For this expat couple living in Saõ Paulo, The Mount, Edith Wharton’s former home in the Lenox, Massachusetts, was the ideal location for their wedding—halfway between family in New York and Massachusetts and an intimate feel. And, with classic touches infused with Portuguese and Brazilian traditions and vendors like ReadyLuck and Mezze, it was a perfect wedding. See it all here.
One of the many connections we share are memories of growing up in New England, going to the beach and mountains, and enjoying the four seasons. We also share a love of Spanish and Portuguese language and culture, and of travel. Justin and his family are of Portuguese heritage, and both of us have spent time in Iberia and South America for work and study.
For our wedding venue we wanted a location that would be a feasible meeting point for our families in New England, and for our friends traveling from afar. Our ideal was to find somewhere that would showcase the natural beauty of New England in the Springtime, as well as provide an elegant atmosphere and comfortable accommodations for all our guests.
We chose The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts as our venue for many reasons. Firstly, it is located in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains exactly on the border of New York and Massachusetts. The estate, which was designed and owned by author Edith Wharton, takes inspiration in European and American architecture and offers a unique mix of untamed natural beauty and old-world elegance. And to seal our decision, my family spent many summers and holidays in the area, making it familiar and special for me to return for our wedding.
Readyluck Photography was recommended to me by a family friend. When I reviewed their artists and the work, I was enchanted by their romantic and almost magical style of photography. The way they capture lighting and play with compositions is really beautiful. Lindsay Hite is an accomplished member of the Readyluck team and we were so lucky to work with her. Beyond her talent as a photographer, she is a very organized professional and a lovely person with a gentle manner. Everyone in my family enjoyed working with her on our wedding day.
Mezze Catering serves delicious locally farmed foods, and creates amazing wedding catering experiences by offering full-service wedding coordination. Dawn Van Ness was my hero for the wedding. She led me through every choice and option, every deadline and timeline, and she stayed on top of each delivery item, special need, etc. which helped make the day a success. She also asked her baker to custom design our cake which was made with Dulce de Leche, my husband’s favorite sweet.
Lisa Brown – Dreamy Floral independently runs her own flower business from her home in Lenox, Massachusetts, and creates beautiful works. I chose Lisa because she can do everything a high-end florist can do and more, and is very approachable and flexible. Unlike some high-end wedding florists, Lisa was willing to work within a fixed budget, and did not pressure us to do more than we wanted. She was very creative with our wishes to add some latin accents and Palm trees to the decor, and we loved our bouquets, table garlands.
I loved the intimacy of the wedding, the way that the wedding venue became our “home” for the evening and a place we could entertain our closest friends and family in comfort. The Mount is definitely beautiful and grand but not intimidatingly proportioned. The many little rooms and dining terrace held our party of 120 people well, and brought a feeling of closeness and community. I also loved how the home is open to guests, and everyone could roam inside and outside at their pleasure. Although it was an exciting day with lots of activity, there were many relaxed moments as well where time slowed down just a little and we could breathe in the moment.
I also loved how we were able to merge some Portuguese and Brazilian traditions into the wedding day, such as a spread of colorfully wrapped Brazilian desserts called Brigadeiros, palm trees and vintage cigar box accents, diverse music and musicians, and our special dulce de leche cake.
Photography: Readyluck | Floral Design: Lisa Brown - Dreamy Flower | Wedding Dress: Marisa Bridals | Catering: Mezze Catering + Events | Venue: The Mount