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Kelly + Evan

One of the first things couples realize when planning a wedding is that their opinions on the event are not the only ones that matter. Whether it’s their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, or extended family, someone has a monkey wrench to throw into the best laid plans! It can lead to difficult conversations and even harder decisions, but Kelly and Evan’s intimate wedding ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park followed by their reception at Shuttle Meadow Country Club in Kensington, Connecticut, clearly echoed not only their own values, but also the ones they learned from their refreshingly supportive families.

Family Values

Marriage, like anything else, is an institution that is evolving over time. Heather and I have noticed how marriage preserves some generational values, while it distances itself from others. For example, just a generation ago, getting married in a church by a pastor or priest was the norm, but now couples are opting to get married in beautiful backyards (raises hand) and scenic parks by one of their closest friends or family members. Antiquated reasons for a father walking their daughter down the aisle have given way to a deeper emotional connection that is one of my favorite things to witness. Perhaps the most modern and honorable aspect of the evolution of marriage is when parents who have parted ways come together at the wedding to pay respect to one another as partners and parents while also acknowledging the newer partners and parents in their children’s lives. Emotional intelligence may not always seem like it’s on the rise, but believe me if you were at Kelly and Evan’s wedding in Connecticut you wouldn’t have had dry eyes either.

Family Tradition

Kelly’s grandparents belonged to the Shuttle Meadow Country Club before her parents did and it meant a lot to her family for her and Evan to host their reception there. I don’t typically think about deep family ties and emotions when speaking about country clubs but it was apparent in the way Kelly and her family interacted with the property and staff. Family traditions take many forms and whenever possible you should try to embrace them when planning for your wedding!

Apollo Fields Family Values & Traditions

After Heather and I had Capa it changed the way I looked at my childhood and the choices my parents made. My five siblings and I were pretty much free range chickens in our cluttered house, finding our way home for dinner after playing with neighborhood kids until dusk. The only problem was that I didn’t know that I had autonomy and power over my own decisions until I left for college, whereupon I learned of my lack of discipline and returned home shortly thereafter. I consider it one of the best things that ever happened to me because it made me really analyze what decisions I was making and why.

So when I saw Evan and Kelly’s families and the connection and respect that they all have for one another; it made me think of providing Capa the guiding hand that I did not have, while at the same time giving him the power of his own decisions as early as possible. For our families are the ones who show us our values, but it is up to us as individuals to choose the ones that we wish to celebrate.