Real Wedding: Catherine Winfield & Will Walker
Draw inspiration from their stylish celebration.
May 13, 2017
MIT’s Samberg Conference Center
Cambridge, Massachusetts
The bride and groom had their first look on the roof deck of the Samberg Conference Center. / Erica Ferrone Photography
THE STORY
Catherine Winfield, an MIT architecture alum, and Will Walker, a researcher at the school’s Design Lab, met through Tinder in 2014—but it seemed logical that they’d cross paths one day no matter what.
“In the app, we had a huge number of connections,” Catherine says. “We knew Boston’s tech community was tightly woven between MIT and all the companies started around the area. We had lots of mutual friends and could quiz them!”
Before their first date, Catherine called a fellow MIT grad who worked with Will and asked for the scoop. “She told me he was very nice and always smiling,” she recalls. For their third date, they attended a shared pal’s birthday bash. “We had this huge laugh, [since we were both already] planning to go to the same party,” Will says. “We’d probably been in the same room plenty of times.” And now they’ll spend their lives together.
Fittingly, the pair said “I do” at MIT, inside the school’s recently opened Samberg Conference Center overlooking the Charles. Accentuating the stunning view were the couple’s crafty DIY touches, from handmade green-and-gold beeswax candles to bouquets with calla and Easter lilies, monstera, hydrangeas, ivy, peonies, and ranunculus. “The drama of the flowers gave it the sculpture we wanted, the geometric angle,” says Catherine, the architecture expert. Her now-husband couldn’t agree more. “Catherine knows how to make things in a beautiful way,” he says. “We come from a background of making. We like to make things, and we like to make things together.”
THE DETAILS
The couple’s creative spirit carried through to their self-made invitations, sealed with a wax stamp purchased in Florence, Italy, where they got engaged.
The ceremony showcased a sculpture unique to the MIT Chapel, with the metallic elements reflecting the sun pouring in from a skylight above.
With so many mutual MIT connections, Catherine and Will seemed destined to say “I do” there.
“Working together to create all the small details of our day was the ultimate manifestation of our marriage,” Catherine says of the couple’s largely DIY nuptials.
Sleek black-and-white escort cards echoed the wedding’s sculptural look.
The calla lily and monstera arrangements elevated the drama of the Samberg Conference Center’s event space, framing the Boston skyline beyond.
The architectural theme even carried over to the bride’s Peter Langner gown, which featured a custom bodice.
THE FILE
Band Casey Williams, White Label Wedding DJs
Bride’s Gown Peter Langner, L’élite Bridal Boutique
Bridesmaid Dresses Milly
Cupcakes Sweet Bakery
Hair and Makeup Brian and Kelly Brady, Charlotte & Company
Menswear Calvin Klein
Pianist YiQiao Li
Planner Sarah Boisselle, Fleur Events
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