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Updated Sep 09, 2024Exclusive: Inside Influencer Kelsey Kotzur's Whimsical "Garden Party" Wedding
The content creator married her husband, Jared Masinton, in the Vermont mountains.
Kelsey Kotzur met her husband, Jared Masinton, before a college night out in a moment that can only be described as kismet. Incoming juniors at the time, the Marist College alums were neighbors who happened to stumble across each other's paths right before the semester began. "We were both recently single, and going into our junior year we wanted to be young and free with no obligations," the content creator tells us in an exclusive interview. "We bumped into each other the first night of junior year right before a night out. We were not prepared to meet the person we were going to marry, but we couldn't resist. We started dating a month later."
Little did they know, that night out was the beginning of the rest of their lives. On July 27, 2024, Kelsey Kotzur and Jared Masinton got married in the mountains of Vermont surrounded by 90 loved ones—and we have an exclusive first look inside the couple's "enchanted garden"-themed wedding.
Kelsey Kotzur's Wedding Photos & Details
As her followers know, Kelsey Kotzur's path to marrying Jared Masinton, a music producer, was a non-traditional one. The couple originally got engaged in the Hamptons in August 2021, but briefly split after. "When you're with someone for as long as we've been, you go through many obstacles both together and separately. We've been together our entire twenties, and you do a lot of growing up in those years," Kotzur muses.
Ultimately, she says, that time apart only strengthened their bond as a couple. "We got back together because we chose each other and keep choosing each other," she continues. "We needed a little space, and as odd as it sounds now, I'm grateful for that. I learned so much about myself and our relationship. Now, we're so much more open, and [that time apart] made us love each other more."
After they reunited, Masinton worked with a local jeweler to redesign Kotzur's original engagement ring using the same stones, including small emerald gems (a nod to Kotzur's favorite color). He popped the question again in Copenhagen during a trip to Europe in the summer of 2023. "It was such a magical night," Kotzur recalls. "It rained and we saw the craziest rainbow I've ever seen. We spent the rest of our trip celebrating across five countries."
FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT
When it came time to start planning their wedding, Kotzur wanted to find a venue that emulated the South of France—but they also wanted to tie the knot in their favorite city. To compromise, they eloped at a Manhattan courthouse first on February 22, 2024. "We're utterly in love with New York and we always wanted to get married in the city," Kotzur explains. "We've lived here for eight years. Our greatest memories are here and we wanted to celebrate our love story in New York with a City Hall ceremony."
Unbeknownst to them at the time, doing so helped alleviate pressure from their large wedding in July: "The courthouse ceremony took a lot of the nerves away from the big day because, technically, we'd already gone through it!"
It didn't take the couple long to find their dream venue for the sequel ceremony. Since they already celebrated their marriage in their hometown, the duo looked beyond the borders of the tri-state area for inspiration. "I was originally looking at venues in upstate New York, where I'm from, but all of the venues were very rustic," she says. "It was so not the vibe we were looking for."
Instead, they fell in love with Hildene, the historic family home of President Lincoln's son, Robert, and his wife, Mary. Tucked away in Manchester, Vermont, the sprawling cottage is surrounded by towering mountains and lush outdoor grounds. "We chose this venue because of the garden," Kotzur explains. "It screamed 'South of France.' It was the only venue we looked at in person and we knew it was the one."
While Kotzur planned the majority of the wedding herself, she did enlist the help of Candice Joseph, owner of Candice Grace Events, in the weeks leading up to the event for localized vendor coordination. Her photographer, Ruby Olivia, captured the day on film, while husband-and-wife duo Caroline and Noah Hanson of The Hansons documented the event through vintage videography.
With a "secret garden party" vision, the couple's florist, Lily of the Valley Florist Events, decorated the space with ethereal arrangements of roses and peonies in shades of ivory, pastel pink and cornflower blue. One notable pop of color was Kotzur's signature red manicure: Essie's gel couture polish in "Rock the Runway." (In fact, she was so dedicated to finding the perfect hue that she documented the months-long trial process on social media, much to the delight of her followers.)
One of the most thoughtful design details was the couple's custom logo, created by stationer Herron Hutchins, that appeared on the invitations, cocktail napkins, menus, and matchbooks. Inspired by a locket motif Kotzur found on Pinterest, Hutchins customized it by adding a J and K inside the drawing. "I also mentioned to her I loved the 'love bird' imagery. Since we're based in Brooklyn, it only made sense to use pigeons," Kotzur explains. "My pigeon has a veil and a necklace and his pigeon has a bowtie."
Kotzur and Masinton broke tradition by spending the night together before their wedding, and later exchanged private vows over coffee in the morning. They eventually parted ways so Kotzur could put on her wedding dress and get ready for the day with her bridesmaids by her side. She wore CINQ's Gayle dress, a corseted duchess satin and silk tulle ball gown with a taffeta petticoat.
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While the original design features draped off-the-shoulder straps, Kotzur wanted to wear a silhouette she gravitates to in her daily wardrobe. "I worked with the alterations specialist to create twisted spaghetti straps," she says of the ensemble. She styled the look with an on-trend neck scarf, as well as green Gucci mules and diamond accessories rented from Verstolo.
The groom opted to customize his look too. A massive soccer fan, he paired his black tuxedo from Generation Tux with Liverpool socks—a nod to his favorite club.
The bridesmaids dressed in colorful pastel and floral-print gowns from Anthropologie, which Kotzur says made them look "like my bouquet of flowers." For an added pop of color, they each carried delicate clusters of blooms that matched their dresses.
Rather than escorting his daughter down the aisle, Kotzur's father entered after the bridesmaids and turned around so he could see the bride's entrance. "So often dads don't get to watch their daughters walk down the aisle, but he was able to," she says with a smile.
During the ceremony, Kotzur surprised her groom by having their musicians, The String Girls, play "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry and the Pacemakers, the song Liverpool's club sings before every match. "He had no idea this was happening," she says, "so it was a lovely surprise for him."
As the sun began to set and the evening transitioned into cocktail hour, the group enjoyed signature drinks inspired by the couple's cats, Gigi and Pablo. The "Gigi and Tonic" was a nod to Masinton's favorite drink, a gin and tonic, while the spicy margarita, named El Diablo, was a cheeky way to honor Pablo's fiery personality: "Pablo is a mischievous cat, so we often call him Pablo Diablo when he gets into trouble."
Guests found their seats at tables named after streets the couple lived on in college and throughout NYC. They chose to honor their deceased loved ones by placing framed portraits from their respective wedding days on their place settings, which were intentionally left empty. Custom floral-printed linens by Mayjor Design added a pop of "something blue" to the elegant tablescapes.
Photo: Ruby Olivia Photography
,Custom Linens: Mayjor Design
,RaSuVi Design
Dinner began with a spinach salad featuring fresh fig, chèvre cheese, crisp prosciutto, and a balsamic reduction. Guests then had the choice of honey-glazed Statler chicken breast, English pea risotto, or Frenched pork rack.
After their meal, the newlyweds surprised their group with an electric saxophonist to "get the party started." But before they were joined on the dance floor, Kotzur and Masinton shared their first spin to "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway—the song that was playing the first time Masinton proposed.
The couple curated an "eclectic" playlist for the reception, complete with high school favorites from Drake, Miley Cyrus and Sean Paul. To dance freely throughout the night, Kotzur changed up her look by slipping into a shorter version of her first dress, which she styled with platform red heels, a headband, and a Taylor Swift-inspired red lip.
Dancing only subsided so the couple could slice into their wedding cake, which was a nostalgic flavor. "Our cake was from a bakery in my hometown called Rambach's Bakery, where I worked when I was 16 years old," Kotzur explains. "They're famous for their Austrian tea cake, which is one of our favorite desserts. When we go back to my hometown, we always have to have it. We knew it had to be our wedding cake." Guests also noshed on late-night snacks, including chicken and waffle sliders, ice cream sandwiches and lemon tarts.
As the night came to an end, the group enjoyed their last dance to Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor" (made popular by the 2023 movie Saltburn). From there, buses shuttled the newlyweds and their loved ones to a nearby sports bar for the after-party.
Rather than embark on their honeymoon right away, the couple opted to delay the trip so they could soak up that just-married bliss in their favorite city. "He really is my best friend, so I'm looking forward to being with him through the fun stuff and the more mundane things," Kotzur muses. "We love traveling, but we also love our life in Brooklyn. We can't wait to have kids one day and start a family of our own."
Kelsey Kotzur's Wedding Vendors
Venue: Hildene; Photographer: Ruby Olivia Photography; Videographer: The Hansons; Planner: Candice Grace Events; Florist: Lily of the Valley Florist Events; Officiant: Steve Green; Wedding Dress: CINQ; Bride's Jewelry: Verstolo; Nail Polish: Essie; Bride's Shoes: Gucci; Groom's Suit, Accessories, and Shoes: Generation Tux; Wedding & Engagement Rings: LVII; Hair: Hopcraft Collective; Makeup: Beauty by Bajer; Bridesmaid Dresses: Anthropologie; Groomsmen Suits: Generation Tux; Stationery: Herron Hutchins; Linens: Mayjor Design, RaSuVi Design; Embroidery: Abbode; Catering & Desserts: Pangaea; Wedding Cake: Rambach's Bakery; Ceremony Music; The String Girls; Reception Entertainment: DJ Stevie B; Photo Booth: Saratoga Photobooth Company; Guest Book: After the Tone; Dance Floor Rental: Rain or Shine Tent Company; Transportation: Dufour Tours; Wedding Content Creator: Caroline Sacks
Photo: Ruby Olivia Photography
