Today I am sharing with you a very special Mount wedding. Kathy and Rusty are two charismatic and kind people who value family, friends and fun. Kathy lives in San Francisco, but was born and raised in the Berkshires. When they got engaged in December of 2014 Kathy immediately knew that she wanted to return to this beautiful area and get married at The Mount.  They ended up booking their wedding in April for a June 6th date.  Looking back on their fabulous celebration, I think only having 5 weeks to plan the wedding was an advantage to them. Instead of getting caught up in protocol and tradition they let their values guide the day, weaving their family and friends into every aspect and never forgetting to let themselves have fun.  It was all the more beautiful for it! Christopher Duggan Photography was there to expertly capture every stunning moment.

I’ll let Kathy tell you the touching story of how they met:

“Rusty and I met in the San Francisco Bay Area, right after my Mom passed away.  She died over Memorial Day in 2013.  My Mom was a matriarch over her immediate family of 25 kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She was loved by all, and although she passed at the age of 86 of a massive stroke, and had lived a full, great life, the entire family was extremely bereft.  I came home from Massachusetts on a Thursday after she passed.  I was so bereft, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get past it, and could barely get up in the morning.  Come the Saturday morning after arriving home, I realized I looked like such a mess because I’d been crying for days on end – I decided I needed to go for a drive (I love to drive) and get some sun, so I headed to Stinson Beach, the  nearby beach just over the Golden Gate Bridge.  I was laying out in my bikini on a blanket and I saw this bald guy far from me – the back of  his head was beet red and I thought to myself, someone had better tell that guy that he’s sunburnt! Then about a half hour later, out of nowhere, there he was, the same guy, crouched at the corner of my blanket, saying “I saw you over here by yourself and thought you might like some company”.  He was in great shape, had bright blue, very discerning eyes, bright white teeth – he looked pretty good (!!) – I was just so sad however, that I said, very tearfully, “Well, I’m not great company right now because my Mom just passed.”  He stayed talking with me, it was a really great conversation – he gave me his business card, then said, “Okay, I’ve taken up enough of your time, you have my card, email me or call me if you want to stay in touch.”  About a half hour later I texted him and said I was leaving, and within two seconds, there he was again, at the corner of my blanket, saying “Let me help you carry your things to your car.” On the way to the car, he asked me if I wanted to have lunch, and I said yes, and we’ve been together ever since!  Truth is, that day, if I had not been bereft because of my Mom, I would have talked to that guy, been nice, but taken his card and put it in the drawer and never contacted him.  It was because of my Mom’s passing that changed how I felt that day – and so forever since, I have always felt in my heart that my Mom sent Rusty to me.  That’s how she was, always watching out for her kids.”

Here is Kathy’s advice to brides who are planning their weddings now:

“The best advice I could give is to remember that this is your day.  Make it be what you want it to be, not because protocol says it should be a certain way.  For instance, I wanted to wear an elegant dress which spoke to the beauty, glamour and timelessness of Edith Wharton’s home.  I wanted to wear a dress that was so elegant, and so “larger than life” that it only had one place ever in my life, and that was my wedding day.  That dress turned out to be an Oscar de La Renta (which they amazingly made for me in three weeks) with a Carolina Herrera veil and long kid leather gloves.  I felt the overall look was very old school glamour, very befitting of The Mount!  Of course I later changed into a beautiful white Lanvin for dinner (I had it in my closet in San Francisco but had never worn it!, and the same dress in a different color was worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in a Vogue magazine photo spread for Sex in the City).  Much easier to sit in!”

“Another thing we did that was different, in addition to layering in the story about how my Mom brought Rusty to me, was that we involved Rusty’s kids in the ceremony. He has three kids, all in their twenties – they each were in the wedding, and then were asked to step up to the altar with us.  We vowed to each other that with our steadfast care and mutual respect that we would support the marriage and new family.  These kids are such a very important part of our marriage and family, and very important to me, and I wanted them to know that.  Then, after we said the vows, we did a group hug!”

“The other variation from traditional wedding norms was how I did the first dance with Rusty.  I wanted to change into a little black dress for dancing in a fun way that all the guests could enjoy!  So I came up with the idea to do a little skit for our first dance.  We started out dancing to Etta James’ “At Last”, with me in the white Lanvin – we did a couple of slow dips and twirls, then I motioned to Rusty “One minute!” and ran out of the room!  Then we had our day of coordinator sit him in a chair and hand him a drink, looking all dejected, while we played a country song “Waiting on a Woman”.  All the guests were wondering what was going on!!  With the help of my bridesmaids I changed into the little black dress.  Then when I came out into the hall, they broke into Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend”, to which I came running into the room and jumped into Rusty’s arms!  Everyone started clapping, it was very fun!  After a minute or two of just the two of us dancing, we broke into Queen’s “That Thing Called Love”, and engaged all the guests to start dancing with us!  It was very fun and got everyone up dancing right away!  So, my message is to make your wedding be what you want it to be, and have fun with it!  Your special touches are the things that you and your guests will remember the most!”

“And we decided to ask guests in lieu of giving us gifts to make a donation to an organization out in San Francisco called Larkin Street Youth Services.  Larkin Street is an organization that helps get homeless kids off the streets and back on track.  We felt that if the advent of our wedding made a difference in one of these troubled kids lives, well that’s the best wedding gift we could receive.”

Kathy chose The Mount as her wedding venue because it fit her vision and her personality:

“I grew up in the Berkshires, however I have lived in San Francisco for the last 20 years.  Prior to booking The Mount, I had not been there since I was fifteen years old.  What brought my attention to The Mount after all those years was a photo shoot done by Annie Liebovitz that appeared in Vogue magazine in 2012.  The photo shoot was of The Mount and the surrounding area – and it was truly amazing.  The Mount pictures were so ethereal and other worldly – like a different place and time.  The accompanying article talked about Edith Wharton – who she was, how she lived her life, etc., which increased my interest even more, even down to the way she had a strong interest in cars and frequently went for long drives.  I enjoy driving a lot and am licensed to race F-3s.  When I got engaged I immediately knew I wanted to get married at The Mount.  There is absolutely no place better to get married.  So many of our guests told us it was the best wedding ever!!  We were very blessed!”