I have a treat for you today, it's Laura & Jay's stunning wedding at one of the very best Boston wedding venues - The Boston Harbor Hotel. It's always an absolute pleasure being a Boston Harbor Hotel wedding photographer, Cortney and the whole BHH team are always a joy to work with - so organized and professional.
In addition, Laura and Jay's wedding was perfectly planned by Linnea at Tangorra Wedding Planning. I've worked with Linnea a bunch of times and she is just fabulous. If you're in the early stages of wedding planning and you're looking for someone with incredible experience to learn about the two of you and then match you with the best vendors for your style and budget and THEN make sure everything goes super smoothly on your wedding weekend then Linnea is it!
Elegant wedding stationery from Paper Source at AMG designs on Etsy:
I used Laura's sparkly purse as a base for this ring picture:
Laura bought the most delicate gold and pink jewelry for her bridesmaids, here's Emily's bracelet. And who doesn't love a pair of Christian Louboutin heels on their wedding day?
Adorable!
If you think Laura's Anne Barge dress looks good hanging in the window of the bridal suite, wait until you see it on Laura.
A big shout out to my wedding photographer friend Kate McElwee who joined Audrey and me for the day. Once in a while we'll second shoot for each other and it's a whole lot of fun. These images of Jay and the guys getting ready are all Kate's:
Meanwhile Laura's hair and make up were being simultaneously done by Christine Lyman and Natalie Shafre respectively:
Laura had thoughtful monogrammed white shirts for all of her bridesmaids and the moms to get ready in. All the better to not mess up your hair and make up when you realize you have to pull your tank top up over your head! Laura was helped into her dress and veil by her mother Christine and MOH Emily:
When I arrived at the Boston Harbor Hotel at around 11am in the morning, I went straight to the Wharf Room. The room was a flurry of activity with tables being set up, chairs brought in, beautiful sparkling linens and centerpieces being carefully laid out. I worked quietly in a corner with Audrey to set up our lights and we noticed a gentleman walking around, checking things out, making sure the placement of everything was perfect. The gentleman was Teo, Laura's father and he couldn't have been happier or more proud to see Laura in her wedding dress for the first time:
The limo ride to St Cecilia's had Laura reading and re-reading her personal vows to Jay and also giggling and chatting with Teo:
And no words are needed for the wedding ceremony at St Cecilia's Parish in Boston, other than saying it was so lovely to see the little glances, words, smiles and laughs between Laura and Jay throughout the wedding:
Everyone joined in the final blessing:
Married!!!
The happy couple walked back down the aisle with guests attempting to get a quick snap on their cell phones, it was like being at a Beyonce concert ;)
We'd originally planned to take the formal family pictures in church but after going over the timeline we realized it would take quite a while for the church to empty out with all of the guests. If you choose not to do a first look you can either schedule a break, consider an extended cocktail hour or accept you'll have limited family/wedding party/couples pictures.
Laura and Jay wisely decided to schedule a little extra time before cocktail hour started so we made our way to Post Office Sq for pictures (remember your permits!).
This is one of my favorite pictures of the day, Laura and Jay couldn't have been happier and the limo ride was a very joyous occasion with MOH Emily and best man Ben:
Post Office Sq is a great location for wedding pictures, it's usually quieter on the weekend as the financial district is closed.
Very stylish wedding party. The soft blush pink bridesmaid dresses are Amsale from L'elite in Boston, MA
We were then joined by Laura and Jay's families for family pictures. Both families couldn't have been more welcoming and so incredibly happy for Jay and Laura.
Time to head back to the Boston Harbor Hotel for wedding pictures incorporating the iconic arch:
It's always a little challenging to get a shot without any of the hundreds of tourist that seem to always be around on any given Saturday afternoon in the summer but we lucked out:
Laura and Jay were talking away, giggling and kissing and it was such a pleasure to photograph them:
The always amazing Gary of the BHH team magically appeared with a waiter holding a silver tray with restorative glasses of champagne for the newlyweds before they made their way to the outdoor cocktail hour overlooking the ocean:
Thanks to Audrey and Kate for taking the pictures at cocktail hour:
There were lots of ooohs and aaaahs as guest made their way into the spectacular Wharf Room. Beautiful silk and sequin linens by Table Toppers and the fragrant white centerpieces by Spruce Floral.
Tall centerpieces are always beautiful especially in the airy tall-ceiling setting of the Wharf Room but they're the WORST on the table that the couple will be sitting at. It's so lovely to have pictures of your reactions during the toasts and a tall centerpiece will likely block one or other of you. A good florist (yay Spruce Floral!) knows this as evidenced by the stunning low centerpieces with cascading orchids on Laura and Jay's sweetheart table:
The VIP lounge area at the back of the Wharf Room was Teo's request (this and the escort cards are both Kate's images):
Jay and Laura were announced and went into their first dance of "Make you feel my love" sang BEAUTIFULLY by Jay's sister:
Kahootz went straight into the first dance set which was somewhat of a hug-fest as everyone wanted to congratulate Laura and Jay:
Once everyone was seated, there were lovely toasts by both fathers Teo and Steve, maid of honor Emily and best man Ben. As you can imagine I listen to a lot of toasts throughout the year and it's rare that I remember what was said, but I actually found myself getting a bit sniffly as Ben ended his toast by reminding Laura that, "To the world you're just one person, but to one person you're the world!"
Parent dances were next, Laura danced with Teo and Jay danced with his mother Jane. I thought it was especially lovely that Laura's mom Christine and Jay's dad Steve watched both dances with big smiles and applause:
The sun had just set and the skies and view outside the floor to ceiling windows of the Wharf Room was turning a deep twilight blue in time for Laura and Jay to cut their wedding cake. And as if cake wasn't enough, there was a whole dessert station for guests to enjoy all sorts of other sweet treats:
We caught the last few minutes of twilight with the twinkling lights of boats out on the ocean:
Kahootz are a FABULOUS band, working the crowd and playing everything from top 40 to classic and keeping the dancefloor absolutely packed. I loved how both grandmothers demonstrated their best dance moves! 
Laura & Jay - thank you for choosing me as your Boston Harbor Wedding Photographer. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know you both and an honor to document your day! I hope you enjoy this handful of favorites and I can't wait for you to relive the day looking through the rest of the pictures. Wishing you a lifetime of love, laughter, health and happiness together and happy house moving!
Next up on the blog will be Erin & Nate's sweet musical elopement in Maine!
If you'd like to see more Boston Harbor Hotel Wedding Pictures you can take a look here:
Elizabeth & AJs winter wedding at the Boston Harbor Hotel in the blizzard of 2013
Emily & Mike's Jewish ceremony at the Boston Harbor Hotel with a yacht and people dressed as furry animals
Lea & Aidan's fall wedding at the Boston Harbor Hotel with a beautiful pink and gold color scheme
Amanda and Mike's Jewish wedding ceremony and elegant wedding reception at the BHH
Lauren & Tom's stunning wedding pictures at the Boston Harbor Hotel and Wharf Room
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