Real wedding · Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Kate & Parker
A private home in Fenwick
Fifes, drums and blue toile dresses down a Fenwick lane
- Venue
- A private home in Fenwick
- Location
- Old Saybrook, Connecticut
- Setting
- Tented & backyard
- Photographs
- 25 selected
There was a harborside lawn first, Kate in cream with puffed sleeves and Parker in a navy blazer, sailboats resting at their moorings behind them. On the wedding day a Cavalier spaniel dozed in a wicker basket while Kate checked her makeup in a round rattan mirror. The boutonnieres lined up on a windowsill were a small riot of dahlias and ranunculus, a preview of her bouquet.
Then came the sound. A fife and drum corps in tricorn hats and white breeches marched down the gravel lane under an American flag and a blue banner, and the whole wedding followed. An older man in a navy blazer walked Kate in while two bridesmaids in blue and white toile carried her train. Afterward the corps stood at attention on either side as the two of them came back up the lane, grinning.
The full wedding party, navy blazers and toile, threw bouquets in the air on a seawall above the water, and the groomsmen made room for a big tan dog who wanted in. Blue hour by the shore turned everything soft and cool for a few quiet frames of the two of them. Under the backyard tent, paper lanterns hung over blue and white china, the first dance got a spin, and a burst of confetti set the dance floor off.
Getting ready
Details
Blue and white china, bright dahlia centerpieces and a crest on the invitation suite.
Ceremony
A fife and drum parade led the way, then stood guard for the walk back up the lane.
Portraits
The seawall and shoreline gave wide group shots and quiet blue hour frames of the couple.
Celebration
Paper lanterns, a spin across the floor and confetti to cap the night.
Planning a wedding like this?
In a walkable shoreline neighborhood, a lane or quiet street can become a procession route, so coordinate early with neighbors and any musicians. For big wedding parties, a seawall or open lawn by the water gives room for everyone in one frame. A backyard sailcloth tent looks best photographed from across the lawn at deep blue hour.
