Two Middlebury Grads Held a Luxe Vermont Summer Camp Wedding
Glorious views and a laid-back vibe made Halle Gustafson and Matthieu St. Amour’s nuptials a breath of fresh air.
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The Story
For Halle Gustafson and Matthieu St. Amour’s wedding, it was always going to be the Green Mountain State. That’s where the couple first crossed paths during an economics class at Middlebury College. Intrigued by the girl sitting nearby, Matt took the “roundabout way” to connect, reaching out to mutual friends to learn more about her. “It would’ve been a lot easier if I’d been brave enough to talk to her,” he jokes.
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After dating for a while and living together post-graduation in New York, Chicago, and eventually Minneapolis (where Halle grew up), Matt knew it was time to propose. One sunny morning, he asked Halle to join him for a walk around a lake where they had enjoyed one of their first dates. This wasn’t just any stroll, though: When they arrived, both families and a photographer were already there, waiting to witness the moment. Looking back, Matt realized that it probably wasn’t the most top-secret proposal ever. “Waking up on a Saturday and putting on nice-ish clothes to go for a walk was kind of a giveaway,” he says with a laugh. Still, Halle loved it, cherishing the meaning of having the proposal in her hometown.
For their wedding day, however, Vermont was the obvious choice. It was where Matt spent his formative years and where the couple had met and attended college. “Both of us felt a connection there,” Halle says. Early in their engagement, a venue-scouting excursion led them to Stowe’s Spruce Peak resort, which Halle describes as having an “adult luxury summer camp vibe.” Their goal was for guests to enjoy a true vacation, not just a quick trip. And indeed, friends and family took advantage of the opportunity to hike, golf, and explore Stowe’s local breweries.
But when it came time for the wedding day, all of the attention rightfully centered on the couple, who said “I do” on a patio overlooking the majestic Mount Mansfield before ducking out of the celebration for a touch of magic. After the salad course, “the team had a pickup truck waiting outside,” Halle explains. Spicy margarita in hand, the bride and her groom were ferried up the mountain for a magnificent golden-hour photo session. “We were kind of fighting it because we didn’t want to miss all that time,” Matt says. But, Halle adds, “it ended up being one of the best moments of the day.”
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens / Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The Details
The Gown
“Matt and I both had this perspective that we wanted to wear something we would never wear again,” says Halle of her Rivini dress. “The moment I put my dress on, I was like, Oh, this is really special. The monochrome soft floral over the A-line dress reflected that late summer, warm, slower Vermont setting we were going for.”
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The Flowers
The couple wanted their floral arrangements to be inspired by the natural environment around them. To accomplish that, floral designer Nora King
incorporated late-summer flowers such as astilbe, ranunculus, and dahlias.
The Menswear
Matt decided to wear a black tuxedo for the ceremony, then change into a white dinner jacket for the party. “I’m not typically a big fashion person or flashy, but I thought, Well, this is my wedding, might as well spice it up a little bit!” he says.
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The Invitations
For their invitation suite, the bride and groom wanted something with a “summery, warm feeling”—and the Dallas-based design studio August + White delivered. “It had this simple but elevated feeling to it—you opened it and felt so beautiful and lovely,” Halle says.
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The Venue
The couple hosted their ceremony and cocktail hour outside on Spruce Peak’s mountainside patio, then went inside the ballroom for dinner and dancing. “I think the vibe we wanted to go for in the wedding in general was elevated casual,” Halle says.
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The First Dance
The bride and groom took a relaxed approach to the first dance, which was to “In Case You Didn’t Know,” by Brett Young. “I was personally against a choreographed first dance mostly because I didn’t want to be thinking about it all day,” Matt says. “I wanted to be present in the moment.”
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The Desserts
For the cake, the couple opted for a simple white confection, which they cut out on the patio by themselves at sunset. “It was really nice; it was a 10-minute break for Matt and me to sneak away from dancing,” Halle says. The rest of the sweets were Vermont-themed, including maple mini cupcakes and maple mousse.
The Bridesmaid Dresses
Halle asked her attendants to match their dresses to the floral color palette, but otherwise wanted their looks to “reflect their personalities,” she says. “I wanted them to feel like themselves.”
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
The File
Band
Silver Arrow Band
Bride’s Dress
Rivini, Annika Bridal
Flowers
Kingsley Floral Co.
Hair
Jessica Murphy Hair
Invitations
August + White
Makeup
Applied Perfections
Planner
Katie Hopkins Events
Rentals
Vermont Tent Company; BBJ La Tavola
Videographer
Eightzero2 Productions
Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
Photo by Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
This article was first published in the print edition of the August 2025 issue, as part of a Real Weddings package, with the headline: “Higher Love.”
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Photo by Danielle Rabidou, Luv Lens
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