Kate + Tom by Rachel Leiner - Together Journal

We sat down on one of the bridges and talked about our future, and how we wanted to get married and have children one day. It was definitely a defining moment for us and our relationship. We might have also been abducted by aliens soon thereafter, but that’s another story for another time.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We just brought our son Nico into the world this past February, so that encompasses a lot of who we are, what we do, and what we love at the moment.

Tom — In the real world, I work as a writer at an agency and am an avid painter, poet, and cook.

Kate — I work at an integrative health company as a product marketer and also enjoy writing poetry, interior decorating, and finding ways to integrate mindfulness into everyday life.

We love good food, good wine, good conversation — pretty much all that comes with spending quality time with family and friends.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We actually grew up together in South Salem, New York, so we’ve known each other since we were eleven. However, it wasn’t until our sophomore year of college that we started seeing each other more regularly. What started as a friendly text message turned into long summer nights spent driving around in rainstorms until we finally got together one Halloween night.

Tom —My first impression of Katie was that she is painfully gorgeous, and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. That still stands true today.

Kate — I love Tom’s sense of humour – I think the best advice I’ve ever gotten is to be with someone who makes you laugh every day. We’re so lucky to have that. I also admire Tom’s commitment to his creativity, his sincerity, and his selflessness. We both agree, though, that our greatest quality right now is being loved by parents to our baby boy, Nico. We love this new chapter together.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Tom — We were invited to attend a friend’s wedding in Angoulême and took the opportunity to go on a two-week road trip around France. Being the francophile that Kate is, I planned to propose on the first leg of our trip to Paris (her favourite city). I hired a photographer to capture the moment and we schemed to meet in front of La Fontaine de Medicis in the Luxembourg Gardens at 4 pm. Naturally, nothing went right. I convinced Katie that we should dress up in our nicest clothes, which meant sweating it out in suit jackets in the middle of a scorching hot day. She was worried about whether her curling iron got turned off once we left the hotel, but we were running late, so we darted onto the metro and made it to the gardens about twenty minutes behind schedule. I saw the photographer and we exchanged covert glances and hand gestures to guide Kate to the fountain, only to find out it was covered up in scaffolding and under construction. Fortunately, Kate wanted to see the Grand Bassin and so we walked with the photographer following close behind.

Kate — When we got to the Grand Bassin, Tom asked me how you say “I love you” in French. I said “je t’aime.” He asked how you say “forever.” I said “Toujours.” We were both already crying when he asked me how to say “There’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?” He got on one knee, I said “Oui,” and then he opened the box while standing over a grate! There was panic that we’d drop the ring down the grate, and laughter, kissing, and crying… it was perfect. We had drinks at Les Deux Magots afterwards to celebrate.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

I think we’d both have to say the venue and the catering. From the start of our wedding planning we knew we wanted guests to enjoy their food and not go hungry all night, so we made sure we had plenty of appetizers at cocktail hour and that our dinner would be memorable for our guests.

Kate — The venue for me was a no-brainer, I actually didn’t look anywhere else besides M&D Farm – kinda crazy when you think about it! I had seen their aesthetic on Instagram and fell in love with their English-styled gardens overflowing with flowers, the antique barn that had wisteria draping from the front doors, and the al-fresco dining they offered with long tablescapes. Plus, as soon as we stepped into the 1800s farmhouse on the property, Mario & Daniel’s (owners of M&D Farm) cottage-core interior was exactly what I was looking for. Tom, my Dad and I all drove up there a few weeks after the proposal and decided then and there that M&D would be our venue. We were in upstate New York but it felt like the European countryside – a magical place.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

KK: It was really important for me that I could move around for hours and dance in my dress. I didn’t want to wear anything too tight, I wanted something ethereal and flowy but still flattering. I tried on a LOT of dresses in New York City, and it wasn’t until I discovered Kamperett (a sustainable, women-lead, luxury clothing line from San Francisco), that I knew I’d found “the one”, or in my case “the two” – I paired the Caroline Slip Dress with the Meire Silk Organza. It just felt right. Never thought I’d be ordering my wedding dress online but there I was (I actually ordered it just one month before the wedding), and it was perfect.