Storied Events

Without Carrie from Storied Events, I honestly have no idea what we would've done. In a few words...she.was.amazing.

She saved us in so many aspects. She saved us from pulling out our hair from frustration and stress of dealing with every tiny detail of the planning process. Saved us hours of researching who to use for vendors and avoiding the dreaded mistake of hiring someone that is completely awful. She made the planning process fun. I can honestly say I enjoyed it without any stress!

Always calm and collected, so made sure our rehearsal, welcome dinner, getting ready, ceremony, and reception went off without a hitch. I'm sure things went wrong, but she handled absolutely everything to make sure not a thing tainted Jeff, my family, my guests, and my day.

Thank you so much Carrie for all that you did. Thank you for putting up with my nit-picky questions, my millions of emails, my indecisive moments, etc, etc, etc. It takes a person with real patience to do what you do, and I have the highest respect for you. Thank you for helping put together the most gorgeous wedding I have ever been to (obviously I'm biased!). Every aspect was perfect, and we have you to thank. <3

For all your future VT/NH brides...I would HIGHLY recommend hiring Carrie. It is the best decision you will make in regards to planning your wedding!

Lasso'd Moon

Carey Bunker from Lasso'd Moon deserves a HUGE shout-out and thank you! She was such a huge help, did incredible work, and was such a pleasure to work with.

Carey designed our 'Monogram',

Invitations,























Ceremony Programs,











Door-hangers,













Maple-Syrup Tags,











Cocktail Napkins,













Escort Cards,










Table Numbers,













Thank You Notes,











Provided paper for the Menus,













And helped with the lighting!


We highlyyy recommend Carey Bunker for any of your upcoming events that you need invitations for. Check out us on her blog!

Thank you so much Carey! Everything turned out PERFECTLY!

Summer Sweet Floral

Words can not describe how incredible our wedding flowers were. Kep and his team at Summer Sweet Floral did an amazing job, and completely captured my floral vision. Kep has always done extraordinary work, however this really blew me away. I told him I wasn't picky about the 'types' of flowers and I basically told him to 'just do his thing' and he definitely did!

Thank you so much Kep!

A Few of Our Favorites...

So Kate from MKD was kind enough to send us some pictures for our blog! Here are a few of our favorites :)

MKD Photography

Let me just say...our wedding pictures are so amazing. MKD did a fabulous job, yet again, and we are so thrilled with how they turned out! We were so happy with how our engagement pictures turned out, so we knew our wedding pictures were going to be awesome....and they were!

We had so much fun working with Mike & Kate again, along with a few of their friends. Mike & Kate are such a great husband-wife team, and when I say 'team' I mean team in every aspect. They always seem to know what each other is thinking, they move together, and they always are where they need each other to be to get the perfect shot. Also from stalking their twitter, they are also a great team, as parents, to their two adorable children.

We hope to work with them again...perhaps for baby pictures??? (Note: this in no way implies anything!) I am so happy that so many people have enjoyed our pictures so much that they have hired MKD for their own weddings! Glad to give them some much deserved business!

We are currently designing our wedding album, but it is soo hard to pick just 100 pictures!

Thank you to Mike & Kate for traveling up to VT and capturing our wedding in so many beautiful images, images we will have forever.

Here is a slideshow-preview to our wedding pictures...

And here is all our wedding pictures...!

Welcome Bags!

We obviously wanted to do something extra special for our guests who traveled and stayed with us at the Stowe Mountain Lodge. We had Laro's New England Specialties Shoppe, in Quechee, VT, put together welcome bags filled with VT goodies! Laro's found out our color was 'pink' so they even made sure to make them even prettier with pink tissue paper.

They came out so amazing, and I heard the guests greatly enjoyed everything in there! Included was pretzels, a spicy-mustard dipping sauce, Lake Champlain chocolates, AMAZING maple short-bread cookies (a Durfee family favorite), maple candies, and of course a few extra things such as advil and gum...for the next morning! We had the bags put in each of the guests room, so they were greeted with some VT love right when they walked in!

Thank you to the Laro's team for putting together such perfect VT welcome bags!

My PINK Lighting!

Something I realized I forgot to mention in all the planning posts...was my specialty lighting!

One thing I knew that I wanted for my wedding (other then my pretty chairs)was specialty lighting. Obviously from watching multiple wedding shows, wedding movies, and reading millions of wedding magazines, something that really caught my eye was specialty lighting. I feel like it just 'makes' the reception. So I told Carrie and then Carrie took care of it! We booked Port Lighting Systems out of Seabrook, New Hampshire. They were so awesome, and my reception was exactly like I envisioned! Pictures do not do it justice! My favorite part, other then it being pink obviously, was they were able to shine our monogram on the floor. SO AMAZING!

Thank you Port Lighting Systems! And also Carey Bunker from Lasso'd Moons who helped make the monogram on the floor possible!

The Durfee-Bender Wedding Plan

So to give you a more clearer picture of how our wedding went...here is our minute-by-minute timeline. It really was not as hectic as it seems!

8:30AM SML Spa:

Hair: Betty McHale (Jeffrey’s Grandmother)

Sharon Bender (Jeffrey’s Mother)

Tomiko Anctil (Jessica’s Grandmother)

Lorraine Durfee (Jessica’s Mother)

9:00AM SML Spa

Hair: Bernadette Trenholm (Bridesmaid)

9:30AM SML Spa

Hair: Meredith Mills (Bridesmaid)

Amanda Pluta (Bridesmaid)

Make-up: Betty McHale

Sharon Bender

Tomiko Anctil

Lorraine Durfee

10:00AM SML Spa

Hair: Katelyn D’Eramo (Bridesmaid)

Elisa Johnson (Bridesmaid)

Make-up: Bernadette Trenholm

Summersweet to deliver and set up at Saint Andrews Church

Port lighting to arrive @SML for set up.

10:30AM SML Spa

Hair: Jessica Durfee (BRIDE)

Emily Durfee (MOH)

11:00AM SML Spa

Hair: Kristina Aufiero (Bridesmaid)

Robyn Blake ( Bridesmaid)

Make-up: Katelyn D’Eramo

Elisa Johnson

All Jessica’s Bridesmaids, Mom should be dressed

Jeff: To get dressed – photos with Mike

11:30AM SML Spa

Make-up: Jessica Durfee (Bride)

Emily Durfee (MOH)

Pre-Ceremony Photos with Jeff, Groomsmen & family.

Meet in SML Lobby

*Flowers to be in Lobby for Groom/Groomsmen, family

* Flowers for Bridal Party, Jessica’s dad, family delivered to suite

12:00PM

Jessica and Emily Dress - in Family Suite

Jessica’s family – Dad to be Dressed

12:30PM
Groom and Groomsmen to be in SML Lobby to leave for church

(*SUV LIMO – Groom and Groomsmen)

(Town Car for Sharon and Jeff Bender and Jeff’s Grandmothers – Betty McHale and Eugenia Bender)

12:35PM
Bridal Party pictures at SML – meet in Lobby

1:00PM
Jessica’s family leaves for Church

(Town Car for Clover Durfee, Paul and Tomiko Anctil)

(Town Car for Lorraine Durfee, John Durfee, and Debbie Phillips)

********

Groomsmen/Groom and family to arrive at Church

Guests /other family begin to arrive at Church

Groomsmen to act as ushers.

********

Musicians arrive/begin prelude music at St. Andrews

1:15 PM
Bridal Party and Jessica and Dad leave for Church

(Stretch Limo for Bridal Party)

(Town Car for Jessica and Dad- Lang Durfee)

1:45PM
Bridal Party Arrives at Church

2:00PM
Ceremony Begins

Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke

Jeff and Best Man – Sean Arroyo to take place up front

Parents & Grandparents Entrance Music: "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire" by Bach

Lorraine Durfee escorted by Matthew Durfee & Andrew Durfee

Sharon Bender escorted by Ralph Johnson followed by Jeff Bender Sr.

Tomiko Anctil escorted by Jonathan Dioli followed by Paul Anctil

Debby Phillips escorted by Jeff Duelks followed by John Durfee

Clover Durfee escorted by Andrew Durfee

Grandma B escorted by Dylan Oteri

Grandma M escorted by Sean McManus

Bridal Party Entrance Music: "Canon in D Major" by Pachelbel

Katelyn D’Eramo (Far End)

Robyn Blake

Bernadette Trenholm

Elisa Johnson

Meredith Mills

Amanda Pluta

Kristina Aufiero (closest to Bride)

MOH: Emily Durfee

Bride’s Entrance Music: “Bridal March” by Wagner

Bride escorted by father

First Reading:

Margaret Berkley Hedden

Responsorial Hymn:

Song by Victoria - Path of life

Second Reading:

Mary-Jeanne Taylor

Gospel Reading:

Father Lance

Lord Hear our Prayers:

Emily, Andrew, Matthew, & Elisa

Lighting of Unity Candle:

Lorraine & Sharon light tapers

Light music will be playing in the background.

Presentation of Gifts:

Lorraine/Lang & Sharon/Jeff will bring them up.

Wherever You Go by David Haas

Communion:

In Love we choose to Live by David Haas

Meditation after Communion:

Ave Maria

Recessional Music: “Wedding March” Mendlessohn

Jeff & Jess will walk to the end but remain inside and wait till everyone else is

outside

Bridal Party will then proceed out and then form two lines for Jeff & Jess to walk

through. (top of church stairs)

1. Emily (MOH) - Sean Arroyo (best man)

2. Kristina Aufiero - Sean McManus

3. Amanda Pluta - Matthew Durfee

4. Meredith Mills - Andrew Durfee

5. Elisa Johnson - Ralph Johnson

6. Bernadette Trenholm - Dylan Oteri

7. Katelyn D'Eramo - Jonathan Dioli

8. Robyn Blake - Jeff Duelks

Jeff & Jess then will proceed out of the church and guest will blow bubbles- prime

photo op.

3:15PM
Depart Church for SML Formals

(Everyone back in same vehicles, except Lang to ride with Lorraine and

family 4^th in vehicle. One passenger in front)

3:45PM
All hired vehicles arrive back at SML for Formals.

Formal pictures in SML Lobby with family – elderly guests.

Pictures with bridal party (can use lobby – spruce camp. Not the golf course

with entire party).

Golf cart will be waiting for Jess and Jeff to go to golf course for photos.

4:00 PM

Supersounds arrives - Time tbd - Corey

Vermont Cake Studio to deliver the cake. VT cake Studio supplying cake

stand.

4:30PM

Cocktail Hour begins

Pool side @SML

Rain Plan - Lobby

Cocktail Music provided by Tom Cleary

(will need to provide keyboard)

* Tom will need power out in the pool courtyard.

5:30PM

Guests directed to Ballroom for reception – asked to be seated

Champagne passed as guests enter room

Bread already on tables

{Parents, Bridal party and B&G to remain in hallway}

5:45PM

Bridal Party announced into the Reception as follows:

Parents announced: {Parents of the Groom } Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Bender

{Parents of the Bride} Mr. and Mrs. Lang Durfee

Bridal Party announced:

Mrs. Robyn Blake and Mr. Jeff Duelks

Ms. Katelyn D’Eramo and Mr. Jonathan Dioli

Ms. Bernadette Trenholm and Mr. Dylan Oteri

Mrs. Elisa Johnson and Mr. Ralph Johnson

Ms. Meredith Mills and Mr. Andrew Durfee

Ms. Amanda Pluta and Mr. Matthew Durfee

Ms. Kristina Aufiero and Mr. Sean McManus

MOH, Ms. Emily Durfee and Best Man, Mr. Sean Arroyo

Bride and Groom announced:

“For the first time please welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Bender.”

5:55PM

First Dance – Jessica and Jeffrey - "Your Everything" - Keith Urban

6:00PM

Blessing by Father Lance

6:05PM

Welcome toast by Lang Durfee {Father of the Bride}

6:10PM

First Course – Tomato Bisque Soup with Pesto Melted Cheese Crostini

6:20PM

Best Man Toast – Sean Arroyo

Maid of Honor Toast – Emily Durfee

6:30PM

Salad Course – Simply Green with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette, Candied

Walnuts, Dried Cranberry and Cheddar wedge.

6:45PM

Mr. Jeffrey Bender to speak {Groom}*

Announcing Emily Durfee’s Birthday – Birthday cake to be presented with gift

from Jessica and Jeffrey.

DJ To play happy birthday.

6:55PM

Entrees Served – Split plate of Wood Creek Farm Steak with Maple Black

Pepper Jus and Jonah Crab cake with Basil Aioli

7:20PM

Dessert – Panna Cotta and Coffee Service

7:30PM

Traditional Cake Cutting - Jessica and Jeff

Then *Surprise* - presentation of three cakes

(1-Benders, 1-Durfee’s 1- Grandparents) DJ asks all three couples to come

up to cut their cakes.

*Bridal cake to be served to each place setting.

*Other cakes (all 4 to be saved and presented to guests at end of reception)

7:45PM

Surprise – First Dance Anniversary Montage compiled for the parents

and grandparents, played by DJ

7:55PM

Bridal Party Dance {guests asked to join ½ way through song}. - "You &

Me"-DMB

8:15PM

Father – Daughter dance - "Daddy Let's Dance" - Jamie Tate

8:20PM

Mother – Son dance - "Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong

9:30PM

Late night snacks out –

passed warm cookies and milk shooters – carrie will supply wood trays

trimmed with pink ribbon for cookies.

flatbreads - Display

9:35PM

Bridal Toss (2^nd bouquet to toss) and Garter removal

10:00PM

End Reception – Bars Close

(NOTE: CHECK WITH LANG DURFEE AT 9:45 about keeping the dancing going for another hour or ½ hour). ...Sidenote- our reception went to 11!