The Crane Estate was the setting for my fiancé’s parents wedding, so it holds a special place in our hearts. And I have to say, it’s one of the loveliest New England venues for an elegant affair. Look no further than this classic with a bohemian twist wedding from Ned Jackson Photography and Linnea Tangorra for proof. It’s a refined fete, yet wildly beautiful and it’s all sitting pretty right here!
From the beautiful Bride… Ben and I met through a project we were filming. We were in different cities at the time so at first all of our communication came through conference calls and emails. I certainly didn’t expect that the film director on the other end of those emails was going to be the love of my life, but when the shoot date came around and we finally met in person we felt this amazing connection. It’s such a cliche to say “when you know, you know” but I knew pretty much right away that he was the person for me. I remember noticing that the tattoo on his arm is from the Hobo Code (the secret language of hobos and drifters) and literally thinking “I’m going to marry this guy.” Four months later we were engaged.
We fell in love in a whirlwind but took our time getting married. We knew nothing about the wedding planning process but since we both like making things we just approached the whole experience like one fun creative project. The most important thing to us was to have a celebration that felt like a reflection of who we are and was destined to become a beautiful memory for both our families.
Despite living in Los Angeles we decided to get married in Massachusetts where my family is from. Our wedding really was a family affair. The pearls that were used to make my veil had belonged to my Nana and being able to wear something of hers kept her close all day. We were married by the same minister who married my parents. My Grandfather, my parents, Ben’s parents, all of our siblings, and my cousins had a role in the ceremony.
Stylistically we wanted the wedding to be a mixture of elegance and bohemianism. Our design inspirations came from astrology, the free spiritedness of the Jazz Age, and the beauty of the historic Crane Estate. The result was a bit Fiztgerald meets ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock.’ We didn’t want the reception to feel too formal so we added a few Prohibition Era elements like a vintage bathtub filled with bottles of libations. Guests were greeted at the door with coupe glasses filled with champagne. We also used tons of candles in mercury glass containers to create an intimate vibe. We kept the flowers simple because the Estate itself was already so beautiful. But I loved the mixture of the lush garden roses, wild flowers, and greenery in tiny bud vases.
The day of our wedding we lucked out and had the most magical New England weather. The experience of having family and friends from all different stages of our lives come together to celebrate with us was one of total joy. There were so many beautiful moments throughout the day but the most surreal happened at the end of the night when everyone impromptu slow danced to Lou Reed’s “The Power of the Heart.”
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Photography: Ned Jackson Photography | Wedding Planner : Linnea Tangorra | Floral Design: Sarah Matteson Of Spruce Floral | Wedding Dress: Marchesa | Cake: Momofuku Milk Bar | Invitations: Gus And Ruby Letterpress | Ceremony Venue: First Parish Congregational | Reception Venue: The Crane Estate | Shoes: Sergio Rossi | Bridesmaids Dresses: JCrew | Make Up: Dani Wagener | Hair: Lindsay Griffin | Band: The Recessionals Jazz Band | Grooms Attire: Brooks Brothers | Calligraphy : Grace Edmands Calligraphy | Photobooth:Shoot Booth | Rentals: New England Country Rentals | Veil: Stone Fox Bride