Who knows if it was love at first sight, but Jennifer Lynne Farris and Lee Richards McMillan III were first introduced at the 2007 Jazz Fest by close friend Ansley Seaver. The two then had their first official date at the Zoo-To-Do the following weekend.
Jennifer was living in New York City at the time, but they kept in touch. Their second date was quite by accident when one of Jennifer’s best friends from the University of Georgia and Lee’s best friend from Washington and Lee were getting married. The two were both standing in the wedding and Jennifer and Lee were paired to walk down the aisle. As it turned out, that wouldn’t be their last walk down the aisle together. Jennifer moved back to New Orleans and their relationship blossomed.
Since Jennifer isn’t great with surprises, Lee decided to keep the proposal very simple. He proposed at their Warehouse District condo. After Jennifer said “Yes!” many phone calls went out to friends and family and the couple went to Tommy’s to celebrate.
The two married on August 15, 2009 in Snowmass, Colo., at the Snowmass Club. The ceremony was held in the Alpine Meadow of the Club with Mount Daly and blue skies as the stunning background. The couple decided on Snowmass because it was very special to both of them: Lee’s family has a home in Snowmass and he lived there for a year after college. Lee also spent many summers in Snowmass growing up. Jennifer frequently vacationed in the area and fell in love with the Aspen summertime.
Jennifer walked down the aisle in a Monique Lhullier fitted ivory lace dress over a silk satin sheath with a train. She describes her dress as very simple with a sophisticated vintage feel, perfect for the outdoor ceremony. Jennifer wore a pair of diamond and aquamarine earrings her father gave to her mother when they got engaged. The Farris family had the earrings reset so they would be Jennifer’s something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, all rolled into one. She held a beautiful bouquet loosely filled with tulips, daisies and white roses, with the stems tied in lace. Lee wore a khaki linen suit with an Hermés tie.
The bridesmaids included sisters Kelley, Jessica and Savanna who wore ginger dupioni silk dresses by Jenny Yoo.
Each bridesmaid chose her own style to represent her distinctive personality. Lindsay Farris Dawson served as Jennifer’s maid of honor. The attendants carried a mixed bouquet of orchids, roses and calla lillies in deep reds and oranges. The groomsmen wore traditional blue blazers and khaki pants with sage ties that were a gift from the groom.
Lee’s father, Lee Richards McMillan II, served as the best man.
Lee’s sisters Hillary Wyche and Leslie Peters served as readers for the ceremony and Larkin Peters, Lee’s niece, was their flower girl. Larkin stole the show as she walked down the aisle, sprinkling flowers, on the arm of her father James Peters.
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour as the sun set over the Rocky Mountains. While sipping on champagne and Pimm’s Cups made from the original Napoleon House recipe, friends and family took candid Polaroids that were later made into a guest book for the bride and groom.
The guests then moved to the reception tent decorated by Aspen Branch Florist with vintage wrought iron chandeliers and Aspen tree branches. Jump Start, a local Denver band, got the crowd dancing. At the brides request Jump Start played her favorite Michael Jackson song, “Billy Jean,” giving cousin Daniel Farris a chance to show off his moonwalk.
Dinner was served at Sage restaurant and included an organic green salad with candied pecans, chevre and hibiscus vinaigrette to start. The main course was Lee’s favorite, braised short ribs with crispy gnocchi and sautéed green beans.
When it came time to cut the cake, Jennifer and Lee cut into delicious wedding and groom’s cakes by Classic Cakes of Aspen. The wedding cake was a three-tiered, almond flavored cake filled with butter cream. The cake was decorated with hand-painted candy Aspen leaves which wrapped around the cake. The groom’s cake was dark chocolate with chocolate truffles; it too had Aspen leaves wrapped around it to match the wedding cake. As a parting gift, the couple chose a New Orleans favorite: Each guest received a bag with hot beignets that was tied with a gold-dipped Aspen leaf.
The couple honeymooned in South Africa and are now residing in the Warehouse District. Jennifer is a Human Resources Manager at Entergy Corporation. Lee is currently working on his master’s degree in Finance at Tulane University Freeman School of Business.