Earlier this week, Brenda & Joel knocked it out of the park with an intimate and romantic elopement at Christopher Columbus Park. The rabbi, the couple, and I met at 5:30 PM under the vine-covered tunnels (which we used as the Chuppah). With the blossoms at the park in full bloom, and the park overlooking the ocean, Brenda and Joel couldn't have chosen a more beautiful location.
The ceremony followed the flow of a traditional Jewish ceremony, with the bride circling the groom 7 times, the rabbi reciting the blessings, and the groom breaking the glass. If you'd like to read more about Jewish wedding traditions, I highly recommend this article. It's incredible how every element of a Jewish wedding has an important and symbolic meaning; for instance, the Chuppah is a symbol of the home the couple will build together, and it's openness on all 4 sides symbolizes unconditional hospitality to all.
The ceremony concluded with the rabbi and the couple signing their marriage certificate and the Ketubah (marriage contract). To commemorate the ceremony taking place during the pandemic, the couple donned their matching face masks for a quick photo.
After the ceremony, we walked to the trees blossoming at the far side of Christopher Columbus Park. The sun already setting behind the tall skyscrapers of the boston skyline, the blossoms popped against the yellows of the setting sky.
This is one of my favorite photos from the elopement; it's so hard to find a time when you have no tourists in your photos during spring in Boston, as everyone comes out to watch the Boston Marathon. During their elopement, we had almost no spectators or even passersby. A silver lining to the dark cloud of COVID-19.
To catch the sunset, Brenda, Joel, Snowball, and I drove to Charlestown and used the Navy Yard Museum garden and patio for some sunkissed photos with the Boston skyline. Snowball, the couple's siamese kitten, stole the show. His blue eyes perfectly complemented the sky, buildings, and Joel's suit. Snowball, the indoor cat he is, couldn't figure out what was going on, and why he was being cuddled and cat-called (literally!), and in his confusion, his eyes crossed a few times. I think "cuteness overload: is the best way to describe these wedding photos.
Brenda put Snowball back in his bubble carrier, and I snapped a few more photos of the newlyweds as they kissed and danced. Turns out, Brenda has been dancing her whole life, and her dress was the perfect material for her to comfortably dance in. I was jealous - her dress looked more comfortable than my entire outfit, so I asked them to keep dancing, and Joel dipped her.
Afterwards, we sped off to the other end of the pier to grab some photos with the USS Constitution. Fun story: you can't drive into the Navy Yard, even for a hot minute. The guard was very amused at my attempt to sweet talk our cars through the gate as I tried to explain my couple was just married and we wanted to grab photos with the last of the sunset. We ended up parking in a rideshare lane and running in, Snowball in his bubble carrier in tow, to grab a few with Old Ironsides.
I can't get over how cute Snowball is... and how much he despised the whole experience.
For the last stop with the very last of the sunset, we drove our cars to Fan Pier and double parked in (I think) a tow zone. The buildings at Rose Wharf started turning their lights on, while the Tobin bridge caught the last of the sunset.
Joel popped a bottle of champagne and he and Brenda toasted to their new life together as husband and wife as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
If you're interested in eloping in the New England area and need some tips or would like a photographer to join your elopement, please reach out!