the nail bar four to six months ahead of time. Classic manicure: $23 per person.
Get Guests Talking
To help break the ice, place a set of these conversation starters at each reception table. With questions such as "In what era would you most liked to have grown up?" or "Which personality trait has gotten you in the most trouble?" they're meant to curb boring small talk by inspiring meaningful conversations. Each case contains 160 questions and comes in Original, Family, Girls' Night Out (great for bridal showers) and Couples editions. $25 each (or $12.50 wholesale with a minimum order of 12), tabletopics.com. Available at The Lollipop Guild in Wilton, 203-834-7900.
Adirondack Chair Guest Book
For her Elihu Island wedding off the coast of Stonington, Sarah Loomis-Crawford got creative with her guest book and had friends and family sign an Adirondack chair in its place. The Inspiration: "Adirondack chairs remind me of easy summers by the water—cool and unpretentious," says the bride. "The chairs have a vintage feel and are casually elegant, which was the tone I wanted to set for the day. I really loved the idea of a functional guest book, something that would remind my husband and me of our wedding day more regularly. Consequently, our parents bought two full-size Adirondack chairs at A.C. Moore to serve as our ‘guest book,’ and painted both themselves. Our guests wrote creative messages on them that we will cherish forever. One wrote: 'Every once in awhile, squeeze into the same chair!' Today, the chairs reside in our garden, and now our signature wedding gift for friends is a pair of Adirondack chairs."
Out-of-the-Ordinary Transportation
Think your transportation choices are limited to limousines and buses? Think again. "You can call anybody and ask if their vehicle is available for rent," says Greenwich-based event planner Jody Brefere, jodybrefereevents.com. "I've rented a fire truck for a groom who was a fireman, and a yellow school bus for a bride who was a teacher." If your wedding is being held near the water, rent a boat. "Ask whoever is working at the boat dock if they know someone who might be willing to rent theirs," she says. For fall weddings in Connecticut, Brefere suggests contacting a local apple orchard to rent a flatbed for the day, and then turn the trek (from the parking lot to the ceremony, or from the ceremony to the reception) into a fun hayride. Here, donkeys led guests to an October wedding held in a rustic country barn.
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