Real Wedding: Sarah & Aaron
A Vermont wedding was an obvious choice for Sarah Ketay and Aaron Taylor-Waldman, who grew up here, met here, and later fell in love here. The couple envisioned a relaxed, fun, outdoor wedding that would allow them to share Vermont’s splendor with family and friends from out of town.
The bride and groom met through a mutual friend while Sarah was attending high school in New Hampshire and Aaron in Vermont. They headed off to different colleges, but kept in touch, and when they finally reunited in 2002 they found that the magical feeling was still there, and they started dating. For two years, they maintained a long-distance relationship, while Aaron finished college and Sarah attended graduate school in Long Island. When Aaron graduated, they finally moved in together in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
In April of 2007, Aaron and Sarah were visiting family in the Upper Valley, where a foot of glistening snow blanketed the ground. The couple trekked on snowshoes to a secluded spot by Pout Pond, where they found themselves alone but for the company of a hawk gliding overhead. Taking advantage of a picture-perfect opportunity, Aaron proposed, and Sarah of course accepted.
Given the couple’s backgrounds—Aaron is a graphic designer in Brooklyn; Sarah completed her Ph.D. in social psychology—it’s no surprise that their wedding planning was both inspired and thoughtful. And with a little help from their families and a few amazing wedding professionals, they created a celebration sure to be remembered for a lifetime.
The couple asked Aaron’s cousin Hannah, who is an opera singer, to perform a beautiful song called “The Water Is Wide,” accompanied by her father, David. And during the ceremony, Sarah’s stepmother gave a heartfelt reading of a poem selected by the couple. The bride’s and groom’s brothers joined their closest friends to complete the wedding party.
The floral artistry of Danika Johnson at Blomma Flicka Flowers gave the reception tent a magical atmosphere, with three large trees attached to the tent poles and lively table arrangements of fresh peonies, orchids, and snapdragons. The cake and place card tables were covered in moss and adorned with birch tubes holding flowers. The beauty of the wedding was artfully captured by photographers Daria and Andy Bishop, whom Sarah describes as “a dream to work with.” The Two Man Gentleman Band from New York City entertained guests with jangly, old-fashioned music during the ceremony and cocktail hour, bringing smiles to everyone and inspiring many a guest to cut a rug.
Sarah and Aaron will forever cherish the joy of having all of their family and friends in one place, celebrating together. They called the home base for the wedding weekend “Camp S’Aaron,” and it became a dreamlike gathering place where childhood friends mingled with new friends from Brooklyn and guests who traveled from as far away as New Zealand, London, Germany, and France. The joyful weekend at Camp S’Aaron even inspired some of their recently engaged friends to rent a house for the bridal party at their wedding, too.
Sarah and Aaron’s advice to newly engaged couples: “Treasure this time as you begin married life. Enjoying the engagement and the wedding is more important than all the little details that come up along the way.”