Hayley Elizabeth Purse and Mason Lee Powell were first introduced by their respective roommates, who were dating at the time and are now married. Upon meeting, Mason told Hayley, who is a merchandise manager at The RealReal, that he had recently committed to a job in San Francisco and planned to leave New York City in six weeks. Even so, the two knew they’d found something special and decided to date long-distance. Two-and-a-half years later Hayley made the move in 2018.
During the pandemic, Hayley and Mason relocated to Lake Tahoe, and one evening, he led her to the end of the dock and proposed as the sun sank beneath the water. “We spent that evening at home together, just the two of us. It was perfect!” she shares.
The bride-to-be’s family has vacationed on New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee for more than 20 years, so when it came time to select a wedding venue, the scenic waterfront destination was top of mind. “The aesthetic of the wedding was a bit of old New England with some semi-rustic elements taken from the surrounding mountains, forest and lake,” she says. “I did not shy away from color and landed on a mix of greens, deep pink, blush and marigold.”
Hannah Elsaesser of Eloquence Events expertly led all of the planning, while Collins Nai expertly lensed the celebration. Social Alchemy created a custom invitation suite featuring a waterfront view, and Indigo by Boutin designed custom tablecloths for the day-of, complete with bright floral napkins.
“After getting engaged, I made a fairly quick decision to do a custom wedding dress and collaborate on the design with bridal and evening wear designer, Katie Fong,” Hayley explains. On the neckline, beneath the cowl and within the train, the two placed lace from Hayley’s mother’s wedding dress onto the design. Diamond drop earrings—her “something new”—only complemented the long-sleeve look with organza sleeves, satin cuffs, and pearl buttons.
As for the groom, Mason chose a midnight blue tuxedo with black lapels, a satin bow tie, suede Belgian loafers and cufflinks that belonged to his grandfather.
“For the other weekend events, I relied on TheRealReal,” she notes. For the rehearsal dinner, Hayley chose a Khaite strapless style—“a true favorite of mine and a major score on TRR.” Chanel earrings served as the ideal accessory.
“But my favorite look of all might be my after-party dress,” the bride-to-be shares. “When opening our TRR store in Chicago in 2019—yes, before we were engaged—I found the perfect white sequin mini dress with chain metal straps by Chanel. I bought it immediately.”
On September 17, 2022, as Hayley readied with Damali Beauty, an unexpected visitor dropped by. “A curious black bear wandered into the yard and climbed the tree closest to the house. He was up there for so long, we thought he might choose to stay for the ceremony,” she laughs. Shortly after—sin the bear—the bride walked arm-in-arm with her father down a Greenlion floral-filled aisle in her parent’s backyard overlooking the lake.
“Feeling the support of my dad on my arm was all I needed to calm my nerves as we processed down the sweeping staircase toward my closest friends and family and my husband-to-be,” the bride recalls. Once Hayley and Mason said, “I do,” the newlyweds exited amidst falling flower petals, tossed by applauding loved ones.
Guests gathered at the nearby Bald Peak Colony Club, underneath a tent overlooking the ninth hole. Surf & turf was served before everyone noshed on From Scratch’s vanilla cake topped with raspberry compote and Italian buttercream.
The newlyweds danced to “This Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads, before Taylor Pace Orchestra welcomed everyone to the dance floor. “We replaced traditional place cards with personalized tambourines for all our guests, and they ended up being the perfect dancing accessory!” Hayley exclaims. Everyone spent the night dancing, and the festivities ultimately ended under a disco ball in the woods as local favorite and friend of the family DJ CJ queued everyone out in style—a celebration to remember.
