October 20, 2018 | Mel Colvin Photography
Dan & Mark
The Meet Cute: “We met like most couples nowadays — online,” says
Dan. “We had many mutual friends on Facebook and I saw Mark and
had to friend request him.” After months of texting, the two finally met
in person and they have been together ever since.
The Engagement: Mark was supposed to wait to propose until June —
the month he had met Dan seven years prior — but he couldn’t wait any
longer. “I had no clue what was going on,” Dan says. “He told me that
his sister was in town for a work conference and that we were going to
visit her at her hotel.” Dan wasn’t feeling great and didn’t want to go, but
Mark got him to relent with a promise to stop at Dan’s favorite coffee
shop on the way. “When we got to the hotel room, he opened the door
and it was filled with balloons and flowers,” Dan says. “I was completely
shocked when he proposed and didn’t believe him at first.”
The Planning: Their favorite part was seeing everything come to life.
“We went with our first instinct for the major decisions, like photographer,
venue, hair and makeup,” Dan says. “We didn’t want to feel overloaded
with options. It was a great way to alleviate any potential stress.” Their
least favorite part? The waiting. “We made a lot of big choices right away,
so we had a lot of time before we could start making decisions regarding
details,” he explains. “You start to feel like you are forgetting everything!”
The Timing: “The fall is our favorite time of year — the colors, the weather,
the fun things to do,” Dan says of their wedding date. “Plus, neither one
of us wanted to wear a suit in the summer. Too hot!”
The Calm: When Dan and Mark first toured the Publick House, the venue’s
wedding coordinator gave them the best advice. “She said, ‘There is no
sense in stressing over anything. The only person who will even realize
if something goes wrong at your wedding is you,’” Dan recalls. “That
stuck with us throughout, and we just tried to enjoy every minute —
even when my shoes hadn’t come in yet two days before the wedding!”
The Photographer: “I have known Mel since we were little kids,” Dan says.
“But seeing her in her element was such a cool experience! She knows
how to make a couple feel so relaxed. She gets to know everyone she
works with and is able to modify her style based on their personalities.”
The Guestbook: “A friend of mine shared a post about the Fete Phone
on Facebook, so I looked at their website and thought it was such a
cool idea,” says Dan. All he and Mark had to do was order the phone
online and, once it came in, set it up with a personal voicemail greeting.
At the reception, their guests were able to hear the greeting and leave
a message in return. “We received a digital download of everyone’s
messages a few weeks after the wedding,” Dan explains. “We had an
open bar, so the ones towards the end of the night are the funniest.”
The Highlights: “My favorite part was right before the ceremony; we
snuck up to our suite and we could see all of the guests arriving. We
had five minutes to ourselves to take it all in and just be together. I would
definitely suggest this to any couple getting married. Sneak away for a
second and take a deep breath.” — Dan
“Seeing Dan.” — Mark
116 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2020