The Boston Public Library is a venue unlike any other. With its rich tradition, stunning architecture, and fabulous location – it’s a must see if you are ever in the Boston area. But it also happens to be one ridiculously amazing place to host a wedding. With the help of The Catered Affair, this globe-trotting couple tied the knot there in serious style, and thanks to Ned Jackson Photography we can see every picture perfect moment of this chic Boston wedding here.
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From the Bride…Jay and I got engaged in Paris in June of 2012. We had been together for 5 years and had been living together in Amsterdam in The Netherlands with our dog, Desmond, both working and enjoying the European lifestyle. The trip to Paris was our last European excursion before moving back home to Boston. It couldn’t have been a more fitting engagement—inside our Parisian apartment rental, balcony doors open, Wilco on the iPod dock, a cheese plate and wine on the table, and Desmond our dog sitting obediently next to Jay as he knelt down with the ring (from Antwerp).
When we got home to Boston, we looked around at venues and were convinced that we wanted an outdoor, tented affair on the coast of Maine. We initially wanted Maine because we first met in Portland. We met at a bar and made small talk before realizing that we were from bordering towns in Massachusetts and had gone to the same small college in New York (we missed being there at the same time by one year).
We were still touring waterside venues in Maine when we stopped in at the library in Copley Square. I’d always loved the Boston Public Library after having done some research there years before, so I wanted to check it out just for the sake of doing our due diligence. When we saw the library together, we were both enchanted, despite the fact that neither of us had imagined a cosmopolitan wedding. Our instincts immediately won over. I am an English teacher and we are both lovers of literature and art and the grandiosity and European style of the building charmed us immensely.
Our coordinator at the library, Eliza, of The Catered Affair, was a perfect match for us. She had already looked at my “Pinterest” boards when we first met and had a great sense of my style. The library is so rich with art and ornate designs already, I knew our decorations would have to be somewhat simple without being boring. Because Jay and I had spent the past two years traveling around Europe with our dog, we really wanted to incorporate the idea of the rich cultural heritages we had sampled into our design. Eliza and the rest of our vendors helped up facilitate this with ease. Our tables were named after the many cities we visited together, our photo booth had maps and suitcases as props, bar signs featured “Cheers” in the languages we were immersed in, our signature cocktails were Italian and Dutch respectively, and we had table runners made from cut up maps.
After over a year of planning, September 28, 2013 finally arrived and we were lucky enough to have a beautifully sunny, crisp fall day. Our photographer and videographer were both warm and fun to be around and all the preparations felt natural and easy. Eliza and her team had thought of everything and the night ran as smoothly as could be. Guests came in from all over the state, country, and even from abroad. A group of the High School students I taught came to see me in Copley Square before I went into the library. Desmond the dog walked down the aisle before me, my bike from Amsterdam held our ceremony programs in its basket, the detailing from my mother’s wedding dress was wrapped around my bouquet, and it was truly a celebration of our relationship and all the people and places we cherish most.
Photography: Ned Jackson Photography | Videographer: StopGoLove Film | Coordination: Boston Public Library | Floral Design: Table & Tulip | Wedding Dress: L'elite Boston | Cake: Crema Cafe | Invitations: Lynn Graham Designs | Stationery: Lynn Graham Designs | Reception Venue: Boston Public Library | Shoes: Valentino | Jewelry: Alexis Bittar | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Two Birds | Caterer: The Catered Affair | Groomsmen's Attire: Perfectly Attired | Bridesmaids Gifts: Kate Spade