I am thrilled to bring you a sneak peek of Careena and Adam’s Publick House Vow Renewal!
We had a wonderful time on their wedding day, just a wonderful couple!
Let’s hear about their wedding day.
August 29, 2021
We met through work. We’re in different departments, but our company likes to do lots of outings and unofficial happy hour events, so we got to know each other then.
While out to dinner on our anniversary (January 1st), Adam had the Matron of Honor secretly set up our living room with a bunch of remote controlled candles, rose petals, flowers, and a sign saying “Will you marry me?”. She also unplugged the lamp to make it seem like the light bulb died, so that way the living room was dark when we walked in. When Careena walked in to turn the Christmas Tree on to try to light up the room, Adam pulled the remote control out of his pocket and turned all the candles on, so that the sign was visible.
We absolutely loved being able to include our two dogs in our ceremony and cocktail hour. They’re a part of our family so it was extra special having them there. We also really loved the wedding party introductions at the beginning of the reception. Our bridesmaids and groomsmen each came up with creative dance moves that were a total surprise to us, and it was fun to see all of their personalities out on the dance floor. And of course, our first dance and parent dances were special to us.
It’ll be 6 years in January!
Well our original wedding date was supposed to be June 6th, 2020 and then a pandemic hit so we had postponed to August 30th, 2020. As it got closer, we realized that we would have to postpone our large, formal reception again by a full year, so I would say that leading up to our day was a bit of a trainwreck. By the way, we did end up still getting married on August 30th, 2020 in a small backyard ceremony, which we also had Greg Moss capture for us. Both the August 30, 2020 day and the August 29, 2021 days turned out amazing! The word whirlwind comes to mind though since the days just flew by!
Besides going with Greg Moss photography?
Two tips: 1. whiten your teeth if you can! Even if it’s just whitening strips 2. Relax and just be yourself in your pictures. You’ll enjoy how they turn out a lot more because they’ll be more authentic and you won’t appear uncomfortable.
Dress is Stella York #6581. I found it at Pearl Bridal Boutique in Holyoke after trying a couple other shops. I had been trying on lots of dresses with lace thinking that that’s what I would like, but they just didn’t seem quite right. This was the first dress I tried that didn’t have any lace or beading, and I loved it. It turns out that I like the sleek clean look and lines of it. Plus it was really comfortable and I could move easily while in it.
Our experience was fantastic! We, as well as everyone in our wedding party, felt completely comfortable the entire day and we all had fun.
Due to us actually getting married last year, we got to try it both ways! Last year, we waited until the ceremony to see each other, and this year we did a first look. We both preferred waiting to see each other because we’re both a little more traditional,and it made the moment more special for us. However, doing the first look this year was great because it actually meant that we could do many of our pictures beforehand so that we could have some time during our cocktail hour to socialize with our guests. It really all boils down to personal preference in this case.
Make sure to have the rooms cleaned up so you don’t have trash or clutter in the background of photos.
Having gone through it twice now, Adam had to make a point to tell his groomsmen to not goof around in every photo, as we know that there were some missed opportunities the first time around. Aside from that, to just relax, that there is no reason to be nervous, and to trust the photographers!
Nothing.. Keep your pockets empty! Although Careena recommends bringing a pair of sandals or shoes to change into after the ceremony if wearing heels isn’t normally your thing. There is no reason to feel uncomfortable on your wedding day!
Venue, food, cake and lodging: The Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge, MA
Adam’s suit was a custom one from Men’s Wearhouse, since he wanted to own his wedding suit to wear on future occasions. A couple of the groomsmen rented suits from Black Tux, while a couple others also purchased custom suits from Men’s Wearhouse (and one bought one off the rack). We used fabric swatch’s to make sure the greys were similar. We purchased our favors, and many of the gifts including the pocket watches from The Knot’s Wedding Shop. Careena’s dress was found at Pearl Bridal Boutique in Holyoke, MA. She used M&D Alterations in Chicopee, MA for tailoring. The bridesmaids’ dresses were from David’s Bridal, and are in the color “Marine.”
We had actually gotten married the year before (Covid Wedding!) and this was our reception that had been postponed, so we weren’t worried about the other person getting cold feet because it was too late for that. We were concerned about the weather though since it had been a rainy week, and we were also concerned about Covid worsening again and us having to cancel last minute. Luckily, everything worked out and we had a great day!
You won’t be able to control everything, so be willing to adapt and go with the flow, and just enjoy your day. The whole point of the day is to get married, so as long as that happens, it’s a success!
Classic American Fare: Prime Rib Au Jus and Baked Scrod
First Dance Song: Stolen by Dashboard Confessional Father-Daughter Dance: Turn Around by Perry Como Mother-Son Dance: Your Song by Elton John
Let’s take a look at a sneak peek of their photos.
