Emily Greene & Brett Johnson
WED AT THE MAYFLOWER INN
October 4, 2025

On an unseasonably warm early-October afternoon, surrounded by peak-foliage-season color and nearly 200 loved ones, Emily Greene and Brett Johnson were married at the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut.

Emily grew up in New Canaan, the daughter of Betsy and Michael Greene, and met Brett, who grew up in St. Louis, while they were both at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia - and both active in Darden’s Capital Management Club. Emily, a first-year student, attended a meeting and Brett, a year ahead, was there. “After that, we kept seeing each other around,” Emily recalls. “...and a mutual friend helped nudge things along. …Sparks finally flew when we went to the school’s annual Christmas Dance.”

After graduating Darden, Brett moved to the Upper East Side to begin his investment banking career and Emily followed a year later and now works in investment research at a boutique investment management firm in New York City.

In October 2024, during a fall weekend getaway to Charlottesville, a place they both still consider one of their emotional home bases, Brett proposed. The day included some of their favorite Charlottesville rituals, including hiking, visiting wineries, and taking in the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although Emily suspected a trail-top proposal, Brett, battling a cold, waited for just the right moment - at Eastwood Farm & Winery. “Charlottesville is really special to us,” Brett says. “The winery has a beautiful overlook - it’s really quintessential Charlottesville.” After many FaceTime calls to family and friends, they celebrated with dinner at Marigold, the Jean-Georges restaurant at nearby Keswick Hall.

Finding a venue came quickly. Emily grew up in New Canaan and her parents had recently enjoyed a staycation at the Mayflower Inn. With all the classic New England character Emily loved - and availability in 2025 - the decision felt easy.

Rebecca Rose Events guided the design, florals, and planning during what Emily calls “...a whirlwind year. …The idyllic New England setting felt so perfect for us, and even though it was only about forty-five minutes from New Canaan, it was like our own little weekend getaway with everyone we love together for the celebration,” Emily shares. “I give so much credit to my mom and the team at Rebecca Rose Events. Together they pulled off such a stylish and tasteful weekend of celebration that felt incredibly special and unique.”

The couple bought-out the property for the entire weekend, with events beginning on Friday afternoon. Emily got to spend quality time with her nearest and dearest friends and female relatives during a Friday morning brunch- when she also passed out matching pajamas for everyone to wear the following day. The Friday evening rehearsal dinner featured a lively St. Louis-themed BBQ-style menu, including short ribs, fried ravioli, and an Arsenal-themed groom’s cake, for Brett’s favorite soccer team. Emily’s five closest high school friends delivered an acrostic-style joint toast themed around the five letters of her name, while Brett’s childhood friend - who’s also named Brett - spoke warmly and humorously about their three decades of friendship. The rehearsal flowed into a welcome party that set the tone for the celebrations to come.

Saturday morning was relaxed and joyful. Bridesmaids lounged in matching pajamas while listening to Taylor Swift’s just-released album, with hair and makeup humming along in the background. The nieces and flower girls were, in Emily’s words, “the stars of the show”.

“Brett and I wrote each other letters late Saturday night that we shared privately on Sunday morning during our ‘first look’,” Emily says. “My father walked me down the aisle! …Then, during the ceremony, Brett and I exchanged traditional vows, outdoors on the Mayflower’s back lawn, framed by the Shakespeare Garden and early-fall blooms. Reverend Tim O’Brien, a family friend who also married my sister Sara and her husband Joe, officiated the Catholic ceremony.”

The warm day gave way to an open-air celebration that felt both elegant and effervescent. The Luxe Band from Hank Lane kept the evening in full swing. “We wanted it to feel like a concert,” Emily says, “and the dance floor basically never emptied the whole night!”

Emily and Brett opened the evening with their first dance to Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez. Emily danced with her father to Sweet Child O’ Mine, while Brett and his mother shared an emotional moment to You’ll Be in My Heart - that left not a dry eye in the room.

The design for the weekend took its cue from Emily’s Oscar de la Renta gown - the unique floral appliqué inspired the floral motif on their paper goods and through their décor.

Bridesmaids wore wine colored dresses and the florals combined those deep wine colors with soft pinks, oranges, greens, and maroon notes - all reminiscent of their Fall engagement. Emily carried her christening bonnet wrapped around her bouquet, and wore her mother’s earrings as her ‘something borrowed’, while her shoes fulfilled both the ‘something new’ and ‘something blue’.

The Rebecca Rose team carried that thread of thoughtful elegance into every space guests encountered. “It’s so important to weave in intentional guest-experience touchpoints that make a celebration feel warm, inviting, and effortless,” she explains. “And it’s paramount that our behind-the-scenes coordination allows the couple and their families to be fully present.” One of RRE’s favorite details was the custom floral artwork they created as an extension of the appliqués on Emily’s Oscar de la Renta gown - used as embossed texture on the invitation suite, letterpressed along menu borders, and even on cocktail stirrers. For the reception, they opted for a sailcloth tent customized with hourglass draped poles and a scalloped valance lined in the green-striped artwork first introduced in the stationery. Fresh smilax vines intertwined with bistro lighting added atmosphere overhead, while abundant candlelight and custom table lamps, complete with lampshades made from the same textured fabric as the linens, gave the entire space a soft, luminous glow against the night sky. “Each detail should feel purposeful and cohesive,” RRE Creative Director, Becca, says. “When design enhances the setting, that’s when everything truly sings.”

Dinner flowed into hours of non-stop dancing. Emily had planned to change-into a second dress…but never made it off the dance floor. An after-party in the Mayflower Tavern, complete with a DJ, roaring firepits, s’mores, and late-night pizza, kept the party going well past midnight.

Following their October celebration, the couple honeymooned in Positano, Capri, and Sicily, before returning to Stamford to begin married life.

…They look forward to returning to the Mayflower Inn for as many anniversary dinners as they can.