When I met with Vanessa and Zach the first time, we instantly hit it off. I knew their wedding would be legendary based on the fact that they told me they both had huge families who loved to dance. As the day grew closer, we got a little nervous, because rain was forecasted that weekend and their beautiful venue, Hartley Botainca, is all outdoors. With just a little bit of a chill and a nice cloud cover, their ceremony in the garden was absolutely perfect. It was a very meaningful ceremony, and it concluded with Vanessa and Zach doing a Rope Braiding ceremony. When Zach was finally able to kiss Vanessa, the crowd bursted with joy and welcomed the new Mr. and Mrs. Lafontaine to the club.
As the guests moved from the cocktail hour to the reception, every detail was noticeably perfect thanks to Karen with Bella Dia Weddings and her team. Their photographer and videographer from Fun Lovin Weddings took advantage of the cloud cover and picture perfect settings all around the property to capture the love Vanessa and Zach exuded. It was finally time to get the party going and the bridal party made their way to the dance floor. Vanessa and Zach entered to their favorite Dub Step Drop (“Majestic” by Apashe and Wasiu) and went into their first dance.
As the dinner began, a slight drizzle started. I was worried for a minute that this might spell the end of the night for some but a couple of umbrellas went up, a few jackets went on, and a few napkins were fashioned into hats. Not one person was bothered by the spring shower, and they ate, drank, and were just as merry as ever. The sky cleared, and the staff mopped up the water from the dance floor. We were ready to get things kicked into high gear! Vanessa and Zach weren’t kidding…once the dancing kicked off, there was no stopping their families. The requests for the greatest party songs of all time kept flying in, and the wet dance floor claimed not one casualty that night as it stayed packed the whole time.
After a few formalities it was time to pull out an old favorite. Vanessa and Zach requested Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York,” so I set up the old Can-Can line to the delight of both the guys and girls. Without any prompting, they started a contest of who could do the better kick line. (The girls won, of course!) From there, it was more dancing, more fun, and absolutely no slowing down!
When we finally had to wind the night down, there were so many people still there they had to circle up off the dance floor. Vanessa and Zach chose “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis as their last song. (A song that sums up their relationship that started back in high school.) The group hug at the end was a warm embrace on a chilly night, and the guests all danced to the last few finale songs with as much energy as they had at the beginning. (Whom am I kidding…they had more energy at the end!) I don’t know what I loved more…the new friends I made in Vanessa and Zach or these photos of Zach with his pants still rolled up…an hour after the Can-Can line! I’ll just say I loved it all, and I think they did too.
Dave’s recommended vendors for this wedding are:
- Hartley Botanica – www.hartleybotanica.com
- Bella Dia Weddings – www.belladiaweddings.com
- Fun Lovin Camera – www.funlovincamera.com