Nate and Ali's Wedding in Boston, Massachusetts

Our wedding was designed to be a reflection of us: deliberate, personal, and meticulously crafted by the bride. We wanted a day that felt like "Classic Boston"—sharing our chosen home city with family and friends—and unapologetically us. Photos in the Public Garden were a must as a nod to our first date (and because they are BEAUTIFUL and fit the "Classic Boston" vibe perfectly). We got married at St. Cecilia Church (Catholic churches are pretty "Classic Boston" too), where Nate agreed to honour my Catholic upbringing despite his non-religious background.

Our reception was at The State Room, a venue where the city of Boston itself was the focal point. Thirty-three stories up with a clean and elegant aesthetic, the Harborside and Cityside rooms at The State Room were the perfect backdrop for us to add our personal touches to make the wedding truly ours.

And because I HATE that awkward gap between the church and the reception during weddings, we gave our guests something fun to do! We hired Boston Old Town Trolley Tours to show off even more of the city (and doubled as a shuttle to bring our guests from the church to the reception).

The Ceremony Details

St. Cecilia Church

18 Belvidere Street, Boston, MA

The wedding ceremony took place at 1:00 pm at St. Cecilia Church. It is an absolutely gorgeous church in the heart of Back Bay. And the Pastor, Father John Unni, has the perfect Boston accent, which he pairs with an engaging ceremony and a message for the couple that fits into modern life. We got so many compliments on the church and the ceremony!

We took a minimalist approach to the church decor, opting for simple floral accents and pew bows. By coordinating with the bride following our ceremony, we were able to share these beautiful details (and the cost). The understated white florals added a touch of wedding-day elegance that elevated the already stunning architecture of St. Cecilia without over-complicating the space.

I designed and printed the programs myself, and my brother and sister-in-law handed them out as guests arrived at the church.

I walked down the aisle to "Trumpet Voluntary." "Here Comes the Bride" is a classic song, but it felt too overstated for me, especially when only our Moms and my sister (my Maid of Honor) walked down the aisle before me. My mom walked down the aisle to "Trumpet Voluntary" - it was a personal, full-circle moment and an intentional nod to my mom who was solely responsible for our Catholic upbringing. My brother and sister-in-law read the readings. Two of my cousins read the prayer of the faithful. My sister's fiancé walked my mom down the aisle. My husband's best friend from college was his Best Man. We had a small wedding party, but included all those closest to us in our ceremony.

The Reception Details

The Stateroom

60 State Street, Boston, MA

The celebration moved 33 floors up to The Stateroom, where the city skyline served as our primary decor. Inside, the "Simple Elegance" theme truly came to life through the details I spent months perfecting. With a 4:00pm Cocktail Hour, we were just able to catch the sunset (4:22 pm) out of the west-facing Cityside Room windows. Dinner and Dancing followed in the Harborside Room.

We kicked off cocktail hour with our three signature drinks: Ali’s Autumn Ember (Bourbon & Ginger), Nate’s Northern Tonic (Gin & Tonic), and Noodle’s November Sparkler (a pineapple mocktail named after our dog, who is under 21 after all).

Instead of a traditional guest book, we opted to take photos with each of our guests as they entered our cocktail hour. We used our custom "The Heberts" backdrop as a photo station and are currently compiling the photos along with advice cards we asked our guests to fill out and the greeting cards we received into a one-of-a-kind guest book. "The Heberts" sign has found its permanent home as the centrepiece of the gallery wall in our entryway.

The one piece of advice we got over and over, leading up to our wedding, was to make sure we eat. We took that advice seriously, and after having our own wedding, I have to say, I agree with it wholeheartedly. I am a messy eater and the one in a white dress, so it was easier said than done. But the food at our wedding was fantastic, and we did not miss out!

Every guest arrived at their seat to find a personalized menu I printed specifically for them. These conveniently doubled as seating cards and added another personal touch to our night. Most of our guests travelled from out of town for our wedding, and we wanted to make sure they knew how much we appreciated the time, effort, and money it took for them to be at our celebration.

I love flowers, but hate that they die. It's such a waste - and another errand to run if you want fresh flowers often. The best flowers Nate ever gave me were Lego roses, which sit in a vase on our kitchen table to this day. So, I opted for Sola Wood Flowers, but I skipped the "pre-made" kits. I ordered loose flowers and garland, pulled out my hot glue gun, and craftgineered every centerpiece from scratch to be completely unique. I don't love symmetry and prefer a balanced but varied design. I also swear by the rule of grouping things into 3 (although I break it all the time, so it might not even be worth mentioning here). I designed 3 different centerpieces and then meticulously photographed and documented how they should be set up on each table. They looked perfect and were set up exactly as I had imagined.

I did order bouquets and boutonnieres made for me from Sola Wood Flowers as well. They come pre-made, wrapped in twine, so I added Satin Ribbon to give them a hint more elegance. I also had empty vases ready on the head table, and the bouquets doubled as the centrepiece. My bouquet now lives as the centerpiece on our dining room table in that very same vase. The small gold vases from the cocktail hour and bar decor live in various places around the house, including the living room shelves and the guest bathroom. For the reception, we kept the program lean and high-energy: skipping a full wedding party introduction, we made our grand entrance as just the two of us to "Raise Your Glass" by P!nk. It was the perfect "launch" for the party. My dad, my brother, and the Best Man were the only three people to make speeches, and they were all short, sweet, and funny. We cut the cake off to the side and took a few pictures of just the two of us. No big announcements, no cake on the face.

The soundtrack of the night was perhaps our most customized feature. We had struggled to find a first dance song that felt right; we worried that a radio hit might lose its meaning or feel dated in a few years. To solve this, my father-in-law, Mike, wrote an original song for us titled "Starting Tonight." It is perfect, timeless, and—most importantly—literally just for us.

To keep our guests at the center of the celebration, we also built a special moment into the playlist: we played short clips of the first dance songs from every married couple in the room. Dancing along with them to their own "song" was a beautiful way to acknowledge the stories that paved the way for ours.

Slightly less unique but still true to us were the parent dances. For these, we turned to lists of the top mother-son and father-daughter dance songs. Nate let his mom choose and she went with "Your Song" by Elton John. My sister chose "My Girl" for my dad and I. There was at least one friend of mine in attendance who had danced to the same song with her dad at her own wedding. But it's a really fun song to dance to and it was still perfect.

We opened the dance floor to "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga and danced the rest of the night away. Shoutout to DJ Antonio Mayberry at Entertainment Specialists for perfectly executing our playlist and keeping a bride and groom who are not big dancers out on the floor all night.

We ended the night with small customized (by me) water bottles as our favors - a practical, yet personal, favor after all of the drinking and dancing. We also invited guests to take the decor home if they wanted to - our forever flowers are living on in the homes of many of our guests.

The Other Details

The Attire

I said "yes" to the dress at Kleinfeld Bridal, a cheesy-ish moment I allowed myself because my mom and her sisters bought their dresses at Kleinfeld when it was still in a basement in Brooklyn, long before the TV show aired. I had some non-typical requirements for my attire: I didn't want my dress to have a train and wanted my veil to be part of my hair. Basically, I didn't want wardrobe changes during the day - no bustling for the dress, no taking the veil out and risking my up-do. I wanted a tiered tulle (or similar) skirt, and cutting the train off the dress I chose ended up being one of the best decisions I made. It transformed the gown into a lightweight, "swing-ready" dress that was beautiful and SO MUCH FUN.

In addition to dress practicality, I knew my hair would be up, and my shoes would be down (no heels). I probably wouldn't have chosen heels anyway, but with the dress I chose, you were not going to see my shoes. There was no way my feet were suffering alone under there. I wore Rothy's flats (sadly, the exact ones - the Petal Point II in White - are no longer available). And inevitably, they got dirty walking around Boston, especially in the rain after our reception - so I threw them in the wash.

I wore a pair of flower earrings with small diamonds in the center, which my mom had custom-made from the diamonds in her original wedding ring. My sister wore a matching pair. I also borrowed my mom’s pearl bracelet, which I paired with a third set of small pearl earrings to complete the classic look.

Nate knows my heart (and my degree - Chemical Engineering), so for our second anniversary, he bought me my first pair of lab-grown diamond earrings. We actually went engagement ring shopping that same day! Those "science diamonds" were a must-wear for the wedding. In fact, all the jewellery Nate has given me—including our wedding rings—comes from Brilliant Earth.

I rounded out the look with a pearl necklace (also from Brilliant earth) that Nate gave me for my birthday. Not to be outdone in the accessory department, Nate wore the watch (a used but charming Omega Speedmaster with a blue face, which matched our wedding colors) I gave him for his most recent birthday.

For my sister and Maid of Honor, I kept the design requirements simple: the color had to be Navy Blue. Beyond that, I wanted her to have the creative freedom to choose a silhouette that made her feel her best.

She selected the Barbie x Azazie Chiffon Ruffle Column Dress, a stunning choice that featured fun, cascading ruffles and a leg slit. It ended up being a perfect "visual match" —the ruffles on her dress complimented the movement of my own skirt, creating a cohesive look that felt intentional without being overly "matchy-matchy." Nate had a custom three-piece suit and custom dress shirt made at 9 Tailors Boston. He looked fantastic! They fit him perfectly in both size and aesthetic. He also had a fun custom blazer made for our rehearsal dinner (which I sadly have 0 pictures of). Nate has since been back to 9 Tailors for more perfectly fitting shirts (to pair with the suit for some upcoming weddings we will be attending) and a custom wool coat.

Nate’s wedding day accessories included Allen Edmonds shoes—a classic choice for durability and style—and a "Swanky Gold" bow tie from Tieroom featuring a sophisticated tonal scroll pattern.

To keep everyone on theme, we ordered the same scroll pattern in "Swanky Dark Blue" for the dads, the best man, my brother (who did a reading at the church and gave a toast at the reception), my sister's fiance (who walked my mom down the aisle), and Nate's cousin (who walked his mom down the aisle). It was a simple way to create a cohesive look across the wedding party while not dictating specific attire. Nate was the only one allowed to tie his own bowtie. All the other guys had pre-tied ones.

Getting Ready

The day began at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf, where we also secured a wedding room block for our guests. As someone who doesn't usually wear makeup, I wanted a look that felt elevated but still felt like me. Madison and her team at M&Co. Hair Studio and Spa delivered perfectly on hair and makeup for the Moms, my sister, my sister-in-law, and me! Madison did such an incredible job that I’ve already decided her salon is my new permanent go-to.

My hair was styled in an updo featuring a "flower bun," with my veil attached underneath it. My makeup was mostly natural but glammed up around the eyes with false lashes and shimmering eye shadow - it was my wedding after all. To ensure the makeup was as low-maintenance as possible, I added my own WONDERSKIN Lip Stain (in Adore). It was the perfect "set it and forget it" solution—I didn't have to worry about reapplying for the rest of the night.