Last weekend, wedding season officially began with my first wedding at the gorgeous Mandarin Oriental in downtown Boston. It was the perfect backdrop for Leah and Jim’s elegant and sophisticated event, and it’s a venue I’d love to revisit! When I first met Leah and Jim, I was surpried to discover that they didn’t want any getting ready photos (I think this might be my first wedding without!) but I showed up early anyway and enjoyed having the chance to meet everyone, and grab a few detail shots. The first photo, then, is of Leah’s beautifully finished look … didn’t stylist Bre Welch at Zero2Sixty do a brilliant job? And I just love that vintage hair clip … *sigh*

Leah was totally stylin’ – her shoes were by Valentino, and her dress was actually a two-part ensemble by Oscar de la Renta. Wow.

We were hoping to head outside for the first look and portraits, but the wind was raging, so we held it under the huppa in the grand Oriental Ballroom instead. The first photo here is by my fabulous second shooter Erica; the second, of Leah’s expression, is mine. Love these guys. 🙂

Leah’s dress was perfection … and Jim looked pretty dashing too.

A funny moment just before the ketubah signing:

The ketubah signing is always one of my favorite parts of Jewish weddings, as just the very closest friends and family come together to witness the marriage of the couple. Jim and Leah’s signing in the Beijing Room was brimful of emotion:

The image above is by Erica – what a great capture! And I love these sweet, emotional moments below too:

We headed back into the Oriental Ballroom for the main ceremony. I love the opulent gold decor …

The wedding ceremony was full of sweet glances …

… and I LOVE Leah and Jim’s expressions as they walked back down the aisle. 🙂

After cocktail hour in the Oriental Gallery, we went back into the ballroom for dinner, dancing and toasts. The room was absolutely stunning (a quick shout-out here to Designing Images Florist who did a spectacular job with all the flowers, from the sweet bouquets to the impressive centerpieces, and to the coordinator at the Mandarin Oriental Boston, Jessica, for her help throughout the day).

The first dance was the perfect combination of sweet and fun:

As, in fact, were the toasts:

Love this image I captured of Leah dancing with her father, Stu:

And then it was non-stop party time for the rest of the night, with awesome music by band Soul City. Thank you Leah and Jim for trusting me to document your day … I can’t wait to share your slideshow with you soon too!