Emily & Alex’s Harvard Art Museum wedding in mid-September was an elegant black tie affair that embraced modern touches for a chic city soiree. They were married at Harvard’s Memorial Chapel and then they danced the night away at their beautiful reception held in the Harvard Art Museum. Emily & Alex are smart, kind, funny, and constantly cracking jokes together. They love to laugh and are incredibly thoughtful and this resulted in a wedding that included their loved ones all throughout the day.

Alex can’t keep his eyes off of Emily, and every time Emily locks eyes with Alex, she can’t help but smile. Both of them wear their hearts on their sleeves and the love they share is evident from the first moment you meet them. We did their engagement session in the spring at sunrise in the Boston Public Garden on a gorgeous morning and you can check out more of their engagement photos here.

The Proposal

Alex worked with Emily’s best friend in Washington DC to plan the perfect surprise proposal. Then her friend came up to Boston to help with the surprise on the day of, too! And both of their families were in on Alex’s plan, with Emily’s sister even flying in from London. Emily went out to lunch with her sisters and got her nails done while Alex was prepping the spot at the top of Telegraph Hill in Southie where he planned to pop the question.

For the proposal itself, they were on their way to dinner with Emily’s family when Alex, somewhat curiously, had their Uber stop at Telegraph Hill. Emily quickly realized what was going on as Alex led her up steps lined with framed photos of the two of them to the top of the hill and a great view of the city. Alex got down on one knee right there and asked Emily to marry him! After an initial celebration together, they headed to dinner where the final surprise was that BOTH of their families were waiting to celebrate with them!

Getting Ready at The Taj & Beacon XV

Emily and the ladies got ready at The Taj Hotel in a beautiful corner suite with lots of natural light. Alex and the guys prepped across the Public Garden at Beacon XV. And it was so sweet to see both Mom’s involved in helping their children get ready. Emily and Alex exchanged notes and gifts prior to their first look as well. They each made the other smile and fight back a few happy tears. Then, as Emily was about to get into her dress, it began to rain – a lot. Luckily, we had discussed a rain plan and so we just rolled with it!

First Look at MIT

We made a game time decision to go with our rain plan because a surprise set of showers popped up about 20 minutes before we were scheduled to do their first look – but it didn’t faze them at all – they were simply so excited to get married and our planning ahead for rain paid off! I think we were all secretly really excited about the rain plan and even more so when we arrived at MIT and saw the soft beautiful light and crisp cream columns that became our backdrop for portraits. We began with a private first look between Emily and Alex. Alex started to tear up as soon as he saw Emily. It was such a sweet moment and she was truly a vision with the biggest smile on her face at the sight of Alex.

After a few minutes together, we took some couples portraits and then rolled into bridal party and family photos. The bright cranberry dresses that the ladies wore, the florals with hints of red and blush, and the black tuxes on the guys all popped against the neutral cream classic architecture of the columns. But what was truly the best was how every single person was genuinely happy, upbeat, and positive the entire time. It was such a pleasure to work with this group because they were so joyful and fun!

Harvard Art Museum Wedding Ceremony at Memorial Church

They tied the knot at Harvard’s Memorial Church in a beautiful ceremony. Emily and her dad were so sweet together in the moments before he walked her down the aisle. He helped her with her dress and teared up in their final few moments alone together. These pre-ceremony moments are some of my all-time favorite between father and daughter. That’s why I love to have my second photographer hang back with the bride. They’re able to capture the emotion and canid interactions that happen during this time. I love the moments my second for the day Hannah Cochran, captured of Emily and her dad.

The ceremony itself was emotional, full of joy and some laughter, and incredibly sweet. Emily and Alex had loved ones do readings and present the gifts for communion, adding a personal touch to every part of the ceremony. And they couldn’t have been happier as they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife! We took a few family photos at the church before heading to the Harvard Art Museum for their wedding reception!

Harvard Art Museum Wedding Reception

Once we arrived at the Harvard Art Museum, we immediately went to the front steps for some more photos because Emily and Alex loved the architecture there and had set up some pretty lanterns and candles at the entrance that they wanted to make sure were incorporated into photos. We were racing the sunset after the ceremony, but I love that this little bonus portrait session ended up giving them a really diverse yet cohesive set of images. Then we went to explore the galleries at the art museum and take a few photos with some famous pieces of artwork!

One of the coolest things about getting married at the Harvard Art Museum, besides the space itself being absolutely beautiful, is that the couple can head into the museum early for portraits in the galleries. And then during cocktail hour, all of their guests can stroll through the galleries, enjoying the art on display. I’m a huge fan of the impressionists so the portrait we took in that gallery may be my favorite. But I also loved the series we took in front of a tall thin Jackson Pollock piece!

Emily and Alex had a truly elegant and beautiful black tie affair. But they are also so full of joy and so fun-loving that nothing about their day felt stuffy or overly formal. They threw a great party with the band keeping the dance floor packed. They even brought out fun sunglasses and glow-in-the-dark necklaces during dancing! Alex works for Sam Adams so they made sure to have some on offer to guests throughout the reception. And Emily loves cake so they had they had an array of cakes for guests to choose from. It was such a wonderful day witnessing their love and celebrating alongside them. Congratulations you two! XOXO