Emily + Brendan currently live in Jackson Wyoming and are lucky enough to regularly go backpacking among the spectacular Rocky Mountains. On one such trip to Titcomb Basin in the Wind River Range would change their lives forever. The strenuous hike to Titcomb Basin is 15 miles and steadily climbs nearly 2,000 vertical feet. Emily was hungry and tired when they got to camp and was determined to get the tent set up and climb into her sleeping bag. But as they were standing on the edge of one of the alpine lakes, looking up at a stunning ridgeline, Brendan got down on his knee and asked Emily to spend the rest of her life with him. He had carried a ring that belonged to Emily’s great aunt, a bottle of champagne, and a large box of macaroni and cheese to celebrate. Emily + Brendan tied the know in Emily’s parent’s backyard in Danville Vermont. Their sweet, homespun wedding was expertly captured by Alexis June Weddings.
Emily + Brendan
August 2 2014
Danville, VT
Why did you choose the Mountains for your Wedding?
I grew up in Danville, a small town tucked into the northeastern corner of Vermont. Brendan spent four years ski coaching at Burke Mountain Academy, 40 minutes up the road. The Northeast Kingdom holds a special place in both our hearts. My parents’ backyard offered space for a ceremony, room for friends to pitch their tents, and a beautiful setting in a place that both of us love to have called home. (Plus, friends were willing and able to grow flowers for bouquets, build a stone firepit for late night entertainment, host out of town guests, and – thanks to at least one hero of a neighbor – provide a tractor to pull the pizza oven through a muddy field.)
Talk to us about your beautiful, heartfelt wedding ceremony
While neither of us are especially tied to wedding rituals, much of our ceremony was inspired by Quaker traditions. It took place in my parents’ front yard. Chairs were arranged in three concentric circles, with our family, bridesmaids, and groomsmen sitting on the inside. Two friends played fiddle and guitar as we all walked down the driveway. Brendan and I and Brooks (whose wedding we met at, and who was officiating) stood in the center. Brendan and I were the first to speak, welcoming our guests and saying that while it is so exciting to have found our person, it took great family and friends to help us each be ready to meet each other. Guests came to the microphone in the center and spoke to us. All of our guests made commitments to friendship and supporting us in our marriage. Brendan and I vowed to listen and learn from each other. Someone said they heard wind chimes during the pauses in the ceremony; others remember the loud motorcycles driving by at the end. It all felt really perfect.
Talk to us about your sweet, homespun backyard reception
We read somewhere to approach your wedding as if you were planning the best dinner party you could imagine– and then figure out how to make that work for 140 people. We worked hard to stick to that: WoodBelly Pizza out of Cabot, VT brought their wood-fired pizza oven into our field and baked pizzas for two hours. Friends and family who offered to help were all asked to bring a pie for a pie buffet. We had kegs of Vermont beer, wine, and a friend pouring gin and tonics. After a few toasts, Mad River Valley’s The Grift played late into the night and wrapped up to a series of four fireworks set off across the brook.
My mom and her bookclub grew flowers in shades of orange and yellows. A friend made birch bark candlesticks for tables. Our wedding was truly a celebration of our communities. I think the coolest details were in our commitment to ensuring that the friends and family who were there understood how important they have been to us – that they understood why they were there. Brendan is a graphic designer who built our save the dates and invitations and also designed a card outlining where we met each guest and how he or she fit into our lives. We made buttons with each guest’s first name. Everyone wore the buttons all afternoon and evening. The hope was that people would be able to connect with other people and have something to talk about (I mean, after all, we did meet at a wedding).
Danville Vermont Wedding Vendors
Wedding Photographer: Alexis June Weddings | Accommodations: Camping on family property | Bar Service: Alcohol from Diamond Hill | Pies: by Wedding Guests | Catering: WoodBelly Pizza | Entertainment: The Grift | Event Rentals: Abbott Rental | Wedding Favors: Recaps Hats | Wedding gown: J. Crew | Invitations: Designed by the groom, printed by Mingo Press | Lighting: Abbott Rental | Linens: Abbott Rental | Rehearsal Dinner: Tamarack Grill, Burke Mountain | Shoes: Anthropologie | Tent Rentals: Abbott Rental | Menswear: J. Crew
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