When Jay Otto proposed to Hana Betts as the sun set over East Hampton’s Egypt Beach, Hana didn’t have to think twice about her answer. She also didn’t have to think twice about where they’d say “I do.” “It was an easy choice for us,” says Hana, who had met Jay in Southern California a year prior. “I grew up going to my dad’s farm in Middleburg, Virginia—so when he turned the property into the Goodstone Inn, I always imagined saying my vows there.” The inn is now a popular romantic getaway and wedding venue roughly 50 miles outside of Washington, D.C. There are sprawling green acres, ivy-covered stone walls, and a beautifully renovated pole barn. “I took Jay for the first time when we were dating, and we had the best day canoeing. He was sold on the location, too.”
While the venue was an homage to her dad, Hana’s wedding day look was an ode to her mom. “Based on the veil that my mother wore on her wedding day, I had always imagined myself in lace,” she says. “I wanted a dress that felt ethereal.” She chose a strapless lace Monique Lhuillier dress with a removable topper and veil for the ceremony. “I wore my mother’s diamond and pearl stud earrings and kept my jewelry simple since the dress was so ornate.”
For the after-party, Hana opted for an Alexandra Pijut mini dress. “It was an easy decision the second I saw it on OTM’s website, as I love all things sequined,” she says. Her bridesmaids, meanwhile, wore a mix of springy pastels with dresses in patterns of lavender, ice blue, lime green, yellow, and light pink.
On May 18, 2024, Hana and Jay exchanged personal vows at the bottom of a hill behind Goodstone’s magnificent Manor House. “It was where I had imagined getting married for many years, and I was so thankful when the rain cleared and the weather made our dream location possible,” Hana says. “The birds came out and were singing as the rain stopped. It felt very magical and very ‘us.’”
The reception was just as magical. Sophie Felts Floral Design set the scene in a clear-topped tent set in the property’s Woodsy Garden. “I wanted the reception aesthetic to match that area of the property, so the florals had a very organic, overgrown, and secret garden look to them,” Hana says. Beneath colorful Ginori 1735 plates at their seats, guests found a card from the icebreaker game We’re Not Really Strangers—which the couple played on their first date—to spark table conversation.
The newlyweds danced to “Past the Front Porch” by Thomas Finchum—performed by Elan Artist’s The Revels and choreographed by the bride’s friend, Steps by Sami—a song they fell in love to when first dating. After dinner and dancing, the party continued as DJ Ya Girl Ash took over. “We went to The Goodstone Inn’s conservatory restaurant-turned-nightclub and danced into the early morning hours.”
