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I spent a recent rainy Saturday watching The Notebook on Netflix for the 200th time (yes, I’m a sappy hopeless romantic). I love how Noah sums up his love for Allie. “Poets often describe love as an emotion that we can’t control, one that overwhelms logic and common sense. That’s what it was like for me…we fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created.” Watching this love story was timely as we just returned from our son’s wedding in Arizona (thus the cactus in the photo!)
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There’s just nothing like a good love story to restore our hope in humankind is there? It was particularly meaningful for us to witness our son in his groom role last week and to welcome a new daughter who very obviously loves her guy. There is no greater honor than to hear the father of the bride acknowledge appreciation for the respect and regard his new son-in-law has for their family – first by asking his permission for his daughter’s hand in marriage, then deferring to their family wishes, traditions and expectations during the planning process. These things might not have been important to our son before he met his bride…but his love for her has unleashed a new level of respect for family, traditions and good old fashioned chivalry. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.
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It’s wedding season on Nantucket and words like tradition and nostalgia are an integral part of the wedding planning process. Here, perhaps more than anywhere in the world, the bride and groom actually focus as much on the destination as they do the vows themselves. For many, there is a love story not only for the bride and groom, but also with the Grey Lady herself. Parents or grandparents were married or honeymooned on island. Some couples met and fell in love during a summer spent working here. Whatever the story, almost always a Nantucket wedding has the Grey Lady center stage.
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We have the privilege of being part of one of those Nantucket love stories as our daughter plans her island wedding for September 2017. Ashlie got engaged on Brant Point in July and her fiancé has fallen in love with the island his bride has had a romance with since she was one-year old. They’re thinking a little about the necessary elements – the dress, the music, the cake and their vows. They’re focused even more on their guests and how to help everyone who attends find their own Nantucket romance and experience all the reasons why it’s more than an island, but truly a place where memories are made, traditions run deep and generations return to again and again.
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If you’re dreaming of a Nantucket wedding, there is no shortage of passionate vendors to assist with the process. Maggie and Maureen from Nantucket Island Events help fit all the pieces together. Soiree Floral or Flowers on Chestnut ensure the Nantucket flora is beautifully displayed and Zofia, Katie Kaizer or Cary Hazlegrove are never more than a click away from capturing the Nantucket love story for the memory books. As Noah concluded in The Notebook, “Every great love starts with a great story.”
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Fall in Love.
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