When Laura Correnti moved to Connecticut her freshman year of high school, she quickly befriended Jeffrey Bauer, a local who had grown up in their small town of Avon. Even as high schoolers, the pair developed a flirtatious chemistry, but they never took the leap into dating. As college acceptances rolled in, Laura headed off to Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and Jeffrey went west to the University of San Diego. Their story could have ended there.
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Fortuitously, both students independently decided to transfer schools part way through their respective programs. Both Laura and Jeff applied to and were accepted at Boston College. Laura immediately new she’d go, but Jeff was also accepted to Georgetown and Wake Forest, and he had a decision to make. It was only when he came home that summer and shared the news that learned Laura would be heading to Boston. Standing in her kitchen, they talked it over, and Jeff decided he would transfer to Boston College as well. It was just a few days before the deadline.
Even having both landed at Boston, Laura and Jeff were still careful to keep their friendship intact, so it wasn’t until their senior year that they went on their first “real” date together, a dinner at The Fireplace in Brookline, Massachusetts.
“I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and guzzled wine,” Laura remembers. “We were both super nervous because we had been friends for so long, and a real date was a big deal.”
Five years later, Jeff and Laura were engaged. As per tradition, the couple was spending a week with Laura’s family in Fenwick Island. Laura’s intuition was buzzing, and she had two false alarms in which she believed Jeff was about to propose. But when the height of the trip passed and family members started leaving town, Laura assumed that the moment had passed. Little did she know that Jeff had asked her father for her hand in marriage just the day prior.
The next morning, Laura’s mom was also let in on the surprise. Laura’s parents staged a fake argument in which Laura’s father had supposedly made plans with work friends that evening for dinner, despite the fact that Laura and Jeff were in town. According to plan, Jeff “pacified them” by asserting that he and Laura could do their own thing for dinner. None the wiser, Laura didn’t even shower or put on makeup for their last-minute reservation at their favorite Italian spot, Mancini’s.
After a glass of wine (or two) Laura felt emboldened. She probed Jeff about marriage, asking if they’d ever get engaged. Everyone, including Laura’s uncles and family, had been asking. Jeff responded caringly and reminded Laura not to let others opinions get in her head. “I quickly realized an engagement was a long way off, and finally relaxed,” Laura recalls of the evening.
At the end of their meal, Jeff told Laura that her parents wanted them to come meet their friends down at the bay for a drink. They were walking down the path headed towards the beach when Jeff began to reflect on their years together. Thinking he was joking, Laura brushed him off, but soon enough, Jeff was down on one knee. Laura began to cry, and her parents emerged from the beach to catch the moment on camera.
For their wedding, Jeff and Laura pulled together a mix of DIY-pieces with traditional elements. Her sweet family puppy, Teddy, surprised her in her wedding suite, dressed to the nines in a miniature tuxedo. Laura’s bridesmaids wore gorgeous printed floor-length strapless gowns. The palette of deep mint with pops of pink and forest green played to the wedding’s color theme.
Laura and Jeff opted to be wed by Father Barr, who had married both Laura’s parents and grandparents. Wearing her mother’s wedding veil and earrings, and wearing a sash that was handmade by her grandmother, Laura listened to Jeff describe how much Laura had impacted his life in his wedding vows. After a moving ceremony, the couple headed to their reception where a lush landscape of forest green, mint, blue and pink details awaited.
Laura had handmade the seating place cards from leaves plucked from her mother’s yard, and she and her mother had scoured the area seeking out Italian Spode China for the place settings. “Seeing our vision come to life with all of the pieces my mom and I hunted for was a dream,” says Laura. Laura’s father kicked off an evening of toasts with a dance to Pharrell’s “Happy” before a reception that included a classic black-and-white dance floor and a photo booth that proved extremely popular. At the end of the evening, the duo made their exit along a walkway of illuminated lanterns.
“It was timeless,” says Laura.
Afterwards, Laura and Jeff headed to Hawaii for a tropical honeymoon.
The Details
Photography: Ashton Kelley Photography | Day-Of Coordination: Charlene Libertini of Your Day, Your Way | Wedding Venue: Immaculate Conception Church | Wedding Reception: Belmont Manor & Historic Park | Flowers: Stylish Occasions by Amanda | Caterer: Rouge Fine Catering | Bride’s Gown: Anne Barge Blue Willow with lace sleeve top by Handmade by Tiffany (Etsy) via Garnish Boutique | Shoes: The White Ribbon (Etsy) | Necklace: David Yurman | Bride’s Hair: Haute Wheels from Haute Blow Dry Bar | Makeup: Sydni Muranaka of Gypsysol Makeup Artistry | Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss tux via Bloomingdales | Bridal Party Robes: The Knot Shop | Monogram Bouquet Charms: BTO Acrydesign (Etsy) | Champagne Bottles: Party Print Express (Etsy) | Rings: Barmakian Jewelers | Invitation Suite: Designs by Anne Charlotte (Etsy) | Ring Box: Mrs. Box | Dress Hanger: BHLDN | Cornhole Set: Wicked Design | Monogrammed Gate Signs: A Charmed Nest (Etsy) | Videographer: The Paperboys | Photobooth: Prop Stop Photo Booth
Hayley is an Associate Editor at Washingtonian Weddings. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.
