Every Bookworm Needs to Admire This Romantic Boston Public Library Wedding!
There's something so incredibly romantic about tying the knot in a place, as Carrie Bradshaw once said, "... that housed all the great love stories". The spectacular marble walls of the Boston Public Library surrounded their guests as they dined in Bates Hall, planned perfectly by Always Yours Events. It's truly difficult describe how incredibly unique and beautiful this reception is... but it basically combines the grandeur of the Great Hall at Hogwarts and the romance of the library room in Beauty and The Beast. See for yourself at the full gallery captured by Michelle Lange Photography!
From the Bride… When Ryan and I got engaged, we knew that we wanted to find a venue that felt meaningful to the both of us. Right away we decided to tour the Boston Public Library. This particular venue is not only absolutely breathtaking, but also played a part of our story prior to our engagement. When we first moved to Boston together, we lived across the street from the BPL. Our apartment was small, dark and a little bit crammed, and so we would often find ourselves going to the BPL to do our work and study for upcoming exams. When we toured the Boston Public Library, we immediately knew that it was the perfect location to host our wedding reception for our loved ones! We were completely blown away by the character and history of the venue, and each and every space from the grand marble staircase to the Courtyard to Bates Hall left us in awe.
Knowing we wanted to be married in the Catholic Church, we found ourselves falling in love with the Shrine of our Lady of Good Voyage in the Seaport of Boston. This brand new little church and had the most romantic and slightly more modern aesthetic, which was exactly what we were looking for when it came to a venue for our ceremony. We did not want to take away from any of the beauty at both the church and the BPL, but enhance it and create a dreamy and romantic design within the spaces. Together with our wedding planner Keri (of Always Yours Events), we dreamed up a modern romantic and garden-inspired design that was very floral forward and featured a color palette of whites, cream, ivory and light blush, pinks and a slight pop of a pale and soft blue.
Our design was carried out into our stationery design with the talents of Taylor at Mulberry and Elm who created an entire custom stationery suite from save the dates to invitations to day of stationery consisting of a light blue crest with florals, a drawing of the Boston Public Library, and even a sweet watercolor of our pup Brady. The floral team at Les Fleurs worked with Keri to fill every space from the bridal suite to the church and every corner of the Boston Public Library with blooms, and even create a rose petal recessional as we exited the church. Upon entering the venue guests were wow-ed by the grand staircase covered in greens, roses and candles, as well as the sounds of our harpist from Gilded Harps.
One of our favorite features was the floral escort card display where each guest’s name and table number was printed on a bud vase filled with garden roses, peonies and sweet pea and filled gold shelves at the top of the staircase. Our guests enjoyed cocktails out in the courtyard under strands of cafe lights over the reflecting pool as well as on the lower level of the Library before heading upstairs for the grand reveal of Bates Hall. Guest tables in Bates Hall alternated between garlands filled with greens and garden roses, and tall centerpieces with small crystal compote arrangements. After enjoying a delicious menu catered by the Catered Affair, we moved into the Abbey Room for dancing to the sounds of Boston band, The Connection.
Our photobooth was a highlight of the reception, with a custom greenery hedge wall backdrop with our initials. At the end of the evening guests were gifted sugar cookie favors in the shape of our dog Brady in beautiful packaging. Guests lined the stairs with ribbon wands for an epic send off before Ryan and I hopped into a white Rolls Royce getaway car. To say the day was absolutely breathtaking is an understatement — the celebration exceeded all of our expectations! As we look back on our day with our stunning gallery from Michelle Lange and video from Stop Go Love, we can’t help referring to it as the best day of our lives! It was so meaningful to be surrounded by all of our closest friends and family, as well as to celebrate our marriage in one of the most historic and stunning venues we both have ever seen! We could not have done it without the support of our families and our amazing vendors, and we are so thankful to everyone who made our day so incredibly remarkable.
