Bri & Dan's Epic Wedding Weekend at the Boston Public Library in Boston, MA

Bri and Dan’s wedding weekend in and around the Boston Public Library was one the most wild experiences of our 2023 wedding season. When they first reached out to us in October of 2022 and described their plans for a grand celebration in one of Boston’s finest Renaissance-style architectural spaces we were more than a little excited, and as things took shape over the last year or so we knew we were in for a crazy experience. It became clear that these two wanted to prioritize their guests’ experience with this wedding, and honoring their relationships with those in attendance was of utmost importance. The idea of inviting all of the important folks in their lives to come to such a central and iconic location and turn what’s normally a quiet, public space into grounds for their wedding all in effortlessly elegant fashion? No small achievement.

Bri and Dan are first and foremost loving dog parents, so it felt only right to meet up with them the day before and go for a quick walk with them and their doggos. Meeting first at the library, zig-zagging our way to the reflecting pool for some portraits as the sun went down, and later tagging along with Bri and her girlfriends for “Bri’s Last Supper” really set the tone for the weekend in the best sort of way. Throughout the evening we couldn’t help but notice how much thought Bri must have put into arranging the dinner with friends, and it got us even more excited for what was to come the following day.

The effort put into every little detail at this wedding was astonishing. Bri and Dan’s vision for each and every room within the library - from the main entrance to the ceremony and cocktail hour rooms to the dining hall to the dance floor - was so strong. The Guastavino room which held the ceremony was moody and warmly lit with a wash of light shining only on the two of them at the front of the room, the Map room which hosted cocktail hour welcomed guests to enjoy live saxophone courtesy of Joe Sax (yes, that Joe Sax from outside the Celtics games) while Bri and Dan shared an espresso martini tower pour, and the lighting in Bates Hall where dinner and toasts were shared transformed throughout the meal, ending with a brilliant night-sky pattern on the vaulted ceiling. The presentation of this celebration was a ten out of ten, and simple things like guests transitioning from the first floor up the main grand staircase became moments simply because of the spectacle of it all.

This is to say nothing of the fact that Bri and Dan share a birthday the day after their wedding date, which of course meant that as the clock neared midnight there was one more little surprise for everyone. About ten minutes before the hour, the always lovely Sugarbabies band prepped the crowd gathered on the dance floor for the birthday song. A few minutes later the music started, party hats were handed out, and a birthday cake was brought onto the floor. As the clock struck 12:00am everyone joined in to sing happy birthday, lift Bri and Dan towards the ceiling, and celebrate them both and the accomplishment of pulling off their dream wedding, and what a moment it was. As the music faded and guests lined the stairs to send them off Bri and Dan, still donning their birthday hats, triumphantly made their way towards the main entrance absolutely glowing in that just-married feeling and paraded down the steps followed by Joe and his saxophone. It was a raucous way to end the weekend, a crazy exclamation point on our 2023 season, and a definite bucket-list item for us as photographers in New England crossed off.

Venue: Boston Public Library
Coordination: Marissa Pedone Events
Catering: The Catered Affair
Florals: Flower Face Design
Dresses: Pronovias
Bridal Shop: Vows Bridal
Makeup: Studio28 in Wellesley
Hair: Roffi Salon
Menswear: Bonobos
Videographer: Rebecca Drouin
Music: Sugarbabies Inc. / Joe Sax
Lighting Design: Suzanne B. Lowell
Film/Processing: Kodak Portra 400/800 + Cinestill 800T / Kerry’s Warwick Photo