Karissa & Rory – wedding – Interlaken Inn, CT

Karissa and Rory’s wedding took place at the Interlaken Inn, a picturesque wedding venue in Connecticut. The wedding ceremony was at the lake-front across the road from the Inn. It rained the entire morning, so they set up a marquee tent. Fortunately the rain gradually let up for the ceremony … and then when the New Orleans style jazz band led all the guests back to the reception, the rain had eased up completely. Theband, The Lowdown Stompers, wasn’t the only unusual event they had planned for their wedding. The night ended with guests sending off wish lanterns into the night. A visually arresting sight to watch the lanterns sail off into the night.

Karissa & Rory, it was a real treat photographing your wedding and getting to know you! Congratulations and best wishes.

I sent a Q&A set to Karissa and Rory, and here they are with a few words about their wedding day:

How did you choose Interlaken Inn as your wedding venue?
We were very decisive when it came to what we were looking for in a venue. From the lakeside ceremony, to the reception tent, to the on-site accommodations, Interlaken Inn had everything we were looking for in a venue. We knew we wanted to host a weekend event for all of those coming from out of town and the bon-fire on Friday night by the lake was a nice touch to the beautiful weekend.

Tell us about your dress, shoes and other accessories!
My dress was actually the first dress that I tried on! I hated it on the rack and didn’t want to give it a chance but the stylist insisted and when I put it on, I immediately knew that it was my wedding dress.

As for accessories, I have always loved bright/statement shoes and knew these Badgley Mischka pumps would be the perfect fit for my “something blue”. My “something borrowed” was my veil, which was my longtime friends’ that she looked amazing in at her wedding last year. Most of my other accessories were from Rent the Runway – all of their jewelry were fabulous!

What detail did you like best about your wedding day?
My favorite detail was the elephant cake topper. With the help of my family, we molded abd baked the clay then painted the adorable bride and groom elephants. By taking close to 8 hours to make, it by far was the most tedious detail but was completely worth it to be able to have the memorable keepsake.

Describe your decor and how you chose it!
We were looking for something classic and simple for decor. My favorite colors change with the season so I wanted something timeless and to me, nothing is more beautiful than lanterns, votive candles, surrounded by champagne colored hues.

What was your favorite moment during your wedding day?
My favorite moment was right before our vows by the lakeside ceremony. We were listening to ceremony introduction by our officiant and I was shaking due to the combination of being cold and wet from the rain and my nerves being uncontrollable. Though it may have been inappropriate at a more formal wedding, Rory stepped beside me and put his arm around me. This not only provided some warmth but had a calming effect and I was able to stop shaking. I will never forget that moment.

Why did you choose Neil van Niekerk for your photography?
One of my best friends is an avid photographer and has been following and talking about your work for a while. I interviewed a number of photographers but was the most confident with your experience and expertise. Deciding factors were actually the chance of poor weather(and it did rain), low lighting in the tent, and our wish lantern send off at the end of the night and how confident each photographer was that they would be able to deliver. We couldn’t have asked for more amazing photos of our day!

What’s next on your calendar as a couple?
Like most newlyweds, a lot! We are taking a belated honeymoon to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia for most of December and January then we are moving out of NYC in the early part of 2015. Another big item on our to-do list is to buy a vacation home in Vermont since we travel up there often and both love to ski!

Karissa + Rory