I met with Mike and Denise back in the summer of 2010 to talk about the possibility of photographing their wedding this spring at Dante Restaurant in Cambridge. Sitting down and talking with them over lunch, I knew this was going to be a fun, family-filled wedding, and that they were both going to be great fun to work with.
Their big day seemed to come around quicker than ever and we had a sunny, cool spring day by the Charles River. Denise is a librarian at my local library and we had shot their engagement shoot at the Boston Public Library, which is the perfect place for a Boston engagement session. It was great to see her love of books translated into their wedding day as well. She made all of the flowers and decorations for the day, including her bouquet and the groom’s boutonnière, from old book pages. Putting her origami skills to the test, she created absolutely beautiful flowers.
On their big day, Mike and Denise were both getting ready at the Royal Sonesta and in neighboring rooms. This was a great set up, as it allowed me to move between the two very easily to get their preparation photos. Holding a wedding at Dante was a great choice. The venue is part of the Royal Sonesta complex so you don’t lose any travel time in your day and the view of Boston across the river is a stunning backdrop for any New England wedding photo. Also check out Denise’s stunning wedding dress, which had the lace from her grandmother’s wedding dress worked into the design, such a unique feature.
After they were both ready for the day, we did their first look at the back of the Royal Sonesta in a nice area of light and that let us capture those emotions without too many distractions in the background. Doing a first look is a great way to not only share a special moment with your soon to be spouse, but it also allows you to get your formal photos and the photos of the two of you together before the ceremony, freeing up your day to be with your guests once they all arrive for the day.
We headed down to the waterfront to capture Mike and Denise’s wedding portraits and to add some different locations and view point, and although it was a little bit windier and cooler, it was well worth the visit. We then headed back to the location Mike and Denise’s first look for some of the family photos as well.
The wedding ceremony was held on the open patio area just at the back of Dante and with the sun shining it was a wonderful spot. Holding your wedding on the bank of the Charles River with the Boston cityscape as your backdrop makes for an unforgettable location. The ceremony, and the rest of the day, was packed full of smiling and laughter, it truly was a very happy day all round.
After the ceremony, the celebrations moved back inside and during cocktail hour, they showed a video that featured Mike and Denise’s closest friends and family talking about their experiences of love and passing on some words of wisdom to the newly married couple to take forward into their life together. It was as funny as it was moving, and a really great touch to their day.
With the light of the day slipping slowly away, I stole Mike and Denise away from the festivities for another quick photo shoot down by the Charles. The setting sun was lighting up the Boston skyline perfectly and I knew it would make for some great images of the both of them together, and I hope you’ll agree I was right.
Denise changed into another stunning dress for her and Mike’s first dance, and you don’t get much more romantic than dancing the tango!
The party went on into the early hours of the following day and I’m sure that many moves were thrown down on the dance floor, many stories were shared and many memories were made long after I had left for the day, but at the very end of my night with Mike and Denise I stole them away for one final shot in front of the Royal Sonesta. It was something I had wanted to try for a little while, and having spoken with Mike and Denise before the wedding, they were both interested in seeing if we could get the shot. And so, the last of their Boston wedding photos I leave you with is the newly married couple with the light trails of the passing cars wrapping around them in the night.
Thank you to Mike and Denise so much for allowing me into such a special day in your lives and allowing me to capture the images for you to remember it by.
If you are interesting in talking about photography coverage for your Boston or New England wedding day then I’m waiting to hear from you and what you have planned out. Pop on over to the contact page here and drop me a line to get going and don’t forget to “like” the Boston Wedding Photography Facebook page right here!
Cheers,