Real Wedding: Emilie & Christopher
Osterville, Massachusetts
Photographer(s): Kate Rose Photography Floral Design: Vintage Flowers of Osterville
Though Emilie DuPont grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho, over the years Cape Cod had easily assumed the role of her second home. Even at 7 years old, Emilie defiantly told her mother, "I'm going to get married in Cape Cod." Little did she know that Chris Callahan, the little boy she spent every summer with from the age of 7 to 15, would grow up to be the man she married.
Although Emilie and Chris were childhood friends, sneaking out of their respective homes after everyone was asleep to explore the deserted beaches, their busy schedules in high school and college caused them to lose touch. Chris attended Georgetown University before moving to New York City, while Emilie was involved with the film industry in Los Angeles. It wasn't until Emilie was visiting the Cape with friends that she thought of her old friend Chris. They hadn't spoken in years - but as soon as she tracked down his number and gave him a call, the sound of his voice made her feel as if she were coming home. Months later, while vacationing in Palm Beach, Florida, Chris proposed to Emilie while the couple was dining under a star-filled sky. "I was shocked. Every possible answer came out of my mouth, then I ended it with ‘Yes!'" says Emilie. Unbeknownst to her, Chris' plan to propose under the night sky had almost been unexpectedly changed. Earlier that day, Emilie had opened a drawer in Chris' childhood bedroom, unaware that it was where he had hidden her ring. "He told me later that he almost had a heart attack and thought he was going to have to ask me right then and there!" she says. Fortunately, the ring stayed hidden until that evening.
Emilie's great grandmother had purchased a summer home in Osterville, Massachusetts in 1927, and the family has enjoyed it ever since. A few of her cousins had even been married on the property, inspiring her decision to have an East Coast wedding instead of marrying near her home in the West. The bride and groom read their vows in her grandmother's garden, the same place they had shared their first kiss years before. The couple chose to have a "sand ceremony," in which they combined grains of sand that Emilie had collected from beaches all over the world. "We each had canisters filled with sand, and we poured them into one as our minister talked about our lives blending together," she says. Emilie had very much wanted to incorporate oysters into the day - she had so many fond memories of eating raw oysters while sitting with her father at the end of the dock. After the ceremony, the newlyweds stepped away from the excitement for a short harbor cruise, and when they returned, Emilie's father had fresh oysters waiting for them. More than anything, Emilie and Chris agree that being able to spend the day with their closest family and friends was the best part of the celebration. Emilie's grandmother had broken her neck the day before the wedding, and everyone was overjoyed that she was able to attend.
Emilie and Chris had planned their wedding date to coincide with the occurrence of a full moon. Though they were worried about the weather at first - there had been hurricane warnings the week before - the wedding day dawned warm and clear, and guests danced under a stunningly beautiful full moon. Inspired by a recent trip to India, the couple chose bright, vibrant colors for the celebration in lieu of more traditional neutrals and pastels. After spending the evening dancing in the light of the moon before riding away from the ceremony together in a charming tug boat, Emilie and Chris couldn't imagine a more perfect wedding than the one they had in the place where their love story began.