I recently helped plan and execute a fantastic wedding of Lisa & Mark, two busy Boston-based MD doctors, front-liners battling covid. We did it in record time, short of 100 days – and I want to share it with you!
Here is a touching introduction from their wedding ceremony:
"Perhaps it was fate, perhaps it was luck, that led to a beautiful blessing emerged. Lisa and Mark met against all the odds in the middle of a global pandemic playing an impromptu round of golf in the Summer of 2020. They went their separate ways only to fortuitously encounter one another again on the busy streets of Boston, Massachusetts, not even a week later. Despite working in the same profession in adjoining hospitals for over a decade, the two roamed the Earth, unaware of the other until the right time had come to bloom. The rest is history. The two anesthesiologists, entrepreneurs, golfers, culinary enthusiasts, optimists, and grounded yet big dreamers who live life like everything is a wonderful adventure came together and never looked back."
The couple put their eyes on the majestic Crane Estate in Ipswich, in the past an impressive summer residence of the wealthy Chicago businessman Richard Crane and his wife, Florence. The architect David Adler masterfully completed the estate and surrounded the main building by gardens, flowering retreats, and the mesmerizing Grande Allee with a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean.
The couple fell in love with the location at first sight. It reminded Lisa of Italy, the country she loves, and has some heritage roots from her father's side.
The planning wasn't easy as the covid-related restrictions continued to change, and we were facing many unknowns.
But there were things Lisa knew from the very beginning! She wanted her wedding to be full of white flowers, abundant food, and music.
Lisa found her dress in the Pronovias boutique at Copley Mall, and I recommended Mark to use Cad and The Dandy bespoke atelier for his tux and accessories.
After some work and interviews, we selected Floristika Studio as our florist and Alex Gordias as our photographer.
We worked closely with Crane Estate event manager Maura to review multiple scenarios and timelines and create the menu for our event. Due to covid, we didn't have an opportunity to do the food tasting ahead of time, but we ended up with great choices.
Initially, Lisa planned to invite a band from Italy for her wedding, but again, travel from Europe wasn't allowed at the time. I suggested an excellent company, Innocenti Strings, and we ended up with a whole string orchestra and an opera singer Olga Lisovskaya!
For stationery, we used The Knot services and the templates reflecting the floral style of the wedding.
In addition to her dress, Lisa selected a gorgeous Pronovias veil. I came to her last fitting – to learn how to bustle the dress – and was smashed by how beautiful Lisa looked.
Vera Gordias and Jammika Dorcelus helped Lisa look absolutely stunning on her wedding day and took care of her two maids of honor and the mothers.
Despite capricious weather and heavy rain and wind in the morning, we were lucky to see the weather improve dramatically in the afternoon, which permitted us to have an incredible ceremony in the Italian garden. The garden was full of flowers, and vases surrounded the ceremony area with roses, peonies, and a multitude of white flowers (ranunculus, astrantia, spirea, hydrangea).
The bride walked down the aisle while the opera singer sang Ave Maria by Schubert, accompanied by the string orchestra. It was simply unbelievably beautiful, and the groom couldn't take his eyes off his bride.
I recommended John Maihos to be the ceremony's officiant, and the couple immediately loved him. John has a warm and sincere personality and helped create a meaningful and touching ceremony. The exchange of vows was genuinely emotional.
After the ceremony, the guests were invited to the Main House to enjoy the cocktail hour and listen to the 16-people strong orchestra and various songs, while the couple got into a limo and went to the Crane Beach to take a few photos by the sea.
They joined the crowd when the guests assembled in the tent, decorated with lush greenery, flowers, and candles. The Murray Hill agency provided some uplighting and a DJ with live musicians to entertain the guests.
One of the dinner highlights was the couple's first dance. I connected them with Yulia, a talented dance teacher and the owner of the Dance Stream Studio, and they spoiled us with a fantastic performance.
The toasts were fun, the food was great, the dances were incendiary, and the cake by Montilio's was delicious.
The whole event was a great success, full of love, beauty, and fun.
All was masterfully captured by Alex Gordias and videographer Jamie Podworsky.
