The only thing I love more than weddings themselves are the stories behind them. Like this Massachusetts bride, who chose to wed in the very same church all the women in her family have for generations. It’s a day that nods to the classics while infusing plenty of personal touches from start to finish. Kate Preftakes Photography captured every moment and you can have a look right here.
From Kate Preftakes Photography… A lovely barn wedding, a “bicycle built for two” theme, and the prettiest lace dress you’ve ever seen! Ellie and Darren were married in Wellesley, MA at the same church where all the women on her side of the family have been married in. Ellie also wore her Mom’s gorgeous veil which had beautiful ribbon hanging down in the back. Their warm and beautiful reception was held at the Holliston Historical Society, one of my favorite places to photograph weddings!
From the Bride… We met at a birthday party for people that neither of us knew, but it’s what happened just prior that makes the story more interesting. Earlier that evening at dinner, my roommates and I each discussed the core traits of our ideal man. I said: tall and bearded, with glasses and a wonderful sense of humor. Little did I know that only hours later, that man would appear!
It seemed right, pretty much from the get-go. It was all just so easy and fun. We quickly found best friends in each other. The more we spent time together, the more we wanted to spend time together. It wasn’t long before everyone just started calling us Dellie.
About 4 years of life, laughs and adventures later, Darren proposed to me on January 5th (his birthday, how sneaky!) at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It being that time of year, we had been discussing our New Years Resolutions. Darren told me that he had one more: to spend the rest of his life with me. I couldn’t have been more excited to make it come true.
In ‘Dellie’ fashion (and since we live in Brooklyn, NY), our rehearsal dinner is to be an homage to a New York Deli – (this is a surprise! No one knows yet!).
We were both raised Catholic, but neither of us is particularly religious. Despite that, we felt like getting married in a church would really honor the special commitment that we will be making to each other. And not just any church – the church that everyone on my (Ellie’s) side of the family was married in. That’s pretty cool.
I’ll be wearing my mom’s veil. I’m so excited that my ‘something borrowed’ is so very special and significant. In fact, I had wanted to wear my grandmother’s wedding dress, which both my mom and my aunt wore as well. It would have been amazing to carry on that tradition, but alas, I am a larger person than they!
The motif of the ‘bicycle built for two’ throughout our wedding is a significant one for Darren and I for a couple of reasons: Several years ago, Darren planned a weekend getaway for the two of us. The whole thing was a surprise for me. We went to New Hope, PA a charming little B&B kind of town along the Delaware River. We spent one of our days there riding bikes up and down the river—it was such a fun and memorable day. Since then, we’ve thought about how cool it would be to make a trip out of bike riding somewhere. So we looked into it and will be doing that for our honeymoon! We’ll be riding bikes along the southern coast of Portugal!
Second, When I was training for a half marathon this past spring, Darren would sometimes ride alongside me on my long runs. It wasn’t his favorite thing to do, but it meant the world to me!
It’s just symbolic of being really “in it together”. That’s something we’ve felt about our relationship from the very beginning – that we were both so invested and willing to do whatever to make the other person happy. That and the fact that we just love spending time together.
Photographer: Kate Preftakes Photography | Floral Design: Petal Pushers | Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas | Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal | Catering: Ipswich Clambake | Band: Shine | Bridal Gown: Kleinfeld Bridal | Holliston Historical Society: Holliston Historical Society | Ice Cream Bar: Cherry Farm Creamery