Brooke & Ashkan's Wedding at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, MA

The House of the Seven Gables is an icon of Salem, MA; Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a novel bearing its name, it’s got heaps and heaps of history surrounding it, and it retains all of the charm and mystique of its origin era despite going through many a renovation throughout its lifetime. 62 people, including Brooke and Ashkan, and exactly one beloved French bulldog named Pixel showed up at the property that butts up against Salem Harbor on Friday, September 22nd. The size of the wedding felt appropriately cozy while still feeling like a party, and the weather could not have been more perfectly start-of-fall. The grounds are quite tightly arranged and, combined with the low-ceilinged interiors of the 17th century buildings on site, seemed to almost transport the entire wedding day back a couple hundred years. Although lots of work has been done to keep the property in good shape it’s impossible to not imagine it looking largely the same in the mid-1600s. Brooke and Ashkan both arrived and got ready in a building adjacent to the House of the Seven Gables, and in the darkened interiors chock full of exposed wood beams and classic floral wallpapers they, along with their immediate families, prepped for the ceremony. Brooke’s lacey dress and hand-arranged florals combined with Ashkan’s luscious velvety green suit jacket were perfect together and standing next to one another they looked like the embodiment of spooky-chic.

The ceremony next to the water was absolutely beautiful and incorporated vows they wrote for one another as well as their own take on a Persian honey ceremony - replacing the honey with Nutella, Ashkan’s favorite condiment. It spoke to how the two of them sought to honor their roots, but also to the levity and goofiness that rounds out their relationship. The reception featured pizzas made on site, a single toast from Ashkan’s best friend, and plenty of bangin’ tunes to dance to - including lots of Persian songs that we’d never heard before - which we gladly partook in dancing along to. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how wildly energetic all of their guests were throughout the evening. They led dances, cheers, whistles, and made sure everyone who was able got on their feet and danced at least a little. Brooke and Ashkan themselves were quite the stars on the dance floor, twisting in their matching custom shoes and raising the collective spirit higher as the night wore on. This wedding felt like the perfect way to ring the new season, and we had the best time collaborating with these two in making these photos.

Venue/Coordination: The House of the Seven Gables
Catering: Bambolina Salem
Florals: Meristem Flower Farm
Hair/Makeup: Lauren Shidler / Brittney Eileen Beauty
Dress: Chi Chi London
Menswear: The Andover Shop
Music: White Label DJs / Omari Hayles
Desserts: Flourish Bake Shoppe / LuAnn’s Bakery / Bambolina
Rings: Sevan Jewelry Design
Tent/Rentals: The Event Company / Party Rental LTD
Film/Processing: Kodak Portra 400 / Kerry’s Warwick Photo