On Friday, October 15th, I was the day-of coordinator for Katie and Doug’s wedding. The day started out in a lovely two room suite at the
Langham Hotel, with one room for hair stylist Michelle Arruda DeVoe of
Demiche Beauty and her assistant, and the other room with makeup artist
Katrina Hess and her assistant.
Six bridesmaids wore satin purple
Jim Hjelm dresses and carried light green bouquets. The bride wore an elegant cathedral length veil and a bouquet from
Winston Flowers made of white calla lilies and wrapped in ivory satin ribbon. Oh, and the dress… wait, let’s try it again. ohhh, and the most fabulous dress EVER. That morning, I walked into the suite and the after saying hello to everyone, it was like my feet couldn’t stop walking towards the corner of the room where the dress was hanging. I kind of wanted to just hug it, it was so pretty. The
Kenneth Pool ivory strapless dress was made of royal duchess satin with a chic crumb-catcher neckline and perfectly placed crystal beading in both the front and the back.
Everything was going really smoothly in the morning, and it was about to get better. Let me explain in three words:
Lisa Rigby Photography. Simply put, Lisa is one of my
favorite photographers ever, and I was so excited to work with her. Lisa came by the bridal suite with second shooter, Li Ward, of
Fat Orange Cat Studio and started her photo magic. After getting shots of the both the groomsmen and bridesmaids getting ready, the Katie and Doug met up for a first look and then took a
trolley over to the Boston Public Gardens with the entire bridal party and parents for portraits. This is one of Lisa's teaser photos taken at the gardens.
Photo by Lisa Rigby PhotographyThree trolleys took guests from the Hilton and Langham Hotel in downtown Boston to
St. Mary's Parish in Charlestown for the ceremony. The front steps of the church were decorated with lanterns and white carved pumpkins with the couple's names and Doug's last name initial, L. Two floral wreaths were hung on the front doors, and little bunches of hydrangea and glass tealight holders were tied to each pew along the aisle. After a full Catholic mass, guests then took trolleys over to the
State Room for the reception, and the newlyweds rode in a white 1939 antique Cadillac limousine.
Upon arriving at the
State Room, guests were greeted with two wishing trees made of white manzanita branches and white orchids created by John LaRoche of
blueGuava. Family photos were scattered throughout the branches, and wishes were hung alongside the photos. Cocktail hour was held in the upper level of the Great Room, and before joining guests, the bride switched out her cathedral length veil for a stunning crystal headpiece designed by
Maria Elena.
For the reception in the lower level of the Great Room, the tables were covered in bengaline shell linens, with centerpieces created by
Custom Floral Design by Karen Street made of hydrangea, calla lilies, and orchids surrounded by candles. The sweetheart table was covered by a damask linen and topped with lots of pillar candles in varying sizes. A small table on the bride's side of the sweetheart table held a photo of Katie as a baby and her late father, along with an arrangement of irises, which were her father's favorite. Pin spot lighting on each table and amber colored uplighting on the walls by
High Output added even more drama to an already spectacular room with amazing views of Boston.
The bridal party entered the reception in pairs, and the newlyweds were introduced to the song
"Won't Stop" by One Republic (thanks to Katie, this song has been my favorite for the past month!). The song continued on as they went directly into their first dance, and afterwards, guests enjoyed a four course dinner of an endive salad, lemon-thyme sorbet intermezzo, entree choices of braised short ribs, roasted chicken, or balsamic glazed salmon, and a variety of desserts. The four tiered wedding cake from
I Dream of Jeanne was decorated with fresh white tulips and a silver monogram topper. The cake was served next to an elaborate dessert bar, which included treats like mini caramel apples, apple walnut crisp, mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches, and apple crème brule.
The band,
Men In Black, was amazing and really got the crowd dancing even before the salad course was served. Later on in the night, the uplighting changed to purple, and the dancing continued on until the very end of the evening. On the way out, guests picked up a bag of chocolate pecan turtles from
Mrs. Nelson's Candy House as favors. Photos from
Lisa Rigby will be coming later, but for now, here are some that I took!
It was a really beautiful wedding, and the staff at the
State Room and all of the vendors were really nice to work with. Katie and Doug, thank you so much for allowing me to take part in your special day, and I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii!!
~Emilie
The next was an article on how four different photographers captured the Boston Public Library. A beautiful photo from Am and Ken's wedding was featured in the article, taken by Lisa Rigby Photography.
Then I found the article about Welcome Bags for Out-of-Town Guests, where I was one of six local wedding planners who contributed some ideas on what you could add. My favorite of the list is definitely under the category of "something sweet" where I mentioned S'mores from Sweet Lydias. Her treats look amazing, and more importantly, taste delicious!
This issue of Brides Boston is on newsstands now. It's filled with a lot of advice and information on local vendors. It was fun working with the editors on the article, and I hope to contribute to many more issues!
