The Connecticut Bride / Spring-Summer 2012 / Jennifer King and Dominic Viglione

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Jennifer King and Dominic Viglione

May 6, 2011 | Saltwater Farms Vineyard, Stonington | photography by Steve DePino, Kris Rae Photography, Middletown

Having met  at work (CIGNA in Hartford), Jennifer King, a medical underwriter, and Dominic Viglione, a client manager, kept discovering mutual “favorite things” on their way to falling in love. After Dominic’s surprise proposal on a weekend in Washington, D.C., they began their search for a wedding site flexible enough to accommodate a celebration  of as many of their favorite things as possible. They visited Saltwater Farms Vineyard early on and, says Jenn, though they looked elsewhere they kept coming back to it. “It had everything we wanted, including being sort of a blank slate that we could make our own. The details were very important to us.”

Setting a theme of “Eat, Drink and Be Married,” the couple worked out every one of those details themselves but hired Sarah True of True Event in Clinton to run things the day of the wedding so they could focus on enjoying themselves. Gourmet Galley of North Stonington catered to their every wish—importing oysters from Dom’s favorite place from his college days, Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston, and serving grilled-cheese-and-tomato soup as an appetizer. Since cake is not one of the couple’s favorite things, they chose to forgo the classic wedding cake in favor of a dessert bar, and were thrilled with the way Gourmet Galley was willing to research recipes for them, even recreate a chocolate pear tart they’d discovered in a New York bakery.

The Bear Necessities, an a cappella group from Brown University, entertained during the cocktail hour with selections from Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Three Dog Night’s “Shambala,” while DJ Mike Connolly of Southington spun tunes for the evening. The couple chose a color scheme of navy blue with silver accents and a clean, spring look for their flowers (white tulips, roses, hydrangeas) from Thames River Greenery in New London.

Jenn, whose hair and makeup were done by Jennie Fresa Beauty Library in Clinton, purchased her Essense of Australia gown at Stylez for the Aisle in East Windsor, while her bridesmaids’ dresses—a variety of styles but all navy blue—came from Corinne Weddings in Glastonbury. The groom and his attendants wore tuxes from Men’s Wearhouse. Jenn’s wedding band was custom-made by Ashley’s Jewelers in Windsor, while Dominic’s was purchased at Becker’s in West Hartford.

Jenn recalls a magical evening. “I loved being able to relax and enjoy the party,” she says. “At the end of the night you couldn’t get me off the dance floor!”