A spectacular wedding at the Inn on Boltwood! Let’s hear about Caroline and Ryan’s experience on the wedding day.

Wedding Date

August 27, 2022

How did you two meet?

We met when we both worked as police officers in neighboring towns in New Hampshire. I was in field training and my FTO introduced us while Ryan was on a traffic stop.

How did he pop the question?

We spent an afternoon in northern Maine. We went to a brewery, and then afterwards we went to a state park to look at waterfalls. As we were looking at waterfalls, Ryan gave me a card to read. When I turned around, he was on one knee. I said yes after he proposed.

What was your favorite moment(s) from the wedding?

Our wedding vows (which we wrote) and spending time with friends and family. We both also loved the first dance :)

How long have you been together?

4.5 years

How would you describe your overall wedding experience?

Overall it was a smooth process, which made the day enjoyable! The venue was beautiful, delicious food, and the night was a blast. Planning the wedding was stressful at times, but the day was so much fun and exactly what we could have hoped for. It went by so quickly!

What advice would you offer to other couples planning a wedding

1) Cherish and appreciate all those who were able to come to your wedding, and traveled to do so. Some people will not be able to attend. Focus on the amazing people who can come to your wedding!

2) Don’t get too wrapped up in decorations – you probably won’t care too much about how your guest book/card table looked afterwards!

3) Start planning early (book your vendors!)

4) Don’t over-do favors. We got way less favors than guests, and we still went home with a bunch.

5) Do a photo booth! Guests have fun, and it gives them something to take home as a memory of the night.

6) Try not to get too caught up in wedding planning and remember the day is about celebrating your love.

What photography-related advice would you offer to a couple?

As soon as you pick a venue, book a photographer. It’s the one vendor (in my opinion) you want to invest the most in, and so don’t wait to book! Try to find a photographer that has worked with, or comes recommended by your other vendors (DJ and/or venue). On your wedding day be patient throughout photos. Your guests understand why you are busy taking photos – they are the thing you will hold on to the longest as your memory of the day starts to fade. Make a list of photos you want included and start conceptualizing it early.

Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?

I found my dress at the Persnickety Bride in Connecticut. It was the first bridal shop I went to. The owner’s daughter picked it out for me based on what I told her I liked. It ended up being an “off the rack” dress, but it was gorgeous. As soon as I put it on I fell in love with it. However, I didn’t want a strapless dress, and so my seamstress put on cap sleeves. It is very important to find a seamstress who is talented!

How was your experience taking photos/working with me on your wedding day?

Amazing! Greg and his team were easy going and kept the night flowing with photos. We were sooo pleased with our engagement shoot and are even more excited to see the wedding day shots! One of my favorite things about working with Greg was all the tips he sent prior to the wedding. The surveys and questionnaires were especially helpful.

Did you see each other before the wedding? If not, did you like waiting or would you have rather done it differently? Tell me why or why not!

We did not do a first look. I am glad we decided not to. After talking with my hair and makeup artist, I found out that we would have had to start getting ready VERY early. I preferred getting ready when we did. A first look would have been nice to get some photos out of the way earlier, but I’m glad we did it how we did. There is something so classic and romantic about seeing each other for the first time at the alter. Plus, I got to see the emotion in Ryan’s face for the first time walking down the aisle.

Any tips on how to prepare for the wedding photos?

Stay sober (mostly!) before the wedding. Also, try to figure out which sides and angles you feel best showing off.

Any tips that you have about preparing your wedding party for the photos? What did you tell them, how did you get them to cooperate, what did you do or what would you have done differently?

Stay organized! Communicate with the wedding party about when they need to be ready for photos before the wedding (especially the men, since they may not all be getting dressed in the same location like the female). Let the wedding party know when they need to be available and where they need to go. You can never over-communicate! For the photos directly after the wedding, let them get the photos taken first, so they can get to the cocktail hour. This way, they will feel like they can enjoy the party as well and will be cooperative. Also ask your venue to bring drinks and food to the location where you are getting photos taken after the wedding ceremony.

Any tips on what to bring?

Bandaids, a handkerchief, Gatorade (day of), Advil, change of shoes, and lots of energy!

We love to hear about vendors you love. 

Crystal Vasquez and Co. for hair and makeup. Her team serves New England. They were AMAZING! Her makeup skills were top notch. Shelby, one of the women who does hair with her, is so incredibly talented and brought my hair dreams to fruition!

We used TC Disc Jockey for our DJ. He made things easy and flawless. We actually picked him first, and he recommended Greg as a photographer! We also loved the add on options of a photo booth and up lighting (both a “must” in my opinion.

Willow and Moss was our florist. Ahrayah made the most BEAUTIFUL arrangements for us. Her prices were so reasonable, too. The centerpieces and bouquets looked more beautiful than I could have imagined.

We had our cake from Greggorys Pastry in Hadley. It was the most amazing cake we could have dreamed. It tasted absolutely phenomenal. Our guests were raving about it. I loved that we could choose any combination of flavors we could think of. We ended up doing a maple cake with white chocolate buttercream frosting and cream cheese filling.

We also ordered donuts from Atkins Farm Country Market in Amherst. I ordered 85 donuts of all varieties. They were a hit! We wouldn’t change any of our vendor choices. So pleased with each of them!!

Did you find a store/site that had everything you were looking for? Use this space to talk about your favorite shops. You can include where you got your dress, sites you got your veils/décor/accessories, etc

Etsy all the way! I got all of our personalized gifts and decoration off of Etsy. I even purchased my earrings from Etsy. I purchased my veil and other miscellaneous items from Amazon. I also bought some decorations from Facebook marketplace.

What were you most anxious, nervous, or fearful about regarding your wedding day, and what was the outcome?

I was so worried it was going to rain! I was dying to have outdoor photos. It didn’t end up raining fortunately. I think it would have been ok if it did rain, because the Inn is so gorgeous so inside photos would have been beautiful as well. We were also worried one of us, or one of our close friends or family members, was going to get Covid and miss the wedding (didn’t happen). I was worried we would forget something super important like our marriage license or wedding rings (we didn’t forget anything!).

What’s one piece of advice you would give to other couples for planning their wedding?

Do not stress out on your wedding day. You should plan it as much as you can leading up to the day so you can enjoy it. The day itself should be relaxing (as relaxing as it can be). You deserve it!

What was the first song you danced to as husband and wife? Father-daughter dance? Mother-son dance?

We danced to a violin cover of Perfect by Andre Soueid.

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