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THE COUPLE:It's not very often that you marry the person you started dating in your sophomore year of high school, but that's exactly what happened to Britt Farrall, 28 and Matthew Murphy, 28. Over the 13 years after going to homecoming together, the two worked hard at their long-distance relationship before Matt proposed during a winter getaway to the Grand Cayman and the two settled in New York City together.
LONG DISTANCE: Matt and Britt attended different colleges — Matt at Georgetown University while Britt was at Mount Saint Mary's College before moving to New York City together for work. After a few years, Britt's job took her to Chicago for two years while Matt moved to Pennsylvania for his two year masters program. "All along, we racked up a lot of frequent flier miles and thoroughly enjoyed exploring our new cities together," said Britt. The pair did a lot of additional traveling together when they weren't visiting each other for weekends, such as a travel abroad experience in London and a vacation to South Africa. "Each of the tables in the reception had a picture of us from a different city or place we have visited over the years. We love to travel and wanted to share this passion [with] our guests," said Britt.
rTHE DRESS: Britt took a departure from her usual indecisiveness when choosing a bridal gown, deciding on the third dress she tried on. "Matt was shocked to hear that my entire dress-shopping experience lasted only 40 minutes and I never second-guessed myself," said Britt. She chose a gown by Alita Graham that she felt she could dance all night in. "I loved that I had never seen anything like it before, and knew it had a little wow factor, while still having a classic look."
rTHE RECEPTION: "The reception was supposed to be, first and foremost, fun for all of our guests," said Britt. Guests were served mini crab cakes, fried oyster shooters and lamb chops while they mingled and enjoyed the full bar in the wine room of the Tidewater Inn. An eight-piece band from New York, The Dream Team, played a wide array of music to keep the dance floor packed during the reception and food was served family style to allow the guests to choose what they liked most and mingle with other groups of people. The photographer provided a photo booth where guests could use props and pose for the camera. "Needless to say, it was a big hit," said Britt. Four large tree-like arrangements combined crystals, candles and orchids to create the sense of elegance the couple was looking for at their reception. At the end of the reception the couple exited to a 'sparkler send off,' Britt's favorite part of the day. She said, "as we turned the corner to the main entrance we saw the glow of the sparklers through the windows and were absolutely taken aback."
rTHE HONEYMOON: When this couple travels, they certainly go big. They kicked off their honeymoon with a visit to Matt's 91-year-old grandfather in Santa Barbara since he was unable to attend the wedding, and from there traveled to New Zealand for four days of wine tasting, exploring Auckland and hiking. Up next was Bora Bora for five days of total relaxation in an overwater bungalow. "It was the trip of a lifetime and totally worth the 30-hour journey home," said Britt.
