Real Wedding: Shawna & Doug
Floral Design: Central Market Florist Photography: Joe Carrol
Shawna Lidsky agreed to go on a blind date with Doug Hamilton with one stipulation, she explained to their matchmaker-friend, Alan: that "this guy" better not email her when he asks her out. Doug passed the test, and invited her (by phone call) to an awards dinner hosted by Alan. Shawna arrived first, and when Doug walked in Alan asked over the microphone, for all to hear, "Is he tall enough for you?" According to Shawna, and as evidenced by their subsequent love story, he was.
Shawna and Doug spent the next few months skiing, snowboarding, and hiking as friends. Finally, they fell in love. And one spring day, on their first Adirondack hike of the year, Doug popped the question over sandwiches at the top of a mountain. Shawna was in shock. "I'm still amazed I made it down the mountain that day without breaking something," she says, "I kept staring at my new ring, tripping over every rock and root!"
Though Doug is from New York State and Shawna is from New Jersey, the two felt that their wedding should be in Vermont-it is where they met and fell in love. Sharing the state's beauty with their friends and family was something the couple wanted to do on their wedding day.
Shawna and Doug wanted their ceremony to make guests feel "at home." The wedding's theme incorporated natural elements and colors-browns and greens, with hot pink accents-and some traditional aspects of Jewish ceremonies to compliment Shawna's religion. Doug built a stunning birch Chuppa that Shawna decorated with shimmering leaf crystals. It was transported to the sanctuary of All Souls Interfaith Gathering that morning. The ceremony was charming and personal. Shawna and Doug wrote their own vows and selected readings meaningful to them as a couple. An acoustic guitarist played "Here Comes the Sun" and "You are My Sunshine," and as the wedding party exited the sanctuary the bridesmaids danced to "All You Need is Love."
For a week before the wedding, it rained every day. But for Doug and Shawna's ceremony, the sky was a beautiful mix of dark and light shades of blue. "What happened could only be divine intervention," they say. As the ceremony ended and everyone went outside, the clouds parted and the sun shined for the first time in a week, offering a spectacular view of Lake Champlain, Vermont foliage, and the Adirondacks across the lake.
The cake was safari-themed. Shawna bought bride and groom giraffe-toppers handmade on etsy.com-even the groom giraffe's flower was light green to match the wedding colors. The cake was surrounded with wedding favors from Vermont Brownie Company, of which Shawna is co-owner. Shawna and her mom handmade the invitations, menus, and place cards for the wedding, embellished with green flowers and crystals to match the ring bearer box.
Shawna and Doug assumed the reception would be the most memorable part of their day, but ended up appreciating the extreme focus they made toward the ceremony. Such personal touches made the ceremony most precious to them "from the music to the smiling faces." They suggest that other couples also strive to create an atmosphere that reflects their personality as a couple. Personal flair, they say, is what makes the wedding unique.
Lastly, they stress the importance of being in the moment the day of the wedding. Shawna and Doug suggest taking a few minutes between the ceremony and the reception to be alone as a couple. It was during this time that Shawna and Doug signed their Ketubah, or "Jewish wedding contract," which they displayed at their reception. This time together allowed Shawna and Doug to relax so that they could have fun with their guests. This time is important, Shawna says, because "The rest of the day will fly by!"