Real Wedding: Brittany & Marius
Cake: Mirabelle’s Café Entertainment: Top Hat Entertainment
Though Brittany and Marius were in the same class at Dartmouth Medical School, it wasn’t at school where they connected, but rather on the dance floor. “He was a natural at the tango, and I was intrigued,” says Brittany. After many nights dancing together, when Marius occasionally exhibited not only his tango skills but also his childhood polka lessons, the couple knew they were on their way to a lasting relationship. However, there was one last obstacle that Marius needed to overcome to win Brittany’s love — her overly protective pet rabbit, Buster. So he put his creative skills to work. “Marius prevailed after writing a song called ‘Bustered’ that soothed the rabbit’s apprehensions,” says Brittany.
For one of their first dates, Marius planned to cook dinner at Brittany’s place. However, the Valentine’s Day snowstorm of 2007 nearly prevented this. Determined to honor their date despite the treacherous conditions, Marius cross-country skied nearly three miles to Brittany’s house. It was a tough journey, but Marius has never regretted it. Two years later, in an act of perfect romantic symmetry, Marius planned his proposal to take place on another evening of snow. Determined again to honor their date, Marius anxiously drove Brittany to Simon Pearce for dinner, which was nearly empty because of the storm.
After they had finished eating, Marius presented Brittany with a gift — a felt giraffe. Brittany loved it but had no idea that Marius was hoping the gift would throw her off the scent of his impending proposal. “After I opened the present and admired the silky smoothness of the giraffe, Marius took me to a terrace overlooking a frozen river,” says Brittany. The couple watched as snow fell silently over the waterfall, which tumbled over giant slates of ice floating in the river. In this picturesque setting, Marius knew the time had come. Dropping to one knee, he asked Brittany to be his wife, to which she responded with a resounding “Yes!”
Brittany and Marius are both from the Midwest but had taken many trips to Burlington and were eager to provide their guests with an amazing destination wedding weekend. Both also wanted the chance to enjoy Vermont’s great cuisine at their celebration. “The Burlington area is a great place to eat delicious, fresh, and local ingredients,”
says Brittany.
Brittany embraced many DIY elements when it came to designing and planning. After creating a unique letterpressed chicken-and-rooster design, she used it to adorn many of her wedding elements, including the invitations and various signs at the reception. For place cards, Brittany canned homemade jam in simple jars adorned with the chicken-and-rooster logo. Guests also took home handmade bars of soap. DIY touches like these added a personal feel to the day. “These details made our wedding so uniquely us,” says Brittany.
Though it had been raining all morning, the clouds broke just in time for the ceremony, setting the scene for an extraordinary day. In keeping with their DIY aesthetic, the ceremony and reception had no lack of personal elements. Following a Lithuanian tradition, the bridesmaids (and a few groomsmen) lined up behind a sheet, with only their feet peeking out. To ensure a long and happy marriage, Marius had to properly identify the foot of his bride, and to increase the challenge, Brittany had instructed all the bridesmaids to paint their toes the same color. “Fortunately, our love is strong, and Marius was able to find the right foot!” says Brittany.
The couple also honored the manner in which they had fallen in love — on the dance floor — by indulging in a lively tango as their first dance. In spite of two badly timed snowstorms and the defiance of one pet bunny, Brittany and Marius knew they had come full circle — and a tango only seemed appropriate.
Brittany & Marius' Advice:
#1 Create some of the details yourself! The letterpress chicken & rooster motif, handmade bars of soap & homemade jam jar place cards really wowed our guests.
#2 No matter what drama happens during planning, your wedding will be wonderful. By the same token, be flexible & let your mother have her way on a few things!