Good morning, SMPers and welcome to my new obsession – a pretty little Boston wedding that I am positive you will love. The perfect combo of uber-romantic details and a to-die-for modern aesthetic, it’s the world’s most beautiful bride, her dashing groom and one magical moment after another captured by Avenna Studios, including those lush blooms by Winston Flowers and that masterpiece of a gown by Monique Lhuillier. Did I mention I was obsessed? See so much more right here.
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From the Bride… Dan and I met in NYC a few years ago at a pre-Deadmau5 rave party held at my apartment. At the time, I was living with my brother, who asked me that day if it was ok for one of the guests to bring a “cool” co-worker. That coworker was, big surprise, Dan. The first impression I had of Dan when I opened the door that fateful night was, “What a cute, sweaty boy!” (He is three years younger than me!) I immediately fell for his toothy smile and floppy hair. The sweat was due to walking up the 10 flights of stairs since our elevator was down. That night, we danced the night away and pretty much have been together ever since.
Because I am a fine art photographer, designing a gorgeous wedding was important to me — I had to fulfill high expectations! I had two different directions that I wanted to go in — the first, and more primal, was my desire for a romantic, lush, more traditional wedding. My second was to keep things fresh and modern. With the latter in mind, I immediately knew that I wanted to hold my wedding at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Since it had been built several years earlier, I was fascinated by its modern architecture, jetting over the industrial Boston Harbor. Dan loves all things with straight lines (or influenced by Bauhaus), so this venue was right up his alley. However, the cool, clean aesthetic did not match my vision of something lush and romantic.
I decided to combine my two creative visions with the goal to have the juxtaposition create energy. Using a soft palette of blush, gray and white, I made sure that all decorations and style choices fit with into an ethereal and vintage style (my blush Monique Lhuillier dress was the starting point for the rest of the design). Our letterpress invitations are a good example of mixing both the clean modern and the soft romantic design. The cards had a simple, letterpressed sans serif font and no decoration and were wrapped in a Japanese blush paper and chiffon ribbon and addressed with traditional calligraphy. For the actually wedding, Diana of SD Events came up with the idea of the chandeliers hanging from fabric matching the theme, which was genius! The loose flower arrangements helped soften the atmosphere, and the gorgeous ombre cake is yet another example of our vision realized. To add my own artistic merit, I created an abstract video of springtime blooming flowers that was projected on screens above seating cards and the guest book. Beside the guest book was a display of photographs I compiled of family weddings from both Dan’s family and my own.
I was amazed at how this wedding ended up fulfilling my desire to have a dream wedding — transforming a cool, minimalist setting of the ICA into an enchanted, modern fairytale. Dan and wrote our own vows to each other, which I believe hold powerful guidance for when we hit tough times in our journey through life together. After that was dinner and lots of dancing. I cannot say enough good things about our band, Starlight Orchestras, who traveled up from NYC. By the end of the night, both Dan and I were soaked with sweat on the dance floor, just like the night we met.
Wedding Photography: Avenna Studios Photography / Wedding Venue: Boston Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Massachusetts / Event Design: DIY by the Bride / Event Planning: Diana Hoffman of SD Events / Floral Design: Ben Newbold of Winston Flowers / Wedding Cinematography: Buzz Media Company / Wedding Cake: Jenny’s Wedding Cakes / Wedding Invitations: Smudge Ink / Programs + Menus: DIY by the Bride / Music: Rebecca Blake of Starlight Orchestras / Rentals: Be Our Guest / Glass Tent: Peterson Party Center / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Dior / Makeup: Kim Fosher / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale