Hello, hello, hello! On a scale of one through ten, how excited are you for all of the beautiful weddings I have to share with you on the blog this summer? A ten? Good! Let's start with a timeless and elegant wedding at St Ignatius Church on the BC campus and at one of my very favorite Boston wedding venues - Taj Boston.
Be careful or you might be blinded!
Let's take a second to talk about why the Taj Boston is one of the very best wedding venues in Boston (in my humble opinion):
1. The service, care and attention to detail is second to none.
You and your guests will be taken such good care of! Alyson Levine was the Special Events manager for Moira & Steve's wedding and she was super organized and kept all of the vendors in the loop which makes such a huge difference! I've also attended a Taj Boston wedding as a guest and I can say first hand that the food is SO good!
2. The location.
The Boston Public Gardens is the most perfect backdrop for your wedding pictures. You can always find a quiet shady spot even in the height of summer. It's a short walk to many historical churches in Boston, and if you have a gap between your ceremony and reception your guests will have plenty to do on Newbury St and the surrounding area.
3. The setting.
Umm - hello classic Boston? Whether you have your wedding in the luxurious grand ballroom or up on the rooftop overlooking the Boston skyline, it's JUST. SO. BEAUTIFUL.
4. Really good stuff
Yes, I've just made this category up but rose petal turndown, champagne and a wood-burning fire when you finally make it back to your room after the best day ever? Yes please! AND, as if that wasn't good enough, I believe that the you get to honeymoon at any Taj property around the world as a little bonus!
OK, back to Moira & Steve's wedding. Did you know it's lucky to have a sixpence in your shoe?
Moira's veil belonged to her mother who wore it at her own wedding. It fit perfectly and complimented Moira's Amsale wedding gown. A big shout out to Dani Wagener Beauty (my fav!!!) and Kerri Verrochi for hair who not only made everyone look more flawless than EVER but also finished on time as always!
I assumed Moira had had her shoes custom dyed but no, they just happened to be the exact same color as the J.Crew bridesmaid dresses.
According to the timestamps on these images, buttons were happening simultaneously!
A big shout out to my second photography, the super talented Jamie who started his day with Steve and the guys. Steve was deep in thought writing a note to Moira that would be delivered along with a very special gift:
Steve has recently gotten into woodwork and not only did he make the most adorable little ring box for the wedding, he also custom made this box that held a gold-dipped rose for Moira:
Moira had also written Steve a letter and it was accompanied by this custom liquor bottle to reflect the bar they first met at:
It's always a super good idea to pad your day with a little extra time for hair, make up and getting dressed. It takes any stress out of things and you'll have time to relax with your wedding party and maybe even a little champagne toast!
Moira studied at Boston College so the beautiful St Ignatius of Loyola church on the BC campus was an obvious choice for the wedding ceremony:
As Moira walked down the aisle on the arm of her proud father Ken, Steve broke into a huge smile. I'll also shut up now and let the images of the wedding ceremony speak for themselves.
Oops, I lied. I should just mention Earl, who joined Jamie and me for the day. If you're having a larger wedding and/or your ceremony/reception venues have balconies, you might want to consider adding a third photographer for an additional perspective. All of the balcony shots you'll see in this blog post are thanks to the very overqualified third photographer Earl!
Married!
Not sure Moira and Steve could have looked happier as they descended the stairs of St Ignatius as newlyweds!
With a 2pm ceremony and 6pm cocktail hour we had the perfect amount of time for travel to the public gardens, family and wedding party pictures and time to relax and freshen up. When your wedding is taking place in a great city like Boston, guests are always more than happy to use this time to check in to their hotel, relax and get ready for an epic party!
I think we'd just got out of the limo and were waiting for the families to arrive, this is one of my favorites:
Seriously Moira?!?
Quick and painless yet totally mantel-worthy family pictures:
Super fun wedding party (beautiful flowers by Ken's Flower Cafe):
Just a few steps across Arlington Street (gotta love that location!) and we were back to Taj Boston for the start of a wonderful evening. Little jars of local honey proclaimed "Love is Sweet" as well as indicating the table numbers!
Guests sipped champagne, ate delicious hors d'oeuvres and enjoyed the music of Slainté, an Irish band.
Steve and Moira wowed everyone with their perfectly choreographed first dance to "All I Want Is You" by U2 (fun fact, we danced to the same song at our wedding!).
One of my favorite parts of the wedding day are the toasts. You're married, you have a glass of champagne, you settle into your seats and then your family and closest friends say kind/funny/emotional things about you!
Moira's father Ken shared the loveliest stories of Moira growing up before the best men and maids of honor brought the funny.
Cheers! If you're in the process of planning your own wedding you might want to check out this blog post about where to sit at your wedding - pictures look so much better if you have guests/flowers/depth behind you vs. a blank wall!)
Moira danced with her father Ken and then Steve danced with his mother Judy. Fun fact (actually, super-impressive fact), both sets of parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversaries this year!
The dancefloor was officially opened and some serious dancing commenced. It would be remiss of me not to mention Latimer Studios, the wedding filmakers, who were great to work alongside!
We snuck outside for a few minutes of nighttime pictures. Big thanks to Steve's brother-in-law and groomsman Dan for his lighting assistance!
The party went on until the wee hours...
Congratulations Moira & Steve! It was such a pleasure getting to know you with your engagement pictures in NYC (not to mention introducing me to the wonders of Eataly) and it was an honor to photograph your Taj Boston wedding! This handful of favorite pictures represents less than 0.03% of your wedding pictures and the gallery is uploading as I type!
