When Cody Haumann transferred to Abigail Barrett’s high school back in the day, the two teenagers quickly began passing notes during the multiple classes they had together. It only took a couple weeks before they started dating. Unfortunately, Cody wanted to finish high school in the previous town and ended up moving back; but he and Abigail kept in contact and would see each other whenever they were home in Connecticut.
Shortly after starting dental school in 2017, Abigail and Cody found themselves back in the Northeast. Cody’s schedule in school and Abby’s new role as a single mom made it challenging to carve out quality time, but the two still managed to see each other fairly often.
“There was so much joy, so much happiness, so much love in that room that night.”
“In January 2018, we went to Vermont as ‘just friends,’ and one week later we were dating,” the couple shares. “This time it was not a high school note passing fling. This was the start of the Haumann family.”
On an uncharacteristically warm October day in Connecticut, Cody surprised Abby by arranging for their two families to gather at Chamard Vineyard in Clinton. He told Abby they were going to have a picnic and stay overnight for her birthday; but when they arrived, Cody bypassed the front door, dropped to one knee, and proposed in front of the grape vines.
Shortly after their engagement, the couple flew to Savannah, Gorgia to visit family. It was also Abby’s dream to get married in the South, so they ended up looking at wedding venues as well. They eventually came across the perfect location – an open field covered in large oak trees and water views – and brought Marina Luri Events on board as their wedding planner and event designer who would transform the space. Several months later, however, the pandemic started. Abby and Cody decided to forgo their Southern wedding dreams and took the pressure off by planning a wedding closer to home with a guest list of 35 people instead of 215.
Envisioning an intimate wedding where guests could gather together for the weekend, the came across The Dutchess on VRBO – a venue located in New York’s Hudson Valley.
“Marina showed us some other locations as well, but we just knew that The Dutchess could be something incredibly special,” Abby adds. “Marina Luri-Clark and her team went above and beyond in the planning process, asking what we liked and what we wished for and really ran with it.”
After enduring 14 months of isolation, the bride and groom’s guests started arriving on a Friday afternoon, and everyone greeted each other with big hugs and countless smiles. The rehearsal dinner was held shortly after and, by the end of that night, both Abby and Cody knew their wedding celebration was going to be better than they’d ever imagined.
When the big day arrived, the girls got ready in the Stone House while the rest of the guests explored the property, played yard games, and dined on delicious food.
“After the ceremony, Cody and I had the pleasure of seeing the reception space alone, to spend a few minutes taking it all in before our guests were invited in,” Abby recalls. “To say we were speechless is an understatement. Marina and her team created the most magical space that our 35 guests brought to life. There was so much joy, so much happiness, so much love in that room that night – it was contagious. We ended the weekend with a delicious brunch and said farewell to our guests. We were able to walk the property one last time and really take in how absolutely flawless this weekend had been – how our dream of a big southern wedding could not have possibly been better than this intimate weekend gathering on a large farm, away from all the COVID worries.”
Wedding Talent
Planning & Event Design: Marina Luri Events, New York, NY; Photography: Sam Coba, Staatsburg, NY