New Haven Lawn Club Wedding at Yale, CT

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John + Christine

“Compatibility is an achievement of love, not its precondition.”
- John quoting Alain de Botton in his vows.

It’s not often that a line from one of our couple’s vows stops me in my tracks. And it’s not like our couples mail in their vows. It’s just that expressing how we feel about our significant other in front of an audience is a very tall task. Even me, who writes about love all the time, wound up coming up with my vows on the spot. But when John said the line above, I realized that it summarized why my relationship with Heather continues to grow—because our compatibility is something that we are constantly, intentionally working on—it isn’t just some divine, ethereal, fixed connection that we stumbled upon. Of course, luck played a part in our paths crossing; but it has nothing to do with bringing those paths together.

Yale Wedding Photos

I guess I should’ve known that two Yale grads would wind up sending me to the library to find books from a Swiss-born romantic philosopher (de Botton). But as we made our way around the campus, snapping photos of John and Christine in the beautiful mixture of historic and modern architecture, I couldn’t help but notice how nice everyone was. There was none of the nose-in-the-air snootiness that Ivy League institutions have become infamous for. Instead we took a literal walk down memory lane on a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon with a gleeful couple so very much in love.

Open Mic at Weddings

It seems that John and Christine’s friends were cut from the same brilliant, creative, and kind cloth that they were. From both group and solo a cappella renditions of romantic classics, to classical piano and cello arrangements, musical talent was not in short supply. Even Christine’s dad brought a mountain of his endearing personality to both his heartfelt speech and dance with his daughter. Your wedding provides you a venue to not only express your love, but your friends and family if they so desire.

New Haven Lawn Club Wedding

One of the pieces of advice I constantly hear myself saying is that your wedding should reflect your values. Do you have a bunch of musically talented friends like John and Christine? Have a mic and instruments ready to go. Are you more casual and like games? Rent some carnival games and concessions. Somewhere along the way we forget as adults that we can celebrate things or live life the way we want to. Christine and John created an unforgettable experience for themselves and their guests with some great choices and help from an absolutely fantastic wedding coordinator.

Romanticism Comes in Many Forms

If I learned anything from Christine and John it’s that you don’t have to be saccharine to be romantic. You don’t have to resort to cliches and platitudes. All you have to do is do a little research, stay in your lane, and express your love in the language you know best. It doesn’t have to be poetic or original to resonate with someone else—it just has to be true.