One of our good family friends, Bea Barber, happens to be an insanely talented artist and we knew right away we wanted to work with her for our invitation suite. The vibe we were going for was New England Garden Party—which she absolutely nailed! She was so amazing to work with and really brought our vision to life with these whimsical and dainty illustrations.
During their junior year at Colgate University, Claire O’Connor and Eliot Heher and their respective sets of friends had the same idea to take a film class to fulfill a credit. “We ended up seeing each other out a few weeks later, and after some encouragement from friends, I went up to him,” Claire admits. Sparks flew and after five-and-a-half years together, Eliot proposed while they were visiting his parents in Massachusetts.
“I remember my friends asking if I thought he was going to propose, and I said absolutely not and actually purposefully did not pack the white outfit I had bought weeks before,” Claire laughs. As she and Eliot strolled down Commonwealth Avenue, he got down on one knee and proposed to his extremely surprised girlfriend-turned fiancée.
As Claire grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, she knew she wanted to get married at The Stanwich Club, near her childhood home. “My parents are members, and ever since I was little, I was dead-set on getting married there—despite my mom constantly reminding me that my future husband would probably want a say in our wedding venue,” Claire smiles. Luckily, Eliot was all for a fall wedding there.
Design-wise, the wedding’s color palette involved a lot of greens and whites with hints of blues. Natural touches like rattan and grasscloth were welcomed as well. The aesthetic was aptly dubbed by the bride as “upscale New England garden party.” Claire and her mother took on the planning duties, while Kait Peña was behind the lens all weekend.
A few weeks before the rehearsal dinner at the Greenwich Historial Society, Claire found her perfectly complementary Agua Bendita dress. The next day, she got ready in two looks: Hill House Home’s lace Ellie and Sleeper’s feather dress.
For her autumn I dos, Claire wanted to wear something classic and timeless “with a whimsical and girly touch,” she explains. The Loeffler Randall Camellia heels were the first key purchase for the grassy ceremony. Then, she found her pearl organza Jenny Yoo wedding dress. “A couple of days before my fitting, I had the idea of adding a tulle underskirt to make the dress fuller. I kept the idea to myself until the appointment, thinking my mom was going to completely disagree because I knew she loved the simplicity of the original dress. Much to my surprise, she thought it was an amazing idea, and I am so happy we decided to do it—it made the dress feel very bridal in the best way.”
The bride completed her ensemble with an appliquéd veil from Amsale. “My mom ended up sewing on some more petals and attaching pearls to the inside of the flowers to give it some more dimension and a fuller look,” Claire explains. “My grandmother made my mom’s wedding dress, and while my mom made it very clear from the beginning that she would under no circumstances be offering to make my dress, it was really special for me to wear something my mom had a hand in creating. It felt like a family tradition that continued to live on.”
Leaning into tradition, Claire’s “something old” was a gold and diamond horseshoe ring, gifted by her grandmother, who sadly passed a few years prior. The ring was sweetly tied around her bouquet for good luck. The “something new” was the Ring Concierge tennis bracelet that Claire’s bridesmaids gave her at the bridal shower, and the “something borrowed” came in the form of Claire’s mother’s gold and silver band. “My mom used to be a jewelry designer and created a pair of stunning aquamarine and pearl drop earrings [that] I wore on my wedding day,” the bride shares. “I remember she was planning on gifting them to me at my bridal shower, but was so excited she showed them to me a couple of weeks before.”
Bridesmaids complemented Claire perfectly in mix-and-match styles. The maid of honor’s Agua by Agua Bendita dress led the original mood board. And Eliot looked handsome in a custom Suitsupply tuxedo.
On October 15, 2022, Claire and her father walked down the aisle on the lawn, overlooking the water. “As I walked down the aisle, I initially felt some nerves, but as soon as I got up to the altar and watched Claire walk down with her dad, I realized there was no need to be nervous because I was marrying my dream girl,” Eliot sweetly remarks.
The bride’s aunt officiated a family-filled ceremony, and the mothers of the bride and groom both recited passages. “Eliot was set on writing our own vows, which I was very nervous about. It ended up being one of my favorite parts of the day and something we will both cherish forever,” Claire reflects. Once announced as officially married, the newlyweds recessed to “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall & Oates, before hopping in a “Just Married”-adorned golf cart.
After cocktail hour, Claire and Eliot went straight into their first dance to “Only Wanna Be with You” by Hootie & the Blowfish. Tables featured tasteful arrangements with sweet florals and greenery by Loreta Daka. Post-delicious dinner, the pair cut their tiered vanilla and chocolate cake from By the Way Bakery.
Claire’s father’s side of the family—and her dad in particular—have an unexplainable obsession with the song “99 Red Balloon,” which was the last song Mojo Greenwich played at the reception. “While 80 percent of the guests were probably extremely confused why that particular song was playing, my extended family broke out into a massive dance circle,” the bride remembers. “Eventually, many more joined in, and it was the perfect way to end the night before heading into the after-party.”
At the bar room, the fête continued with ’80s sunglasses, french fries, and a cheetah-print carpet. Claire made a quick change into a By Watters mini dress and Larroudé platforms. “The perfect party shoe to dance the rest of the night away in,” the bride states.
The wedding day was also incredibly special because Claire’s mother was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer three months prior to the ceremony. “Despite having major surgery four weeks before and starting chemo a week later, my mom was able to be there and was truly the life of the party,” Claire beams. “While this was definitely not what either of us envisioned what the months leading up to the wedding would look like, it really reminded us of what is important and truly made the whole weekend more special than I even thought possible.”
