We are absolutely in love with Carissa and Ryan’s Lord Thompson Manor wedding. Nestled in the sleepy northeast corner of Connecticut, the historical Lord Thompson Manor was the ideal backdrop to Carissa and Ryan’s wedding day, and the perfect match to their classically elegant eye for fashion. From the light and airy cottage house, to the dark woods of the manor’s billiards room – it seamlessly complimented Carissa’s delicate grace and Ryan’s dapper charm. Every detail of this wedding was flawless, from Carissa’s gown to the napkin rings, the day was truly a dream.

The Coordinated Bride Carissa shares all the details!

Our Love Story

(Ryan and I) met through mutual friends in 2011, who set us up to go on a group dinner with them. We dated for 3 years before we got engaged.  Ryan proposed to me while we were on vacation in Yellowstone National Park, at the summit of Mount Washburn. He carried the ring around with him the entire trip until he found the right opportunity. We were with some friends, and when he took me over to the spot where he proposed, our friends trailed behind to take a video of us. They had glasses and champagne in their backpack so we wasted no time celebrating! It’s really cool that we have the proposal to look back on and watch.

The Wedding Planning

I knew immediately that I wanted to have a romantic/glamorous theme for our wedding. It really fits my style and vision; therefore, I went with the color palette of blush, gold, rose gold and light taupe.  We also were set on finding a venue where we could have a ‘wedding weekend’, since Ryan has a lot of family that live in the south that were going to be travelling up for the wedding.  We wanted to be able to spend time visiting with our family and friends, rather than trying to fit it all into a 6 hour ceremony and reception.

I showed our wedding coordinator at the venue photos from my Pinterest board to help give them an idea of what look we wanted.  The Manor actually did all of the decorating for us, and even used props that they had on site such as picture frames, throw pillows, and lots of candles to bring our vision to life. They decorated the arbor we got married in front of with beautiful flowers and flowy fabric.  We incorporated hints of shimmer and sparkle with the decor, and it came out exactly as I had hoped it would.  Seeing my vision all come together was a pretty cool experience!

Jackie who works at the Manor did all of our flower arrangement for us.  She used different flowers that were in season, and went with the color scheme to create these gorgeous bouquets and centerpieces. While we kept our flower budget on the lower end, they still came out more beautiful than I could’ve imagined.

The Wedding Attire

Once again, wanting to stick with the theme of being romantic and glamorous I choose a dress that had a hint of blush to make it a bit more unique.  I originally wanted to have my hair down; but, with the humidity of July I opted for a last minute change and put it all up, which I am actually glad that I did. The guys all wore matching wore suits that were French blue, with light brown shoes and fun patterned socks.  I feel that created a more relaxed, not quite as formal look to our wedding.

The Wedding Day

I think the most anticipated moment of our special day was when we did our first look.  Our family and bridal party stood up on the balcony overlooking the ceremony spot, while I walked out to Ryan.  Seeing his face as he turned around was such a memorable moment, and having our family and close friends witness that made it even better.  Overall we were really looking forward to just celebrating with everyone and enjoying the day to its fullest.

One of our favorite parts of the wedding for us was the after party!  We had late night snacks that consisted of a hot dog stand, pretzels, homemade cookies and s’mores around the fire pits. Another highlight was the band… they were absolutely incredible!  They had everyone out on the dance floor.  The energy of live music at a wedding is just so magnetic.

Advice for future Coordinated Brides

As with any big event, planning is essential. Prior to the planning, however, it comes down to thinking about and identifying the most important aspects for you both, so that you can know where to dedicate the most resources to make your day what you want it to be.  Find the right people to help you organize and coordinate the wedding on the day of, so that you don’t have to worry and can fully enjoy the precious time of your special day.