Kellen & Sarah’s Wedding

Amid the serene beauty of Martha’s Vineyard, Kellen and Sarah’s wedding was both a celebration of their love and a homage to the island that played a significant part in their engagement. From a proposal on Edgartown Harbor to a splendid black-tie wedding surrounded by the island’s natural flora and fauna, their special day was quintessentially Vineyard!

Kellen proposed to Sarah while visiting her parents on Martha’s Vineyard. During their visit to the island, they decided to take a boat out to Edgartown Harbor. And while Sarah accidentally spied the engagement ring box in the cooler, she managed to stay calm until Kellen presented her with the ring. The couple’s relationship had been effortless from the start, as it only took one dinner out with friends many years before to know they wanted to be together. They boated around that afternoon before returning home to celebrate over an al fresco dinner on the deck.

This wedding on Martha’s Vineyard celebrated the natural beauty and local flora and fauna of the island. Located by the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, the bride’s family home was an outdoor oasis to a variety of wildlife. Sarah’s mother designed the paper goods, which included invites, a welcome booklet for guests, menu cards, and escort cards. Much of the artwork featured different indigenous animals of the area in thoughtful, whimsical designs. The couple chose to host a black-tie event which elevated the overall relaxed feel of the day. Their ceremony was held at a small nearby chapel. Afterward, the wedding party took a leisurely stroll down the road to their reception. Photo ops were taken on the beachfront property, where Sarah and Kellen walked hand in hand among the wild beach grasses, taking in the last blooms of the fall season. – Jocelyn Filley Photography

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
We met through two of our good friends shortly after Kellen moved home to Charleston from Washington DC. A year later we both found ourselves single and invited to dinner by these mutual friends. That was it!

We got engaged while visiting my parents in Martha’s Vineyard. That day, we decided to take the boat out. While Kellen was pulling up the anchor, I opened the cooler and saw an engagement box sitting on top. I quietly shut the cooler and played it cool until the moment we were in the Edgartown Harbor and Kellen got down on one knee and surprised me! He presented me with my late grandmother’s emerald cut engagement ring! She and I were extremely close, so this was a very special surprise. We boated around for a few hours before heading to my parents’ house, where we toasted with family and celebrated over an al fresco dinner on their deck.

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
We were both conscious that we were planning for a future together, not just a party. The day after our engagement we were discussing available dates and were initially discussing June, however that seemed too far away. We were both excited to be married rather than planning a party, so although it seemed crazy, we agreed with my parents on October 22 (a major factor was that Jocelyn was available). I always wanted an outdoor wedding at my parents’ house, so while my mom and I were planning the details we kept in mind that we wanted to focus on the natural beauty of the surroundings. Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? Getting married on Martha’s Vineyard and tying in our family to our special day were some of the favorite details. My parents both grew up summering on Martha’s Vineyard and actually briefly met in passing one night at a bar, before they would get reintroduced again years later. I grew up staying with my grandparents in the summer and have such wonderful memories with my family and cousins. Since introducing Kellen to the Island, it has become a special place for us that we visit often. We actually had our rehearsal at the Reading Room, where my grandparents had their 50th anniversary party. Kellen’s mother made a pin for him that had a picture of his late grandmother to wear on the inside of his tux. Kellen’s grandfather is the one living grandparent we have between the two of us so it was super important to get him to Island. I loved knowing that on a sentimental level all of our grandparents were present with us that day.

My mom is an artist so she made the save the dates, a welcome booklet for the weekend, menu cards, and our escort cards. l! My parents’ house sits on Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary protected by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, an area that is home to a variety of wildlife, so each card featured a different indigenous animal. It was whimsical and beautiful, and I am so grateful that my mom shared her talent.

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? Family is essential to both of us, so it was important that they were able to make it and we were very relieved when they were. We chose to have all of our siblings, their spouses and children in the wedding, which made it feel so special. We also wanted to make sure that all of our guests had fun visiting the island. My request was that as soon as the dinner ended, I wanted to make sure everyone was on the dance floor the entire evening enjoying themselves, which is exactly what happened. What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? The ceremony was more special than I anticipated. Walking down the aisle felt really exciting, but the highlight was standing up at the altar together in front of everyone we loved and reciting traditional vows. If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? Have fun with it and try not to stress and get bogged down in the details. Keep in mind what it is about and enjoy your engagement and wedding. Photography / Jocelyn Filley Photography / https://www.jocelynfilley.com/ / @jocelynfilleyChurch / Episcopal Church
Planner / Plan It MV / https://planitmv.com/ / @planitmarthasvineyard
Catering / Buckley’s Gourmet Catering / https://www.buckleyscatering.com/ / @buckleyscatering
Florist / Island Ambiance / https://www.instagram.com/islandambiancemv/ / @islandambiancemv
Cake / Val Cakes / https://www.facebook.com/valcakesmarthasvineyard / @valcakesmv
Rentals / Big Sky Tent and Party Rentals / https://bigskytent.com/ / @bigskytentpartyrentals
Music / Sultans of Swing / https://thesultans.com/ / @jerrybennettentertainment
Transportation / Teri & Ralf Pirozzi with Resort Man / https://resortman.com/ / @resortmanmv
Hair / Sea Spa Salon / http://www.seaspasalonmv.com/ / @seaspasalon
Makeup / Cinnamon White / https://www.cinnamonwhite.com/ / @cinnamon.white
Dress / Monique Lhuillier / https://moniquelhuillier.com/ / @moniquelhuillier