Jessica and Andrew || Royal Sonesta Hotel || Cambridge, Massachusetts

Hello my blog-stalkers....I know you've been waiting for this! I'm so excited that I finally have some pictures to share from Jessica and Andrew's fabulous wedding on the Charles River. Ever since Jessica booked me a year and a half ago, she has been a faithful blog reader, and gotten her friends and family in on the action, too! We had so much fun doing their engagement shoot, that I knew their wedding would be a blast!

The ceremony and reception were at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge, and Christine Lopez made sure everything ran perfectly!



Her little sister couldn't get over how great she looked!


Fiona at Chanel on Newbury did her make-up and it looked beautiful.


Jessica and Andrew chose to see each other before the ceremony and do their pictures so they could enjoy their cocktail hour. I had them meet on a stairway because it makes it really easy to see them both at the same time. Right before their meeting, I took this picture - I could see them both, they could hear each other but not see each other.





It was pretty windy outside, so before we went out, we did a few pictures inside. They just opened a new bar at the Sonesta called the ArtBar. It has such a cool modern feel, and made a great backdrop for photos.







Of course, once Christine knew they were in there, she sent them a few glasses of champagne . Jessica's flowers were by Tangerine Creations.










The men heading upstairs after the Tish.






I love the light in this shot during the ceremony, and that you can see Jessica's mom and dad behind her.












So, this picture is not the most fabulous one ever, but I just wanted to illustrate how many people were on the dance floor BEFORE THE INTRODUCTIONS! And the band was just playing some mellow music - I guess it was a combination of a great band and a bunch of guests ready to party!


Beantown kept up the pace all night and everyone had a blast.





Jess's dad with some high kicks!


Jess's mom listening to Jess's sister Danielle giver her toast....




Andrew and his mom...


My apologies to the guest I borrowed the program from for this shot - I totally forgot to give it back to you! It made for a fun picture though....


I usually don't post two ring pictures, but I loved the handwriting on this card....


Jess's mom went a little crazy with the pink & brown themed candy bar - here she is letting all the kiddos loose on it!




Congratulations you two - can't wait to show you the rest!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #21

And the last entry is from Val, who got married in February of 2006!

"We loved that we chose to get married near Valentine’s Day – it really worked out great for everyone! For our guests, it was a fun and special evening out during a time when their schedules weren’t jam-packed with other weddings. For us, all of our first choices for vendors were available because it wasn’t “busy season” and they made all the difference in the world! Our live band, Java Jive, brought an incredible dynamic to the evening and are three of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. Lynne Valeri of Video Design created the most amazing video and Nancy Gould, as you know, is quite simply the best! It was absolutely worth it to invest in such talented professionals and we still receive rave reviews from friends and family to this day!

I loved our flowers – tall arrangements of mixed whites and greens with flowing orchids that lined the aisle of the church. We chose to get married at St. John’s Church in Cambridge where both my parents and grandparents were married. The church had never looked more beautiful! I’ll always remember how special and excited I felt as I walked towards AJ – we were about to get MARRIED!


The experience of finding and choosing my wedding gown was incredible and so much fun! I fell in love with an a-line allecon lace gown with scalloped hem at Allegria Bridal in Belmont on my first day shopping with my Mom. I just knew that the way I looked and felt in that dress was exactly how I wanted to feel on our wedding day – it was simple and elegant, and I knew that AJ would love it. Allegria Bridal was more than accommodating, extremely kind, and meeting the designer, Judd Waddell, when I purchased my gown was a moment that I’ll never forget!

People always ask – do you have your “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?” For me, this all came together perfectly! I wore my “new” wedding gown, an “old” pearl necklace that my Godmother gave me for my 16th birthday, and I carried a white handkerchief embroidered with blue trim with my maiden initials and wedding date engraved on it. The handkerchief was a tradition that began when I bought it for one of my best friends from college. Subsequently, over the next two years each time the next of our best friends got married (there were 4 of us), we would engrave the next Bride’s maiden initials and wedding date and present it to her on the night of their rehearsal dinner. We all loved knowing that each of us shared this meaningful, personalized “something borrowed, something blue” on our special day.




Lastly, in the “not-so-fabulous” category, I can honestly say, the only thing that we would have done differently is not have a head table. We chose to have a sweetheart table on a riser with a semi-circle table in front of us for our wedding party. Not only did we hate the way it was set-up but none of us really spent much time up there. In reflection, we should have just had a sweetheart table and sat our wedding party with their dates. Luckily, we promised each other to not think twice about anything that wasn’t perfect and rather just enjoy the day, so we had a blast and enjoyed our reception, and each other, to the fullest!"



Doesn't it look like she was having a fabulous time???
Thanks Val!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #10

Here's the next entry from Lori! Her cake was so beautiful, what a shame they didn't get to eat it!!

"There are definitely a few things that I loved about my wedding as well as a few things that I wish we had done a little differently.

Things I loved (there were so many great things, I don’t know where to start):
Having the sweetheart table – it was the only time that Mike and I had a chance to sit and talk to each other for a few minutes

Taking pictures on the waterfront – they came out beautiful

Wearing a dress that was comfortable
Staying over in the hotel that night…..because we could keep the party going at least for a few more hours
Having a reception line at the church – gave us more time for dancing during the reception

Things I wish we had done differently:
I wish we had a chance to eat the cake!! We never even got to taste it

I wish we made an announcement that the cake was available, I felt like most people missed it as well as the cappuccino bar"


Thanks Lori!

congratulations lori and mike!

Lori & Mike had a gorgeous day for their wedding, and Lori's mom had her house all decked out!

I loved her dress, she had a fantastic little jacket that went with it.



First time I've seen a teddy bear coming down the aisle with a ringbearer, and I have to say, it was a crowd pleaser!




We did their pictures behind their reception site, the Royal Sonesta Hotel, right on the Charles.






The ballroom looked beautiful with long, tapered candles on each table. There were floor to ceiling windows letting in a lot of natural light, and of course stunning views of Boston.




The intermezzo sorbets looked very tempting, but I restrained myself.......


Everyone enjoyed the martini bar!

Now, I've had a lot of craziness on the dance floor this year, and this wedding was no exception, but sometimes it's the people you least suspect!!!

Chris from Mark Willand Video was there also capturing all of the fun on the dance floor. As usual, doing a great job while staying out of the way!
This was someone getting "escorted" off the dance floor when their time was up during the anniversary dance.