The Wedding Story of... Meeghan & Brendan Hart

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that the “Earth laughs in flowers.”

 

If that’s true, Meeghan Miller Hart and Brendan Hart started their relationship and marriage surrounded by lots of laughter. Meeghan and Brendan got engaged at the Central Park Conservatory Garden in New York City (where they live) and had their wedding reception at the Historic Oliver Gardens at The History Museum (formerly the Center for History) in South Bend.

 

 

 

 

The two met freshman year at the University of Notre Dame but didn’t start dating until their last year of school.

 

 

 

 

It was a Saturday morning in June when the couple, both architects, took their customary walk in Central Park. “When we came to the Conservatory Garden, our favorite spot, he took a deep breath and got down on one knee,” Meeghan said. While Brendan wanted the proposal to be private, some tourists were kind enough to take some photos and email them to the couple. 

 

 

 

 

“When making decisions about your wedding, go for the things you love and don’t second guess them. It will all come together in a beautiful, cohesive whole.”

 

 

 

 

The Nicole Miller simple, fitted wedding gown was an easy find for Meeghan. Because the ceremony took place in the morning, she wanted it to be easy to put on! It was only the second one she tried.

 

 

 

 

The couple realized a dream by getting married in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. Meeghan said the rehearsal was a little “rough” and she regretted not taking notes at all of her friends’ recent wedding ceremonies. But when Brendan’s family friend performed the ceremony, he guided it so well, she said “it just imparted this wonderful sense of calm and holiness to the morning.”

 

 

 

 

Because the ceremony was at 9 a.m., it created some challenges for the reception but Meeghan’s mom came through and planned a brunch reception. “We wanted it to feel refined but relaxed—like a family gathering that used grandmother’s pewter but with the granddaughter picking the wildflowers for the table.”

 

 

 

 

The early morning ceremony at the Basilica offered the couple a chance to serve their favorite meal—brunch! And they had the added benefit of a party that went on the entire day. 

 

 

 

 

Brendan doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so they opted for a carrot cake as a happy compromise.

 

 

 

 

The color orange became a bit of an obsession with Meeghan during the wedding planning process. She thought it would be a gorgeous color against the blue and gold of the Basilica. She went heavily orange with greens, yellows and blues for contrast.

 

 

 

 

Meeghan’s mom did a lot of the behind-the-scenes organizing. Meeghan was able to have a phone conversation with the designer who mentioned various flowers and Meeghan looked them up on the Internet as they talked. The result: coral peonies, peach “juliet” garden roses, orange asiatic lilies, blue tweedia, blush hydrangea, coral roses, peach stock, peach spray roses, baby blue delphinium, yellow tulips and ivy. The colorful blooms fit the garden feel perfectly.