Sean and Jocelyn ultimately made the decision to delay their big day no longer and called Nikki Bassette Photography and said “We want to elope!” Elopements are so romantic and produce some of the most beautiful stories and photos. With ongoing communication, the couple and photographer planned their new vision of what their day would be like. Although the couple had to consider social distancing while planning their day, it all came together so beautifully. Jocelyn had her bouquet made by Forest Flowers based in Northampton, Ma. It was truly a stunner.
How did you meet?
We met in college as members of our college marching band!
What is your proposal story?
Sean planned a surprise proposal with Jocelyn’s family to which consisted of a family hike on Christmas Day 2018. They had gifted Jocelyn a camera for Christmas that day and said they wanted to do a photoshoot at the end of the hike which is when Sean proposed and Jocelyn’s sister got it all on camera.
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).
Our wedding had many variations thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. We landed on a woodsy, winter elopement and romantic picnic on a wild Christmas tree farm. Colors were natural and earthy with pops of deep vibrant colors through flowers and accessories. Our style is very laid back and relaxed, and rustic. We wanted every part of the day to feel authentically us and being immersed in nature did just that.
Tell us about your attire choices.
Sean went with a simple olive-colored, tweed sport coat and white oxford shirt with dark tan pants. Jocelyn had a simple, breezy white long-sleeved dress and both wore their favorite matching Blundstone boots. Jocelyn had an accessory shawl in a beautiful dark purple that had belonged to her late grandmother.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
The most important thing while planning our day was making sure we didn’t do anything “just because” or just to hold to the tradition of weddings if it didn’t feel true to us. We skipped most traditional aspects and set out on a hike with our amazing photographer, her partner and our officiant. We splurged on our accommodations for the weekend with a beautiful suite in a local B&B.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
Jocelyn: Getting ready together. Nikki (our photographer) came over and we each had our parents on facetime while we got ready. It was very emotional, but also so special to get ready together with both of our parents “there.”
Sean: During our hike to find a ceremony spot, it started raining a bit. There was no rain in the forecast, but as we started the ceremony, it began to rain harder and then turned to freezing rain. We all laughed but proceeded anyway with the ceremony and said “I do” while being pelted in the face with ice falling from the sky.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
Forest Flowers made the most beautiful arrangements for our elopement. I (Jocelyn) asked for deep, moody, vibrant colors with accents of winter greenery. I also had an accompanying flower crown which made me feel like a winter goddess. Sean’s boutonniere was simple but complemented the rest of the flowers perfectly.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
This was a bit of an afterthought. We went to Whole Foods the day before our wedding and bought a small personal-sized cake that was simple with white frosting and a few berries on top. When we cut into it, we realized the whole inside was layered with beautiful, delicious berries as well! It ended up being quite lovely and delicious.
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
Nikki and her partner set up the most amazing picnic for us in a little alcove at the Christmas tree farm. It consisted of a mix of blankets and baskets from her collection as well as ours, and we packed our own plates that we use for camping trips and a collection of foods and wine that my mom had left in our B&B room from all of our families. It was really special!
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
Jocelyn wore her late grandmother’s shawl over her dress.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Don’t overthink it too much and don’t spend your life savings! You can have something SO special and still keep it simple. You might not have to go as extreme as us and do an elopement in the woods, but my dream is to plan a simple backyard celebration with all of our loved ones when the time is right. It will be a magical day no matter what.