engaged

*The cake in the background, the bride-to-be with a celebratory champagne flute.*

Don’t let the lower-case post title fool you for one little second, we are over the moon that Sarah and Connor became engaged on Friday, November 21st.

*There were many trips to the airport to bring in all the players…Lizzie and Mimi from the UK, my sister from San Fran, CA*

*When the whole crew is in town, there is no safe bottle*

This was not an easy feat- planes, trains, automobiles, long-haul flights, secret text threads, secret dress and shoe shopping, secret overnight hang-outs, location services being weirdly turned off or not working months ago.

They met in June 2024, when he was competing in a half-ironman after training with her brother, Maxwell, and then swimming, biking, and running alongside him. We were all there, seventeen of us, I think, in a lakeside Airbnb in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. He came over for a post-race beer, stayed the night, played with the littles the next morning, and the rest, they say, I guess is all good history. When you know, you know.

Life has a way of arranging things, and this meet-up seemed destined. She told me that when he’s not there, she only wants to know when he’s coming back. That’s so good.

Connor has slipped seamlessly into the family fold; it feels like he’s always been part of the fabric. He and I talk food and wine; he arrives for dinners large and small with a nice bottle, a dip, or a charcuterie board.

Little weekend trips, shared spaces, and then he flew to France to join her as her date for Maxwell and Lexi’s wedding. They started talking about a future together pretty early in their relationship. He joined us in Andover, MA, for the family Thanksgiving in 2024, and after that, it all seemed relatively seamless.

He was like a kid in a candy store planning his proposal. It was like spun sugar; we were all entranced. He was confiding in details with Caroline and planning a surprise dinner. It was magic.

Connor picked the date, the ring, and, along with his family, planned an exquisite engagement dinner, choosing the venue, menu, and fine wines. He and his family had all the details in place, and I was the backup player, bringing in the tablescape, decor, and cake. Lexi, Sarah’s closest friend and sister-in-law, designed and brought all the floral arrangements. Together, we really knocked it out of the park.

*I baked a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.*

*I also sugared cranberries and rosemary to decorate the cake with.*

*Here is the first rendition of the seating chart. It* *went through a few cycles of change. Change is always a constant.*

*Lexi and Booie are in a warm embrace with little Mazi looking on.*

*Caroline knew she had to be in town for this.*

*We always seem to land in the kitchen.*

After months of planning, dreaming, and scheming, the day arrived. We had flown in Lizzie and Mimi from the UK, Caroline and Sean, and their three littles were also scooped up from the airport. Everyone was hiding out until the big moment. Lizzie and Mimi spent the first night at Monnie’s. We arranged for Caroline, Sean, and the kids to arrive just two hours before the big moment. Sarah and her three sisters text chat constantly, and she has such a sixth sense that I thought she would be able to smell that her sisters were back in town without being told. We were all in a group huddle holding her off. Sarah went unsuspecting to her usual Friday morning Pilates session, only to come home to Connor and an apartment full of white roses, petals strewn everywhere, champagne, a proposal, and a RING. We were a caravan of cars waiting in the wings to congratulate them both and hold her in our arms.

The event space on the day before. We moved tables, chairs, and seating arrangements. I brought in four pre-lit trees, silver candlesticks, dinnerware from home, linen napkins, and napkin rings. Lexi designed and placed the florals. Maxwell brought speakers, and Lizzie made a custom playlist.

Linen napkins from home and a template of the place settings. I have been collecting this dinnerware pattern for 38 years since Bill and I were married. Peanut gave me eight of the bow napkin rings for Mother’s Day one year, and I have added to that collection as well—the heart ornaments I bought online from Gump’s.

*The candles are lit, and the table is set.*

*The bride-to-be with her grand. The two trees you see on top of the bar in the background I brought from my dining room.*

There are moments in your life you don’t forget, and this was one of them. Collective goodwill and tears of joy were shared in their little house and our little network, twenty-three of us in total, all in town that day to celebrate them.

Concurrently with planning travel logistics, I was choosing dresses and shoes. I always knew I was going to gift her a new dress to wear on this special day, and Caroline and I looked at and talked about many iterations over our morning coffee talks, more text threads and screenshots to delete, delete. Surprisingly, we even strategized about her wearing red (!), plot twist, as she looks fantastic in red. Most often, you really have to go through the entire wheel to land where you are supposed to land. In the end, I landed on white and on Staud.

Staud has been a family favorite for years. Co-founders Sarah ‘Staud’ Stuadinger and George Augusto founded their company in 2015 on the premise that fashion should empower women, and be accessible too. With four fashion-forward daughters and two beautiful daughters-in-law, sign me up for that, thank you. Staud has dressed every one of them beautifully. The handbags and shoes have been on their rotation as well.

For this dinner, I chose the Charlotte Dress in Ecru for her. The scoop neck with corset bodice and a-line skirt was elegant and straightforward, and would show off her and her ring. We looked at dresses with embellishment and shine and, in the end, decided that simple was best.

Sarah has been a red-soled shoe lover for years. At my most recent trunk show, she mentioned offhandedly that she loved my Manolo Blahnik slingback pumps. Bingo! I think an engagement is the perfect time to be gifted your first pair of Manolos, so a suede Manolo Blahnik slingback pump it was. 🙂 I didn’t want it to read too bridal, so I opted for beige suede, giving her lots of styling options to come.

Sarah got dressed at her home with Connor, and we all got dressed at our family home. Just like old times, there were dresses everywhere, and we always had one that couldn’t quite decide what to wear. More dresses everywhere. We ultimately all got out the door looking well put together. There’s always lots of sharing too. Caroline brought with her her small white Valentino bag, a Christmas gift from me and her Dad a few years ago, for Sarah to borrow for the evening, bringing ‘something borrowed’ into play.

It was a brilliant evening—twenty-three of us all together to celebrate love, promise, and commitment.

Thank you to everyone for bringing their best.

Engaged, every day dress.