Jessica and Hayden met at a leadership forum in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2018. Jessica was writing a paper, and Hayden was chatting with friends from his discussion group. She noticed Hayden giving away the contents of his entire toiletry kit because he did not want to check his bag… so she closed her laptop and walked over to the table to chat with him, and the rest was history. They are obsessed with Oreos (double stuf, obviously), sharing food and wine with family and friends, dogsitting their friend’s golden retriever, playing tennis (a hobby they learned together), and takeout nights with a full spread of Indian food. Over the holidays, Jessica and Hayden stopped in Woodstock, Vermont on a road trip around Vermont. As they walked past the Woodstock Inn, Hayden said, “Hey, if I remember correctly, the Woodstock Inn serves coffee and cocoa during the holiday season…” so they slowed down and turned towards the Inn, where he bent down in front of the gate with wreaths, lights, and the gorgeous Inn in the background and said “I love you and I always have, and always will. Will you marry me?” His sister popped out to take photos, they scurried to their favorite restaurant, then came back home to find Jessica’s parents, Hayden’s five siblings (who live all over the country), uncles, aunts, their favorite desserts, dancing, champagne… it was a fairytale!
When they started dreaming up their wedding day, The Gardens at Elm Bank were simply perfect. Wellesley College a few miles away was Jessica’s alma mater, and she even used to tap maple trees on the Elm Bank property to make syrup on her farm work study job. Jessica and Hayden would walk their favorite golden retriever there, so they were always checking out the property. The greenhouse, the gardens – simply perfect.
Despite COVID ravaging their guest list, Jessica and Hayden were determined to tie the knot with their family and friends as planned, so they tweaked their plans to have a safe and fun wedding day for all! Jessica DIY’d much of the wedding – she did her own hair and makeup, made all the bouquets and arrangements, put together the ceremony floral vases and accents, and even made homemade beeswax wraps (sustainability!) for their guests to take home as favors. They had an emotional ceremony in the Italianate Garden, ran around with their colorful wedding party for photos, caught the tail end of cocktail hour in the Maple Grove, and danced barefoot under the open sky to their favorite song before diving into their favorite lamb tikka masala and naan for dinner.
Photography: Lena Mirisola – Second shooter: Fergie Medar – Venue: The Gardens at Elm Bank – Hair + makeup: Bride – Invitations: Minted – Dress: Sarah Seven – Bridesmaids wear: Show Me Your Mumu – Suit: That British Tweed Co – Groomsmen wear: Alain Dupetit – Rings: James Allen + Artemer – Shoes: Nordstrom – Rentals: A Tent For Rent – DJ: Jeff Springer – Flowers: Kukka Flowers – Cake: Konditor Meister – Catering: Singh’s Cafe
