Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston Wedding | Elizabeth & Christopher
Elizabeth and Christopher, dreamed for months of their Winter Wedding that would be held a classic Boston Venue, The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Elizabeth especially, had dreamed of a winter wonderland, and she got it! The snow was falling, everyone was radiant, and to say that these two enjoyed every second is an understatement! This December wedding was nothing short of spectacular!
Usually, I blog about each wedding I shoot. I try to describe everything that took place. However, I could never describe the couples day in the same light as they experienced it. So, to change things up this year, I asked Elizabeth to answer a few questions for me to give everyone a real grasp of her wedding through her eyes! She of course, is amazing, and gave me so much more than just a few short answers!
"What was your favorite moments for you during your wedding?" Elizabeths reply: The snow, and the photos in the snow but really getting to wear my Uggs. I know that sounds silly and my sparkly Ugss were not even new or purchased for the wedding, but the fact that I actually got to wear them and I NEEDED them was incredible to me. The only thing I could not control about my wedding day was the weather and it literally could not have been MORE perfect. Seeing all my girls with their Uggs made my day. You actually captured a photo of our Uggs and its one of my favorite photos. I love the winter, I love snow, I actually realized it was snowing at 3:32 AM. I kept waking up the night before the wedding and I would look outside and it wasn't ever snowing...I wasn't sad or disappointed because like I said, I couldn't control it. But at 3:32 when I saw a coating I was overjoyed. It didn't matter how much we were going to get, just the fact that it actually happened was enough for me. Then...
Seeing the people in Copley Square with enough snow to not only have a snowball fight, but build a GIANT snowman, was amazing! We got so much! What were the odds?!
“I absolutely LOVED getting ready with my girlfriends. The hair/makeup moments and conversations were the BEST, they could never be recreated. It was the most amazing experience (for me) to have all the girls in my life who are like my sisters in one single room, just hanging out talking and laughing. I would do anything to bring that morning back. I think I enjoyed this so much because two of my absolute best friends are from New York (Natalie-MOH) and Texas (Crystal). Them, plus my other best friend (Megan) plus my mom, it was just something I will never forget.”
Hair and makeup was provided by Make me up Bridal.
We were also able to sneak a few getting ready images of Christopher in his Richard Lewis Formal Ware!
And if these two weren't gorgeous enough! We snuck downstairs in the hotel lobby to do their first look, formals and then outside in the rain/snow mix to capture these breathtaking photos!
Elizabeth and Christopher then headed to Saint Cecila's Parish for a traditional Catholic Ceremony.
“Waiting to walk down the aisle and standing with my Dad, Natalie, Megan and Crystal and all sharing a few tears, was a special moment. It became real, I was getting married. Even thought I had already seen Chris, this was it and it was special to realize it standing there with those special people in my life.”
Following their ceremony, everyone headed back to The Fairmont Copley Hotel for cocktail hour and Reception in the Venetian Room. Their wedding color scheme was a mix of green, off white and gold. The coordinator Alicia Lapriore, made sure everything came together perfectly! The room was enchanting with Tamara Reid Designs floral arrangements and Radiance (Wilson Stevens Productions)'s Lighting design.
“I LOVED seeing the room for the first time, just with Chris and you and Adam. I cried! It was beautiful! I was SO anxious (for months) about what it would look like, all put together, and despite multiple photos/explanations I could never picture it. I was blown away at how incredibly elegant, and perfect it looked. It was everything I wanted, everything I worked SO hard at planning in one giant room and it was GORGEOUS. Literally, completely blown away.”
“What were some of your favorite moments?” Watching my husband live it up with his friends he hasn’t seen in forever and dance the night away. Literally dancing my ass off to every single song. I love to dance, I wanted to dance all night, and I did.”
Who helped you plan your wedding, who would you like to thank?
"I honestly did basically all of the wedding planning myself, but that is the way I am, I like to know the details of everything that is going on. My husband, my father and my mother all helped when asked, and I would like to thank them for that. But really, I should be thanking them for putting up with me always questioning them if they “got this done” or “got that done” and so on. I had no control of everything that a planned coming together for one final “show” if you want to put it that way- that was all the Fairmont Copley staff. (and I was super stressed/a nervous wreck about this) Alicia Laproie and Sarah Ross who were absolutely wonderful getting in touch with all of the vendors, coordinating delivery times and helping to make the room as beautiful as it was. For the entire wedding weekend the entire Fairmont staff was incredibly accommodating and very attentive. I felt like royalty when I was there."
How did you like your venue?
I didn’t like my venue, I LOVED MY VENUE. Every single part of the hotel I love. The layout, the main hallway where Chris and I did our first look (obsessed), the giant lobby, and the BRIDAL SUITE (love) were all gorgeous. The way the hotel decorated for Christmas was also stunning, and I really loved that. I loved how the giant Christmas tree coincidently matched the wedding with some blue ornaments on it- since the color blue (representing the December birthstone) was very important for Chris and I to have a part of our wedding. The St. James room where the brunch was held was exquisite. I love the old-school Boston feel yet the high-society, classiness that the Fairmont offers. It is anything but modern; the hotel is timeless and chic.
How were your vendors?
"My photographer was incredible and SO easy to work with despite not working with her previously. Chris and I felt really comfortable in front of the camera after a view initial shots. She also completely adjusted the schedule due to the weather pattern to ensure that Chris and I got the photos we had requested.
Without her that would have never happened, yet she was so organized, friendly and attentive to the entire wedding party, our families, guests and both myself and Chris. Everyone raved about her outgoing personality and how willing she was to interact with guests. The “sneak peak” of our photos went up I think 2 or 3 days? After the wedding. Chris and I were in Vermont and when I saw them I literally screamed with delight- I could not believe we got to see them so quickly! We received a beautiful keepsake photo, our photos, and a gorgeous ornament in the mail about 3-4 weeks after the wedding-it was so crazy to me that she could get our photos to us so quickly! She did a phenomenal job.
Our Videographer, Adam Quinlan, was also wonderful! He was extremely accommodating to the long hours that our wedding day required and stayed for almost 15 hours to get coverage of our day. The turnaround time for us to view our short clip video (8 minutes) was only 2 weeks! It was and still is the best video I have ever watched. It captured the emotion of the day and highlighted all the key people (of the wedding) in a touching yet fun way. The longer (75 minute) video arrived 1 month to the day after the wedding, also very quick turnaround time! I was worried about him (spending SO much time with all women, including myself, my bridal party, both female photographers) but he hung right in there and it wasn’t every awkward for anyone, which made me feel better. He also did a phenomenal job.
Make Me Up Bridal for hair and makeup did an outstanding job on every.single.person. who got their hair and makeup done. They perfected exactly what I dreamed of looking like on my wedding day, and I really put a lot of say into their own hands- because they allowed me to feel like I could trust them. This is because they were so easy to talk to and work with and really made me feel very comfortable. All of my bridesmaids said the exact same things, and those ladies never got the privilege of meeting them before or doing a “trial” session. My hair also lasted all night, as did my makeup! I would HIGHLY recommend them to any bride on her wedding day. "
How were your wedding photos?
- One word: LOVE
- Two words: ABSOLUTLEY OUTSTANDING.
- Three words: Cannot stop looking!
- Four words: Totally exceeded our expectations!
- Five words: Memories we will cherish forever!
- Six words: I could never pick a favorite!
- Seven words: Everything we could have wanted and more!
What would be your advice for future brides planning a wedding?
"Enjoy every second of the planning process, even though it can (and will) get stressful especially about 3 weeks out. Why 3 weeks out? This is because all vendors want to talk to you , all final details are made, and you cannot do a few necessary things until that time, for example a seating board/place cards, the seating chart, welcome bags, bathroom baskets. Allow others to help you if you want their help, but if you are detail-oriented and type A do not delegate too much, because you know that A. You will definitely triple check how they are doing the task you gave them and B. You most likely will change something and/or just end up doing it yourself. Hi! I’m Elizabeth and that is what I did.
Do not worry about the things you cannot control-also very hard to do but this is something my husband constantly reminded me of. The weather for example, was I believe the only thing I felt was completely out of my control so I didn’t ever think about it. I remember being the only one in my entire family, wedding party who never checked the forecast leading up to the wedding day. My husband was checking 2 weeks out, as was my father. They were constantly talking about the possibility of snow, rain, anything! I tuned them out completely. And the weather was perfect.
It was hard for me not to stress about the end result (the coming together) of everything I had worked SO tirelessly on for 8 months. I wish I didn’t stress as much about this as I did, I was completely insane! I think at one point I called my wedding coordinator, Alicia and requested a meeting with her maybe 3 months before the wedding. She wanted to know what I wanted to meet about and I told her I wanted to see the potential room floor-plans, the color of the linens, and know the exact table sizes/dimensions (basically I was losing my mind). She reassured me that she could email me all this information (photo included) but I said I wanted to come into the city. Of course, being so lovely and accommodating, Chris and I met with her two days later and I think the meeting lasted 6 minutes? We walked through our two rooms (cocktail hour and venue) and she gave me the handouts that I am assuming were the documents she would’ve emailed. However, after the meeting I did feel a lot better about it all coming together. I think the take-home point with this is to trust your venue (esp. if the are reputable and host weddings all year long). They are the experts are making sure all your hard work is displayed on our wedding day, in a seamless and organized fashion. I eventually developed this trust and they TOTALLY exceeded my expectations, but this was something I really struggled with once I had decided on all the main details (flowers, rough estimate of # of people, centerpieces, linens, chairs, uplighting etc.)
Stay organized, get a binder to keep all important documents. Follow a checklist (mine was included in a wedding binder) but not to a T. You do not need to do everything a magazine, website or company suggests that you do. Make your wedding your own day and add/omit traditions to personalize it.
Write wonderful thank you cards to everyone who helped you prepare for that day- this is a must! I think I even wrote the concierge desk a personalized thank you note as well as the man running our coat check.
In the same fashion, make sure your actual thank you cards for both your shower and your wedding are personalized and well-written. Those messages say a lot about you and your husband and will be remember forever.
Don’t blink, because it’s over before you know it. And be prepared to be somewhat sad? Depressed? Let-down? Immediately after it ends and the next few days. A lot of emotion, stress, TIME and planning goes into these truly magical hours- of course you are going to be upset that it’s over, and if you are like me you are going to want to do it all over again."