June 9, 2019 | Alicia Ann Photographers
Sarah & Evan
The Meet Cute: Sarah and Evan became close friends in high school,
even attending senior homecoming and prom together. After college,
Evan left for South Korea to teach English and do graphic design for a
year, but he and Sarah missed each other way more than ‘just friends’
normally would. Fortunately, Sarah’s grandmother clearly knew something
was there and bought Sarah tickets to visit Evan. They spent the whole
trip exploring while holding hands. When Evan later came home, he took
Sarah to a wine bar and they spent hours talking — a fellow patron even
asked when the wedding was. About nine years later, at the wedding,
the Rabbi asked how many of their guests knew Sarah and Evan would
end up together — almost everyone raised a hand.
The Engagement: One morning, Sarah and Evan were sitting on the
couch drinking tea when he suddenly said, “Okay! I’m ready.” Sarah had
no idea what he was talking about, but then he explained how much he
loved her and how he was ready for the next step. “It was lovely,” she says.
The Aesthetic: The couple had three key elements in mind: natural,
welcoming and romantic. “We wanted our friends and family to have a
wonderful day and we wanted to embody the feelings we had during
a trip to the French countryside where we rented a house with friends
and spent many nights drinking wine while looking out over a vineyard,”
Sarah recalls. “It was beautiful and peaceful.” She also knew that she
wanted string instruments at the wedding, just like her parents had at
theirs, and lots of candles. “The venue was just perfect because of its
outdoor space and those dreamy willow trees, balanced with a beautiful
historic barn where we could have candles everywhere,” she says.
The First Look: “It was a tough decision, as my mom always talked
about how seeing my father look at her at the end of the aisle was
one of those most special things ever,” Sarah admits. “But we knew we
wanted our moment to be more private. It was a way to center and
connect us. We will never forget it.”
The Jewish Elements: Sarah and Evan, with the help of their Rabbi,
wrote their own ketubah, a Jewish marriage contract which reflects the
equality and obligations between the bride and groom. “We outlined
our commitments to each other, the life we want to build together
and the ethics that will drive our decision making,” Sarah explains. She
and Evan felt it was important that they incorporate Judaism into their
nuptials. “We love the way that it supports life transitions and it made us
feel connected to something larger than us on our wedding day,” she
says. “Also, Evan did a great job at breaking the glass on the first try!”
The Highlights: “We loved our time right after the ceremony when we
took about ten minutes, just the two of us. The venue arranged cocktails
and appetizers for us in the room; we toasted and shared some nice
moments. We also loved our choreographed dance to When Harry
Met Sally’s “I Could Write A Book.” We felt so proud of our hard work!
Also, during our thank you speech, I was so giddy that I kept forgetting
what I wanted to say! We smiled so much that our cheeks hurt by the
end of the night — it all just felt like a dream.” — Sarah
144 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2020