Our Hand-in-Hand* blog posts series celebrates that joyful day when two people come together to honor their love and commitment for each other. Today, we’re sharing a glimpse of Dana and Elizabeth Bennett’s joyful day. Join us for this enchanted trip to New England!
Thank you to Madison Abbey Photography for capturing the golden light of this day.
Who: Dana and Elizabeth Bennett
When: October 27, 2020
Where: Chatfield Hollow Inn located in Killingworth, CT
Can you tell us a little bit about your proposal story?
We were going to be apart for Christmas with our families, so we decided to get an Airbnb a couple weekends beforehand, for our own celebration. Dana found this amazing, little farmhouse in Brookfield, CT, where we could also bring our dog, Scout. There was snow on the ground, we had a fire going in the fireplace, a beautiful Christmas tree in the corner, and we were doing puzzles and drinking hot toddies.
I could feel Dana pressuring me to finish my drink and couldn't figure out why. When I got to the end, I figured it out: Dana had snuck a mug into the Airbnb kitchen that said "Will You Marry Me?" on the bottom. When I was finishing my drink, I could read the bottom and saw her walk over and get down on one knee. I was SHOCKED - and she loves to tell everyone how I didn't believe her for way too long ;)
I then proposed back in March, after the start of the pandemic and two weeks of quarantining. I asked one of my best friends to film her 2 year-old daughter, Nell, asking Dana to marry me. We had gotten in the routine of facetiming with Nell almost every day while quarantining, and it was the best part of our day each day. I knew Dana wouldn't think it was weird if we got a video of Nell. It was adorable and perfect, and I got down on one knee while she played the video.
What was the most memorable or favorite part of your wedding day?
My favorite part was the first look. Dana went and stood out among these huge, beautiful pines, and I got to walk up behind her. She looked more beautiful than I could ever imagine, and it really felt like the start of the rest of our lives in that moment.
Dana's Basket Solitaire ring looks absolutely magical in the wedding photos. What was it about Aide-mémoire that drew you to us?
We stumbled on Aide-mémoire while searching for ethical and conflict-free engagement rings, which was a priority to us. We loved that it was queer woman-owned, and it's philanthropic mission spoke to us immediately. Aside from the jewelry also being stunning :)
I read that you decided on an elopement. Did either of you have any family wedding-traditions you were able to weave into your day? Or is there a new tradition you started?
I always dreamed of a big wedding, but my dad passed away in 2018 (about two months before I met Dana) and it was hard to think about all the traditions with him not there. Dana always loved the idea of eloping and truly making it about just the two of us, and I quickly got on board with the idea. I included a blue tie pin of my dad's in my bouquet, and Dana used a blue butterfly pin from her grandma in her's.
The Justice of the Peace was your BFF. How did it feel to have a good friend with you to share your big day in both a personal and official capacity?
It was so great to have our friend, Lindsey, get ordained in order to add a personalized touch and lots of laughs to our big day. She helped provide much-needed opinions while getting ready (I'm a Libra through and through and can't make a decision to save my life) and was the best hype-girl we could ever ask for.
What nuggets of advice would you like to pass on to other couples who are about to wed?
Do what feels right and special for you - other's opinions don't matter on your special day. We are very lucky to have such supportive friends and family, but they all wish they could have been there. However, we love that it's this special day that we had all to ourselves with no outside pressure.
If you could do it all again, would you change anything?
I probably would have had a drink or two before all the pictures so I wasn't quite as awkward.... ;)
Now that you're married, is there anything you are particularly looking forward to sharing or doing together in the future?
Obviously, these are very weird times to be newlyweds. But, we are looking forward to honeymooning somewhere warm once the pandemic is over and starting a family.
Fun question: Did you have cake?! If so, we'd love to know what kind!
I asked Lindsey to help me find someone who could make a simple, dairy-free (for Dana) cake that we would decorate with flowers and these Mrs. and Mrs. mini, white pumpkins I got from Etsy. Her friend made a delicious coconut cake with raspberry filling and a vegan buttercream frosting.
Congratulations Dana and Elizabeth! Here's to a magically delightful honeymoon!
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*You may know this series as "Real Weddings". We've transitioned the title for this series of blog posts to "Hand-in-Hand: Wedding Conversations with Aide-mémoire Clients".