Engaged 2020 | Page 150

August 25, 2018 | Brad Smith Photography Alyssa & Andrew The Meet Cute: Though Alyssa is originally from Darien, Connecticut and Andrew hails from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the two connected through mutual friends while living in Chicago. The Engagement: After four blissful years together, Andrew proposed in the couple’s apartment following one of Alyssa’s — who is a coach — field hockey games. The Planning: “My favorite part was being creative, and my least favorite was how much time it took,” Alyssa says. “I knew my vision pretty clearly; I love muted greens and blues and knew I didn’t want anything over-the-top because Block Island has such natural beauty already. I wanted it to be as timeless as possible.” The Venue: Alyssa, who grew up going to Block Island every summer since she was a child, always knew she wanted to get married at this historic inn. “I’ve stayed at the Atlantic Inn before and it was the perfect setting,” she explains. The Fashion: The bride tribe’s outfits were also on-theme: “I thought the pattern was kind of fun and different and it even almost reminded me of Block Island with the colors,” Alyssa says. The First Look: The couple had a very practical reason for shirking the age-old tradition of waiting until the ceremony to see each other: “We wanted to get our photos over with in the beginning so our guests could enjoy themselves after the ceremony,” Alyssa says. The Ceremony: What was the best part? “Walking past everyone I love,” Alyssa says. 148 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2020 The First Dance: Alyssa’s best friend from college, Jane Mostue, lended her vocals during the couple’s first dance as man and wife. “She sang, ‘Come to Me’ by the Goo Goo Dolls,” Alyssa says. “It was really special having her sing — she was amazing.” The Decor: It all came together thanks to Melissa from Painted Rock, who Alyssa says is remarkable. “She had the door [for the seating chart] and offered that as an idea because I wanted something different and easy.” Meanwhile, the blue glasses were the bride’s idea. “I saw something similar on Pinterest and loved it,” she recalls. “The way the light was hitting them as the sun set is one of my most vivid memories. I’m so glad we did that!” The Team: The newlyweds could not stress enough how awesome their vendors were. “The great thing about getting married on a small island is that all the vendors basically know each other and work so well together, which eased my woes,” Alyssa explains. The Highlights: “Having all of my favorite people in my favorite place, hands down. It was surreal.” — Alyssa “Alyssa walking down the aisle. I was also super happy for her because I know having all of our people in her favorite place had been a dream of hers for many years.” — Andrew The Advice: “Don’t sweat the small stuff!" Alyssa says. "I spent so much time on the color of the napkins and I’m sure no one noticed. Dance as much as possible, eat the cake and kiss your husband.”