Katherine and Dan met in school on the Academic Team. I’ve seen the nerdy pictures to prove it. I always watched those kids in high school on TV and was like, “How do they know that crap?!” But as their involvement in the Academic Team continued, Katherine sort of got her flirt on. So this wedding was a long time in the making.

If you need someone to organize your life, you should honestly call Katherine: excel spreadsheets, detailed timelines, but all with a giant laugh and a laid-back attitude. Can we clone her? One of the things I absolutely loved was watching them interact during the engagement shoot. We actually ended up doing one engagement shoot and one mini-shoot so that they could loosen up in front of the camera a little bit more. Katherine has an amazing way of getting Dan to come out of his shell and do quirky, stupid things that I asked them to do. It was worth it to make myself look like an idiot because I finally got genuine smiles from Dan.

There aren’t many people who take on the entire task of making their own wedding dress. But, oh, Katherine did. And with Dan’s multiple sisters accompanying her, there was a lot of oohing and ahhing at this amazing feat. She even sewed pockets into her dress…don’t we all want pockets? Luxe Events, their Day of Coordinating Team, did a great job bringing all of Katherine’s DIY projects together. And they set the perfect backdrop for them to get married under a giant tree on a warm sunny day.Katherine and Dan were clearly surrounded by friends who had been with them for a very long time because the toasts were chock full of hilarious stories that had everyone in tears laughing. There were references to the “Tiger Mom,” purposely missed high-fives, and the antics of the whole Academic Team. And ice cream. There should be more ice cream at weddings.

I couldn’t believe the whole reception was going to take place in Eric and Kasia’s backyard. A backyard attached to a house they had bought, gutted, rebuilt and put back together in only 10 months. The house was stunning and so was their backyard. Full of moss, ferns, and boxwoods. So there was plenty to admire as the guests filtered into the backyard tent, hiding from the rain. And everyone was dancing right off the bat. Sometimes it can take a bit for dancing and the party to start. Not this night. No one stopped dancing till 3am!

Eric was already waiting for Kasia at the altar. He had been working up to the very last moment before the ceremony to get their home reception in order. And when Kasia’s parents went to take her hand to walk her down the aisle, it all came together. She gripped her bouquet of flowers really really tight. And suddenly, her face became tighter as well. Her jaw tensing as she felt herself about to cry and her face finally fell. She cried as her parents held her walking down the aisle.

A big wohoooo to Rachel and Nicole for getting married at the Aqua Turf Club, here in CT, on Sunday. I still crack up when I look at Nicole’s face as Rachel comes up to her for the first look.