Christine and Joe’s love story began as Christine came up her parents’ driveway. There was a man, who was not one of her brothers, chopping wood. Christine saw him, and thought “this must be this Joe guy”. They officially met in her parents’ kitchen. Joe, a friend and coworker to one of her brothers, came to help out around the winery. Sparks flew, and their story had only begun.
Living in New York at the time, Christine started to spend more and more time in Vermont. They are both very active people who love the outdoors. They climbed many mountains, ran along dirt paths, and witnessed grand vistas, all in each other’s company.
Because of their love for the Green Mountains, Joe planned a picturesque proposal October of last year. They had plans to visit Stowe to enjoy the hiking trails and beautiful foliage. Christine didn’t know what they were going to be doing ahead of time. Joe kept taking more and more control of the weekend with plans to hike Mount Mansfield. The morning of the hike, they stopped for trail mix and Joe got an extra paper bag ostensibly for the trail mix but in fact was the bag that he put the engagement ring in! He had the ring band modeled after the Brooklyn Bridge as Christine was living there at the time. It was a hard climb that day especially because it was cold, dark, and wet. Because of the poor weather, they were the only ones at the summit. It was when Christine thought they were stopping for a snack break that Joe proposed.
The hike down was full of excitement and Christine and Joe were already planning their wedding day. They knew they wanted to have it during warm, nice weather and so June was the perfect time for them. They chose the Neshobe River Winery and Foley Brothers to host their ceremony because of Christine’s family ties and because it was an especially meaningful place for them.
Their day was absolutely gorgeous; they were lucky because the entire week leading up to their day was nothing but poor weather. They said their vows in front of their closest friends and family for an intimate wedding. (Though some nearby golfers yelled their congratulations to the happy couple as well!)
A big cheers to Christine and Joe for having a fun, relaxed, family-oriented wedding! And also, a very happy birthday to Joe who was able to celebrate both his birthday and his honeymoon this year!
A special thank you to all of the creative team behind Christine & Joe’s day!
Photography | Mei Lin Barral Photography
Ceremony Venue | Neshobe River Winery and Foley Brothers Brewing
Reception Venue | Brandon Inn
Floral Design | Cole’s Flowers
Catering | Brandon Inn
Cake | Brandon Inn
Bridal Gown | Fiori Bridal Boutique
Rings | The Vermont Gem Lab
Hair | Parlour
Makeup | Brows by Bekah
DJ | Premier Entertainment & Events
Mei Lin (first name, pronounced "may-LYNN", she/her) is a queer Chicago intimate wedding photographer who's passionate about commemorating diverse couples grounded in the present moment. Animal welfare, social justice, and sustainability are three things that are really important to her.
Trans rights are human rights. Love is love. Stop AAPI Hate. Black Lives Matter.
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© 2024 Mei Lin Barral Photography
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Just great photos Mei Lin! And a beautiful wedding on a picture perfect weekend in June. Thanks for sharing here and we would love some for our wedding page on our website, how can we get them?
Thank you so much for the lovely comment! I’ve sent you an email with photos 🙂