I first connected with D when she emailed me asking for an engagement shoot for the very next day! I'm so grateful I checked my email that day and didn't miss the opportunity to work with her and R.
Not only are they one of the most in love couples I've had the opportunity to photograph, but they really value photography and incorporated tons of Polish traditions in their wedding day! They said "I do" at The Cambridge City Hall, celebrated at College Club of Boston, then had a private driver tour us around Boston for their portraits. Their elopement vision was elegant, classy, and traditional.
Okeeeyyyyy yay wedding story time!!!
Pre-Wedding
I started their wedding day with R and his family at his hotel. As tradition says, it is customary for R's family to "send him off" to his bride with her bouquet. They rented a vintage Rolls Royce for the day which was SO freaking classy!! I love these photos of R's family saying goodbye to him before they'll meet up a little later at City Hall.
We then went to D+R's home where R saw her for the first time and presented her with her with her bouquet. Then D's family performed a Polish blessing ceremony over the couple. The blessing ceremony was so emotional and beautiful - every moment of their day was so intentional and meaningful.
Cambridge City Hall Wedding Ceremony
After the blessing ceremony it was time for us to head to Cambridge City Hall!! I asked them why they chose City Hall and they said "We both believe that 'classics are classics for a reason'. We both live in Cambridge MA and what could be more traditional than a civil wedding in a city hall?".
D shared that while they will be having a traditional Polish wedding later on, they had the mindset of treating this wedding as an independent celebration. It’s not something to ‘get out of the way’ before a future, big wedding. I LOVE THAT SO MUCH.
When they arrived their family was waiting to greet them outside before heading into the ceremony. Their wedding was September of 2021 so covid protocols were still in place which limited where I was allowed to stand in the ceremony room as well as requiring everyone to wear masks the whole time. Their ceremony was short and sweet, although they did share their own personal vows.
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Another Polish tradition is to have D's grandmother throw rice over them while they walk out of City Hall. We were picking rice out of their hair all day hahaha. While it makes for a fun photo and experience, please make sure to read rules and guidelines for where you get married to see if this is allowed.
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More vintage Rolls Royce moments YUUUSSS PLEASE.
After we left City Hall we met their families outside of the The College Club of Boston.
Here is when another Polish tradition was performed. D's mom has bread with salt and her father has two shots of vodka. The bread represents their wish that the couple never go hungry while the salt symbolizes that things are not always easy. For the vodka they have to drink it in one gulp and throw the shot glasses over their shoulder to break. If the glasses break it means the couple will have a long and happy life together. Fortunately, D+R's shot glasses broke!!
Once inside they did a champagne toast, cut their beautiful wedding cake, ate some appetizers and mingled! This was actually the first time D+R's family have met!! So it was fun to take candids of their experience together as two families became one.
After hanging out for a bit, they opened the doors to reveal a whole other room inside The College Club of Boston where their dinner would be a little later on. SUCH a gorgeous room!!! The family was welcome to hang out there while D+R and I went off to take photos around Boston. They even hired a piano player to serenade their families while they waited.
Time to head out around Boston for some alone time for the couple!! If you're familiar with Acorn Street (that first photo below) you know that it's one of the most photographed streets in THE COUNTRY! So the fact that we got it empty on the day of their elopement is amazing. I just love the tones that the mid-day light provided while we were in the shadows of the alley. Stunning! After Acorn Street we headed to the Seaport District to take photos with the Boston Skyline along the Harborwalk. Then we ended our time together at Boston Public Garden... where we took their engagement photos AND where they got engaged! Such a special spot for them. It's so nice they hired a private driver to cart us around so we didn't have to worry about directions or parking.
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Cue Lizzie McGuire *this is what ~Boston elopement~ dreaaaaamsss are made of!*. I adored working with the two of them so much from their engagement to their elopement. I wish them all the best of luck in love and life, and hope they have the most amazing large traditional Polish wedding!
D's review after their engagement session:
"Tammy did an AMAZING job with our engagement photo shoot! She was super responsive and respectful of all of our requests and the pictures turned out more beautiful that we could have imagined. We had a great experience working with her!"
R's review:
"Tammy is the best! She truly cares and makes sure you have a great experience. HIGHLY recommend!"
Shout out to all of their amazing vendors!!
Hair: Parya spa
MU: Glamsquad
Florist: Winston Flowers
Venue(s): Cambridge City Hall + The College Club of Boston
Desserts: Yummy Bunnies Cakery
Pianist: Murray Hill Talent
Rolls Royce: Boston Limousine
Private Driver: Signature Rides
Here the cuties are from their engagement session at Boston Public Garden:
Interested in having me photograph your elopement? Fill out the inquiry form below!
xx,
Tam
Tamara Merri Photography
hello@tamaramerriphotography.com
