Britni + Nick’s elegant black and white fall wedding at Stone Acres Farm was incredible and we are so happy to have them sharing all the details, and the gorgeous photos, with us here on the MMW blog!

From the bride… “As I sat down to document the best parts of our September wedding, I first thought, “how long have we been married?” I was stunned to realize we just hit six months. Holy cow! Half a year with this marvelous man whom I married at one of our favorite places in the country: Stone Acres Farm.

When Nick proposed to me at his family cabin I was absolutely floored. We drove up to the rustic getaway on a Friday night. Nick was operating on a patient for nearly three hours longer than anticipated. I drove to his townhouse from my job, an hour and 20 minutes away, and still beat him there. I said perhaps we should just drive in the morning. He insisted we go up that night and after a walk with the dogs, a quick shower, Nick nearly falling asleep in the car and an argument about my driving, we arrived. I made crab legs, with garlic butter mac and cheese and the next thing I knew, Nick told me he wanted to listen to my favorite - Neil Young. He put on “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” (interesting choice, lol) and got on one knee. It was complete and utter shock in the happiest form.

The engagement happened in December and long story short, Nick wanted to get married within the year. We had always talked about getting married in Mystic. My family lives in Maine and Nick’s, here in Pennsylvania. Connecticut is about half way between the two, and I mean, it’s just downright gorgeous. We chose Stone Acres Farm as our venue so that the story of our wedding weekend would be told through anecdotes about terrific food.”

“Mystic restaurateur, Dan Meiser (85th Day Food Community, Oyster Club, Engine Room, Grass and Bone) is a college buddy of Nick. Our favorite thing about visiting Mystic is the connection between the place, and the food - local ingredients, people who care, and the talented curators on Dan’s team never cease to disappoint. We wanted to share that experience with all of our guests: Food with a purpose. We loved the idea that the starter salads were going to be grown right at our wedding venue. To be honest I always envisioned getting married indoors in a big cathedral but, to be honest, we didn’t even look at another venue!

Our wedding weekend was absolutely unreal. On Thursday Dan and his wife Jane threw a party for us at their home. Nick and Dan have a close-knit group of guys who were all in the same fraternity. Both of our families were invited. Dan boiled lobsters for a full on surf and turf spread. It was Nick’s birthday. On Friday, I turned the big 2-6 and it was certainly a birthday to remember. We did our “engagement photos” with Maggie Conley at Stone Acres. Better late than never, right? Maggie was so easy to work with and so complimentary. I love the photos she captured of us with the big farmer’s market sign, and the tractor. I also love the ones of Nick picking me up in front of the pond! My shoes for the shoot were actually a “teaser” for the wedding - I wore these lace Badgley Mischkas in white and rose gold for the shoot. For the wedding, I wore the same shoe in baby blue!

Our rehearsal dinner was at Grass and Bone. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was absolutely spectacular. There was music playing and when I walked in there was Dan, groomsmen and chef extraordinaire with a plate of Sea Bass ceviche with fish they boys had caught out on his boat that morning. It doesn’t get more sea to table than that! The setting was intimate and private, and Grass and Bone was just the right size for our group of 45! I had the carbonara - phenomenal. I licked the whole bowl clean. My parents brought me a gorgeous birthday cake, and my girlfriend brought my favorite—carrot cake—from a bakery in NYC. There were actually three cakes in total. I’ll never forget that birthday, that’s for sure.”

“Wedding day came and I woke up feeling like a million bucks. It was a mild, sunny September morning. The air was clean and autumnal, the kind that just invites people outside. I hit Macondo for coffee and got to the farmhouse early. Come to find out my mom was sick and throwing up, and one of my hair girls was about four hours late. I ordered our pastry bread from the wrong Sift location and Nick’s mom showed up to find a very confused staff at the downtown bakery. Shout out to the people at Sift for sorting it out and getting the goods ready for my girls on the fly! Still, nothing was going to stop me from having a perfect day.

The boys got ready at the Airbnb where a bunch of them were staying. I sent over a gift for Nick to open before we saw each other. It was all of his IDs from medical training framed up in order to make a little visual timeline from medical school to attending surgeon. He truly cherished the gesture ahead of making another big life milestone!”

“We did some pre-first look photos where I stood on top of the manor house balcony with Nick down below. When we did our first look, I think Nick was truly shocked at my dress! I don’t think he anticipated the lace! It’s really not my style, generally speaking. However, I knew I wanted long sleeves and to make the dress fit the outdoor venue I knew I couldn’t go with a full crepe sleeve! It was the first dress I tried on at Kleinfeld. I had the best day of my life in that Pnina Tornai. She even posted our first wedding photo on Instagram.”

“The bridesmaids walked into the English garden to a live ensemble of “Hallelujah”. I went with “Canon In D” - good choice and bad - I can’t even hear that song at other weddings without the waterworks starting. I knew I was going to cry. Our ceremony was performed by the woman I used to nanny for, I call her my “Boston Mom”! Our vow booklets were made by a letterpress printer in Pennsylvania. They were these elegant scrolls that matched our wedding invites. Pretty much all of the printing for the wedding was “Olde English” theme!”

“Cocktail hour was gorgeous. The band was playing, there was a champagne wall, and Nick’s only big request for the wedding - the raw bar. People still comment on how killer the oysters were. The first thing I remember about finishing the ceremony was Nick holding me close, smiling and saying “Hi Mrs. Purdy!” And next? Being offered a bluefish pate passed appetizer. I was just thinking “they’re all eating this special food in this special place.””

“The tent was decked out in black and white. It was everything I hoped for - black and white cathedral wedding meets gorgeous outdoor farm wedding. The champagne flutes were adorned with these little tiny scroll name cards. My flowers were done by Brambles and Bittersweet. My centerpieces were gorgeous - I gave very little direction about what I wanted and they were just right. They were classic, symmetrical and not too whimsical. She nailed it. She even came through when I decided last minute that I wanted Queen Anne’s lace tucked inside the silverware rolls!

Ryan Designs was another last minute addition. They were so easy to work with. It took four emails tops and I had these awesome black iron chandeliers installed to set the mood.”

“I can’t write about my wedding day and not talk about my sister’s speech. My sister and I have our pictures attached to the Google search “polar opposite.” I’m a news reporter and talk in front of people for a living. Erika once fainted giving an oral presentation in high school. When Erika spoke at my wedding, she was raw, thoughtful, and got out her good old dry humor. She paused once to tell the audience she was nervous. It was like watching my favorite Seinfeld episode. I cried real tears. I hope for the rest of my life I’m able to revisit those emotions.”

“With no wedding planner, a short engagement and living in a different state than our venue, I was nervous about how the day would come together. I can’t thank my vendors, Dan and Jane, and my husband enough for bringing my black and white farm wedding to life! Jane (from Stone Acres Farm) was the glue that held everything together. She provided so much support and so many tools to plan my day effectively. She even helped coordinate our tent rental and make sure the farm was ready to host our group!

We feel so fortunate that so many people traveled far and wide to eat their way through Mystic and celebrate our marriage. Now, with mounting uncertainty about the 2020 wedding season, we feel a whole new sense of gratitude for our memorable weekend. The vendors in this town truly care about what wedding season means in Mystic and take pride in curating the big day of your dreams. If there’s any place I would recommend trying to reschedule a wedding, it’s Mystic: the town where wedding dreams come true!”

We couldn’t agree more! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing wedding day with us, Britni + Nick!

V E N D O R S
MMW Caterer: 85th Day Food Community
MMW Florist: Brambles & Bittersweet
MMW Lighting: Ryan Designs
MMW Photographer: Maggie Conley Photography
MMW Venue: Stone Acres Farm

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