It is a fine day to be engaged. Yes indeed. Not only because you are soon to wed the love of your life but also because you are about to indulge in a full day of wedding awesomeness. We like to call it SMP boot-camp. Seven weddings, one after the other, all day long and in a myriad of different styles. If you are loving a particular wedding, be sure to click on the gallery where the full set of images is waiting. Think you can keep up?
First up to bat is quite possibly one of my favorite weddings ever, ever, ever. It’s a Beantown beauty shot by Justine Johnson Photography and between the modern, fresh decor and florals by Kor Floral and the gorgeous balcony wedding views (which I’m pretty sure you can see my house in), I’m in blogger heaven. Hip, hip hooray for the Zakim Bridge and Boston and really fabulous balcony weddings. See it all here!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride…My husband and I met in our early twenties. For a summer during college, we both worked at a beautiful hotel on the rocky coast of Maine, as a front desk girl, and a bellman. Time passed, and we lost touch. He searched for me years later and wrote to me on Facebook. We met again on the coast of Maine, at a beach, and laughed all day. When he proposed to me, he tied a key from that hotel (that he had saved from years ago), to the collar of our new puppy; she came running out towards me. My nine year old little dog followed with the engagement ring tied around her neck with a bow. She waddled out and sat right in front of me. Erik Satie, one of my favorite musicians (a pianist/composer from the 1850’s) played.
Matt and I were engaged in April, and decided that very summer would be a great time to be married…that meant four months to plan the wedding! As a florist and event designer, I have always told clients to take at least a year for planning, but I found myself really happy with the short timeline. It made decisions roll quickly and smoothly, and kept the insanity down to a defined period of time. Because I work in the industry and saw extravagant, lavish weddings often, I decided I wanted something more personal and intimate, where I could really focus on details, while keeping decor simple and clean. We decided on having the wedding in our home, a condo on the tenth floor, overlooking the Zakim Bridge in Boston. How could we not take advantage of that view?
I wanted to keep the palette simple–lots of white texture with touches of green and gray, and small bursts of color in cocktails. I couldn’t find any linens I loved, so I purchased some beautiful, summery white pique fabric and had it custom sewn for the tables. I spent my free time creating place cards, programs, menus, and favors. I hand stamped the cocktail napkins and made the drink stirrers/straws with the old-fashioned rub-on-letters my grandfather used many years ago as an architect. I wanted the flowers for the table top to be inspired and interesting, but understated. I decided on small, vintage glass and metal cabinets and placed tiny white orchids inside, leaving their roots exposed for a structural look, and added some maiden hair fern to the table as well. For the altar pieces, I gutted light bulbs and using tweezers, placed small plants in each one,stringing them together to create glittering chandeliers.
The weather could not have been more perfect–glowing, afternoon sunshine, a gentle breeze. The puffy cloudsoverhead, the height of the balcony and big white balls at the altar made the space ethereal– heavenly. I felt quiet and grateful and bursting all at once. We played a song by Jonsi, an Icelandic band chosen by my husband, as I walked down the aisle. Jonsihas a light, childlike, sprite-in-the-woods kind of sound, which made the day seem evenmore delicate and radiant. My husband told me he had a surprise for me before dinner–I had no idea what toexpect. I saw a keyboard, which confused me, because he is a professional jazz drummer. He sat down and played the most beautiful rendition of an Erik Satie’s song.The song was tender and sweet, slow and dreamy (you may have heard it in the movie Man on Wire). The entire room was in tears, myself included.
Wedding Photography: Justine Johnson Photography / Floral Design: Alexandra Kadar of Kor Floral / Ceremony + Reception Location: Private Residence / Event Design + Wedding Invitations: Kor Floral / Wedding Dress: Custom / Chairs: Rentals Unlimited / Bride’s Make-up + Hair: MDM Artistry / Brooch: Vintage / Linens: Custom / Caterer: Nine at Home