Leigh Warrington & Eric Kester
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
January 3, 2015
Boston Public Library
Boston, Massachusetts
You could say Leigh Warrington and Eric Kester’s relationship is an open book. The couple’s literary history dates back to their college years, when Leigh, a Boston University undergrad, noticed a humorous column Eric had written for the Harvard Crimson. “Eric is a very talented writer, and not everyone can make people laugh the way he does,” Leigh says. “I poked him on Facebook, and it just kind of went from there.” Four years later, Eric began writing That Book about Harvard: Surviving the World’s Most Famous University, One Embarrassment at a Time, a memoir about his undergrad days that he says Leigh encouraged him to write. “Having Leigh to go home to every night really helped me pursue the harder moments,” he says of the writing process.
After getting engaged on a private boat in Nantucket, the couple didn’t have to look hard to find their wedding venue: the Boston Public Library, the very place where Eric had logged long hours writing his manuscript years earlier. “The library represented a lot of different aspects of our relationship that I really value,” Eric says.
And so it came to be that on a snowy January evening, the couple exchanged vows before 150 guests in the Abbey Room adjacent to Bates Hall. The ceremony featured readings from the works of some of their favorite authors, including Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro. “It felt personal to us and the chapter of our lives that we’ve [started] together,” Leigh says.
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
Many of Leigh’s relatives and friends traveled from Toronto, her hometown, to attend the celebration. At the end of the night, guests bid the couple farewell by waving mini American and Canadian flags as a nod to their origins.
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
The stamps on the couple’s library-card-themed save-the-dates signified important milestones, including their birthdays, dating anniversary, and the day Eric’s book was published.
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
To enhance the natural beauty of Bates Hall, Leigh chose “modest and simple” winter flowers for the tables.
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
Dana Markos Events decorated the library staircases with candles, magnolia leaves, and old books purchased from an antiques shop co-owned by Eric’s mother.
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
In honor of Eric’s favorite baseball team, guests enjoyed mini Fenway Franks during cocktail hour.
Photograph by kate mcelwee and joshua behan for kate mcelwee photography
The bride and groom served carrot cake topped with custom-made book-page flowers from the Etsy retailer With Love & Petals, which also created the boutonnieres and corsages.
The File
Band Night Shift
Books North Bridge Antiques
Boutonnieres and Corsages With Love & Petals
Bride’s Dress J.Crew
Bride’s Shoes Jimmy Choo
Bridesmaid Dresses The Dessy Group
Catering The Catered Affair
Ceremony Music Handel + Haydn Society
Florist Dana Markos Events
Makeup Lauren Vancheri
Menswear Ralph Lauren
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