Six months ago we said “I do.” It’s been a joyous whirlwind, but if history is my guide, it’s only going to move faster. So it’s high time I sat down and shared some of our wedding day details: those things that added a touch of invisible sparkle, brought warmth to our hearts, and carried those we love with us. Barely noticeable yet cherished objects, fleeting moments, and glimses of the sun’s reflection fill me with emotion and it’s these things that create the story of our lives, whether we realize it at the time or not.

Details mean different things to different people, but for us, it was largely about having our day be just that — our day — and for me personally, it had a lot to do with finding ways for my late father be with me in spirit. We were swayed from an elopement to a celebration with family, but made sure everything we did was in keeping with our initial concept of peace, intimacy, and simplicity. We stripped the ceremony and celebration down to the root of our celebration: love.

I bought a small bunch of fresh eucalyptus stems from the nursery with the intention to effortlessly lay them with sweeping grace across the top of each of the antique oars we have on the wall, adding a holly sprig here and there for an added touch of festivity.

The catch-22 of creativity is that ideas usually don’t come to fruition the way you expect them to. It is the single most frustrating and simultaneously wonderful part of creating things, and though I’m not sure which camp I find myself in more often, I was gladly in the latter in this case.

This weekend’s edition of Retreats… how I’m unwinding and recharging in 2.5 days flat.

The idea arrived on a warm spring Saturday. My parents were house-hunting for their second home in preparation for my arrival later that year, and decided to take a peek at an old farm home in New Canaan, the next just town next door.