REAL WEDDING | Romantic Secret Garden Meets Rustic Lodge in Massachusetts | Keith Berry | Pretty Pear Bride

REAL WEDDING | Romantic Secret Garden Meets Rustic Lodge in Massachusetts | Keith Berry

Today’s rustic lodge wedding in Massachusetts is so amazing! I just love all the little touches the bride and her mother came up with including the all the decor choices, antique windows for seating chart, wishing tree. They fit perfectly with the venue. I also loved her custom wedding gown. It’s nothing more amazing than a bride who knows exactly what she wants and if she can’t find it she creates it. LOVE!

Maura & Russell

Tell us about your wedding: Romantic, Lodge inspired, Whimsical, Etheral, Winter is coming, November, Fireplaces, Greenery, Candles, Florals, Secret Garden Wedding! Those words are how I would describe my special day. I had been engaged for 2 1/2 years and have a flair for details as I have an event planning background. I bought my whimsical shoes and bridesmaids dresses before I even had a gown. I saw my vision and found a perfect pairing of my love for antiques and romance mixed with my love for winter, fireplaces and sparkles. My vision came to life through my custom gown made with Juliette sleeves. I refused to settle for a dress that “wasn’t me” so I found a seamstress that also saw my vision for a perfect gown fit for a queen that I simply slipped into (even if I had 7 spankx on!) like it was “made for me”. Liliana, my seamstress, made my dreams come true in that gown. I took my 8 bridesmaids shopping for the perfect mix of mismatch blush * rose quart gowns to accompany my whimsical fantasy. I am an only child and my friends are so important to me, I wanted them all to feel like the bride on my special day so it was important they loved their gowns as much as I loved mine. Russell, my fiance, wore a custom midnight navy tuxedo with black satin lapels from indochino. It was perfection. My venue looked like an old hunting lodge. Copper accents, fireplaces in every room and ornate murals. At first I wasn’t crazy about a mural that was a statement piece above the ballroom fireplace but the more I looked it at, the more I realized it was so me! A man and a woman riding off into the sunset in a horse and carriage! Russ and I were those people in the painting…we just didn’t know it yet! We had a wishing tree where our family hung well wishes for us on a twinkling birch tree. We made a donation to a nonprofit I helped to establish for my friend who lost his battle to leukemia in lieu of favors. We had thank you notes paired with greenery at every seat, a gelato bar and an assortment of Italian pastries as well as an espresso bar! We did a Venitian hour. (a venetian: The basis of the Venetian table is a Sicilian tradition called the “Venetian Hour,” which is a dessert course that offers pastries, fruit, cakes and coffee). Our signature cocktail was a caramel apple mimosa which was enjoyed by guests as they warmed themselves by the 3 fireplaces! Me and hubby are now trying to choose the best freestanding fireplace for our own place because of how lovely it was for people to sit around and drink cocktails! Antique windows, I found while on my many shopping trips, was the focal point for guests names. I LOVED MY FLORIST SO MUCH! A beautiful array of amnesia roses and greenery. Loose fairly like boutiques that looked like they were just picked from a garden…the queens garden of course! Simply stunning blooms!! She strung greenery on the wooden posts and beams which were only enhances by the Amber uplighting! (Amber is perfect for selfies!!) My mother and I did a “mother daughter dance” as it has been just the two of us! I did not want it to be too serious so we danced to the MOM Song by Meghan Trainor. It was perfect!

Wedding Colors: Blush, rose quart, rose gold

How did the two of you meet? The way Russ and Maura met is still a civilized argument…. Russ believes Maura and himself met freshman year at Southern New Hampshire University in Introduction to Communication. Maura insists they met freshman year in Introduction to Public Speaking. However, they can both agree on the fact they set eyes on each other at Southern New Hampshire University in 2008 freshman year! Maura and Russ were friends throughout college. Seeing each other in classes, the library and at an occasional party (or many parties) mostly at Russ’s apartment on campus! Their friendship evolved over the years but it wasn’t until Maura’s car ran out of gas during one of the largest snow storms on campus that their friendship may have begun to be a little more. As senior year came to an end, also known as the “best year of their lives!” Russ and Maura vacationed with their classmates to Disney! Whether it was the Florida heat, way too many alcoholic beverages or magic dust sprinkled by Tinkerbell…a spark was ignited!

Describe your engagement: My parents were divorced when I was 8. My father was a local politician in my town but had a dark past of drinking and abuse. He gave me up when I was 9 and sealed my parents divorce documents to mask the truth about the man he was. For years I felt I was in a snow globe and any mention of my father on the local TV station, or bumper sticker with his name would shake all of the plastic pieces and disrupt the glass enclosure. I only had a few “good” memories with my father. I remember them so vividly because they were so rare. One of my favorites was visiting the New England Aquarium. I was in a trance when I watched the water. Holding my father’s hand and taking my time studying each fish, gill and movement they made. I remember never wanting that day to end. It felt normal. Like our relationship was as perfect as the dance Myrtle the Turtle did as she glided so effortlessly through the water. Russ and I are adventurous, although I admit I am much more of a chicken. We’ve traveled to tropical islands, skydived, snowmobiled, windsurfed but we never visited

Photography: Keith Berry | Venue: Tewksbury Country Club | Bridal Attire Designer: Ashley Justin from Marry and Tux Bridal | Wedding Stationery: Emerald Invitations | Wedding Favors: Donation to Friends of Chris Lynch (nonprofit I founded for my friend who passed from Leukemia) and DOVE (domestic violence organization for women) | Hair Stylist: Stephanie McCaughin | Makeup Artist: Kelli Mae Patterson | Rentals: Les Fleurs | Caterer: Tewksbury Country Club, Black Tie Expresso | Transportation: Black Tie Limo | Jewelry: Kendra Scott, Santisi & Bove |

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Shafonne Myers is a certified wedding and event planner who longed for bridal inspiration that looked like her. She has created a website and magazine that brings bridal inspiration to plus size brides. She does speaking engagements educating the world about plus size brides and self confidence.
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