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Russo - Edredge
Darien native and Darien High School graduate James Hamilton Eldredge proposed to his classmate and sweetheart of nine years, Jennifer Ann Russo, at their favorite outdoor restaurant in Las Vegas, where they vacationed annually.
A year later they were married at Darien’s St. John’s Church by Father Michael Madden.
Their reception was held at the Shore and Country Club in East Norwalk. Both the décor and the menu reflected the theme of summer and the beach, starting with cocktails outdoors as the sun was setting over Long Island Sound. The men in the bridal party sported ties with starfish patterns and bridesmaids wore starfish necklaces. The wedding cake was decorated with starfish and seashells, and table centerpieces featured hydrangea and white roses in bowls of sea glass. To celebrate their love of Las Vegas — and to commemorate their engagement — guests were given lottery tickets as party favors.
The daughter of John and Susan Russo of Darien, the bride is a graduate of Darien High School and the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family relations. She also earned a master’s degree in elementary education at Sacred Heart University. She teaches first grade at West School in New Canaan.
The groom received an associate’s degree in science and general studies from Norwalk Community College as well as an associate’s degree in nursing. He is a registered nurse at Norwalk Hospital. His parents are Robert and Nancy Eldredge of Darien.
The couple spent a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii, visiting Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. They live in Darien.
Garrison - Dunkin
Abigail Aldrich Garrison and Stephen Bradley Dunkin knew of each other throughout their middle school and high school years. But it wasn’t until they attended the wedding of mutual friends, that they really noticed each other. The next day Brad called Abby and asked for a date. Sixteen months later he asked her to marry him.
The couple celebrated their marriage at St. Thomas More Church in Darien, with Father J. Barry Furey officiating.
A reception followed at the Belle Haven Club in Greenwich. Special touches from family and friends contributed to the overall theme. The bride’s mother created the ring bearer’s pillow using fabric and lace from wedding gowns worn by several generations of women in her family. Each flower girl’s basket was trimmed with a needlepoint Christmas ornament bearing the dates of the couple’s engagement and wedding. The best man, Jamie McLean of New Canaan, a professional musician, gave a personalized performance, singing and playing guitar during the reception.
The daughter of Elizabeth and Peter Garrison of New Canaan, the bride is an advertising sales representative for Entertainment Weekly, a division of Time, in New York City, where the couple lives. She received a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Boston College.
The groom received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Cornell University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. He is a bond analyst at Bear Stearns. His parents, Lucille and Eugene Dunkin Jr., live in New Canaan and East Orleans,
Massachusetts.
Wilde - Brackenbury
Eileen April Wilde was interning at the Historic House Trust of New York City in July 2003 when she was sent to the Parks & Recreation office in Queens to look at historic drawings. Upon her arrival no one was at the front desk, so she began to wander the halls. She ran into Jesse David Brackenbury, a parks employee, who asked if she needed help. He also thought she was cute, so he dropped by her office and asked her out to lunch.
Two years later Jesse asked Eileen to marry him by writing his proposal on the beach at Point Reyes National Seashore in California.
The couple was married in an interfaith ceremony officiated by Rabbi Richard Messing at the Wequassett Inn at Pleasant Bay in Chatham, Massachusetts. Family and guests celebrated all weekend at local restaurants and at the home of the bride’s family in Wellfleet.
The bride is a 1992 graduate of New Canaan High School and received a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in preservation studies from Boston University. Until recently she was an architectural historian for Page & Turnbull in San Francisco. Her parents are Nancy Wilde of New Canaan and the late Peter R. Wilde.
The groom is the son of Robert Brackenbury and Judy Foreman, both of Cincinnati. He received his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and his master’s of business administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in New York City, where the couple lives.
The newlyweds took a two-week honeymoon trip to Greece.
Ryan - Haines
Katherine Corinne Ryan and Jonathan Andrews Haines met during their freshman year at Cornell University. They dated for the next four years and then their jobs took them in different directions. Eighteen months later they bumped into each other on the University of Pennsylvania campus, and four months later they were engaged.
The couple was married by the Reverend Leszek P. Szymaszek at St. Aloysius Church in New Canaan. A reception followed at the Roger Sherman Inn.
The daughter of Jane and John Ryan of New Canaan, the bride is a 1999 graduate of New Canaan High School and received a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Cornell. She expects to complete her master’s degree in social work at Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice in 2007.
The groom received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell and is an equity research associate with Susquehanna International Group in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, where the couple resides. His parents are Gail Andrews of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Guy Haines of Ventnor, New Jersey.
Nielson - Baumann
Sandra Joan Nielsen and Steven Francis Baumann met through mutual friends on January 2, 2004, at the Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood. A year later, three days before Christmas, Steve proposed in front of the fireplace at the Country Club of Darien.
The couple was married by Pastor Paul Ricketts at the Bitter End Yacht Club Resort on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. The sunset ceremony took place on the beach overlooking the North Sound and was followed by cocktails, dinner and dancing.
The bride, known as Sandy, is the daughter of Joanne Tammany Nielsen and the late Gerald A. Nielsen of Darien. She is the general manager of Nielsen’s Florist and Garden Shop in Darien. She is also a director of the Connecticut Community Bank and serves as vice president of the Darien Chamber of Commerce.
The groom is a partner at KPMG in Stamford. He is the son of the late Pauline Mirra Baumann and the late Adolph Baumann of Wellesley, Massachusetts.
The couple honeymooned sailing in the BVIs and at Little Dix Bay. They are building a home in Rowayton.
DeMichele - Schlafman
Julianne Helene DeMichele, a 1998 graduate of New Canaan High School, was introduced to Jonathan Eric Pahl Schlafman, a coworker of her sister’s at Putnam Investments in Boston, in the summer of 2003. Two years later, as they stood on the banks of the Charles River where they had gone for a run during their first date, Jon proposed to Julie.
The couple was married by the Reverend Phillip Geogan at St. Mary’s Church in Stonington. A reception followed at the Inn at Mystic, a beautifully landscaped mansion on a hilltop overlooking the river.
The daughter of June and Robert DeMichele of New Canaan, the bride is a graduate of Cornell University and received a master’s degree in education from New York University. She is a special education teacher at Passages Elementary School in Chicago, where the couple lives.
The groom received his bachelor’s degree from Bates College and is a vice president for Putnam Investments. His parents are Mark Schlafman of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and Ellen Schlafman of Swampscott, Massachusetts.
The couple honeymooned in the Canadian Rockies.
Katherine Ball - Matthew McPartland
Two funerals and a wedding were the scenario for Katherine (Kate) Ball and Matthew (Mattie) McPartland on the rainy day they became husband and wife at Saint Luke’s Catholic Church in Westport. Their wedding ceremony was sandwiched between two funerals. Guests told the couple that the rain and the funerals signified good luck. Quipped the bride, “Well, then we’ll surely be married forever.”
Katherine and Matthew were high school sweethearts who first met in 1994 on a Habitat for Humanity project through Saint Luke’s Youth Group. Friendship turned to love. Matthew proposed on the steps of Saint Luke’s eleven years later.
After a wedding reception at the Waterview in Monroe, Connecticut, the couple honeymooned in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. They live in New Canaan.
Mrs. McPartland, a graduate of Staples High School and Lehigh University, owns an interior design business in New Canaan and also works as a kitchen designer in Westport. Her parents are Deborah Johnson-Ball of Westport and Rikki Ball of Newtown and Venice, Florida. Her stepmother is Linda Ball.
The groom, a son of Cristine and Michael McPartland of Ocean City, New Jersey, graduated from Fairfield Prep and the University of Delaware. He earned an associate’s degree from the Academy of Culinary Arts in Mays Landing, New Jersey. He works for Sodexho Corporation, a food services company in Stamford.
Twombly - Ryan
Kate McNiven Twombly and John William Ryan III met in the eighth grade at Saxe Middle School in New Canaan. They started dating during high school, but the relationship didn’t turn serious until their college years, blossoming after graduation when both took jobs in New York City.
The couple was married at the Church of New Canaan by the Reverend Patricia Long, a Congregational minister. The New Canaan Fire Department’s antique fire engine, Old Faithful, brought the wedding party to the reception that followed at the Country Club of New Canaan.
The couple graduated from New Canaan High School in the class of 1996. The bride, known as Katey, was captain of her ice hockey, golf and field hockey teams. She also was captain of her field hockey team at Bucknell University, from which she received a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish. She is a marketing event manager for Gibson Guitar in Nashville, Tennessee, where the couple lives. Her parents are Jay and Linda Twombly of New Canaan.
The groom, known as Sean, played ice hockey and captained the golf team in high school. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and is a regional vice president at John Hancock Financial Services in Nashville. His parents are John and Cathy Ryan of New Canaan.
The newlyweds took a honeymoon trip to the French Polynesian islands of Bora Bora and Mooréa.
Donalds - Barahona
Jennifer Ann Donalds and Joseph Oscar Barahona met in the summer of 2000 at Match restaurant and bar in South Norwalk and spent the entire night talking. The next day Oscar invited Jennifer to see a movie, and the couple dated for the next five years.
The Reverend Nicholas Punch and the Reverend Robert Utille married the couple in a ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenwich. A reception followed at Wee Burn Country Club in Darien.
The bride is a graduate of Darien High School, where she was captain of the swimming and diving team. She received a bachelor’s degree in human development and family relations from the University of Connecticut. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and is director of the center for youth development at Family & Children’s Agency in Norwalk. Her parents are Barbara B. Donalds and the late William L. Donalds.
The groom is a graduate of Greenwich High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Southern Connecticut State University. He currently plays with the Connecticut Yankees men’s rugby team. He is a Spanish teacher at Westhill High School in Stamford. His parents are Joseph Oscar and Irma Barahona, formerly of Greenwich, now of Rowayton.
The couple spent their honeymoon at the Pompano Beach Resort in Southampton, Bermuda. They live in Norwalk.
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