My second ever Boston Public Library wedding was a gorgeous, snowy, winter wedding on January 3rd – the first of the 20 or so weddings I have booked so far for 2015.  The Library is a popular spot for book lovers to get married, and the perfect spot for this couple in particular: Eric is an author, and he penned his first novel, his memoir ‘That Book About Harvard’, in Bates Hall where dinner and toasts took place.  These guys took the book theme and ran with it, even meeting up with me the day before to get a couple of fun detail photos with the rings in the library, and the save the date library cards were perfection.

The wedding day itself started for me at DryBar salon on Newbury St, which had been almost taken over by Leigh, her bridesmaids, and family. The ladies at the salon were super accommodating and I had fun playing with angles in the multi-level space. We then headed back to the lovely Fairmont Copley Plaza for Leigh to get dressed.  I adored her simple, elegant gown, especially paired with the rich brown fur stole, a must for keeping warm at winter weddings!

We played around with a few ideas for the first look; Eric and Leigh were open to an outdoor first look and although the library would have been the obvious spot I was worried that there may be a little too much foot traffic there.  I’m so happy they chose Acorn St in Beacon Hill for it – such a cute spot, and it’s relevant to them as a couple as they lived in the neighborhood for several years.

The ceremony was held in the beautiful but ultra-dark Abbey Room at the Boston Public Library.  Arriving guests were greeted with warm cider and donuts (yum!) and the grand staircase was decked out with winter foliage (matching the forest green bridesmaid dresses) and so many gorgeous old books.  I had a hugely talented second shooter with me, Josh Behan out of Rhode Island, and he captured the fantastic shots of the wedding party assembling on the stairs, as well as many others throughout the slideshow. As well as readings, the ceremony included a performance by the string quartet, something we did at our own wedding.

Cocktail hour was held in the Chevannes Gallery and Abbey Room, then we moved into Bates Hall with its wonderful green lamps for dinner and toasts.  I absolutely adore this space – it has that quintessential Boston Public Library wedding look and feel, and the lamps cast such a beautiful light on the guests. The toasts were fantastic, the perfect mix of funny and sentimental, although my very favorite was Eric’s surprise toast to Leigh, just before they cut the cake.  It was really moving.

After dinner, we headed back into the Abbey Room for dancing.  Nightshift band was phenomenal as always and kept the dance floor rocking. Knowing that there would be a fun exit, I stayed right until the end, and captured a really fun send off – family and friends grabbed American and Canadian flags (Leigh is Canadian) and waved them as the newlyweds ran down the grand staircase out to the snow.  Thank you Leigh and Eric for trusting me to document your beautiful Boston Public Library wedding!