Nayab and John’s love story is a testament to the magic of serendipity and shared passions. Meeting through mutual friends while attending graduate school at Dartmouth College, their bond over a love of the outdoors blossomed into a romance during a memorable ski weekend. Years later, John proposed to Nayab during a picturesque vacation in Edinburgh, setting the stage for a wedding that would reflect their love for nature and adventure. The Wilburton Inn in Vermont, with its breathtaking mountain views, provided the perfect backdrop for their special day. Surrounded by lush greenery, Nayab and John exchanged vows under a charming wooden arbor, with Nayab in a stunning lace ballgown and John in a dapper navy suit. Their reception, adorned with summer blooms and romantic candlelight, was a joyous celebration filled with vibrant colors and dancing to nostalgic tunes from The Backstreet Boys.
How did you meet?
We met at graduate school at Dartmouth College in 2017 in New Hampshire. We met through mutual friends and immediately connected on our shared interests such as enjoying the outdoors. We started dating after hitting it off after a big ski weekend at Dartmouth.
What is your proposal story?
John wanted to propose in a special place and decided to propose in Scotland. On the first day in Edinburgh, after a long travel day including lost luggage and some last minute shopping, John proposed to Nayab overlooking a scenic part of the city. We then went to a special dinner in town and spent the remainder of the trip celebrating in the Scottish highlands. We only never did receive our bagage until the final day of our trip – John was glad he didn’t check the ring.
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding.
We took inspiration from many of the great weddings we have been to over the years. We took our favorite aspects and built them into our weekend. We also identified what was important to us such as our shared love for the mountains and outdoor activities and planned our weekend around these things.
Tell us about your attire choices.
Friday night for rehearsal and welcome drinks we wore traditional Pakistani attire. The Wedding dress was designed by Winnie Couture. The dress was a strapless sweetheart neckline with a satin A-line gown laced top. John wore a dark navy suit with a silver tie. The suit was custom made by Blank Label located in Boston.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
– Flowers were stunning, we left a lot of creativity to the florist and she did an incredible job with a mix of big romantic blooms and colorful whimsical center pieces
– The magical pavilion with beautiful drapes and lighting
What were your favorite parts of the day?
– First Look – we were far more emotional than we ever expected
– Mother of Bride walking Nayab down the aisle
– Walking into the tent and seeing all of our closest friends and family
– Dancing the night away with a great band on the marble paviliion, specifically dancing to Backstreet Boys
What did you do for favors?
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
We assembled the arbor ourselves after having had shipped it to the venue. We printed all signs, photo, and little touches of the venue. We also brought many many of our candles which we used on the tables in addition to flowers. Lastly, we did all of the welcome bags for our guests.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
– Start planning early
– Don’t stress the little things
– Find a venue with a great team and staff — they will make your day worry free and help think through the details that are easy to forget
– Identify the things you really care about and prioritize those items
– having a welcome event allows you to say hello to everyone beforehand and helps you really celebrate on the big day
– Enjoy the process