Intimate Cambridge Massachusetts Wedding Harvard Square Upstairs on the Square

Today’s gorgeous wedding from New England wedding photographer Zac Wolf Photography is a gift. It is a gift to every couple who loves the idea of a wedding but not the fuss surrounding bigger affairs, who feel that a more intimate wedding might be just the right speed! Lauren Richards & Ethan Walsh wanted to embrace their Cambridge Massachusetts surroundings, having a Harvard Square wedding before the couple relocated to California. In effort to minimalism the chaos that can be designing & decorating a venue from scratch, the couple opted for the uniquely cool Upstairs on the Square filled with hot pink & zebras, not necessarily in the same breath! As the venue has a sense of 1920’s art deco flair, the couple took the design cue & ran with it featuring an art deco inspired wedding invitation to featuring a specialty cocktail of a Grapefruit Gimlet, a classic back when. To round out the 20’s vibe, Lauren connected a stunning Jenny Packham gown, a designer who specializes in all things elegant & glamorous. Lauren & Ethan’s wedding is a lovely testament to the fact that it is not always quantity but the quality and above all the spirit of love!

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Novella of the Bride…

Wedding Buzzwords ~ Art Deco, Vintage, Festive, Whimsical, Celebratory, Informal, & Ethereal
Specialty Cocktail ~ Grapefruit Gimlet inspired by the 1920’s with St. Germain liquor

I (Lauren) am an expressive art therapist and Ethan is an oil painter. We met while I was bartending and getting my masters degree – talking about art work across the bar. We lost touch for a few years but ran into each other again randomly at the bar we originally met at. I challenged Ethan to a game of Connect Four, and we stayed and talked for 8 hours that night. After our first date we were inseparable. Ethan proposed one day while I was home sick from work already giving meaning to the vow – in sickness and in health.

I think the look and feel of the wedding evolved as we found things we loved. Since we knew we were moving to California at the end of the year we wanted to have a very Cambridge wedding in Harvard Square in the Fall.  The venue, Upstairs on the Square, was our first choice because having such a wonderfully decorated restaurant made creating ambiance and the fun but classy feeling for the wedding much easier. The venue set some of the tone. We chose Cambridge MA, Harvard Square in the Fall because we have such great times there together. It’s a fun environment and nice place to see for people from out of town.   My maid of honor and sister in law Rebecca helped so much with the venue choice. Having had a wedding in the hills of VT she knew it was a lot of work to create a space from scratch and had seen a couple getting married at Upstairs on the Square recently and thought it would be a great place. We loved the space right away because it has a fun, exciting and artistic feel with amazing lighting. The food was always fabulous there as well. We really wanted for it to just be a celebration without feeling overly formal and it was just the place.

Our invitations were done by a friend and local artist James Weinberg who picked up on the art deco style of Upstairs on the Square with the chevron on the informal invitation as well as the pink, magenta and gold colors.  I immediately fell in love with Jenny Packham’s dresses, having always loved the art deco and vintage style. It was a really perfect moment finding the dress. I wish I could wear it all the time. The Haute Bride headpiece made me feel really glamorous and allowed me to keep my hair simple. The necklace was a vintage piece I found on Etsy, and I loved bringing in a little green in. My Maid of Honor and sister in law’s dress by Sue Wong went along with the art deco theme with fun ostrich feathers on the bottom half. I like that her dress was a fun, black cocktail dress.

The floral arrangements were both traditional with red and white roses to compliment the gown and whimsical with magenta orchids on the tables to compliment the fun aspect of Upstairs on the Square. The table arrangements were potted orchids so the guests could take them with them as a memento of the wedding and also so the flowers did not go to waste. It’s really nice to go to our friends houses and see the orchids from the wedding along with the photo strips from the photo booth. The fairy lights and very full mantle was an important touch for me since the mantle was where we had our vows. I feel like lighting is important. The next important piece was the Photo Booth and DJ to add an element of fun to the wedding. Other than the first dance and the cake cutting there were no traditional moments to the reception which had passed hors d’ouerves and stations, so the Photo Booth and awesome DJ D’Hana kept the party going. We wanted the reception to just be about celebrating instead of the other usual formalities. I also am really thankful that we had Zac Wolf as the photographer. Not only were his photos and albums absolutely amazing but he also was incredibly helpful on the day of, supportive, positive, and incredibly helpful with keeping us on time. He was practically an event planner on the day of. We can’t thank him enough. I’m so glad I have wonderful photos to look back on because the moments went by so quickly.

A Little Help From Their Friends ~ My sister in law and maid of honor, Rebecca Walsh, was an incredible help the entire way. She helped find the venue, the dress and supported me through all of the many details. My mom, Joyce Dianni helped with the all of the details as well, especially the accessorizing. She also gave me the six pence for my shoe as the old saying goes. My husbands parents, Lili and Gene Walsh helped with the venue, food and wine choices as well. My mother in law, Lili also found the perfect vintage cake topper, a gift we will always truly love. My friends Laurie and Blake Moskowitz helped with the floral arrangements and James Weinberg made incredible invitations. Honestly so many of our friends and family supported every moment in so many ways and all of the vendors we used were amazing.

Favorite Moments: “I can’t pick one….Walking down the isle and seeing Ethan was amazing. Our vows and first kiss and hug after the vows when were announced husband and wife. Our first dance was also a very special moment. We danced to Mazzy Star’s Fade into You.”

Vendor Love

Intimate Cambridge Massachusetts Wedding In Harvard Square’s Upstairs on the Square