Emily + Ben

While the 2020 season certainly wasn’t what any of us in the events industry had expected, we were fortunate to still work with so many amazing clients despite all the challenges and restrictions due to the pandemic. Meet Emily & Ben, one of our couples who were able to make the best of their situation and still host a gorgeous summer Massachusetts COVID wedding at Saphire Estate. With enhanced safety precautions, our team executed a beautiful event and made this sweet couple’s wedding dreams come true.

Read on to hear a first-hand account of their experience from the newlyweds themselves:

How did you meet? “Ben and I met the summer before our junior year of high school through mutual friends. We went bowling a few weeks before school started and we had a great time. He skipped my turn (although there is still debate about who skipped who’s turn to this day!), but we have been laughing together ever since. A few weeks into the school year, I got his number from a friend and asked him on a date, and here we are eleven years later.”

What made you choose Saphire Estate? “Ben actually found the micro wedding package. I’ve always loved the idea of a small, intimate wedding and Saphire Estate checked off all the boxes. We kept going back and forth about what exactly to do with our wedding, as we had only just gotten engaged on July 15, 2020, but the pandemic definitely complicated our plans. We booked a tour and we both fell in love with the venue, and we ended up booking 10/10/20. We loved the grounds and that it had so many different backdrops for photos. We had been to a wedding at the Villa in the past so we knew the food would be amazing, which was a priority for us. We also loved that a micro wedding still felt as special and grand as any other wedding at the Saphire Estate. We had looked at other venues offering more intimate events, but nothing felt special. With everything included in the package in addition to the venue itself, it was an easy decision. We also loved that we were the only wedding on site.”

What was it like working with SEG throughout your planning process? “It was an extremely smooth process. We booked the venue in August so it was a quick turnaround for us, but our Event Producer handled everything and made our vision come to life. We were also pleased that we were still able to enjoy the typical wedding planning experiences, including a food tasting, which other venues were not offering.”

What was it like celebrating your wedding day with the restrictions at the time? “I was surprised at how normal everything felt. We actually loved the smaller guest count because we felt like we got to enjoy spending time with all of our guests. The room was arranged perfectly so that you didn’t really notice the lack of a dance floor. It was also fun to see how people matched their masks to their outfits! I think the biggest takeaway we got from our guests was that it was so nice to have something to celebrate during such a difficult year.”