Annie & Ben
“He came up with a secret phrase in case the date wasn’t going well. Turns out he didn’t need it. ”
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
This month we explore love in the time of COVID. When their plans for a large wedding with a venue fell through, Annie & Ben pivoted and created the micro wedding of their dreams. Read all about their intimate celebration below.
How did you two meet?
Like so many millennials we met on Tinder. We had been chatting for a few days and decided to grab a drink after work. I lived in Somerville at the time and Ben was in Brighton, so I suggested we meet at a bar in Cambridge. I was thirty minutes late (I was enjoying ramen at the newly opened Little Big Diner) and luckily Ben waited and passed the time playing darts with the bartender. He came up with a secret phrase in case the date wasn't going well. Turns out he didn't need it. We spent the next couple hours uncovering how much we had in common and how on our next date we needed to find [a place] with better beer for Ben.
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
“we waited until the last possible moment to make the decision to cancel our planned 130 person wedding and have an intimate backyard wedding at Annie’s sisters house.”
What was planning the wedding like?
One of the biggest decisions we had to make was how big we wanted our wedding to be. I was leaning towards a smaller wedding but Ben knew he wanted all of his friends and family to be there, so we did our best to make sure our closest [loved ones] were there. We wanted a [mostly] outdoor space with great food and music in the Boston area.
At first we were looking at farms and outdoor venues such as parks and nature reserves, but then learned how much we had to bring in to an outdoor space to put a wedding together, sometimes even toilets! We ended up finding a perfect, small hotel right in Boston that had an outdoor courtyard and a fun, Cuban vibe.
“we ordered pizza and salads for dinner from a local pizza shop and our niece and friend made cupcakes and a strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert to go with our ice cream”
Then, right before we were going to send out our wedding invites COVID happened. We knew we didn't want to reschedule our wedding so we waited until the last possible moment to make the decision to cancel our planned 130 person wedding and have an intimate backyard wedding at Annie's sisters house.
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Live music was an initial priority when we were planning our wedding. We started taking a more alternative route and talked to bands that don't typically play weddings but soon realized we needed someone more reliable and who had at least some wedding experience.
I think we found SpeechLess on the Knot or another wedding site, and noticed they were based in Brighton down the street from us, had great reviews, a variety of music options, and were fairly priced. We started communicating with SpeechLess and the level of professionalism and options they provided helped us make our decision to hire them, they were really into our reggae style wedding we had initially planned! When COVID hit and we completely changed our wedding format the string trio was still willing to safely play on our wedding day.
Do you have a musical background?
Yes, music is a huge part of our lives. Ben has been to so many live concerts that he can't keep track (except for the 36 Phish shows), and was thrilled to bring me along for the ride! We've also shared lots of new artists with one another that helped expand our music tastes. In addition to being big fans of other peoples' music, we can each play some mediocre guitar in the living room.
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Describe your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception
Every aspect of the wedding was outside in my sisters’ backyard. All of our vendors were so accommodating!
We had a tent in case of rain from Backyard Tent Rental for the ceremony. [They were] fantastic. Everything looked perfect and professional, and [they] even let us add on a tent two days before our wedding.
Our photographer, Andrea, from Kelsey Photography was incredible. She was so flexible with our schedule leading up to the day and captured every moment.
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
The cocktail hour was combined with the reception and we ordered pizza and salads for dinner from a local pizza shop and our niece and friend made cupcakes and a strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert to go with our ice cream.
Our flower vendor, Lancaster Gardens provided beautiful bouquets that represented the late Spring season. [They placed] potted plants to put in front of our chuppah, and delivered and set everything up that morning.
The SpeechLess [ensemble] was a string trio without vocals. All the songs were instrumental versions, which was another unique and creative part of the music.
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
THE SOUNDTRACK
Walked down the aisle to… Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles
Recessional… Walking on Sunshine / Katrina & the Waves
First dance song… Is This Love / Bob Marley
THE VENDORS
Venue / Private Residence
Catering / Annie & Ben’s Niece
Photography / Kelsey Studio Photography
Florals / Lancaster Gardens
Music / SpeechLess
Rentals / Backyard Tent Rental
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Studio
THANK YOU Annie & Ben! We loved working with you and had a blast putting together your reggae style soundtrack. We always love when couples make things personal, and fun and that’s exactly what you did.
If we’ve worked with you and you’d like to be featured, please email us at booking@speechlessmusic.com
With a culinary background and an eye on etiquette, Peral Farquharson brings every part of her unique identity to her business, Designed by Delsie. Pearl talks to us about the mistakes she sees couples make when planning their wedding, and her take on navigating tricky family dynamics.