Ali Searls to Nigel Outar
Nigel Outar started out as a client of Ali Searls, who was a sales engineer supporting his team at a financial-services technology firm. But when she took a job with his company, he became her boss. At first, Ali was intimidated by a guy, she says, "who didn't say much, but when he did, it was powerful." But as the months went on, she started to see a human side. "We would often find ourselves in social situations discussing our latest dates," she remembers. It was June 30, 2004, when he said, "Why don't we date?" Ali's response: "Because you're my boss." The quick answer indicated that she'd already given some thought to the question, and Nigel says that night he knew he would marry her.
After dating for about eight months, in the spring of 2005 Nigel started saying things like, "When we are married..." But after another few months without a proposal, Ali started to get annoyed. On the beach in Amagansett that summer, enjoying wine by a fire, he dropped yet another "when we are married," and Ali nearly punched him, she says, yelling, "If you say that one more time without a ring, I'm moving on." Nigel responded by dropping to one knee and producing the ring.
Ali and Nigel wanted to celebrate their wedding in their home state, but an "over the top" city wedding didn't appeal to them. The Hudson Valley did, though, and doing some online research turned up a wedding planner who focused on finding unique, little-known spots in the region. On their tour of potential venues, the Buttermilk Falls Inn was the last stop, and "we both knew it was the spot the moment we arrived," Ali says.
In planning the look of the wedding, Ali says, "I had a lot of tear sheets that I gave the vendors so they knew what I found visually pleasing, and I trusted them with the details." To create the menu, which the couple wanted to be "a taste of New York" for their out-of-town guests, Ali and Nigel worked with the caterers to incorporate as many local and seasonal dishes as possible. The remarkable results included a gazpacho with sugar snap peas substituting for the usual tomatoes, which were not yet in season.
Despite all their planning, inevitably a few last-minute details almost fell through the cracks. Arriving at the inn before the wedding, Ali realized she didn't have "something blue." She asked a friend from the city to pick up a blue Hermes handkerchief, which she gave to Nigel as a wedding gift - then immediately borrowed for her walk down the aisle. With that crisis averted, Ali says, "the entire day just flowed. Everyone ended up where they needed to be with little provocation." Her best piece of wedding wisdom? "Find a space where guests will be comfortable and let them enjoy the surroundings. Our friends and family thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and for this we were truly grateful."
