The Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, MA
Okay y'all buckle up because The Wheatleigh Hotel is stuuuuunnnning. Located in Western MA, tucked into the Berkshires, this luxury hotel is rife with history and influence. The Italian-style architecture, paired with the flawless landscaping, will make your classy wedding photo dreams come true. The fact that the origin of the hotel was a wedding present is just epic to have your own luxurious wedding here! The piano and menu stand that live in the hotel lobby were actually used in the Boston Symphony Orchestra (who also has a property right nearby). We love a building that oozes with fun facts and history. Their fine dining, wine cellar, and outdoor heated pool just accentuate the luxury of this 19-room, intimate hotel. Plus, if you need even more proof of how gorgeous and amazing it is, Forbes has rated it one of the finest 5 star properties in the world for 2022 and 2023!! *record scratch*
related blog: Mount Greylock Elopement
Bella & Harrison
Bella & Harrison's road to marriage
Believe it or not, Bella and Harrison only met 5 months before they decided to get married. The two met on a dating app (as so many modern love stories begin) and hit it off immediately. Although Harrison was stationed in San Diego while in the Navy, he and Bella matched since his location was set for Massachusetts as he had plans of moving to the east coast at the start of 2023. After a few trips out to Cali to see her sailor, she said that their talks of marriage turned from "wouldn't it be crazy if we did" to "let's do it"! They kept their plans to elope a secret, as they are going to have a large wedding in 2024 to celebrate with all their family and friends.
Why they chose the Wheatleigh Hotel for their elopement
Bella and I connected a few months before their December elopement. Initially she and Harrison wanted to elope on Mount Greylock in the Berkshires. But sadly, even though there was no snow yet, the road to the summit was closed. So, searching for the next best thing, Bella landed on the gorgeous Wheatleigh Hotel.
Wheatleigh Hotel Wedding
Elopement Timeline
get ready together
write vows
exchange gifts
ceremony
first dance
portraits
more creative portraits
desserts
Bella wanted an easy going day that wasn't too traditional. It's so awesome being able to craft exactly how you want your wedding day to go when you elope. Bella and Harrison decided they wanted to first help each other get ready. Then, they'd take a moment to transfer their vows from their phones into their super cute vow books. I think vow books are so cute because not only is it nice to not read off of a phone during your ceremony in terms of photos, but it's nice to have a little book to look back on with precious words for your partner!!
After they finished writing their vows they did a gift exchange. Harrison gifted his bride with a personalized painting of their venue and engraved champagne glasses. Bella gifted her groom with a book she made of all the reasons she loves him, and a new monogrammed flask. They are both seriously great gifters!!!
Shortly after they exchanged gifts their officiant came to begin their intimate ceremony. The ceremony was out on the patio that was connected right to their suite which was super convenient. Their elopement ceremony was so sweet and included so many personal touches like exchanging vows, rings, and they also exchanged roses. The rose exchange was meaningful as it came with a special tribute saying whenever they should see a rose throughout their marriage, or buy roses for each other, they should internalize that to know how loved they are and it will be a symbol for their commitment.
related blog: Hammond Castle Museum Elopement
After their ceremony they took some time to celebrate together and do a short little dance before we headed out for their just married portraits - infusing the gorgeous Wheatleigh Hotel architecture whenever possible. It was a really dreary day and was drizzling off and on all day, so we headed out with clear umbrellas to be able to have some shelter while still being able to get out onto the beautiful manicured lawn. However, an unexpected gust of wind turned Harrison's umbrella inside-out which was absolutely hysterical and made for some great reaction photos. No worries though because then they could cozy up just under one umbrella, and shortly after we were lucky enough that it stopped raining all together! Talk about some wedding day magic.
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Although it stopped raining, it was pretty chilly, so we headed back inside the Wheatleigh hotel for some more portraits. Since it was pretty dark, I took out my flash for some more creative, unique off-camera flash portraits. It's always so fun to play around and I'm glad I could provide them with a widespread of diverse photos for their day!
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After getting our fill of portraits, we headed back to their sweet so they could enjoy some yummy treats and use their new champagne glasses.
So grateful they trusted me to capture their beautiful elopement at the Wheatleigh Hotel! I hope they have the best marriage and such a great big wedding celebration in 2024!
Berkshires Elopement Photographer
Hey, I'm Tammy - your Massachusetts wedding and elopement photographer! I love documenting the in-between, unprompted moments and getting to know my couples on a personal level! I absolutely love the opportunity to visit Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires at every opportunity I can get so contact me and let's start planning your western MA elopement today!
xx,
Tam
Tamara Merri Photography
hello@tamaramerriphotography.com
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