Massachusetts Weddings

I may be a bit biased, but a good ol’ nautical New England wedding takes the cake for me any day. The wispy dune grass, the expansive dockside views, the way the sun kisses the deep blue sea… they win me over every time. This one from Kelly Dillon is no exception, especially with those peach bouquets from Lilacs and don’t even get me started on that stunning Bride prettied up by Blush. See it all here!

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From the beautiful Bride… Dave and I met almost 8 years ago when we were next door neighbors in Arlington. Dave proposed at our apartment late on Christmas Eve just over a year ago, and it was very sweet and low key.

When we started looking for venues on the Cape, we fell in love with Wequassett’s amazing views and traditional Cape Cod feel. We wanted our wedding to be a relaxed and informal celebration with close family and friends. Trying to keep the decor soft and simple to complement the beautiful outdoor setting, we went with subtle colors throughout (neutral toned bridesmaids, dresses, amazing blush pink and cream flowers from Lilacs). Can’t say enough good things about our incredible vendors that handled and captured all of of the important details of the day!

Photography: Kelly Dillon Photography | Floral Design: Lilacs | Wedding Dress: J.Crew | Wedding Shoes: Kate Spade | Makeup: Blush | Hair: Kris Pavao | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Wedding Venue: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club

Grab a few tissues SMP’ers, because this wedding will certainly bring a few tears to your eyes. For when the Groom’s father was battling cancer, this sweet pair wanted nothing more than to honor him on their Big Day. From the Bride’s vintage veil, to her father ordaining, The McCartneys captured it all right here, while Justin Joslin Wedding Films made sure every moment would live on below!

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From The McCartneys Photography… Lydia & Jon’s is truly the most heartwarming and powerful wedding we have ever had the privilege of photographing.

We’re not sure where to begin as we try to lace together words to match the powerful day that was Lydia & Jon’s wedding. Their wedding day was not only a celebration of an all-consuming love, but also a celebration of life and family! When Lydia & Jon announced their engagement, we have to admit, we did a little bit of a ‘happy dance’ in the hopes they might think of us to document their wedding celebration. When they did, we were over the moon excited! We planned a Skype date to talk about their hopes for their wedding photos and hear what type of Door County, WI wedding they were planning! Shortly before our Skype date, Lydia emailed to let us know they recently decided to have TWO weddings instead of one! As we continued to read, we discovered that Jon’s Dad, Paul, had been battling cancer and, as of recent, things were not going as they would hope. It was Jon’s wish that his Dad would see him marry the woman of his dreams – the woman who he would spend the rest of his life with.

Just a couple months later, we quickly found ourselves in the air to Boston, almost in disbelief that Lydia & Jon’s wedding was just days away. We made the most of our few days in the area before their wedding and, on August 8th, we woke up feeling distinctly honored to capture the incredible day that was ahead of us. Nothing could have prepared us for the emotion we witnessed on this very special day. It was written on everyones faces. Joy. Sadness. Love. Jon brought his dad up the aisle moments before his soon-to-be wife made the same walk with her Dad, and it was as if every emotion was pouring out of his face. Lydia’s Dad, Cory, is a Pastor in Door County and his words & wishes couldn’t have been more perfect a he gave his daughter away to Jon. This was one of the many personal touches that made Lydia & Jon’s wedding so heartfelt and unique to the two of them.

In just a few short months Lydia & Jon planned a day filled with so much thought, you’d think they had been planning for a year! To touch on a few, Lydia’s gorgeous dress was custom-made from the same satin that both her Grandmother and her Mom, Darla, wore on their wedding days. The absolutely stunning veil that wrapped Lydia up belonged to Jon’s Mom, Kathy. We honestly couldn’t get over what a STUNNING bride Lydia was!! Her & Jon’s wedding was also made possible by the talent of many family members like the music played during their ceremony and sweet cookie favors awaiting each guest at their dinner table. :)

After lovely words from Lydia’s Dad, she and Jon were ready to share their hand-written vows. Lydia’s vows were several pages long and, though she wanted to hold Jon’s hand, she also needed one hand to hold the vows and the other to flip through the pages. As if they weren’t a cute enough couple already, Jon made this possible by flipping pages for Lydia so that he could hold her hand too! Though very small, this little detail speaks volumes to the “team” that they are.

After portraits in the most romantic evening light followed by especially emotional first dances, Lydia & Jon had a surprise for Paul & Kathy, Jon’s parents, during the anniversary dance. They played his parents’ wedding song and, as Paul got up to dance with his wife, there were very few dry eyes in the room. This entire day was a beautiful example of the kind of love we all hope for, both from our family members and the person we choose to spend the rest of our lives with. We hope you see as much beauty and love in this day as we do, this is one of the most beautiful families we are lucky to call friends!

As a note, this wedding is especially close to our hearts as, no more than a month after their wedding, the groom’s father, Paul, went to Heaven. The loving impact Paul left on everyone who was blessed to know him will never ever be forgotten!

From the beautiful Bride… When Jon and I were planning our wedding, the most important thing that we wanted to shine through in our celebration was our focus on family, faith, and friends. During each step of the planning process, we would try to pause to reflect on whether or not we were keeping with that focus. Given Mr. Bugli’s illness, we knew that we wanted him to be a big part and focus of the wedding. So, from the personalized “Godfather” and “The Don” chairs for he and my dad, to our toasts, to me wearing Mrs. Bugli’s veil, we tried to incorporate as much of our parents as possible. This included having my father do the ceremony, and our parents sitting next to each other.

As we planned, we also wanted to make our wedding as personalized and detailed as we possibly could. And, in just a few short months, we did! After our wedding, we have no regrets about all the work we put in making this as personalized as we did. We both wanted a classic, elegant wedding but we knew we wanted pieces of that elegance to reflect us, our lives and our personalities. For example, the signature drinks, the Wisconsin cheese and Pennsylvania meats, the table names being named after places with importance to us, our glitter accents, and our cake all reflected our personalities and things we find important.

It was also very important for us to keep our theme throughout all of the pieces of the day. So from our invitations, to our escort cards, to our table decorations, we focused on keeping our “preppy nautical” theme flow.

Our personalities are both very fun, “classic” and focused on our loved ones and we hope that this was evident throughout our wedding day!

There were many DIY elements for our wedding day. I wanted to create as many personalized touches as possible and with the help of my mom, my bridesmaids, and friends, I believe I accomplished this. Our programs were designed by a graphic designer friend, our escort card and gift table signage were created by our good friend, and our signature drink menu was handcrafted as well! My bridesmaids did a ton of work in making DIY projects. From the “hubby” and “wifey” signs, to the table names, to painting glitter on the escort card sand dollars, they worked so hard for us!

Our place cards, escort cards, programs, and tulle chair back decorations were also DIY by my friends and me. I hosted a crafting day at my condo before the wedding where the girls helped me to create a number of fun projects for the wedding!

Our glitter tablecloth was sewn by my mother and so were all of the fabric squares for the tables. She was incredible!

Finally, the bridesmaids’ hangers were designed by our close friend, too and gave our day and pictures an extra personal touch!

For me, walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing all of my friends and family gathered to see me get married stands out in my mind. Wearing my mother and grandmother’s satin in my own custom designed wedding dress and donning my mother-in-law’s veil made the day extra special, too, and comes with that special walk.

Being able to share the day with my father-in-law, too was an incredible special time and the moment that is captured on film where I am leaning down and he is kissing me I cherish completely. It gives me the chills!

Photography: The McCartneys Photography | Videography: Justin Joslin Wedding Films | Floral Design: Flowers On Main (Vivian) | Cake: Eat Cake! | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Zita Bridal Salon | Makeup Artist: Salon Eleven (Jessica) | DJ: Dean Mahoney (personal Friend) | Mens Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Wedding Venue: Black Swan Country Club | Cookie Favors: Maybe A Cupcake Will Help (Ali) | Custom Wedding Rings: Barmakian | Flutist: Lois Kurschner | Paper Goods: Jenn Contois (personal Friend) | Pastor: Cory Dahl (Bride's Father) | Violinist: Emily Barfoot

I’m really not sure where to start with this stunning couple and their utterly beautiful New England wedding captured by Kelly Dillon and executed perfectly by Mstarr Event Design. Their story made me blush nearly a dozen times, along with those bursting blooms from Petal Floral Design, but the icing on the cake? This unbelievably sweet Groom made his Bride their dream farm table for her wedding gift. It doesn’t get any sweet than that folks.

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From the beautiful Bride…Jared and I met working as neuroscience lab partners at Boston College. Despite our initial first impressions of each other based solely on our geographical locations—I was from New Jersey and assumed everyone in Wisconsin owned at least one cow; Jared’s impression of my home state was limited to MTV’s “The Jersey Shore”—we immediately clicked. By the end of our first week of work, I had already told my roommates that I would be marrying my lab partner, and sharing my future name with a designer. Fast forward to five years later, I was right!

After graduation, Jared and I began to build a life together in Boston, and subsequently developed a love of the New England outdoors. We talked about our future while watching the sunrise in Acadia, Maine and a few months later, Jared proposed during a hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It wasn’t a difficult decision for us to ask both of our families to travel to Massachusetts on October 10 so we could get married during the New England autumn that we absolutely adored. Choosing a venue proved more difficult as we both wanted an original space—one that was warm, cozy, and inviting. We wanted something that felt entirely like the setting of our love story. However, we were managing a long distance relationship and graduate school at the time, and my dreams of converting old estates or barns or industrial warehouses into this story’s setting were a bit out of reach. We settled on a country club that didn’t fit our initial vision of off-the-beaten-path originality, but boasted gleaming wood floors, arched ceilings and beams, dual fireplaces, and on-site catering that received rave reviews.

Next we turned the page to photography, which was the highest priority from the very beginning. I had heard other brides lament at how fast the day had gone, and I vowed to find someone very special to capture not only the day, but also the feelings and emotions that were such an integral part of it. I had been studying (aka stalking) Style Me Pretty even prior to getting engaged and found myself completely in love with Kelly Dillon’s work. Her images were so warm and genuine that I could feel the emotions of the day radiating from my computer screen. She has a way with lighting that I can’t begin to describe, and when I found myself tearing up at complete strangers’ wedding days, I knew we had found our dream photographer.

I then realized I had too many ideas and not enough time, and began to research the concept of a wedding planner. That search led eventually to wedding designers, and ended immediately once I found Emily of mStarr event design. Coincidentally, Kelly Dillon had photographed her wedding two Octobers before our very own, and I knew the stars (no pun intended) had aligned in finding the two women who would execute and capture our day. Working with Emily was a dream: she took my jumbled, unorganized notes and my all-over-the-place Pinterest boards and immediately cultivated a theme and more importantly, the feeling I knew Kelly would be able to capture: New England organic, rustic elegance, by bringing our beloved outdoors inside. We envisioned moss covered escort cards, greenery draped chandeliers, and lots of romantic candlelight. Taupe and gold and elegant neutrals set the stage for bold pops of berry, inspiration taken directly from the New England autumn colors and light. Emily’s impressive professional network probably surpasses my entire social one and we were immediately smitten with her recommendations for everything from paper (Gus & Ruby letterpress), to rentals (New England Country Rentals), from naked cake (Mayflour Confections) to luscious blooms (Petal Floral). Without her vision and expertise and endless patience, we couldn’t have pulled off the day of our dreams. Without Kelly, we would be left without the picture perfect proof of the beautiful memories.

In retrospect, our day went flawlessly because we promised ourselves from the very beginning to stay true to who we were as a couple. The Boston College neuroscience professor who introduced us five years ago officiated our ceremony. We wrote our own vows and planted a tree with dirt from our childhood homes as a part of the unity ceremony. Our guitarist specifically learned “Angel” by Jack Johnson, one of our favorite songs, so I could walk down the aisle to it. Our cupcake flavors were custom designed for us, and were named after our five favorite locations—including Boston College, Acadia National Park, and the White Mountains. We aimed to honor and recognize important people from our past who shaped us and guided us and led us to each other. The “A” pin in my bouquet belonged to my grandmother, from whom I received my middle name. My wedding gift to Jared was a hand embroidered handkerchief with his late father’s handwriting on it. It came from a note his dad wrote Jared before he left for Boston College reminding him of all the new and exciting people he would meet. Jared channeled his great-grandfather’s carpentry skills and built me my dream dining room farm table, recording the whole process and gifting me with the video on the morning of our wedding. We conquered long distance wedding planning, and emerged as even better partners and friends. The whole thing was a major success because of all of the people involved, and we remain so grateful to each and every one of them.

Photography: Kelly Dillon Photography | Event Design: mStarr event design | Florist: Petal Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal | Cake: Mayflour Confections | Cupcakes: Cupcake Mojo | Invitations: Gus & Ruby Letterpress | Wedding Shoes: Dolce Vita | Bridesmaids: Joanna August | Hair & Makeup: B Boutique | Calligraphy: Charlie Whiskey | Groom's Attire: Joseph Abboud | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Country Club: The Villa | Getting Ready Location: Caleb Beal House | Rentals: New England Country Rentals

Already married the year before in Cyprus, this couple wanted to share their joy with all of their loved ones back here in the States so, with the help of The Pink Polka Dot, threw one classic New England bash, complete with clams, lobster and festive treats by Delicious Desserts. Krista Photography captured it all from sweet ceremony to rocking reception; see it all right this way.

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From Krista Photography… It’s not often that a bride and groom are both wearing handmade, by the GROOM, attire at their wedding! From the start we knew that Jess and Amir’s wedding would be unlike any other. They were actually married over a year ago in Cyprus (where they met and where Amir is from), so their wedding on Cape Cod was more of a huge party.

To give their families and friends, who came from all over the world, the feel of a wedding, Jess and Amir planned a short ceremony by the water where they re-newed their vows to love one another forever. Guests were invited to gather around, with some seating for those who couldn’t stand. The ceremony was performed by the bride’s godmother/aunt and was full of personal touches. Friends of the couple sang Elvis’ “Love Me Tender.” The bride’s grandmother recited “How Do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a poem that has been said by mothers to their daughters for generations in this family. And they concluded by having all of the guests ring tiny bells that they plan to string together and ring when they have disagreements in the future.

Following the ceremony, guests were able to stroll around the property with drinks, appetizers and mini-containers of Chex mix. When it was time to head under the tent, guests checked with the gorgeous seating chart that was created by Ellen O’Toole Calligraphy. After a series of heartfelt toasts from the father of the bride and the sisters of the bride and groom, it was time to dive into lobster and clams! The couple had created custom bibs for their guests to stay clean during the feast.

The dance floor opened up early and was hopping for most of the night. While the couple did not do an official “first dance,” Jess and her dad started a traditional father/daughter dance that quickly morphed into Tubthumpers “Chumbawamba,” complete with taking a “whiskey drink,” a “vodka drink,” a “lager drink,” and a “cider drink”. It was epic! The Sultans of Swing kept the party rocking long into the night.

Photography: Krista Photography | Wedding Planner: The Pink Polka Dot | Floral Design: Seagrass Floral Studio | Catering: Clambakes, etc. | Make-Up: Jessica Lederman | Hair Stylist: Betsy Johnson | Calligraphy: Ellen O'Toole Calligraphy | Band: Sultans Of Swing | Bar Service: Perfect Pour | Dessert Table: Delicious Desserts | Estate: The Mack House | Shoes And Belt: BHLDN

What happens when you combine an elegant affair with one show-stopping venue (I’m looking at you, Boston Public Library)? I’ll tell you, wedded bliss. Especially when the combined talents of C-Zone Music, The Catered Affair, and Winston Flowers are behind the scenes ensuring stunning results. One glimpse at the gorgeous gallery captured by Melissa Robotti and we’re positively smitten. More here!

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From the beautiful Bride… When we first stepped into The Boston Public Library’s historic Dartmouth wing we knew we had found our perfect wedding venue. We loved the regal atmosphere, the beautiful courtyard, and the intimate popular reading room. When we found out that our ideal date, the Summer Solstice, was available we immediately reserved the spot and started planning out the steps to make our dream wedding a reality.

The Catered Affair offered an amazing assortment of food. We loved their tasting dinner so much we went back a second time 3 months later! We selected a delicious cake encompassing two flavors: carrot cake and lemon summer berry torte.

As the date approached, everything fell into place. We worked with our florist to pick out a modern and elegant floral theme that played off of aubergine, one of my favorite colors. My mother and sister flew in to help me pick out my dress from Monique Lhuiller. My husband and I spent hours listening to potential songs and settled on “I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles for our First Dance.

The Boston cityscape around Copley Square was the ideal location for our first look photos. We got ready at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel and used the surrounding old buildings as the backdrop for our photos. We’re so happy that we set aside time for this intimate moment to ourselves and then still had plenty of time to take photos with our wedding party and family before the wedding.

Our ceremony was perfect. Our best friends and family filled the courtyard and my brother-in-law was our light-hearted yet emotionally touching officiant. We had a great time listening to our families’ heartfelt speeches during dinner and then enjoyed dancing the night away. We finally made our exit and walked down the steps of the library into Boston’s summer night with our friends cheering us on.

The next day we packed our bags for our honeymoon in Turkey and Greece and prepared to move to the West Coast to start our married life!

Photography: Melissa Robotti Photography | Videography: Boston Wedding Film | Floral Design: Winston Flowers | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Ann Taylor | Catering: Boston Public Library | Hair & Makeup: Wedding Tresses, Inc | DJ: C-Zone Entertainment | Groom's Attire: 9tailors | Wedding Venue: Boston Public Library | Earrings: Swarovski | Wedding Rings: Tiffany & Co.

This Bride is a my hero. Not only did she plan a gorgeous seaside affair filled with nautical charm, but she also designed and sewed her own wedding gown! From the newlywed’s summer sail, to Beat Train Productions serenading, every minute is what dreams are made of. And with Trent Bailey Photography behind the lens every detail is downright dreamy, and it’s all right here!

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From the beautiful Bride.. Being from New England and having spent many summers on Cape Cod and Nantucket, I always dreamed of having our wedding there. When I met my husband in San Francisco and discovered after his first trip to Nantucket that it was one of his new favorite places to vacation, I knew having our wedding on the Cape or Nantucket would be perfect. My father had suggested Chatham Bars Inn, stating that it was the most beautiful place he had seen for a wedding in that area. So I hopped on a plane and flew across country to visit Chatham Bars Inn with my parents. Even in the winter time, it was beautiful and it didn’t take long before the decision was made! Being a designer with a love for everything coastal and preppy, we decided to base our design around the nautical theme. It seemed very fitting for the location and our style!

I had always wanted to make my own dress, and after seeing an amazing Oscar de la Renta wedding gown in a fashion show, I was inspired to do it. It was the perfect balance of simple, elegant and timeless. With the preppy theme we had chosen, I decided simple and elegant would perfect. I began by using what I had seen on the runway, and creating my own version of that style. With some very helpful encouragement and guidance from my Aunt Karen on the East Coast, who is a seamstress, I started the process. I wanted to do everything myself, and my luckily she was there to lift an eyebrow when she saw me doing something that was completely wrong and would direct me to restart! After a huge amount of work, it turned out just the way I wanted it to. It was such a special part of the wedding and after getting all put together, I was presented with a beautiful Hermes Bracelet from Sean that I had been eyeing forever! It was the perfect touch to give me a smile just before going down the aisle.

Our Ceremony was held outside by the Ocean and my brother Greg officiated the ceremony. He made it fun and light hearted while also keeping it very special and personal. It was the perfect way to start our marriage. My Uncle John played the flute with accompaniment as guests arrived and then for our walk down the aisle. During the ceremony, my mother, my Aunt Suzie and my Uncle Don sang and played the Guitar in honor of the family that had passed. There were so many personal touches that made the wedding feel so special. We took pictures out on the beach and boardwalk before the wedding and we even stumbled upon a sailboat that had just conveniently docked!

My 13 bridesmaids wore very simple pale yellow J. Crew Dresses with simple pearl earrings and white pagmina scarfs, and the perfect sunny day just completed the look. The night before the wedding it had rained so hard and we were so thankful for the amazing weather we had that day. The men wore the classic preppy Cape Cod look: Khaki pants, blue blazers and boat shoes with preppy Nantucket Tartan ties. I pulled in a pop of color for the girls with Navy and White Stripped Ribbon on their bouquets to tie in with the guys outfits. We also had metal pales with flowers hanging down the aisle with the same preppy stripe ribbon on either side to tie it all in together. Our flower girl and her brother walked down the aisle with a pale of flowers holding the ribbon together. It was adorable! And our ring bearer looked so cute in his suit carrying the rings down for us.

Lauren Rhodes, one of my bridesmaids, sang a very special song for the Father Daughter dance to start out the reception. Her voice was incredible and it was one of the most special moments of the night. After all of the dances, Photographers Trent and Dara Bailey took us out for a sunset photo session. The lighting was absolutely perfect and it was so nice to have a few minutes with Sean out on the beach before rejoining the festivities. My Father and Sister, my maid of honor, delivered the most amazing speeches followed by Seans Best Man Tim who gave everyone a laugh! Looking around the room during the speeches and the dinner. It was so great to see so many special people and we were so happy with how it all came together. The day was a complete success.. We did sparklers when the night fell and everyone danced until the venue closed! It was truly the most perfect day for both of us.

Photography: Trent Bailey Studio | Floral Design: Wedding Flowers By Nichole Bourne Florist | Wedding Dress: Designed And Hand Made By The Bride | Invitations: : Knots & Pearls | Wedding Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo | Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew | Wedding Venue: Chatham Bars Inn | Bridal Party Hair Stylist: Gina Joubert | Custom Fabric For Pillows And Table Runners:: Gary McBournie For Antilles Designs | Custom Table Number Buoys: Tina Kish From "The Unpolished Barn" On Etsy | Father Daugher Dance Music: Lauren Rhodes Sang "I Hope You Dance" By Leanne Womack | Flower Girl Dress: : Janie and Jack | Groomsman And Ring Bearer Attire: Vineyard Vines | Music: Instrumental John Curran (flute) & Accompaniment | Music: Beat Train Productions | Pillows And Table Runners: Karen Vogel | Video: Robert Smith | Wedding Officiant: The Brides Brother Gregory Curran | White Oxford Shirts For Getting Ready: Rae Danae Designs On Etsy

Taking advantage of the warmer-than-usual Boston weather (think 75 degrees in October), these two cuties frolicked around the city like it was no one’s business.  The result?  Pure, unadulterated magic captured by the always amazing Brumley & Wells.  Imagine light-filled images, breathtaking cityscapes and a gallery filled to the brim with awesomeness.  Join me there for more.  

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From the Bride… My name is Lindsey, and these photos are from an engagement session that my fiance Josh and I shot this fall with the amazing Jacob of Brumley and Wells.The shoot took place in various places across Boston, which is not only the city we live in, but also where Josh proposed this past August. So when Jacob told us he was going to be in town in October for a wedding, we knew it was the perfect opportunity to shoot some engagement photos with him in our favorite city.

Josh and I met while attending college together at the University of Vermont and became fast friends, but it wasn’t until the summer before our Junior year where we really became inseparable and starting dating. I thought he was a pretty cute Vermonter and he thought I was the coolest masshole he’d ever met. That also happened to be the summer that Josh got his dog Mac, so he gives Mac’s adorable puppy face all the credit for finally getting us together, which is something that I argue with, but don’t 100% disagree with! Then, after getting jobs in different cities after school (me in Boston and him in Vermont), we survived a long distance dating stint of nearly two years before Josh, Mac and I finally moved into our apartment in Boston together. A year later, Josh proposed while we were on a boat ride along the Charles river on the most perfect, warm August night. We laughed, cried, snuggled while watching the sunset, and then he rushed me back to our apartment where all of our closest friends and family were waiting to celebrate with us. It was, without a doubt, the best day of my life.

Josh and I both work at ecommerce companies in Boston and also run the Boston lifestyle blog Mac & Marlborough (www.macandmarlborough.com). Of course, we are also busy planning our wedding, which will take place next August in Westport, MA. As excited as I am for the big day, I’m that much more excited to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. He has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. And those baby blues don’t hurt, either.

We had a bit of an Indian summer this year in Boston, and the day of our engagement shoot was no different. Even though it was late October, it was sunny and around 75 degrees when we started taking photos in the afternoon. Fall weather in New England can be a bit unpredictable, so we really couldn’t have gotten luckier.

The shoot started in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood on Marlborough Street where we live. From there, we moved across the street to the Boston Public Garden, which is also a place where Josh, Mac and I spend a lot of time together and we like to think of as “our backyard.” The willow trees around the garden pond are so dreamy, so it was so much fun to twirl around underneath them and take some photos. Our last spot of the day was on the Long Wharf pier in the Seaport, which was a spot Jacob had scouted out the day prior to our shoot. We hopped in a cab and raced through the (always horrific) Boston traffic to get there right as the sun was starting to go down. And once we had run laughing (and sweating) all the way down to the end of the pier, we took advantage of the warm breeze, the boats coming in and out of the harbor behind us, and the setting sun. Such a beautiful spot.

Jacob did such an amazing job at making us feel comfortable and capturing us in a natural, candid way. Looking through these photos makes us that much more excited for our wedding next summer!

Photography: Brumley & Wells | Dresses: Free People | Flower Crown: The Honeycomb

I love gorgeous venues and darling decor as much as the next girl, so it’s no surprise that Quonquont Farm orchard affair is the apple of my eye. Filled with lots of lovely Forget Me Not Florist blooms, vintage teacups and even a few raindrops, Summer Street Photography captured every bit and you can click right here for so much more.

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From the beautiful Bride… I had fallen in love with the idea of a ceremony in an apple orchard, however mother nature had a different idea! We braced ourselves for the hurricane-like torrential downpour that was forecasted for most of the day. The weather made the commute to the venue very hard for us and our guests (forcing a 45 minute delay), but as soon as we arrived the storm had stopped just in time to get some outdoor photos in the gorgeous fog. The best piece of advice I received from past Brides was that nothing will go the way you plan it, so don’t bother worrying about things that are out of your control. I had prepared myself with this advice going into my big day and it helped me roll with the changes that the weather brought.

Because the grounds were so wet, our apple orchard ceremony turned into a tent on a patio ceremony. Because I was convinced it would NEVER rain on MY wedding day, we weren’t prepared with a big enough tent to fit enough chairs for every guest to be seated. We had no choice but to have a standing-room-only ceremony. It turned out to be an amazingly intimate and beautiful ceremony with everyone forced to be so close together. You could really feel the love. Our ceremony was short and sweet, just like we had requested. We slapped each other “five” when we were announced husband and wife, and on to the reception we went.

The only time I teared up at my wedding was when I walked into the gorgeous barn, for the first time to see my vision brought to life. I had settled on a palette of pale pinks and turquoise for the floral arrangements. I searched every flea market I could in a years time to be prepared with enough turquoise ball jars and vintage turquoise glass bud vases to fill the 6 long rectangular tables. The color palette paired perfectly with the vintage china at each place setting — a tea cup and saucer atop a mismatched bread plate. The mismatched china paired perfectly with the various scattered jars and vases giving the tables the perfect vintage-chic look I was trying to achieve.

The signature cocktails were ready to go as guests followed Nick and I into the gorgeous barn, and with a Palomito in hand I was ready to hit the dance floor with my no-frills Nicole Miller sheath gown and low-maintenance side-swept fish tail braid. The rest is history!

Photography: Summer Street Photography | Floral Design: Forget Me Not Florist | Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Joanna August | Catering: Seth Mias Catering | Groom's Attire: Topman | Wedding Venue: Quonquont Farm | Vintage Rentals: Fancy That

The perfect cure for a snowy New England weekend?  A whole lot of pretty from BKB & Co., the talented team of photography and cinematography geniuses that know everything there is to know about capturing your big day, and capturing it perfectly.  From their exceptional attention to detail to their amazing customer service to the breathtaking images you’ll receive post-wedding, they’re amazing.

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From BKB & Co.… BKB & Co. is a select team of Boston wedding photographers and cinematographers specializing exclusively in weddings. Our wedding professionals are not only recognized in the industry, but also among wedding clients for our tremendous attention to detail from the moment of inquiry through the final product delivery and thereafter. Our studio was built on a simple motto – to capture each wedding as if it were our own. We are professionals at what we do and believe your wedding should be all about you enjoying your day and stress-free. We understand and value the importance of image capture and ensure your wedding photos stay timeless for you and your family for generations to come.

Founder and Creative Director Brittany K. Blando attended both the New England School of Photography and the College of Art and Design at Lesley University before opening her namesake studio in 2002. Throughout her education, Brittany developed a true passion for photographing weddings. The wedding scene in the Greater Boston area has always been vibrant and diverse, making it an exciting arena to be in. She is extremely sought-after in the New England area, even capturing the wedding of Professional Hockey Player Scott Clemmensen, beauty queen Amanda Kelly and Musician Eric Welsh of the band The Pixies. Her style is editorial imagery with photojournalistic flair, which is a style most requested by area engaged couples. Her talented work, impeccable customer service and quick turn-around time has proven to be why her studio is so highly regarded in New England.

To greater meet the needs of local couples, Brittany launched BKB & Co. in 2013 and expanded the studio’s services with the addition of talented wedding photography and wedding videography professionals. This brilliant team has taken the area by storm and has helped BKB become one of the top wedding services in all of New England. This team is truly a cohesive unit – working on weddings together and focusing on unparalleled customer service, flawless product and stellar turn-around time. Our team members are exclusive to our studio alone and have been personally trained by Brittany to provide our clientele with the images they have come to love and along with the personalized customer service the studio is known to provide.

Most recently, BKB announced the addition of a bridal stylist to the staff. With so many small details needed to be attended to on a wedding day, BKB’s bridal stylist will work alongside the BKB team to ensure any issues that may come up over the course of a wedding are resolved quickly, efficiently, and stress-free for the couple. A “day-of assistant” if you will, our stylist will handle many logistics that can sometimes overwhelm a couple or be a distraction on such a milestone day. For instance, she will distribute and pin boutonnieres and corsages, adjust your bridal gown for wedding photos, help keep the wedding day timeline on schedule, gather important individuals for photos, bustle your gown and of course, carry your favorite lipstick so you will always have it on hand throughout the day. Logistics aside, she will also be there to hold your hand and give you a shoulder to rely on.

We recommended you book the studio well-in-advance as our talented professionals have quickly become the talk in the Boston wedding scene.

BKB & Co. is located in historic Charlestown. Complimentary Garage parking available for our clients, a dock out back if you prefer to come by water taxi and of course the MBTA ferry drops in the Navy Yard.

DISCOUNT! Reserve your wedding with both the BKB & Co. photography and cinematography team and receive 5% off your contract and your choice of an Engagement Session in Charlestown Navy Yard or album upgrade!*

*Exclusive offer for SMP readers, available for new clients until April 30th, 2015 for weddings taking place in Boston, MA 2015 – 2016.

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Welcome to the family, BKB & Co.!  We are so happy to have you! xo

Be still my beating heart! There’s nothing I love more than a proposal and this soon-to-be-groom pulled out all the stops on gorgeous Martha’s Vineyard. Ashley Caroline caught every adorable moment from the proposal to a surprise engagement shoot afterwards on the beach. So in honor of National Proposal Day – take a seat, grab a tissue, and click through every moment of this gorgeous couple’s special proposal here!

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From Ashley Caroline Photographer … Logan not only surprised Julia with a gorgeous rose gold engagement ring at sunrise at her family’s camp in Martha’s Vineyard, but he also surprised Julia with an Anthropologie dress that she had been admiring for weeks. After Julia and Logan shared the wonderful news with family, we had a mini engagement shoot in her colorfully flowy dress on the private beach steps outside of the camp. It was an incredibly romantic and sweet proposal and I can’t wait to photograph their dreamy wedding in Martha’s Vineyard in September! From The Bride… Logan proposed on an early Sunday morning at my family’s little camp just feet away from the water on Martha’s Vineyard. This little home has been in my family since the 1960’s and the amount of memories I have here with my family could fill up a whole shelf of books. We were staying at the camp with our dear friends Ashley and Mike. I had just helped Ashley photograph a wedding the day before and I went to bed with no thoughts of getting engaged the next morning. So when Logan woke me up just as the sun was rising and asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach everything clicked. I almost jumped out of bed with excitement. Since I am a photographer, I always want to wake up to watch (and photograph) the sunrise and it’s something we do together often but had never done at the Vineyard before. We went out on the beach and the wind was breezy but not windy. Logan and I sat down next to each other and he got really quiet. After he started talking for a few minutes Logan stood up in front of me and got down on one knee. I have the most amazing image of Logan in front of me and nothing but the quiet, blue ocean behind him. He asked if I would marry him, I started crying and he pulled out the most gorgeous ring. I said yes and we hugged, not ever wanting to let go. And at this point our ninja photographer Ashley jumped out of the dunes having captured everything. After Logan proposed and we cried, hugged and ogled over my rose gold ring Logan said he had one more surprise. He ran inside and came back with an incredible Anthropologie dress. A dress I loved so much I went to Anthro at least 5 times this summer just to try it on. Logan went to all the stores in the city and was able to track down the last dress in Connecticut. We went inside and called our families whom were all standing by waiting for the call. After all the calls and texts were made, I put on my new dress and we went down to the channel to go fishing with Ashley and Mike. Cause why not? We came back (empty handed unfortunately) and were greeted by my parents and brother (who lives in California but just happened to be visiting) and we had Black Dog pastries and mimosas. Logan really is the sweetest and most thoughtful guy out there. He’s always listening and planning and this morning was no exception. It was the best and most perfect morning of our life together. We are now planning our wedding for next September on Martha’s Vineyard. I’m not sure how we can beat the amazing day we got engaged, but I know we will.

Photography: Ashley Caroline Photography | Dress: Anthropologie | Venue: Private Residence

We’re officially saying farewell to the winter season today, but not before we indulge in a slice of this New England affair from Kelly Dillon at Boston’s elegant State Room. It’s modern with a hint of preppy chic, but still has classic written all over it, from the Bride’s Amsale dress from White Dress By The Shore to her striped ‘maids to the touches of hot pink and ivory in the bouquets by Greenlion Design. See it all here and make sure you press play on that gorgeous film from Long Haul Films.

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From the beautiful Bride…Nick and I grew up just 30 minutes away from each other but did not meet until we were freshmen at Boston College. We did, to quote one of many great toasts from the night of our wedding, “the coolest thing any college freshman could do – joined the marching band.” And we are glad we did, because our friendship grew to a romance and Nick proposed at a favorite spot on campus seven years later.

We knew we wanted a classic New England wedding and initially thought for us this would be a nautical affair somewhere on the water. However the first venue we visited after our engagement was the State Room atop 60 State Street, and the moment we stepped into the Great Room the view took our breath away. It was clear that our classic New England wedding would instead be a city affair. We chose a date in late December which not only helped to keep our wedding within budget, but also allowed friends and family who traveled from as far as Paris to celebrate with us to coordinate their trip with being home for the holidays.

We never chose a theme or colors for our wedding but instead chose things we loved and that felt like “us” using blogs like Style Me Pretty for ideas and inspiration. First for me was a simple Amsale ballgown with pockets from The White Dress by the Shore. Next were the black and ivory striped bridesmaids dresses. Then we started putting together our team of vendors… To create a wintery but not Christmas feel, Kim from Greenlion Weddings created garlands of cedar and seeded eucalyptus to drape on our escort card and sweetheart tables and filled the reception space with mercury glass votives. Li from Fat Orange Cat Studio calligraphed beautiful escort cards on kraft paper for each of our guests and also created a chalkboard wedding “program” that we displayed at both our ceremony and cocktail hour. Finally, I surprised Nick the day of our wedding with “bean” cufflinks in honor of our Boston wedding.

Perhaps the most special part of the day for us was getting to spend it with the amazing Kelly Dillon and Long Haul Films. Thank you Kelly, Melissa, Megan, and Mia for capturing our day so perfectly!

Photography: Kelly Dillon Photography | Videography: Long Haul Films | Florist: Greenlion | Wedding Dress: Amsale | Invitations: Gus & Ruby Letterpress | Ceremony: Church Of Saint Ignatius Of Loyola | Reception: State Room: A Longwood Venue | Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. | Bridesmaids: Kate Spade | Makeup: Dani Wagener Beauty | Hair: Jennifer Tawa | Calligraphy: Li Ward | Favors: Modern Pastry | Groom's Attire: Brooks Brothers | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Bridal Boutique: The White Dress by the shore | Bride Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Veil: Country Weddings Bridal Boutique

You followed her adventures from “I will” to “I do,” and today our blogger bride, Colour Bloc’s Amelia’s SMP journey is coming full circle. She’s giving us an inside peek at her summer garden nuptials designed by the pretties of Bash, Please and spoiler alert – it’s the stuff wedding dreams are made of. We have First Mate Photo Co. to thank for every snap of the day and there’s so much eye candy + one epic love story sitting right below.

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ABOUT US
When Michael first met Amelia on a date to the South End Buttery, they both knew that they had met someone very special. Their early dates were spent exploring new restaurants around Boston, but soon they found themselves happiest when making each other homemade dinners and talking late into the night about life, friendship and family.

Michael excitedly took Amelia to his favorite places in New England; Crane Beach, Maine, and sailing to the Cape and Islands. Amelia would tell Michael she was genuinely impressed with his boogey boarding and surfing skills. And, it was there on the rocky cliffs of the Maine coast where Michael first told Amelia he loved her.

Amelia also loved exploring—and showed Michael the beauty of the South; Savannah, Kiawah, and Amelia Island. Amelia shared her passion for contemporary art with dates at the ICA, LACMA, and the South End Studios. For his 35th birthday, Amelia surprised a sick and jetlagged Michael with a surprise party at one of their favorite Mexican restaurants in Boston—Michael was deeply touched by the thought and effort Amelia put into it.

Amelia and Michael quickly became a couple on the go–be it for work, friends’ and family weddings, or weekends spent exploring. Reading a questionnaire in Vanity Fair on a flight to Palm Springs, Amelia asked Michael, “Who or what is the love of your life?” and without hesitation, Michael replied, “you are!”

PRELUDE
This courtship begins the old fashioned way. Boy meets girl on OKCupid, and hatches an elaborate multiphase plan to convince girl to go on a first date. Girl reluctantly agrees and wows boy with Southern grace and charm. Girl and boy spend increasing time together talking late into the night about art, travel, and family life. Girl travels to France with family, boy misses girl. Girl and boy travel together to their favorite places and explore new ones, girl starts her own company and wows boy with her immense talents, families are met over the holidays. Things start getting serious…

THE ENGAGEMENT
Nothing could be more intimidating than meeting your future father-in-law and asking for permission to marry his daughter. After receiving a big bear hug and a “welcome to the family!”, Michael knew that he would not just be marrying his best friend, but he would add a whole new family. Michael had always envisioned them getting engaged by the sea on a warm sunny day, because it was on the shores of Maine where he first told Amelia he loved her. A Southern belle, Amelia always spoke fondly of her family vacations to Amelia Island, Florida. After a weeks’ long search for the perfect emerald cut solitaire, Michael had found his ring—off the Florida they went! Once they checked into their seaside hotel, Michael insisted they take a long walk on the beach. It was there that he fumbled his way through the proposal, asking Amelia if she’d like to spend the next 65 years together. Tears streaming down her face, Amelia happily accepted!

DESIGN APPROACH
A modern southern belles approach to a summer solstice garden party. It was important to us to compliment and enhance the natural outdoor setting. We wanted to draw inspiration from the different gardens of the Elm Bank space using lush, feminine elements with a mix of modern and living materials. We wanted the wedding to feel romantic with each garden full of summer blooms and greenery, personal with hand written vows and toasts by the people closest to us, and like a reflection of us as a couple with signature cocktails and a customized wedding ceremony.

A few of my favorite visual details included the green moss A & M that hung on the entrance gate to Elm Bank, handkerchiefs with our monogram for each guest during the ceremony, and on either side of the aisle we had various garden flowers “sprouting” from the ground. It was also very important to transform the Sperry Tent into a garden type space, complete with delicate ferns wrapped in the chandeliers to a living wall that became the backdrop for the band. Another special touch was an assortment of family heirloom sterling silver vessels, complete with monograms of my family from generations passed, which held delicate garden inspired flower arrangements. The flowers lined the crisp white hemstitched linen table clothes. A perfect nod to a bygone Southern romantic era.

FAVORITE MOMENTS
My favorite moments from the day was reciting my heartfelt and handwritten vows to my husband in front of our favorite people in the world, my husband’s sweet groom’s toast, the moment we took to walk outside of the tent and just be in the moment of our wedding night, and our first dance as husband and wife!

Photography: First Mate Photography Co. | Videographer: Caravan | Event Design: Bash Please | Floral Design: Foret Design Studio | Cake: Oakleaf Cake Bake Shop | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Baker's Best | Make Up: Dani Wagener Beauty | Lighting: ALPS | Wedding Venue: Massachusetts Horticultural Society | Tent: Sperry Tents | Bride's Gown: Monique Lhuillier | Bride's Hair: Kate Winsmann | Cocktails : Pharmacie | Groom's Tuxedo : Hugo Boss | Lounge Furniture : Sassafras Vintage Rentals | Music : Elan Artists | Paper Goods: Bash Please | Rentals: Rentals Unlimited

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Bridesmaid

Jenny Yoo

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A chilly + snowy weekend in New England is most definitely in need of some sunshine, so we’re delivering it the best way we know how: with a fab introduction to Lynne Reznick Photography, a talented photog that knows a thing or two about capturing the pretty. Think drop-dead gorgeous images filled with those heartwarming moments you’ll want to cherish for always.  Take a look at her stunning work below…

From Lynne Reznick Photography… I chose the tagline “A fresh perspective for your classic love story” for my business because it truly embodies the way that I work and what I aim to capture for every couple I photograph. Each couple’s story is different and the detailed planning of every wedding story deserves to be honored. That said, some of my favorite images are the ones where the unplanned happened and it is was lovely, or adorable, or quietly full of emotion. By capturing the moments big and small, expected and unexpected, I seek to tell each couple’s unique love story as it unfolds and share in a whole lot of love and laughter along the way.

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Welcome to the family, Lynne Reznick Photography!  We are so happy to have you! xo

Simple and sweet and filled with love, this wedding is my happy place.  Imagine an intimate ceremony and reception for two set against a stunning Cape Cod backdrop (hello, Wequassett Resort And Golf Club), complete with a morning sail and lush blooms from Patrice Milley Designs.  It’s everything an elopement should be, and it was all captured brilliantly by Glass Jar Photography.  See it in the full gallery.

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From Glass Jar Photography… We were so thrilled to be asked to document Kara and Kevin’s Elopement in beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

We started the day with a morning sailing trip around the Cape, drinking champagne while Kara and Kevin traded wedding day gifts. After the sailing trip, we followed Kara to her suite for her to get ready, all leading up to a quiet ceremony for only the two of them, an officiant and a musician on a hill overlooking the Cape. it all was simple, unique, fun, and everything I’d image two people in love and wanting a special experience to be. And We are so grateful to be the lucky ones to capture it all for them.

Photography: Glass Jar Photography | Event Planning: Stacy Catena Events | Floral Design: Patrice R. Milley Floral Designs | Cake: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club | Ceremony Venue: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club | Shoes: Tory Burch | Hair And Make Up: Bridal Hair Pros | Officiant: Reverend Edmun Robinson | Bridal Salon: Modern Trousseau | Musician: Tim Sweeney | Sailing: Capt Bob - Cape Cod

While I’ll never turn down a beautiful rose bouquet, lately my floral fantasies lean more towards the wild side. I’m craving greens and lots of them, and Whim Events tapped right into that with this shoot by Deborah Zoe. These natural greenery styles are both elegant and rustic, untamed and eye catching and Robinson Press created some stunning stationery to match. Take a walk on the wild side right this way.

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From Whim Events… 2015 brides seem to be taking a whole new approach to “floral design.” Many of our brides have been asking us for greens, greens and more greens. And some have even requested no flowers at all. Their vision includes lush, wild spaces full of leaves and ferns, magical indoor forests of wild wonder. And we love it. Because, sometimes you have to bring floral design back to its roots… in a literal sense. There is so much beauty and lushness within the simplicity of textural foliage.

This photo shoot was inspired by these magical forest trendsetters. We hope to inspire more brides to open their minds to the idea of wedding florals turning over a whole new leaf (pun wildly intended!). Not getting married but still love this look? It’s also perfect for a gorgeous table!

We set out to create a scene completely inspired by the earthy color and texture of the magnolia leaf. With it’s minimalistic colors of tan and green, we also chose to incorporate pops of copper for a surprise and whimsical element. The shoot centered around a sweetheart table, to create an intimate and magical green space for the pair. The colors were copper, green, natural tones & cream.

We framed the couple with a draping green garland as well as a runner of greens down the center of their table. Weaving multiple textures of greenery and copper accents into one another, the garland was made of the magnolia leaf, fern and copper painted chili peppers. The bouquets were made of the same elements, featuring flowing plant-dyed silk ribbon from Silk and Willow in the color scheme.

We chose each detail of the table scape so that it would reflect the color and texture the magnolia leaf. We loved pairing the cream plates with the pop of green from the wine goblet, all atop the natural colored linen. We accented the table with copper napkin rings and copper candlelight.

The paper suite integrated those naturalistic elements in detail. The letterpress stationery was created by Robinson Press. The design features an ornate and flowing calligraphic typeface as the focal point, bolstered by natural texture and subtle pattern.The leaf pattern used in the RSVP envelope was adapted from an historic American folk pattern, the ecru paper stock is 100% cotton and manufactured in the USA, and the metallic wood veneer paper is made by an almost 200 year old paper mill in Germany.

From Deborah Zoë Photography… This shoot was part of a workshop Deborah Zoe Photography led at her home on the North Shore. We wanted to create a “real” wedding atmosphere including aspects such as getting ready, to bridal portraits and more. Little did we know that it would snow that day forcing our workshop to be held indoors, after we had planned everything for outside! It turned out to be magical though and we love the look and feel of intimacy created by photographing the couple and the table scape in our home!

Photography: Deborah Zoe Photography | Stationery: Robinson Press | Makeup: Amanda McCarthy Beauty | Hair: Hair That Moves | Suit: Express | Venue: Private Residence | Bowtie: The Tie Bar | Dresses: Flair Bridesmaid Boutique | Planning, Design & Florals: Whim Events | Silk Ribbon: Silk and Willow | Tablescape Rentals: Peterson Party Center

As gorgeous as they are romantic, here at SMP we love winter weddings. Especially when said affair includes Casey Durgin and Blissful Beginnings behind the scenes. A snowy gem complete with New England elements makes the perfect inviting winter escape. A culmination of all things cozy and we’re only getting started, see the gallery for much more!

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From the beautiful Bride… This romantic winter wedding following a snow storm features a design palette of white flowers, lace, burnished silver, mercury glass and lots of candles. The space was transformed into a warm & inviting winter escape.

My husband and I both grew up in New Hampshire, but we’ve made the North Shore of Massachusetts our home. We decided to get married in January at St. Mary’s in Danvers, MA, and celebrate our marriage nearby, at Ipswich Country Club. We chose to get married in the winter for a variety of reasons – from wanting our wedding to be just a bit “different,” to needing to getting married during a time period when I could take enough time off from work and school (Dan works in software sales, and I work in marketing and take MBA courses at night in Boston) for both a wedding and a honeymoon someplace warm.

When my husband and I started planning our wedding – we chose to prioritize several key components – a location that had charm and plenty of room for dancing, good people to work with, delicious food, and the opportunity to celebrate with our closest family and friends. In terms of our wedding design and decorations – I wanted our wedding to look classic with touches of vintage.

We knew we were taking a bit of a risk by having our wedding in January in New England — and sure enough, we were hit with a snowstorm just two days before our wedding. When the snow started to come down the Thursday before our Saturday wedding, I literally had 10 minutes to pick up my dress (with the help of my amazing maid-of-honor and her husband, who came to the rescue in their large, four-wheel drive vehicle) before the shop closed for business due to snow. We were nervous about how the snowstorm would affect travel for our guests and parking at the church – but as luck would have it, the storm stopped before the wedding rehearsal and we had beautiful snow covering everything for the wedding day.

When we look back now at our wedding day – we are so happy with all the decisions that we made. We had an amazing day with our wonderful family and friends, and are so thankful for all of the people who helped and supported us along the way.

Photography: Casey Durgin Photography | Wedding Planner: Blissful Beginnings Wedding and Event Design | Florist: Flora Ventures | Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal | Cake: Wild Orchid Baking Company | Church: Saint Mary's | Bridesmaids' Dresses: David's Bridal | Hair & Makeup: Vero Salon & Spa | DJ: Get Down Tonight | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Country Club: Ipswich Country Club

Barn weddings define cozy and intimate to me, and they tend to attract the most lovely-spirted couples. This gorgeous wedding below is the perfect example. Captured beautifully by Connie Miller Of Studio Atticus with florals from Anchor And Grace that will make your heart sing, you can honestly feel the love coming out of this gallery – and you can see what I mean here. 

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Photography: Studio Atticus Photography | Floral Design: Anchor & Grace | Catering: Cuisine Chez Vous | Hair And Makeup: Rachael Berkowitz | Lighting: Ormonde Productions | Venue: Private Residence | 2nd Photographer: Ben Schaefer | Ceremony/ Cocktail Hour Music: The Goodtime String Band | Reception DJ: Pat Lally Of South Shore Entertainment | Restroom Trailer: United Site Services | Tenting: Seacoast Tents | Wedding Day Transit For Guests: Tewksbury Transit | Wedding Planner & Paper Goods: The Perfect Details

Let’s face it, any wedding with Ruth Eileen behind the lens is destined for perfection. Beginning with the Bride’s dove grey gown, to the astilbe accented Beach Plum Floral bouquets, to the paper cranes, and antique finds, it’s all of these perfectly styled elements that steal the show. The result is a gallery worth revisiting time and time again, here!

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From the beautiful Bride… Jason and I got engaged on our favorite part of Cape Cod. We’d been going to Wellfleet for about five years and it became very special to us. The beautiful houses, history, antique shops, the old drive in and great food was always worth the trip from NY. Even if it were a few days we always fit it in to our year. We both knew we wanted to get married there. Since it’s such a small area it was hard to find a space that worked. I didn’t want a standard venue, as a designer I always pictured something more personable that I could decorate and stage myself. One night after searching the internet Jay came across the Holden Inn. We reached out right away and on a whim we booked it. We visited about a month later and fell in love. The beautiful old white cape style was a perfect back drop. There was enough space to hold our desired amount of one hundred guests. I also loved that majority of our out of town friends could all stay at the inn. Other friends choose to rent houses close by which was perfect.

After our trip back in MA, my imagination ran. I grew up in Plymouth and one of my favorite activities to do with my mom was to walk around down town and antique. My grandmothers house was always full of beautiful treasures, blue, milk and carnival glass crammed from shelve to table. I wanted to incorporate old pieces I think if she was still around she would have liked.

My antique finds throughout the year ended up being, various cake stands, mixed vintage plates for dinner, a beautiful paint chipped chair which weirdly enough incorporated our wedding colors. Also a chandelier I ended up refurbishing, an adorable chess set, and an old cabinet which we placed the cake pops in. The ultimate prize a vintage moss green couch from craigslist a steal for 75 bucks which was fantastic for photos. I could see it all coming into play.

We took a lot of other tasks on ourselves, I wanted to design our invitation suite, something I enjoyed as an illustrator at heart. I purchased my paper from paper presentation, printed them at home and then hand painted them individually. My best friends and I spent numerous wine filled nights folding paper cranes, some even took it upon themselves to take blocks of paper home to fold them through out the year. I loved the symbol of the crane, happiness, good luck, peace and honor. Although we didn’t get close to the 1,000 I had wanted they looked beautiful hanging from our arbor, as table numbers and as a chandelier hanging from a high tree.

I picked out my fabric from a store in the garment district of NYC, the perfect combination of matte gold sequins which was married against a charcoal grey and mixed in matched through out the various tables. My girlfriend a dear and sweet friend of mine sewed all the runners. The wedding tables would have been way to plain without her help. Another great friend of mine spent a whole day helping me sew various pillows in blush, powder blue and grey burlap. I planned to disperse them out boho style under a bench I rented from new england country rentals. My friend a talented make up artist who I met post college did my make up and bridal parties that day. It showed up so nicely in photos, she’s always been my favorite MUA. Lastly my work out buddy beautified my hair. I always tell her her work is very precious literally spending tedious time making every curl fell perfectly. I wouldn’t have made it through this year without the love and support of my mini “NY family”.

Everything came together so beautifully that day, the weather was perfect, sunny and just warm enough. Our wedding was perfect for us and there’s nothing like being surrounded by friend and family from different stages of our life. The love we felt that day was indescribable. I wish we could do it all again. This whole year inspired me to pursue my passion as an event planner. I can’t wait to see what the years have in store for us as a married couple. The best is yet to come as they say.

Photography: Ruth Eileen Photography | Floral Design: Beach Plum Floral | Wedding Dress: Carol Hannah | Bride's Shoes: Ava & Alden | Rings: Liloveve Inc | Catering: Clambakes, etc. | Groomsmen's Attire: Egara | Wedding Venue: The Holden Inn | Bride's Hairpiece: Amanda Judge | Bride's Jewelry: Suzanna Dai | Cake Pops: Cake Face | Desserts: Blue Blinds Bakery | Invitation Suite: Avocado Change | Make Up Artist: Kevyn Aucoin | Rental Of Farm Bench, Arbor, Galvanized Tub: New England Country Rentals | Rentals: American Tent & Table, Inc | Week Of Coordination: KG Events & Design

With a total of 10 guests, this Nantucket wedding may be the epitome of intimate, but despite the small guest count, no detail was forgotten. With stunning, colorful flowers by Soiree Floral and Katie Kaizer snapping photos throughout the picturesque island, this was one stylish celebration. See the whole happy day, from the sparkling dress to the last kiss, right here.

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From The Bride… Everyone said that you will just know it when you meet the right person and they were right. Jeff swept me off my feet and I never looked back. A mutual friend had mentioned to each of us individually that she had “someone that she’d like us to meet”. She had mentioned this in passing once or twice, about two years prior to us actually meeting. It is funny how life works, but a number of things fell into place for each of us, both personally and professionally, and our friend and a little serendipity brought us to meet in person on April 2, 2013. We were engaged approximately eight and a half months later in Stowe, VT on December 20, 2013.

The first vacation Jeff and I ever took together was to Nantucket, where we attended the annual Wine Festival. Both of us had visited the island many times before and it is one of our most favorite places in the entire world to visit. Nantucket has an absolutely magical charm and beauty that anyone who has ever visited there just falls in love with. It is a very special place.
We wanted our wedding to be simple, elegant and intimate. We decided to keep it very small and just included our parents, our siblings and their significant others (a total of 10, including us). Our siblings were our attendants, Jeff’s sister, Tracy was the maid of honor and Erin’s brother, Michael was the best man. We rented a private home for a week and made a vacation out of the wedding week. We wanted our families to spend a week getting to know each other, sharing family stories, playing games and enjoying the island together. It turned out our families had a lot in common and really enjoyed their time together. Everyone arrived on a Saturday which enabled us to have a few days prior to the wedding to vacation and relax.

On the day of the wedding, we woke up to a foggy morning, however, just as we started to get ready for the ceremony, the sun came out and we experienced the most gorgeous bright blue skies with a light Nantucket breeze. The island provided such a tremendously beautiful backdrop for our photos. We ended up taking a variety of photos in various locations on the island such as Nantucket’s historic cobblestone Main Street and picturesque Siasconset. Everything was super blue and green and island flowers were in full bloom. The island provided a beautiful canvas for our wedding.

From a color scheme design perspective, I wanted to add pops of color. To incorporate these pops of color, I selected a coral Amsale bridesmaid dress for my maid of honor and for the floral arrangements I chose bright corals, soft peaches and greens. Dawn and Julie from Soiree Floral are so incredibly talented. Their work perfectly captured the vision of the wedding with stunning arrangements that fit with the overall theme of the wedding. Dawn and her team also designed the menu cards used for our place settings. I still wanted the wedding to have a nautical/preppy feel so I chose navy and white striped ties from Brooks Brothers to bring in the nautical look. The ties worked perfectly with Jeff’s custom suit which was light navy and the other guys’ suits which were a khaki/sand color. I chose a cathedral length veil to wear with my Martina Liana dress. The veil became such a special element in the wedding photos (especially with the lovely island breezes on the afternoon of the wedding). The veil literally floated in the wind for most of the pictures and our incredible photographer, Katie Kaizer was able to capture its ghostly magic.

The wedding ceremony was held at The First Congregational Church of Nantucket which is one of the most photographed historic churches on the island. We felt very welcomed by the church. Reverend Klingsporn took the time to get to know us as a couple and tailored the wedding ceremony to make it personal and special for the both of us.

The reception was held at the private residence where we vacationed for the week. The home boasts a beautiful expansive lawn. During the cocktail hour, we had two jazz guitarists play in the background as we sipped champagne and indulged in hors d’ oeuvres. The first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dances were held on the lawn as the warm afternoon sun shone over us.

Jeff and I are self-proclaimed foodies. Mark and Eithne Yelle from Nantucket Catering Company created an extensive and intricate gourmet menu of passed hors d’ oeuvres and a five course wedding dinner featuring local island faire such as oysters, sea scallops, locally made cheeses and produce from the local island farms with wine pairings. The wines we selected for the pairings included some of our favorites that we sipped on when we attended the Nantucket Wine Festival the previous year. To incorporate elements of Nantucket into the wedding, we chose a basket weave cake which resembled Nantucket lightship baskets. This custom two tier cake by Jodi Levesque of Jodi’s Cakes, had one layer of lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting and a layer of toasted coconut and toasted coconut buttercream. It was amazing!

As Jeff and I have reflected on our wedding we smile every time we talk about it. The day was filled with emotion with lots of smiles, laughter and happy tears. It was the most relaxing day/week and we treasure the time spent with our closest family members where we built memories to last a lifetime.

Photography: Katie Kaizer Photography | Floral Design: Soiree Floral | Wedding Dress: Essense of Australia | Cake: Jodi's Cakes | Ceremony Venue: First Congregational Church Of Nantucket | Reception Venue: Private Residence | Catering: Nantucket Catering Company | Makeup: YG Makeup | Hair: RJ Miller | Ties: Brooks Brothers | Groom's Attire: David Morra Of Marc Allen Fine Clothiers | Transportation: Highland Drivers | Bridesmaids Dress: Amsale | Menu Design: Dawn Kelly Designs | Rentals: Jen Shepherd

If you were to ask me, this beachside Wychmere Beach Club affair has the best of everything. From the wonderfully casual driftwood accents, to innately elegant ombre invitations, to Lilacs Juliette rose bouquets, to Lanvin clad Bride, each stunning moment capture by Melissa Robotti is New England at it’s finest. See every blush hued detail right here!

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From the beautiful Bride… We knew from the beginning that we wanted to get married in Cape Cod and when we saw Wychmere Beach Club, we knew we found the perfect venue. The wedding decor was kept very simple. The venue’s modern beachy vibe did all the work for us! The windows streamed in natural light, making a simple color palette the perfect choice.

Once the venue was checked off the list, the next most challenging part was The Dress. Since I am a fashion publicist, the stakes were extremely high. After trying on seemingly every dress in New York City, I settled on a simple Lanvin dress in the most stunning lace I have ever seen. It was perfect for the beach… and loose enough for me to eat and drink all night! Paired with metallic chunky heeled sandals, I was able to dance the night away.

We were married by our Brother-in-Law Jeff, who gave a beautifully short & funny ceremony as the dark clouds came rolling over us. Thankfully the rain stayed away just long enough for us to take beautiful pictures on the beach. The weather gods were definitely on my side!

The guests headed inside to a cocktail hour featuring one of our favorite refreshing summer drinks: Cajun Lemonade. Then we all sat for a beautiful meal, ending with a “Key Lime Pie in a Glass” dessert inspired by one our favorite NYC restaurants, Flex Mussels.

The night ended with a bonfire where we all toasted marshmallows for s’mores. Guests took away homemade Limoncello and gift bags with treats from my hometown of Dayton, Ohio the groom’s hometown of Readington, New Jersey, and Cape Cod Gummy Lobsters.

In the end all of the planning & stress were worth it – it was an absolutely perfect day!

Photography: Melissa Robotti Photography | Florist: Lilacs | Wedding Dress: Lanvin | Cake: Cottage Street Bakery | Invitations: Oh Yay Design | Bridesmaids' Shoes: Zara | Shoes: Lanvin | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Makeup: Lisa George | Hair: Kacie Corbelle | Band: Night Shift Entertainment | Groom's Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Wedding Venue: Wychmere Beach Club: A Longwood Venue | Bow Tie & Ties: J.Crew | Bride's Jacket For Bonfire: Rag & Bone | Cocktail Hour Music: Keros Entertainment | Earring And Hair Piece: Ana Khouri | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Photo Booth: New England Photobooth | Wedding Rings: Goldsmiths