Hello! Did you have a lovely July Fourth weekend? We had a bunch of friends over to our home in Maine and Paul masterminded a rather impressive firework display. You might think it slightly strange that British people were hosting an Independence Day celebration but we're over it now ;)
Enough about our fun with fireworks let's get to Lauren & Tom's wedding at the always-fabulous Boston Harbor Hotel. I've photographed a number of BHH weddings and it's always an absolute pleasure to work with Michael, Gary and the rest of the Boston Harbor Hotel team - everything is executed perfectly and guests are so well taken care of.
The beautiful wedding stationery suite by Shine Wedding Invitations:
I arrived at the bridal suite to find Lauren in the middle of hair and make up:
The flowers had just been delivered and Tori and the team at Winston Flowers excelled as usual. Lauren & Tom wanted their wedding to have a very subtle nautical theme as a nod to BHH location overlooking the ocean; the bridesmaids bouquets were tied with a navy striped ribbon:
Audrey met up with Tom and the guys in their suite:
There's always time for a wee nip of Scotch, especially when it's an 18 year old Glenlivet:
Lauren sent over a gift bag of surprises for Tom. She said she thought about getting him a watch as that seems to be the obligatory groom's gift these days but that Tom isn't really a watch fan so she thought she'd get him lots of different thing she knew he'd love:
Lauren looking ridiculously pretty:
Lauren's dad Arthur seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress:
Lauren and Tom wanted to have enough time for relaxed pictures in the Boston Public Gardens and Post Office Sq, not to mention enjoying cocktail hour with their friends and family vs. taking formal pictures so they chose to do a first look. Tom was pretty excited to see Lauren:
We hopped in an Uber Black to head over to the Public Gardens. If you're wondering "Can I take pictures in the Boston Public Gardens?" or "Do you need a permit for Boston Common or gardens?" then the answer is yes to both. You can get your permit here.
As I was photographing Lauren and Tom I noticed a little rectangle shape in Tom's jacket pocket. At first I thought it might be a phone but then Tom admitted that one of his surprise gifts from Lauren was this adorable little book filled with her reasons and he'd wanted to carry it with him.
As you can imagine, the gardens are fairly busy on most Saturdays in the summer but the secret is to just embrace the tourists!
Waiting for our next Uber to take us to Post Office Square:
Once at Post Office Square (yes - you need a permit too) we met up with the wedding party and families.
Loved the J.Crew navy bridesmaid dresses and the subtle striped navy ribbon of the Winston Flowers bouquets:
The ladies broke out these sunglasses and their best duckfaces ;)
Lauren & Tom's families joined us for some relaxed yet totally mantel-worthy family pictures. Both families were absolutely lovely - so supportive and happy to see these two high-school sweethearts finally tying the knot!
As we left Post Office Square to head back to the hotel there was some rather fabulous light to be found on the streets of the financial district.
Back at the Boston Harbor Hotel, the Wharf Room was set up for the late afternoon ceremony which was perfectly conducted by Tom's Uncle Yaromir in both English and French:
Lauren walked down the aisle with her proud father Arthur:
Happy vows:
Married!!!
Guests made their way up to the rotunda for cocktail hour and enjoyed all sorts of sliders, lobster rolls, seafood towers, oysters and delicious hors d'oeuvres:
Meanwhile back in the Wharf Room the ceremony set up was broken down and like some kind of miracle due to the amazingly efficient BHH team, it was perfectly set for an elegant Boston wedding reception (pinlights on the centerpieces by Boston Uplights):
Nautical knots holding the table signs:
Tori and the team at Winston Flowers designed the most beautiful tall and low centerpieces with individual bud vases and beautiful linens.
More fabulous flowers on the wedding cake:
Guests entered the Wharf Room to the music of the stellar Boston wedding band Soho of Nightshift Entertainment.
Lauren and Tom took to the dancefloor for their first dance as husband and wife to "Make you feel my love" sang by Caitlin, Lauren's sister and matron of honor.
Speeches and toasts were made by both fathers talking about how happy they were to formally welcome Lauren and Tom into their respective families. Lauren's sister/MOH Caitlin and Tom's brother/best man Charly shared all sorts of amusing stories from when Lauren and Tom first started dating back in high school.
Lauren danced with her father and it all got a little emotional not only for Lauren but also for her mother Marion:
And with that the dancefloor was CRAZY thanks to the amazing music of Soho:
This was just a tiny sample of the most delicious dessert bar that was set up in case guests needed a little sugar rush to keep dancing!
All of that sugar led to this:
We snuck outside to take some sparkler pictures (note that if you're planning to do any sparkler pictures at your wedding you need to a) make sure it's legal b) get the extra long sparklers c) have a couple of good lighters d) plan on spending 15 minutes or so standing very still!)
Lauren & Tom - I hope you enjoy this handful of my favorites! I can't wait for you to see the full gallery. It was so much fun getting to know you both and it was an honor and a pleasure to document your wedding! Wishing you both a long and happy life together!
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