A Wedding Planner's Sophisticated Backyard Wedding in Connecticut

As a partner and event producer at Fête NY, Allison Aronne is a wedding planning pro—but even she needed help planning her wedding to Ryan Beauchamp, whom she met on New Year's Eve in 2016. After Ryan proposed in Antibes in June of 2018, the couple searched New York City for the perfect venue but quickly found that nothing felt "quite right." "I associated every space with a wedding I'd produced for one of my couples," Allison says. "It felt like theirs, not mine." And that's when Allison's boss, Jung Lee, stepped in with the perfect solution: "Jung offered to let us host our wedding at her home in Kent, Connecticut," she says. "It's a sprawling property with gorgeous views, and they even re-landscaped part of the lawn to create a large enough flat space for a 5,000 square-foot tent!

Of course, Allison also tapped Jung and the Fête team to assist in planning and designing the sophisticated backyard wedding. "We knew it would be nothing short of spectacular, even when I was too busy working on my clients' weddings to focus on our own," Allison says with a laugh. On July 28, 2018, it was Allison's turn, and she and Ryan invited 180 guests out to the Connecticut countryside for an elegant evening with a timeless green-and-white palette.

The celebration was full of carefully designed details, personal touches, and an abundance of flowers, so keep reading to see how Shawn Connell for Christian Oth Studio captured the beautiful backyard wedding, below.

After trying on over 30 dresses, Allison turned to Jung for some help. "She knows my style best, and this Monique Lhuillier gown was perfect," she admits. "The clean lines and timeless shape made it the perfect mix of classic and modern, and, as a wedding planner, I loved that it had pockets!" Allison completed her look with a lace-trimmed veil, a half-up hairdo, and her mother's diamond earrings.

Like her dress, Allison's accessories mixed classic with modern: She carried a lily of the valley bouquet (wrapped in her grandmother's handkerchief) and wore sparkling Gucci sandals topped with gold bee charms.

Before the ceremony, the couple met for a first look in Jung's lush garden, where Ryan showed off his custom midnight blue Turnbull and Asser tuxedo.

"Toward the end of our bridal party photos, the sky opened up and there was a storm of epic proportions," recalls the bride. "We wound up pushing everything back by an hour to let the rain pass!" The couple and their families sipped Champagne as they waited it out, and encouraged their guests to do the same at their hotels. "It could have been a disaster, but it turned into a fun bonding experience for everyone," she says. An hour later, the sky cleared, producing a double rainbow over the ceremony! Adds Allison, "If that's not a sign of good luck, I don't know what is!"

The couple wrote their own vows, and invited Allison's grandmother and a mutual friend to share a few words as part of the ceremony. "It was incredibly happy and personal," Allison describes. They surprised guests with a performance by the Anthony Morgan Inspirational Choir, who sang "Something's Gotta Hold on Me" and "Higher and Higher."

As a nod to Allison's self-described traditional taste, escort cards were displayed surrounding a collection of blue-and-white ginger jars full of white flowers.

Before the big tent reveal, the newlyweds (and their dog!) slipped away to take a peek at the reception magic that Jung had created. Meanwhile, their guest kept busy sipping Aperol spritzes in a garden nearby.

The massive dinner tent was filled with mirror-topped tables that reflected the abundance of candlelight inside the draped space. "We covered the walls with a chinoiserie print so it wouldn't feel so much like a tent," adds the bride.

The bride and groom's place settings included a few special touches. "We really wanted our first meal as husband and wife to be off of the Hermès china we received from my grandmother, and we wanted to toast with our Baccarat flutes," Allison says. "It was so amazing, because we'll have these pieces in our home and they'll always be a part of our wedding memories."

During dinner, loved ones offered heartfelt toasts as everyone enjoyed a seasonal meal of watermelon and heirloom tomato salad, summer pea and mint tortelloni, branzino, and steak. "One of our favorite local shops is Arethusa Farm Dairy, so we served their ice cream with warm donuts from a custom ice cream cart featuring illustrations from our save the date," adds the bride.

And there were more sweets post-donuts, as the couple cut into their four-tier wedding cake by Ron Ben-Israel. The white fondant was decorated with gold marbling, the couple's monogram, and handmade sugar flowers.

As guests flooded the dance floor, a shower of confetti really got the party started—but first, Allison and Ryan had something to say. "I always advise my couples to thank their guests toward the end of the night," she says. "We took my own advice, and it was so worth it! It was surreal to pause the party and express our gratitude for our families, our friends, and the Fête team. It's a moment we'll never forget!"