Sophia and Matt met in the most public of places—an elevator—but they celebrated their wedding in a very private and personal way in the backyard of the groom’s parent’s house in his hometown of Falmouth, Maine. It was a relaxed celebration filled with personal details and lovely seaside-inspired touches. We’re especially loving the rustic-yet-bold floral design by Broadturn Farm and the brass + black candlestick detail—they’re so graphic and cool! And, of course, we LOVE Emily Delamater Photography‘s gorgeous fine-art images of the event. We know all you bohemian brides are going to be totally inspired!
What made the wedding special and unique?
My husband Matt and I had very different upbringings. I grew up with divorced parents, moved around, and became accustomed to constant change. Matt was raised in a small town called Falmouth, a beautiful, idyllic coastal town in Maine, and his family is full of tradition. His parents, who were also born and raised in Maine, were high school sweethearts. They eventually married after college, and had two boys. This year, they celebrate 45 years of marriage!
When Matt took me home to meet his parents, he took me to all his favorite places where his childhood memories were made. It immediately became a place close to my heart. 5 years later, we had a backyard wedding at his parents’ home. And now I love that we will always have this memory when we visit his parents. One day we will share it with our kids, when we bring them back to visit Grandma and Grandpa!
What made it even more special was that Matt’s father, a retired Judge, was our officiant. Matt’s parents’ marriage is the epitome of love, the kind that we strive to have. They are the reason why Matt is who he is today. So having his father marry us both could not have been more perfect, and it meant just as much to him as it did to us, to have him a part of that special moment.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
Finding THE dress, and within budget was actually the hardest part of planning our wedding! I tried on as many as I could, and scoured Pinterest on a daily basis. For months nothing felt right, until I saw a dress made by Grace Loves Lace, an Australian wedding dress designer. But it was too late to place an order! I was running against the clock – just a month and half to the big day, so I had the dress custom made, by Marie of West Coast Couture. Marie saved the day and whipped up my gorgeous dress in a matter of weeks. Constructed of French lace and silk, it was ethereal, bohemian, sweet, yet sexy, and most importantly, I felt beautiful in it.
What were some touches added to make it personal?
It was important to us to have our families be part of the wedding planning, as well as the day of. For example, Matt’s mother made our wedding cake, while my sister helped with the frosting. Who knew there was so much technique to making a cake look “naked”!
Matt’s brother is an artist and helped me design our wedding invitations. Since we were getting married at the family home, he hand-sketched a beautiful drawing of their New England colonial style house that I incorporated onto our wedding invitation.
Ring is vintage/maid of honor’s grandma’s wedding ring, it was my “something borrowed.” Locket was a gift from a friend, made by Olive Yew Jewels.
Matt’s mother finds the most beautiful things on her daily walks around Waite’s Landing, a nature path by their home that passes by the Atlantic ocean. She finds beautifully colored seashells, and on a few special occasions she has found tiny, delicate bird’s nests that have been abandoned. So when I saw them, I was excited to include these as decorative but meaningful elements in our wedding. The bird’s nest held our wedding rings during the ceremony, and the reception tables were adorned with oyster shells that we turned into salt and pepper holders.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
There were so many! It’s hard to choose. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be after our wedding ceremony. Matt and I walked back down the aisle and had a private moment as husband and wife. He reached in his pocket and gave me a beautiful, rose gold bracelet that was engraved. On the back was a small inscription that read “family”. Matt then said, “You are my family now, just me, you and Bernard (our beagle)”.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
6 years ago I moved into a new apartment. While moving in I met Matt in the elevator! But after a month of dating, he moved to NY and we began a long distance relationship. A year later he moved back to California, and we moved in together. At the same time, he decided he wanted to go back to school to get his law degree. It was a big adjustment for the both of us, but I wanted to support his dreams. We had talked about getting married, but I knew it would have to be put on hold, until after he graduated and took the bar exam.
In his last year of law school, he was offered a position with a law firm and told me the firm invited all first year associates to a weekend retreat at a resort in La Jolla, Ca. I must admit I’m very difficult to surprise – nothing gets past me! So telling me we were going to meet his new fellow associates was the only way he could get me away for a weekend. Otherwise I would’ve have suspected he was planning something!
Once we arrived at the hotel, we went for a walk to check out the grounds and ended up arriving at a beautiful nature preserve, on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The sun was setting, and all of a sudden he got down on one knee and popped the question! To be honest, I don’t remember much of what he said, because I was in complete shock and a blubbering, crying mess! I do remember saying yes, and the moment feeling very surreal. I couldn’t believe the moment that I had always dreamed about was happening right before my very eyes. It could not have been more perfect.
Photography: Emily Delamater Photography // Event Coordinator: Erin McNally // Floral: Broadturn Farm // Event Design & Invitation Design: Sophia Nguyen (bride) // Catering: Bread and Butter // Furniture and Tent Rental: One Stop Rentals // Dress: Custom Made by West Coast Couture // Bridesmaids Dresses: All Saints // Cake: Homemade with love by bride’s mother-in-law, and bride’s sister // Shoes Burberry // Groom’s Suit (Bonobos) // Groom’s Shoes: J.Crew https://www.jcrew.com/ // Jewelry (Earrings) by Alexis Bittar // Hair + Makeup: Bride// Hair Piece: Eleven Skies Studio