Scrapbook: Delia & Matthew
A local bride tells us what made her day so special.
IF THERE’S ONE THING WE’VE LEARNED, AFTER PUTTING TOGETHER ISSUE after issue of Elegant Wedding, it’s that every bride out there likes to know what other brides out there are doing. And why not? It’s a chance to notice trends, get ideas for your own wedding—and best of all, when it’s a bride who lives near you, see what fabulous things area vendors are up to, and maybe even find some favorites to book for your Big Day.
So here in this section are three beautiful Boston-area weddings. And while every celebration is different, they all have one thing in comon: Each couple created a wedding that was truly about them, their relationship and the life they plan to live together. You’ll see.
WHEN DELIA FINNIE PLANNED A VACATION in the Turks and Caicos islands in the spring of 2002, it was supposed to be a getaway with the girls. But while she was there, she met Matthew Liepins. Coincidentally, both Matthew and Delia lived in Boston, and not long after their tropical vacation, they and their friends met for happy hour at the Black Rhino. Matthew asked Delia out to dinner for the very next evening—and that was just the beginning.
A romantic, two-day proposal weekend three years later included a Red Sox game and an evening Boston Pops performance at Tanglewood—and was followed with Matthew offering his hand to Delia at the top of the famous Marriott’s Custom House, a Boston landmark Delia has always loved. “He took me up to the observation deck,” she says, “and you could see from there the Black Rhino where he first asked me out.”
The intricately planned proposal set the tone for the couple’s wedding at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Southborough-based floral designer Nancy Vargas, owner of Le Jardin Blanc, took the couple’s New England fall theme and wove it throughout the decor, using color (orange and chocolate brown), gentle lighting, accent details (amber glass coupled with aged metal) and, of course, flowers (a vast array of mandarin orange calla lilies, orchids, zinnias, roses and tulips) to bring it all together. A tiny maple leaf motif worked its way into the invitations, menus and favors. Each guest brought home Hauser Chocolates truffles from The Gift Cottage in Bethel, Connecticut, Matthew’s hometown.
Extra fabric from Delia’s dress was wrapped around the stem of her bouquet. “And there were these little brown leaves in my bouquet,” she says. Even the ring bearer’s pillow tied into the overall theme—Vargas created an untraditional ring-holder of orange chrysanthemums and chocolate-brown ribbons. And to bring the couple full circle—through their first date, the proposal and the wedding day—Matthew and Delia were photographed at an archway at the hotel with the Custom House in the background.
All of these details, though, were overpowered by what Delia says was one of the most memorable moments of the day. “When the doors opened and Matthew was standing there, I literally just focused on him and no one else,” she says. “I remember holding on to him so tight. I couldn’t believe the day was actually here. All of this planning, all of this waiting to marry this wonderful man and it was finally here.”