A Spicy Margarita Wedding on the Vermont Mountain Where They Fell in Love

Photo by Jenna Brisson

Photo by Jenna Brisson

The Details

THE VENUE

The Lodge at Spruce Peak is home to glorious views of Vermont’s Green Mountains, which played a starring role in Emmy and Geoff’s wedding décor as a backdrop for their ceremony and reception. The ceremony took place at the base of Spruce Peak—a meaningful nod to their years skiing together—while the reception was hosted in a clear-paneled tent on the resort’s lawn, giving the event an open-air feel.

Photo by Jenna Brisson

Photo by Jenna Brisson

THE FLOWERS

To add color to the event’s décor, the team from Blue Door Flower Co. relied on vibrant shades of pink and purple, making every corner of the venue feel “warm and full of life,” the couple says. “Being by the mountains, you could go neutrals or beautiful greens and whites,” Emmy says. “But I just wanted to have something that jumped out.”

Photo by Jenna Brisson

THE PLACE CARDS

Handmade accents—including a seating-chart mirror and 175 heartfelt letters, handwritten by the bride and placed at each guest’s seat—brought an intimate vibe to Emmy and Geoff’s special day. Along with the notes, the couple made gondola-shaped fuchsia-pink place cards, with some extra support from Emmy’s dad. “I got these wooden stands for them, and the week before, my dad had to saw every single stand for them to fit,” Emmy says.

Photo by Jenna Brisson

THE WEDDING GOWN

On her special day, Emmy honored her grandmother and mother by donning the dress they both wore for their nuptials: an elegant gown custom-made for her grandmother by a designer in Connecticut. Accompanied by a removable bustle and lace overlay, the strapless dress offered three styles in one. Other than some minor alterations and a touch of restoration—performed by the experts at L’élite Bridal on Newbury Street, where Emmy bought her veil—nothing was changed style-wise, making the dress a true homage to the women who wore it first.

Photo by Jenna Brisson

THE PARTY DRESS

When it was time to dance the night away, Emmy matched her bridesmaids and the couple’s lively floral arrangements with a bright pink mini dress—a fun outfit she says is a reflection of her personal style. “I wanted something that was very me,” Emmy says. “That, and I wanted it to fit with the kind of bright color scheme.”

Photo by Jenna Brisson

THE SIGNATURE COCKTAILS

As a specialty drink, the couple offered a whiskey-based Colby Mule, in honor of Geoff’s alma mater, Colby College, and its mascot, the mule. Then there was the Mookie Margarita, served classic or spicy, named after their pet golden doodle and inspired by their wintery visits to Vermont. “On all of our ski trips when we were falling in love, we were getting margaritas on the mountain,” Emmy says.

Photo by Jenna Brisson

THE CAKE

Much like Emmy and Geoff, the wedding cake was a fun pairing made in heaven: three tiers of bourbon-vanilla-bean sponge topped with Amaretto buttercream and a layer of tart raspberry-lemon preserves. Decorated in lush pink flowers, with a Mookie cake topper to boot, the dessert was a sweet complement to a night on the dance floor.

THE DANCE FLOOR

For their wedding reception, the couple envisioned a party full of good energy and lots of dancing. To achieve that, Emmy and Geoff went with a live band—Boston-based ensemble collective East Coast Soul—rather than a DJ. “We wanted a band that was really going to get into the crowd and feed off their energy,” Geoff says. “That was one of the staples of our wedding.”