Massachusetts Weddings

Lindsey Ocker Photography sent us this gorgeous, early Fall wedding and we can’t get enough of all the pretty colors. There’s no denying that Fall is the perfect time to get married in New England, especially if you’re planning an outdoor ceremony like this cute couple. The florals are hands down amazing and just one of our favorite details. Click here for even more!

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From Lindsey Ocker Photography… Laura and Trevor were married at the Hellenic Center in Ipswich, MA on September 22, 2012. It was the first day of Autumn and perfect. Laura never stopped smiling and Trevor couldn’t stop staring. They laughed, stole kisses, danced with their long-time friends, and enjoyed every second of their amazing day.

Photography: Lindsey Ocker Photography / Wedding Venue: Hellenic Center in Ipswich, Massachusetts / Floral Design: Bowler & Jones

Allow me to cut to the chase: This wedding by Dreamlove Photography is a dream! The country chic Crane Estate served as the ultimate backdrop for Audrey’s Flower Shop to enhance the luxe surroundings. And let’s face it, the brides Marisa dress plus her girls Alice and Olivia numbers look like they were a match made in wedding fashion heaven. For more dream worthy images, check out the full gallery here.

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From the Bride… Andrew and I got engaged in August 2011 and wanted to get married in the Summer of 2012. I am originally from Boston and Andrew grew up in the Bay Area, where we met and currently live. We initially struggled with where to have our wedding because we wanted to include my grandparents, who are in their 90’s and are unable to travel, but we worried about our ability to plan a wedding from across the country. Ultimately, we decided that including family was more important than ease of planning, and we chose the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a neighboring town of Annisquam, where I spent summers growing up. I read and heard many people say during the planning process that “it is all about the details,” but Andrew and I were all about simplicity so we went with a natural look.  My advice to brides planning their weddings is that you should go with your gut and plan the wedding that will make you both happy. Planning a wedding can be stressful and a lot of work, but do your best to embrace the excitement and enthusiasm everyone has for you because it comes from their love for you. 

Our favorite parts of the day were seeing each other for the first time; our first dance sung by one of our best friends, Aoife O’Donovan; being surrounded by our amazing family and friends and feeling so much love … and our impromptu afterparty at Rockfish in Newburyport.

Wedding Photography: Dreamlove Photography / Wedding Venue: The Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts / Wedding Planning: Tracy Kelly of Tangorra Wedding Planning / Floral Design: Audrey’s Flower Shop / Catering + Wedding Cake: Swartz Catering Company / Wedding Paper Goods: Paper and Parcel / Band: Night Shift / Wedding Dress: Marisa via L’elite / Bride’s Shoes: Vera Wang Lavender / Bride’s Engagement Ring: Kern’s Jewelry / Bride’s Wedding Band: Adamas Fine Jewelry / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alice and Olivia / Groom’s Suit: Theory / Groom’s Wedding Band: Derco Jewelers / Hair: Lindsay Griffin Boston Hairstylist / Makeup: Kerri Herlihy

Consider yourself super lucky if you have a backyard like this next one…or know someone that does and is willing to host your wedding for you! New England Vintage totally transformed this yard into one fabulous vintage chic soiree all while highlighting the gorgeous natural surroundings. The outcome is a visual lesson in perfect harmony and design balance. Philbrick Photography snapped all the pretty, little details and as always, there’s tons more to see in the full gallery!

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From Jillian of New England Vintage… This bride and groom were a dream to work with! They both work in creative fields, live in NYC and have a great, down-to-earth vibe. When they got engaged, they knew they wanted to get married in the serenity and beauty of the groom’s family property on a tidal marsh river in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Creatively, they were open to lots of ideas and they had so many of their own. They wanted to focus on the natural beauty of the marsh but also bring in their their love for nautical, Americana and boho decor. When I first met the bride and groom this is how the bride described the look the wanted: “I am going with a very very neutral pallet.  Creams, grays, nude, sheer and maybe some punch with yellow or metallic. The vibe will be a collage of lovely abstract things in easy shades with an overtone of hippie vibes.” The wedding turned out just like her description!

One of the biggest design elements of the day were the tassels that hung in the tent. The bride and groom made every single one of them! They were hung with vintage sailing rope, and when the wind blew they added such a calming visual and auditory element. The colors were kept pretty neutral with the tables decorated with lace overlays and vintage tea sets as the flower vessels. Together, the three of us went to the flower market on the day before and picked out the flowers. They came out to be kitschy and fun — just what the bride wanted. The lounge tent offered guests a place to go when not dancing, and it was decorated with sheer curtains made to look like a sail in the middle of the tent. They also had great vintage furniture that brought a homey but upscale feel to the outdoor tent. It was a real honor to help bring this wedding to life!

Wedding Photography: Philbrick Photography / Wedding Venue: The Groom’s Family Home in Ipswich, Massachusetts / Styling + Reception Floral Design: New England Vintage / Bouquets + Boutonnieres: The Groom’s Mother / Catering: Seasons to Taste / Decor Rentals: New England Vintage + New England Country Rentals / Tent Rental: Sperry Tents / Wedding Dress: Elizabeth Fillmore

Could The Crane Estate be any more lovely, more regal? It looks like it could be straight out of a fairytale, but for this Bride and her new Mr. it was one very gorgeous reality. With the wedding being the epitome of elegance, each glorious image taken by Jenny Moloney Photography is such a timeless keepsake for this couple, and gives us a full gallery of gorgeous to swoon over today. What’s better than that?

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From the Bride… The Crane Estate was initially a venue I thought was”fairy tale” unattainable. We went to see it anyway — its grand architecture and ocean view were what drew me. Our appointment to look at it was at 9 a.m. on a Sunday in early December, and though there was no snow or leaves, the marshes had a warm golden glow, and the waterways were silver in the early sun. We stood in the back of the house looking out towards the ocean and thought “Yes, this is where it should be.” The house itself made me think of Jane Austen novels and that romantic sentiment took me away.

My dress was intended to be sort of “old Hollywood glam.” I wanted it to be simple, and the ivory satin had a certain sheen to it that reminded me of old ’40s movies. I got it at Vows Bridal Outlet, and it is a Liv Harris Couture. When at the seamstress, trying on the veil with the dress made me really feel like a bride. The hair comb was found on Etsy and was supposedly a brooch from the 1920s made into a hair comb. It was totally vintage and lovely. My shoes were black satin, as the color theme was “ivory and black.” They are beautiful shoes by Badgley Mischka. My jewelry selection centered around the opal necklace I wore of my mother’s. It was a present for her graduation from high school, and I got earrings to match it. Our wedding rings were designed to match designed by Shana Lee.As for the decor, other than our flowers and family portraits, we wanted the great house to be the center of the decoration: the moldings, high ceilings, parquet floor and large gilded portraits were nearly all the decoration we needed. Flowers by Petros did a wonderful job with the all-white palette. I wanted long tables for a more formal, old-fashioned eating arrangement. The cake was made by Cakes for Occasions and was beautiful and delicious. The harp, ah the harp. That was a last minute decision, as a friend of ours was supposed to play violin and couldn’t make it. We sprung for the harp, which was so romantic and beautiful! The processional for the ceremony was the theme from the old Romeo and Juliet movie, “A Time For Us.” It all worked out perfectly and was more than I could have hoped for. Special thanks to Jenny Moloney, photographer extraordinaire, for being there through it all!

Wedding Photography: Jenny Moloney Photography / Wedding Venue: The Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts / Floral Design: Flowers by Petros / Wedding Cake: Cakes for Occasions / DJ: Max Baun / Harp: C-Zone Music / Wedding Dress: Liv Harris Couture via VOWS Bridal Outlet / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Opal Necklace: A Family Heirloom / Bride’s Hair Piece: A 1920s Brooch Made into a Hair Comb / Engagement Ring: Skylight Jewelers / Wedding Bands: Shana Lee

How perfect is this next fall-inspired wedding by Joyelle West Photography?  It just screams autumn in New England with the bright mix of colors reminiscent of the changing leaves, the adorable use of pumpkins throughout the decor from the invitations to the ceremony seats and the falling leaves cascading down the wedding cake.  Guests were even treated to a Massachusetts staple during the cold weather months – hot apple cider!  There is so much charm and personality to be found in each and every detail. See them all in the full gallery!

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From Joyelle West Photography…The Great House at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA was the setting for the lovely fall wedding of Julie and Patrick. The ceremony was outdoors on the Grand Allée, a series of rolling hills on the lawn that ends with a view of the ocean. The reception was held inside the mansion, overlooking the wildlife refuge and winding salt marshes.

Julie and Patrick incorporated elements of New England in the fall – they offered guests warm apple cider; the colors of their wedding were yellow, orange, and sapphire blue; and pumpkins decorated everything, from their invitations, to the chairs at the ceremony, to the ceremony steps, to the table décor. Julie and Patrick met at Harvard University, so they used places at Harvard that were special to them as table names. They also both worked at Let’s Go, a series of travel books that is published by Harvard students, so they used the Let’s Go logo as placecards. The final autumn touch was the cake, which was decorated with branches and falling leaves of yellow, orange, and red.

Wedding Photography: Joyelle West Photography / Florist: Dana Markos / Wedding Cake: Cakes for Occasions / Invitations: Smudge Ink / Caterer: Timothy S. Hopkins Catering / Hair + Make-up: Carolina Velasco / Favors: Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie / Rolls Royce: Sir Charles Limousine / Venue: The Great House at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

When I was venue hunting for my own wedding, the Crane Estate at Castle Hill in Ipswich, Massachusetts just happened to be at the top of my list. It’s this massively gorgeous estate just outside of Boston and if nothing else, promises a total fairytale wedding. Well, I love, love, love what this particular couple did with their estate style wedding…infusing the formality with spunk, charm and fabulous color. Photographed beautifully by Heather Parker, this is one of those weddings where I would have killed to be a guest! Click here to see SO many more details including the most darling table numbers you’ve ever seen in your life.

click here to see all of the fab details!

Andrew and I currently live in Chicago, IL. I grew up outside Boston and Andrew grew up in the Chicago area. We met when we were both in college at Vanderbilt and continued on to live in Charlottesville, Virginia for 3 years while Andrew was in law school. We loved living in the south, but moved up to Chicago to be closer to family. Planning the wedding from half way across the country was difficult but we pulled it off!

I had dreamed about getting married at Castle Hill from when I was a little girl. When Andrew and I first got engaged we were living in Virginia and later in Chicago. I had sent my mom out to check out venues and luckily she loved Castle Hill as much as I did. I have always been drawn to bright summery colors, but Castle Hill is a pretty traditional venue, so we always had to keep in mind melding my bright colors with the look of the venue. We used bright pinks and greens coupled with navy blue to achieve a summery look. Our décor had a subtle nautical theme, with shells and coral prints on our paper and fabrics.

When I first started envisioning what our wedding would look like I knew I wanted to add lots of personal touches and I wanted to make a lot of things myself. Andrew and I tackled many DIY projects together and our families also pitched in to help. I wanted all of our décor to meld with Castle Hill for an “elegant casual seaside” look. I pulled inspiration from a variety of sources and pulled it all together by using coordinated paper products from Anna Griffin and the matching fabrics, also by Anna Griffin.

The biggest project we took on was the escort card pinwheels. We made each pinwheel by hand and they were a huge hit at the wedding. The pinwheels also made an appearance on the cake, those pinwheels were also made out of paper, just mini sized! Our other projects included-paper pomanders to decorate the aisles, pennant banner to decorate the bar and the lawn, drink stirrers, table numbers, menus, programs (which I hand printed with a gocco). We baked over 1000 cookies for a cookie buffet. Our mothers really came through for us and did a lot of sewing, making all of the table overlays, and the chuppah top.

A few days before the wedding as my mom and I were baking our final batches of cookies for favors, my Mom asked how many hours I thought I spent on making everything for the wedding, I couldn’t even take a guess. “Was it worth it?” she asked me. I replied that I would have to let her know after the wedding was over. Looking back I think all the work and details we put into the wedding made the whole evening the special event that it was. Everything that we and our families made was made with love and creativity.

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Crane Estate at Castle Hill, Ispwich, MA / Caterer: Swartz Catering / Officiant: Rabbi Judy Epstein and Father Bill Nesbit / Wedding Photographer: Heather Parker Photography / Wedding Band + Entertainment: The Return / Ceremony Music: Siman Entertainment / Wedding Florist: Bella Floral Design / Wedding Gown: Watters and Watters San Miguel / Bridal Boutique: Aisle Style, Elmhurst, IL / Custom wedding gown hanger: LilaFrances / Brides + Bridesmaid Shoes: Jack Rogers / Bridesmaid Dresses: Priscilla of Boston / Suits: JoS. A. Bank / Ties: Tux and Tulle (Etsy) / Invitations: Blush Design Studio / Day of Coordinator: Jennifer Potter, Dot your I’s / Table squares + overlays: Groom’s mother / Chuppah: BZ Sustainable Style, the Bride’s mother’s company / Brides Clutch: BZ Sustainable Style, the Bride’s mother’s company