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Tara and Chris had a beautiful wedding in South Hampton. They got ready for the day just down the street from each other.

The bride and groom shared a first look. I just love Chris’s expression when he saw Tara for the first time.

Ah! I love this dress!

Tara and Chris’s wedding venue in South Hampton is very special to them. Chris shares, “First, there is a lot of family history. My great grandfather purchased the beach house in 1950. My dad spent his childhood growing up there during summers and then, in turn, my brother and I did as well. It’s amazing to look at old photos and see my relatives growing up swimming in the bay and playing on the sand.

Tara adds, “Second, it is so special is because it’s actually the first place we met! One of my best friends and her husband were renting a summer house on the same street with Chris’s roommate at the time, and his girlfriend. I went out to stay with my friend for a week during the summer and, on the first day there, she said we were going to walk down a few houses and meet some of the people who she had become friendly with in the neighborhood. We walked down….and ended up on the deck of the beach house where Chris and I eventually got married! One thing led to another and eventually we were set up to go on a date back in Manhattan. My friend told me before I went on this date that we were going to get married. I laughed at her and told her I would call her after. The date lasted 4 hours! After that date came a second one, which we both clearly remember because the people at the table next to us asked us to be quiet because we were laughing and talking too loud.”

We tried to get a photo with of the groom with the twin ring bearers. We didn’t get what we planned, but the pulled suspenders made for an even better and funnier photo!

The ceremony was held on the beach just as the sun was beginning to set. Tara adds, “One of our favorite pastimes is watching the sunset on the beach, so we thought of no better backdrop for our wedding than that! We did a lot of DIY aspects for our wedding…from constructing our wedding arch, to slicing wine corks to hold place cards, to assembling our floral centerpieces with our family. Working together on these details helped make the process feel even more special, and in turn, made our wedding truly reflective of us. ”

Tara shares the story of the proposal, “It was a rainy fall day in November and Chris and I had planned to have a weekend out of the city and go wine tasting. We got up in the morning and all seemed normal – except for the fact that Chris was fully dressed in a button down, khakis, shoes, etc., before 9 am. He made me chocolate chip pancakes while dressed like we were going out to dinner – but I thought nothing of it.  That afternoon we drove to Wolffer Estate Vineyard and walked in for a tasting. We ordered a cheese plate to go with the wine and I thought it was slightly odd that Chris wasn’t eating any of the cheese – for anyone who knows Chris, this would be somewhat alarming. He insisted that it was “too salty,” when in reality…he was panicking. Ha. We decided to go out to the back and take a photo of the vineyard despite the rain. When we got outside, one of the employees took our photo. The photo is hilarious because Chris is leaning away from me so I wouldn’t feel the ring box inside of his jacket pocket. We have this photo framed now because in it we are both grinning ear to ear and this was before the actual engagement – so it is pretty indicative of how happy we are around each other. After the employee took the photo, he started to talk about the vineyard and various grapes at which point Chris is starting to get really flustered (he was waiting for the guy to go inside so he could propose). After he went inside, I started to follow…naturally…because it was RAINING. Chris said he thought we should wait for another minute, to which I said, “Why do you want to stand outside – it’s raining?” Then I turned around, he was down on one knee… and the rest is history.

At our wedding we decided to serve only Wolffer red and white wine because of our special connection. And the Wolffer red that was served at the wedding is the same type we were drinking before and after the proposal!

We aimed to have a rustic beach wedding so hopefully that is the style we produced! We love spending summer nights at the beach watching the sunset, and wanted to share this special place with those closest to us. We envisioned our wedding as one big party – the right mix of classy and casual.”

Guests were treated to a smores bonfire on the beach just outside of the reception tent.

Congratulations Tara and Chris!

Special thanks to the whole team:
Venue: Private Beach Home, Southampton, New York
Coordinator: Lovely Day Styling & Events
Caterer: 230 Elm
DJ: Spin Around Sound Entertainment
String Duo: Marie Stack Music
Hair and Makeup: Alicia Cook, Revolve Hair Salon
Bride’s Dress: Daughters of Simone
Bride’s Barefoot Sandals: Forever Soles
Maids of Honor Dresses: Nouvelle Amsale
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz