Engaging Moments, Mountains and all the Hugs
There’s a word for the kind of wedding that makes you drive home grinning. Meredith and Brendan probably know what it is — because if there’s one thing you need to know about this couple, it’s that these two are true wordsmiths in the truest, most joyful sense. Every table at their reception was named for an unusual and wonderful word. Which, honestly, tells you everything.
These two have never met a stranger. And their wedding day felt exactly like that.
They Wrote Their Way to the Mountain
Meredith and Brendan didn’t just choose Jay Peak Resort for their wedding. Jay Peak choose THEM! They won it. Through Jay Peak’s Engaging Moments contest — share your elopement story, win the venue — this couple earned their mountaintop, and if you know the couples way with words, you won’t be surprised for a single second. It’s the most perfectly them origin story imaginable.
A Summit Ceremony Under a Knowing Sky
Getting to the ceremony meant a gondola ride up the mountain, and I want you to picture that for a moment. Fall foliage at peak color. A light breeze that was gentler than anyone expected. And somewhere below, Jay Peak’s temporary resident goats going about their morning, grooming the trails like they had somewhere to be.
The ceremony took place on the summit, and I’ve photographed Vermont weddings in every season, but something about that morning felt genuinely charmed. The sun moved in and out of the clouds with an almost suspicious sense of timing — appearing at exactly the right moments, as if it had read the run of show. Vermont has a way of doing that when you’re paying attention.
The Moments That Stay With You
Meredith’s mom held her hands while her sister fastened her dress. That’s it. That’s the whole story in one image — three women, a quiet room, and the kind of love that doesn’t need a caption.
Meredith and Brendan chose not to do a first look, which meant the aisle moment carried the full weight of everything. As she came toward him — and floating is genuinely the more accurate word — Brendan leaned around the guests to catch his first glimpse of her. He couldn’t wait. Of course he couldn’t.
And then there are the hugs. In my family we call them “Bushie hugs”. My tiny 98 year old grandmother would hug the absolutly stuffing out of you every time. It was the best. I wonder if the grooms family calls them “Brendan hugs”?
If you’ve spent any time around Brendan, you know. He hugs with his whole body, every single time, with everyone. It’s the kind of hug that makes you feel like the most important person in the room. By the end of the night, multiple guests had mentioned it in toasts and in passing — unprompted, separately, because it’s simply that noticeable. I genuinely hope everyone has a Brendan in their life. Someone who hugs you like he means it every single time.
A Community Dressed Up as a Vendor Team
One of the things that made this wedding feel so alive was that so many of the people making it happen loved Meredith and Brendan personally. The flowers were designed by Vermont Home and Garden out of Burlington — friends of the couple and one of my absolute favorite florists in all of Vermont. The rings? Custom made by another friend, Iron Point Jewelry. The music was in the extraordinarily capable hands of Logan from Perfect Cadence, who is at the top of my list for a reason.
When your vendors are also your people, it shows. The whole day felt less like an event and more like a gathering.
And during the ceremony, a friend stood up and delivered a poem written entirely in the spirit of Dr. Seuss. Playful, heartfelt, and completely perfect for two people who fill a room with warmth the moment they walk in. Another friend graced cocktail hour with her voice — two songs, chosen well, sung beautifully.
Complement coins ( found at the Burlington Farmer’s Market and an integral part of their engagement story) sat on every reception table, inviting guests to pass kind words to one another. Because of course they did.
Have Fun at Your Wedding. These Two Did.
From the moment I arrived, Meredith and Brendan were dancing. Laughing. Singing. Fully, completely present in their own day in a way that is rarer than it should be — and more beautiful than I can overstate.
Here’s what I know after years of photographing weddings across Vermont and beyond: joy is not just felt in the room. It lives in the photographs. When couples are having the time of their lives, the camera knows. The light knows. The whole day conspires to give you images you’ll look at decades from now and feel in your chest.
If you’re planning a Jay Peak wedding, or a mountain summit ceremony anywhere in Vermont, my most important piece of advice has nothing to do with timelines or shot lists. It’s this: show up ready to have a blast. Let go of the outside world for a bit. You are truly exactly where you need to be. Let the gondola ride delight you. Let the foliage take your breath away. Hug your people like Brendan (and Bushie) does.
The photos will reflect it beautifully. I promise.
Photography: Me! Lindsay Raymondjack | Florals: Vermont Home and Garden, Burlington | Music: Logan, Perfect Cadence Events | Rings: Iron Point Jewelry | Venue: Jay Peak Resort Weddings
