Massachusetts Weddings

The mother of the bride, and along with Marrero Events the acting wedding planner, wrote the description below and it has warmed my heart enough to melt all the snow. Seriously all of it. Joyelle West Photography captured her beautiful daughters stunning day and what you’re about to see was a true labor of love!

From the bride’s mother… My daughter Remy and I were inspired to create a wedding imbued with warmth, sentimentality and fun. Our guests came from all over the country but we wanted them to share a sense of history, family, belonging and home. We were moved by the charm and beauty of the groom’s home state of Kentucky and the kindness his parents had shown us when we visited a few months before. Mindful of the mood and atmosphere we wished to create, we set about choosing a venue, planning a ceremony and designing the essentials for the event. With both the bride and groom being medical school students in different states, I became the wedding planner. After comparing their busy schedules, they picked a date that was only five months away!

Remy’s wedding was a labor of love. Our family has always enjoyed creating things together and her wedding would be no exception. With paint brushes and tools in hand, her Dad and I began creating the special touches. We hand-painted signs; made corn hole boards and table numbers. Most of the items used throughout the day were either repurposed or found in our home. The program box was actually fashioned out of a small wine crate and framed out to look like a bureau drawer. Everything was given several coats of paint and hand-rubbed to give it an antiqued finish and to create a cohesive look. Remy created the logo, made the lace-covered votives, and embellished the football she used for the “bouquet” toss. Little brother even stuffed the corn hole bags. Dear friends assisted as well. One helped me sew curtains for the carriage house and drape the ceremony arch; another wrote poetic words for the signs.

Sentimental items added warmth to the evening: the wedding toast glasses used at my own wedding, a great grandmother’s mason jars, and a grandparents’ table that was the first piece of furniture they bought after they were married. Everything about the day was so beautiful, but there was nothing more beautiful than Remy’s radiant smile.

Photography: Joyelle West Photography | Coordinator: Marrero Events | Florist: The Frugal Flower | Cupcakes: Capers Catering | Invitations: The Dotted I | Bride's Shoes: Kate Spade | Caterer: Capers Catering | DJ: 5 Star Events | Ties: Brooks Brothers | Suits: Jos. A. Bank | Wedding Venue: Codman Estate | Antique Wash Tub: Brimfield Antique Show | Bride's Hair: Invidia Salon and Spa | Bridesmaid Dress: J.Crew | Bridesmaid’s Jewelry: Kate Spade | Carriage Lights: Marrero Events | Ceremony Musicians: Riverview Chamber Players | Garden Arbor: Mahoney's Garden | Hairpiece/Bridal Jewelry: La Raine's Bridal Boutique | Mercury Glass Compotes: Afloral | Popcorn: Capers Catering | Table Number Frames: TJ Maxx | Wedding Dress Designer: Marisa Bridals | Wedding Rings: Sheila Bayes Fine Jewelry

There is no getting around it, this wedding from Lisa Rigby is just as lovely as they come. Overflowing with the kind of style that just makes you smile and details so pretty you may just squeal – it’s what we like to call SMP gold around these parts. But you don’t have to take my word for it, you can get lost in all the pretty right here.

Share this gorgeous gallery on

 

Our guests drank from mason jars that served double-duty as escort tags with names and table numbers tied to the rims. Instead of traditional drink and dinner menus, we used windows from my parents’ 1876 barn & covered the glass with chalkboard paint to display what was in store. And rather than the typical photo booth, we decided to hang antique picture frames from Rob’s parents’ house from a tree where guests could take their photos and sign the guest book.

One of our favorite details from the day was the mismatched china we used for place settings– and it almost didn’t happen. Rob and I collected china for over a year and discovered a month away from our wedding that we were short…by a long shot! Luckily, our amazing wedding coordinators at Tribe Design + Events offered to scrounge around antique shops to get us over the finish line!

Rob doesn’t drink and we wanted to do a “champagne” toast that he could enjoy too. We thought using the Coke in glass bottles went nicely with our overall theme of a 1920s garden party. This spring, my dad and I were at the Brimfield Antiques Market and we came across these yellow antique wooden Coke boxes. They were perfect for passing out the bottles of Coke for the toast, and matched our yellow & gray color scheme.

Tea is a nightly ritual for Rob and me, and we wanted our guests to experience a part of that. My parents are big fans of Harney & Sons teas, and we saw the tea tins at their house over Christmas. We knew we had to figure out a way to incorporate them into our wedding. So we collected 20 tea tins over the year and worked with our florist to use them as our centerpieces. They looked so amazing filled with the local, in-season yellow and white flowers we chose, and when paired with the mismatched china place settings on the tables, it really completed the elegant but casual look we were striving for.

Bear has been my dog for almost 11 years and I can honestly say that he is the love of my life (sorry Rob). All joking aside, Bear brings so much joy to our lives. He’s a member of the family, he goes everywhere with us, and we couldn’t imagine getting married without him by our sides. Plus, a dog is the ultimate symbol of unconditional love– how could you not want that at your wedding? He was decked out in a matching yellow and gray collar, bow tie and leash that I found on Etsy at a shop called BW Barkery. 

While all of these details and many others took a ton of time to plan, put together and execute, it was absolutely these details that made the day so special for us and for our family and friends. Rob and I planned our wedding while starting our new company, 88 acres, a healthy snack company free of the top 8 allergens.

Photographer: Lisa Rigby Photography | Coordination: Tribe Design + Events | Wedding Dress: Marisa Bridals | Groom's Suit: J.Crew | Wedding Venue: The Pierce House | Belt: Watters | Wedding Dress Style: Marisa Bridals

You know what makes me happy?  This sweet duo.  This sweet duo with their contagious smiles, love-filled faces and downright adorability.  They rock… and so does their drop-dead gorgeous wedding, a laid-back meets elegant affair literally brimming with pretty.  I’m talking beautiful blooms from Bella Floral Design, a stunning Codman Estate setting and moment after moment of pure amazing captured by Shane Godfrey Photography.  See them all in the full gallery.

Share this gorgeous gallery on

 

From Shane Godfrey… One of my most laid-back couples over the years has to have been Heidi & Jimmy. I shot their engagement session a few months before their wedding at their home, close to the Codman Estate in Lincoln, MA. Their first date was in Jimmy’s backyard, where Heidi came over to garden with him and they got ready the morning of their wedding day. They had a small bridal party of three each, all close friends or siblings that were there with them and drove over to the Codman Estate early to get all the photos done. They were extremely in love, always goofing around with each other and were not shy to kiss in front of the camera. We sneaked into the farm next door to get some shots shooting around the cows and actual farm part of the estate. The ceremony was in the back of the Codman Estate mansion where there is one of the most beautiful settings for a ceremony in New England. Heidi came down the aisle on one side, and they came back 20 minutes later on the opposite side, hand in hand, married. We took a few more photos with the family and then headed back to the other side of the property for dinner and dancing.

Photographer: Shane Godfrey Photography | Florist: Bella Floral Design | Caterer: Tastings Caterers | Officiant: Kezia Bacon-Bernstein | Wedding Location: Codman Estate

You know what I love? Getting to know couples through their wedding, particularly when they are as personal as this beauty captured by Shane Godfrey Photography at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Every detail stylishly crafted by Kor Floral was so “them” – giving us a peek at  just how fabulous they are. And one look at this gallery, and you’ll quickly realize – they are pretty darn fabulous. See it all here.

Share this gorgeous gallery on

 

From Kor Floral… Margaret and Eladi were incredible clients to work with. Margaret, with a slight “anti-bride” streak from the beginning, made this a fun and delighting place to design from! She didn’t need all the traditional elements of a wedding day and was open to exploring different design elements. She shared that her fiancee was from Barcelona and she would like to honor that by including some red in her day. I also learned she is fond of purple. We were both excited to create her vision within the framework of such a modern and interesting venue on the deCordova Museum property. Photos outdoors were a wonderful adventure–all of the contemporary art installations worked as an intricate playground!

My designs for the day included an “altar” piece for her ceremony that began with a black frame and vibrant red flower petals pressed between glass hangings, as though suspended by air from the structure. The luscious reds were punctuated by the beautiful and majestic trees inviting stunning backdrops throughout the grounds. The personal bouquets were deep and bold, much like the fall season. Once inside for the reception, guests would find a dark, modern, minimalist room with long rows of tables for an intimate, family-style feel. Tables were dressed in gray linens and two sets of hand-crafted runners, the bottom white, and a deep purple on top to add dimension and texture. The centerpieces were also created just for the day consisting of wooden shapes standing upright with “S” carvings in the centers–filled with flowers and deep purple autumnal leaves. Smaller votive sized arrangements with dahlias, sweet peas, scabiosa and fall leaves stood on either side of the larger pieces, winding down the long rows of tables. Escort cards and table numbers accented in purples and greys completed the look. With a delicately, ruffled wedding cake, many lovely, heartfelt speeches and flamenco dancers it could not have been a more magical and romantic evening.

[dotted]

Photography: Shane Godfrey Photography | Venue: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts | Event Planning + Floral Design + Stationery Design: Kor Floral | Catering: La Fete Catering | Wedding Cake: Jenny’s Wedding Cakes | Wedding Dress: Custom

I think it’s safe to say that I have never been more in love with a bridal bouquet.  Yep, this lush, dreamy succulent-filled bundle of goodness by Flowers by Semia has certainly made a friend in me – and when you add that sweet, sweet floral creation to this beyond breathtaking Pierce House wedding… well.  I can barely contain my glee.  From the lovely historic setting to the fabulous stylings of Tribe Design + Events to an entire gallery filled with brilliant images by Zev Fisher Photography, this is EXACTLY how I like to start the week.  Don’t miss a pretty, pretty moment and join me in the gallery!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

Jackie and Matt got married in September of 2011 in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where Jackie grew up. Their wedding was held at the historic Pierce House, a beautiful Georgian mansion and surrounding property used as a venue for weddings and other receptions. The bride’s maid of honor, Alexa, is also a wedding designer and planner, and she spent so much time on the DIY details of the day, from the wooden, handwritten escort cards displayed in vintage library card catalogs to the wedding favors in small burlap sacks and decorated with hand-stamped, personalized tags with the bride and groom’s initials. All the personal, handmade elements of the wedding gave the whole evening a truly intimate feel. Jackie had eight bridesmaids, who all wore navy. There was lemonade and iced tea available to refresh guests before the outdoor ceremony, a box of cigars for guests to enjoy at the bar and a bonfire and s’mores station set up for late in the reception. The evening was full of laughter, tears and dancing — what a wonderful day!

Wedding Photography: Zev Fisher Photography / Associate Photographer: Gretjen Helene Photography / Wedding Venue: The Pierce House in Lincoln, Massachusetts / Flowers: Flowers by Semia / Event Design + Planning: Alexa Friedman-Cohen of Tribe Design + Events / Wedding Invitations: The Bride + Bridesmaids / Catering: Two Chefs are Better than One / Wedding Cake: Konditor Meister / Tent, Rentals + Lighting: Come Rain or Shine Tent Works / DJ: Graeme Ritchie / Bride’s Dress: Barbra Allin via Country Weddings Bridal Boutique / Bridesmaids Dress: J.Crew / Bridesmaids Jewelry: M. Flynn / Hair + Makeup: Marianne Brown of Grace Professional Cosmetics

I think we’ve found the picture perfect way to ease into another work week.  It’s this Lincoln wedding captured so sweetly by Lisa Rigby Photography and it has cured my Monday blues with a lot of love and romance.  You know it’s going to be an amazing week when you start it off with the the prettiest blend of vintage, DIY and classic elegance.  Click here to see it all in the full gallery!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… We wanted our wedding to reflect our tastes and interests, which lean toward the past. We love the vintage aesthetic and old towns that remain seemingly unchanged. The Pierce House, in historic Lincoln, Massachusetts, was really the perfect venue for us. And we were lucky to find amazing vendors who truly gave us the look and feel — and food! — that we wanted. We were especially thrilled with the flowers, which were painstakingly assembled the morning of our wedding by a friend, and Lisa’s beautiful photography, which captured all of the wonderful moments and visuals from our special day. It is a joy for us to look through the photographs and have that day come to life for us again.

From Lisa of Lisa Rigby Photography… Meredith and Todd used her grandmother’s vintage champagne glasses for their toasts. In lieu of favors, they donated to Farm Forward.

Wedding Photography: Lisa Rigby Photography / Wedding Venue: The Pierce House in Lincoln, Massachusetts / Flowers: Nicole Maier (A Friend of the Couple) / Tent + Furniture Rentals: Come Rain or Shine Tent Works / Catering: The G Seven Catering Company / Cake + Desserts: The Chocolate Tarte (617-875-6413) / Drinks: North Shore Bartenders / Champagne Glasses: From the Bride’s Grandmother

As we reach the end (don’t worry we still have one more wedding to go) of another whopping wedding Wednesday, we thought we’d hit you with a good ol’ dose of DIY.  I’m pretty sure Massachusetts has the best barns for that perfect rustic backdrop and this wedding by Lara Kimmerer brings charm and down-home goodness by the bucket full!  It was certainly a labor of love but the result is something spectacular especially when you see the ecstatic looks on the faces of the darling bride and groom.  This is only a snippet of this New England beauty so make sure you visit the full gallery to see even more!

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride… When Burton and I got engaged it was a happy moment entangled in an intensely sad time in my life. My mother had just passed away from a horrible bout with lung cancer. As happy as I was I couldn’t imagine planning the wedding without her. Trying to find the dress without my Mom seemed like the saddest thing I could think of. So we just let ourselves enjoy our engagement until things felt stable enough to begin.

That day came about a year after her passing. We decided on a date in the fall (about 9 months away) and started in. We knew we wanted our wedding day to be totally ours. It needed to feel down home, comfortable and inclusive, our food to be fantastic and the guests to be our families and closest friends (150 people). Just like everyone else now a days we didn’t have much money. That fits our style, though. We set a tight budget for ourselves and fought tooth and nail to keep to it as closely as possible. In the planning there was a short list of details that really meant a lot to us and a long list of things that we could care less about. That helped us write the budget and kept us sane and focused in the circus that is wedding planning. We were going to do it our way. That turned out to be so important and made everything so special to us.

We settled on Codman Community Farm in Lincoln, MA, for the location because the space was beautiful, the people were laid back and the price was right. The farm is a working community farm that had weddings there before but had no staff to set up and take down the tables, chairs, decorations, etc. This was a REAL barn and we were going to set it up ourselves (chase a couple chickens out) and take it down the following day! But we knew it was the right place because whenever we went back to visit during the planning we just walked around beaming! It felt like home.

Our budget for catering was $5000 for everything (food, staff, etc.) and great food was one of our priorities. I feel strongly about food ethics so it meant a lot to me to try to have our food sourced locally. Most caterers won’t even start their ovens for that price never mind locally source things. With a lot of persistence I found a local-food-only personal chef on yelp.com that was excited to cook for 150 people and was willing to accept my budget. We REALLY, really lucked out. Through her we also bought 6 buckets of farmer’s market flowers for $25 a piece for our centerpieces and bouquets. Of course, we had to put all those things together before the wedding but that’s a great way to save a LOT of money. The flowers were amazing so it wasn’t hard.

We rented most of the tables, chairs and silverware but were able to borrow all the plates from a friend who collected a bunch of different china sets for her own wedding. It was a nice touch to have all the mix and match plates in the barn. We also bought and borrowed cases and cases of mason jars for the center pieces and for drinking glasses. It just went so well with the barn!

The biggest challenge for us was worrying about how the day was going to come together. We saved a lot of money on labor by doing everything ourselves – but then we had to do everything ourselves!  So for peace of mind I scraped together a little money and hired one person willing to try to orchestrate the set-up and decorations. When the day came so many of our loved ones chipped in without blinking an eye or even being asked. They spent a crazy day and a half making the barn and the ceremony site look magical. They are the ones truly responsible for making the day beautiful.  Our friends and family really went over and above and then showed up the day after to help clean it all up. Amazing. We spent our wedding day overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity of spirit and positive energy. That ended up being what it was all about in the end and that’s the lesson we will carry with us forever.

Wedding Photography: Lara Kimmerer / Flowers: Stillman’s Farm (Arranged by Bride, Groom & Emily Fazzina of Cuisine en Locale) / Event Design & Planning: Bride & Groom / Catering: Cuisine en Locale / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Codman Community Farm / Wedding Dress: J. Crew via Once Wed / Makeup: The Bride / Wedding Officiant: Friend of the Groom