Gabriella & James

Gabriella and James’ timeless November wedding at Saphire Estate was the epitome of New England charm. From keeping warm in Gabriella’s iconic fur coat, to incorporating their love for music with instrument cake toppers, no detail went unnoticed for this elegant estate wedding in Sharon, Massachusetts.

From the Bride & Groom:

“We met at Hobart & William Smith Colleges on the quad during orientation! I was a first-year and wanted to get involved with music somehow on campus, so my orientation leader introduced me to his musical friend James! This sounds cheesy but from the moment we met, it just felt like it was the beginning of something big. 

There was a talent show happening the next night at the local auditorium, and James was dressing up as the mascot (yes, cheesy, I know). James ran up the side of the aisle where I was sitting and pretended to propose to me in front of everyone! This was the SECOND day we had known each other. 

I later joined the Jazz Ensemble and we spent the first couple months of our friendship/relationship getting to know each other at Jazz Ensemble practice. The rest is history. 

James proposed at Anthony Road Wine Company on Seneca Lake, NY on the bridge in a beautiful garden. I worked there in college and it was a very special place to me. I truly had NO idea it was coming. James then took me to a world-renowned restaurant called the F.L.X. Table for dinner where we enjoyed nine courses and wine pairings along with other company to celebrate! That was truly one of the best days of our lives.

We started looking for Massachusetts wedding venues on the North Shore because we wanted to get married at our church in Andover, MA, and possibly get ready at my parents house in Andover, but there were no good matches for the venue. When we opened up our search in Massachusetts and saw Saphire Estate on the South Shore, it was love at first sight. We loved how private it was and that it was secluded near the beautiful Lake Massapoag.

I always wanted to emphasize elegance and simplicity with vintage tones in the color scheme. This meant lots of ivory, white, black and gold. We used lots of gold mirrors and gold contemporary boxes and frames as a setting behind white roses, ranunculus and hydrangea.

Our bridesmaids wore satin mismatched dresses from Jenny Yoo in pale gold. Our groomsmen wore classic black tuxes from Clothing from Italy located in Boston.

One of the most unique things about our wedding day were the ways we tied in our love for music. James and I both have a vast love for cinematic and soundtrack music — across many genres — so we chose our absolute favorite pieces and used those for the prelude. I kept the bridal party piece and my entrance piece as a surprise, but these were “Transformation” and “Life of a Bird” from the film “The Crimson Wing” played by the Cinematic Orchestra and London Metropolitan Orchestra. They are absolutely beautiful.

Another way we tied in our love for music was that our cake toppers were a gold saxophone and a golden piano. These were also our respective instruments that we played as part of the jazz ensemble for two years in college. 

Working with Saphire Event Group was very fun and easy. My parents were a big part of the planning process too and felt very much included in all of the planning meetings that took place! Planning the wedding was an overall really positive experience and Saphire Event Group was a big part of that! Food is very important to us as a family and it was incredible how delicious everything was during both the food tastings and the wedding itself.”

If Gabriella & James had to give their best piece of wedding advice it would be…

 “Never stop adventuring together. Since our wedding, we’ve embarked on an amazing honeymoon to St. Lucia, and trained and ran the Boston marathon together!  Doing these big things keeps the liveliness of your relationship alive and creates new memories.”

Vendors:
Venue: Saphire Estate
Florist: The Tangled Web
Videographer: Shutter & Sound
Cake: The Icing on the Cake
Entertainment: Meritage Entertainment
Transportation: Roman Limousine
Accomodations: Marriott Boston Quincy