Hilary Nasin to Henry Hardaway
When Hilary Nasin and future husband Henry Hardaway met on the ski slopes at Killington, she was 11 and he was 13. For years after, they skied together on the Killington freestyle team and for a few years Henry was even her coach. As an adult, Hilary would hear about Henry through his sister, a close friend, but rarely saw him. When she reached out after 9/11 to make sure that Henry, who worked in New York City, was safe, everything changed. In the weeks that followed, says Hilary,"We had some good conversations." When Henry invited her to dinner in the city, Hilary, who lived in Connecticut, thought it would be nice to catch up with an old friend. Henry, though, considered the evening a date - and at the end of the night asked for a goodnight kiss, from there the relationship grew.
On Hilary's birthday weekend four years later, Henry told her to pack an overnight bag, and they headed out from Mystic, Connecticut, on her family's boat - a surprise trip. Out on the water, Henry slowed the boat, he said, "To take a picture of the sunset. "Instead, kneeling at the bow, he proposed. After happy tears - and some champagne - on the boat, the surprise continued on land. Henry checked them into a downtown inn, and they headed out to dinner at one of Hilary's favorite restaurants, where, Henry said, her mother and brother would meet them for a drink. When the couple arrived, a much bigger group of friends and family were waiting - the surprise birthday party they'd been invited to was really an engagement party!
Although they were getting married in December, an outdoor ceremony was a must. "It's where we like to be," Hilary says, "and the view at the Mountain Top Inn is best appreciated from outside." Guests were encouraged to dress warmly, and the festivities were planned to allow
time to change before cocktails.
The thoughtful planning for their guests didn't end there. Out-of-town arrivals were greeted with a "wedding newsletter" and baskets hand knit by Hilary's mother and filled with local products. The wedding party also received scarves and muffs made by Hilary's mother. Pre-wedding activities included a ski outing on Friday and after the Friday night welcome party, late-night sledding on the floodlit hill outside the inn's tavern.
On the wedding day, Hilary came down the aisle to "isn't it romantic?"- a nod to the couple's love of jazz standards. At the end of the ceremony, which was written by the couple, a horse-drawn sleigh picked them up for
a short ride and a private moment.
Personal details enhanced the celebration that followed. The glasses for the toast were the same ones Hilary's mother and her late father had at their wedding. The recipe for the cake came from Magnolia, Hilary's favorite bakery in New York. Indulge Cakes recreated it deliciously and covered it in coconut and goldleaf sprinkles to reflect the snowy time of year; on top were Herend lovebirds from Hilary's mom.
"Everyone we worked with was simply amazing," Hilary says. "The florist felt more like a friend, and my bouquet exceeded my expectations. The photographer was so fun to work with and made sure that we didn't lose too much time with our guests with lengthy portrait sessions. And the coordinator at the inn made everything run smoothly before and during the wedding - including the difficult setup for an outdoor ceremony in December." Hilary credits modern technology with helping things run smoothly for their guests. "We set up a very detailed wedding website with places to stay, directions, activities, registry links, and the schedule of events," she says. For out-of-town guests, Hilary says that planning a pre-wedding activity - like sledding - gives people a chance to catch up and blow off some steam, ensuring everyone is relaxed and refreshed on wedding day.
