As this bride admits, planning a wedding can be a bit… overwhelming. But it’s weddings just like hers that we think help inspire other brides-to-be… which is why it puts a smile on our face every day to share them with you. Weddings like this are extremely pretty, with the absolute best flowers (from Roberston’s Flowers) and always focus around the love between the two people at center. And of course, are captured brilliantly, as Alison Conklin Photography has done here. The inspiration continues in the full image gallery, so click here!
Grateful. This is the one word Chris and I would use looking back on our wedding day. We were exhausted, and felt like we had walked a million miles, but we were so happy to be married, and thrilled the day had gone without a hitch. The weather forecasts had threatened storms all weekend, but in the end, we had sun, no rain and just the most wonderful gentle breeze that wafted through the covered pavilion throughout our reception.
After we got engaged, I felt like I was overwhelmed with the vast number of choices available to us (colors, flowers, dress styles, etc.). We narrowed down our options by agreeing that we wanted four things: an elegant and simple outdoor ceremony and reception, to be surrounded by our friends and family, to incorporate religious and cultural elements into the ceremony, and an amazing photographer to capture the events of the day.
Seeing the John J. Audubon Center at Mill Grove, we quickly decided that it was the perfect venue for us. The grounds are lush and astoundingly beautiful. Our food was wonderful, and we even had fresh baked cookies during the reception! Our wedding party was made up of all of our siblings and my little nephew whom we love dearly and cannot thank enough. They kept us sane, and made us cry and laugh during their speeches.
For the ceremony, my friend sang a favorite hymn, “For The Beauty of the Earth” while another friend accompanied her on violin. To incorporate my Bangladeshi half, my cousin read “Unending Love” by the renowned Bengali poet, Tagore, followed by two of our friends reading the English translation. The evening before our wedding day, many of our female relatives and friends joined me in decorating the palms of their hands with intricately drawn designs using Henna. It is a tradition to write the name or initials of the groom on the bride’s palm. It took Chris over 10 minutes to find his initials!
I found our amazing photographers, Alison and Geoff Conklin, in a wedding magazine and fell in love with their work immediately. Their style of photography is so beautiful, their website just blew us away. We are still enamored with the beautiful photographs they took of our wedding day!
Chris and I wrote our own vows at the suggestion of the Reverend Bob Devine who married us. It was the most unique part of our day. Though we were both initially uncomfortable with the idea of writing our vows, it was well worth it. Chris got to work immediately, making notes over the course of a few months, while I suffered from writer’s block. On the Friday evening before our Sunday wedding, Chris was a little alarmed when I admitted I still hadn’t been able to get anything down on paper! It took a few good hours that evening, but in the end, we both cried when we read them to each other in front of our friends and family on Sunday.
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Photography: Alison Conklin Photography | Venue: John J. Audubon Center at Mill Grove | Bride’s Gown: Priscilla of Boston | Makeup: Face the Occasion, Kathy Quinlan | Hair: Hair by Meghan, Meghan Cahill | Suits: J.Crew | Bridesmaid Dresses: The Dessy Group, After Six Bridesmaids Collection | Bride & Bridesmaid dress tailoring: Stephanie’s Bridal Shop, Linda Gebert | Bride’s Shoes: Joan & David | Florist: Robertson’s Flowers, Hadley Howe | Stationery: Minted | Calligraphy: Linda Carol Arts | Henna: HennaDesigner.com, Zoher & Jumana Bootwala | Entertainment: No Macarena | Officiant: Rev. Bob Devine | Cake: Jeffrey A. Miller | Audubon day of coordinator: Shannon Mullane | Caterer: Jeffrey A. Miller