COUPLE CLOSE-UP: BRIANA & CHRIS
Briana and Chris met in New Hampshire and quickly developed a friendship that grew into an engagement in Massachusetts and are soon to be celebrating a marriage in Maine. Their June wedding is right around the corner, and we are looking forward to Chris and Briana and all of their family and friends gathering here for their wedding day. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Please share a little bit about the two of you.
Chris grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and went to college there before joining the Navy over four years ago. I grew up in Massachusetts, where I graduated from UMass Amherst, and have been a nanny ever since. The Navy is what brought Chris up to New England a couple years ago; Portsmouth, NH specifically. He is a nuclear mechanic on one of the submarines at the naval shipyard there. We were both single at the beginning of 2017 and living in different states, but we were on the same dating app which is what brought us together. We both “swiped right” as they say… and little did we know that our wildest dreams were about to come true. Even after our first date we didn’t want to be apart, but I had a previously planned trip to Texas for almost two months that I was about to leave for. We crammed in as many dates as we could before I left and then talked every day while I was gone. My road trip back from Texas took me almost a week to do by myself, but I headed straight for his place and never looked back. I moved in a few months later and we started talking about our future more seriously. There was no question that we had found soulmates in each other and we were eager to begin our future.
Please tell us about the proposal!
Chris absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one. I should preface this by saying I have a hilariously huge fear of sharks and aquariums in general. I know, pretty lame. So, Chris and I created a bucket list of adventures we wanted to do and fears we wanted to conquer when we first started dating. We went skydiving, he took me camping for the first time, we went deep sea fishing and hiked Mt. Major… the last thing on the list that I was putting off was to visit an aquarium. After the new year, we made plans to go to the New England Aquarium in Boston. I was nervous but it wasn’t as bad as I had thought. I relaxed a bit with the tame exhibits, i.e. sea turtles and starfish, but when we went down to the shark floor I lost my cool. After I regained composure, we were at the big tank in the center of the room taking our time looking at the fish swimming by and Chris was taking a bunch of pictures. He then asked if I wanted to get my picture taken in front of the divers that were in tank who were feeding the fish. I didn’t even have time to answer because when I turned around to look at the divers, one of them pulled a sign out of his bag that said “Look behind you, Briana” and when I turned back around Chris was on one knee with the most gorgeous ring asking me to marry him. It was a moment I will never forget! We then were guided upstairs to a private room overlooking the Boston Harbor where we enjoyed some champagne and strawberries. He really did an incredible job and the meaning behind it was so special. He later told me that he wanted to do it there because if we can conquer one of my biggest fears together, there’s nothing we can’t do.
Why did you choose Beech Hill Barn?
We chose Beech Hill Barn because we were looking for a venue that captured the essence of the locations where we began our love story. The woods of Maine and New Hampshire are where we spent that first summer falling in love, so what better place to tie the knot than a gorgeous barn in Maine with spectacular mountain views. We were blown away by the breathtaking country house and the landscapes surrounding… even though our first visit was in the middle of a snow storm! We booked on the spot because it just was perfect for us and Priscilla was so welcoming.
What do you picture for your wedding day and who are some of the vendors you chose to help create your vision?
We envision spending the day with our family and friends enjoying the grounds and views that Beech Hill Barn has to offer. Our theme is simple and rustic, as we are both laid back and are drawn to a more casual type of party. We both love to dance more than anything, so we brought DJ Jay La Bella from La Bella And The Beat onto the team because we know he is going to give us the fun dance party we are looking for. Our photographer Whitney J Fox came highly recommended from Priscilla and so we knew we had to book her – and we are so glad we did! She is extremely talented, super fun and so easy to get along with. We know she is going to capture the moments from our day that we will treasure for a lifetime. As for the rest, you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what else we have in store!
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