Real Wedding: Kelly & Chris
Photography: Orchard Cove Photography
Band: Max Z And His Trio
Cake: Malvern Bakery
Cake Topper: Fancy Flours
Entertainment: DJ Shakey
Floral Design: The Downhome Shop
Gown: J. Crew
Invitations: Silhouette Blue
Reception Site: Jedediah Hawkins Inn
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For Kelly Feinstein and Chris Vallina, falling in love was easy. They had so much in common that spending time together was effortless. After initially meeting at a work function in New York City, the couple quickly became inseparable — spending weekends together at farmer’s markets in Union Square, exploring the eateries and pubs of the West Village, enjoying lazy weekend brunches, taking wine-tasting trips to the East End of Long Island, and sharing family dinners at Kelly's parent's house. It was during these simple moments and uncomplicated outings that they fell in love.
Two and a half short years later, they were visiting Chris’ family in Spain and enjoying the perfect day together: After a trip to the beach, they had drinks overlooking the seaport, followed by a candlelit dinner on the bay. While at dinner, Kelly couldn’t help but remark how perfect the day had been — but it wasn’t over yet. After their meal, the couple enjoyed a drink on a hotel terrace in Chris’ neighborhood. Placing a ring on her finger, Chris told Kelly there was only one way the day could get even better — if she agreed to become his wife. Under the Spanish moonlight, Kelly accepted.
Both Kelly and Chris knew that they wanted to have an autumn wedding. They had started dating in the fall, and for both of them it was their favorite season. They also knew they would not be traveling far — both love the North Fork and felt there was no better place for a harvest-themed wedding. They settled on the Jamesport Meeting House for the ceremony, a simple clapboard building that had the elegance and homey feeling they were looking for, and the Jedediah Hawkins Inn for the reception, a charming and comfortable Victorian inn formerly owned by a sea captain. Kelly and Chris, wanting to make the inn feel like a "home away from home" for their guests, arranged hydrangeas cut from Kelly’s family garden in galvanized buckets on the front porch. Wooden fruit crates saved from her grandfather’s childhood were also set up on the porch, filled with caramel-covered apples. Guests were also welcome to help themselves to a bottle of local wine, wrapped in parchment paper by family and friends and personalized with a “thank you” label tied around the bottle’s neck.
At the ceremony, Kelly glowed in a vintage-inspired champagne-colored dress, a modern gown she had customized with details from her own mother’s wedding dress. Kelly’s friend read an excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit, the same passage Kelly had read to her when she was just 3 years old. Chris’ best friend followed suit by reading a love poem, and Kelly’s best friend read a poem on marriage.
From the ceremony, the bride and groom traveled to the celebration in Chris’ lovingly restored 1967 golden Porsche. “I knew from the first ride I ever took in it that it would someday be a prop for our autumn wedding,” says Kelly. The reception was elegant and cozy, and everyone immediately felt at home. Pumpkin candles of various sizes were placed along the perimeter of the house, illuminating the inn as guests arrived. Inside, fireplaces in each room roared away, and amber votive candles glowed softly on the mantel next to white pumpkins. Guests relaxed to funky bass, bongo, and hammered dulcimer music in the dining room and danced to the DJ’s upbeat tunes on the enclosed porch. Everyone enjoyed local fare, including sliders, lamb chops, macaroni and cheese, and turkey, as well as marshmallows for guests to roast themselves over an outdoor fire pit.
Kelly and Chris couldn’t have been happier with the celebration. After all was said and done, they had accomplished their ultimate goal of the celebration: celebrate their union with their closest loved ones. “It was just that, a celebration of our life, our family, and our friends all at one beautiful home,” says Kelly. Simple, sweet, and intimate, the day was a lot like love.
Kelly & Chris' Advice
#1 Accomplish as much as you can the week before so you are free to enjoy your out-of-town family & friends - think of
it as an extension of your wedding celebration.
#2 Just enjoy yourselves & try not to worry about everyone else! Something is bound to go wrong, but you have to focus on what’s really important - remember, the day flies by!