At This Worcester Wedding, Guests Wore Rainbow Accessories and Ate Doughnut Cake
The confections spelled out "love is love."
July 6, 2019
The White Room at Crompton Collective
Worcester, Massachusetts
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
THE STORY
Olivia D’Ambrosio and Rachel Scanlon met on Match.com in 2017. “I had really dedicated myself to finding somebody,” Olivia recalls. “Online dating is the worst, but I’d always tell myself it just takes one person.” Eventually, Olivia messaged Rachel. They chatted back and forth for about a week, and Olivia liked Rachel instantly, she says. On the way to their first date to see a community theater play in Lynn, Olivia called her grandmother. “I said, ‘I have a good feeling about this one.'” She was right—the date was a success.
By Thanksgiving, both ladies knew they wanted to get married. On a trip to Rhode Island, they stopped at a jeweler in Providence to take a peek at rings. Rachel found an antique band that she loved, but wasn’t quite ready to purchase. So they left the ring behind—or so Rachel thought. On a snowy day in January, after the two woke up and snuggled with their dog, Rusty, Olivia pulled out the ring, which she’d returned to the shop to buy without Rachel. “I said, ‘This is my favorite time, when you, me, and Rusty are hanging out, and I hope we’ll have this for a long, long time. I’d like to know if you’d marry me,'” Olivia recalls. Rachel’s response? “No, no, I’m supposed to ask you today!” As it turns out, Rachel had also planned to propose that day. So a few hours after she said ‘Yes’ to Olivia, Rachel popped the question, too, with a ring and a pair of white high-top sneakers.
By summer 2018, Olivia says she and Rachel were becoming “a bit nervous about the state of the country and marriage equality.” So to take a stand, they decided to elope right away. “We reached out to our families and said, ‘We know we want to be married and it’s unlikely that our rights will be jeopardized, but we would feel a lot better if we just got married [now],'” Olivia recalls. So with their families’ support, they eloped privately on a beach in Provincetown. Then they spent the next year planning a 200-guest celebration, where they’d affirm their commitment to each other and also to the community of Worcester, where they’d recently moved. They prioritized local, female-led vendors, and found the perfect venue—the White Room at Crompton Collective—within walking distance of their condo. On the day of the wedding, the couple had “an absolute blast,” Rachel says. “I used to think people who said this were totally full of it,” Olivia adds, “but it really was the best day of my life.”
THE DETAILS
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
“We said the dress code was ‘black-tie optional, rainbow accessories encouraged,’ and people loved it,” Olivia says. For her wedding-day look, Rachel incorporated the theme in the form of a pair of colorful heels.
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
The couple had their first look at one of Olivia’s favorite shops: Seed to Stem boutique, located in the same building as their venue.
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
The brides’ shiplap, flower-adorned altar, provided by the venue, later became a backdrop for their photo booth.
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
Peppers Artful Events created Olivia and Rachel’s bar area, where bartenders poured ales from woman-led and Worcester-based Redemption Rock Brewing Co.
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
While wedding planning, Rachel discovered limited-edition cans of this House Wine sparkling rosé at a local liquor store. Olivia reached out to the company, which donates a part of the proceeds from each sale to the Human Rights Campaign, to see if they could get enough to gift as favors at their celebration. “They gave us five cases for the price of like four, and shipped it to us,” Olivia says.
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
Rachel and Olivia’s reception featured white, grey, and yellow décor with touches of industrial flair, such as the cinder block planters Rachel purchased and spray-painted for the occasion.
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
In lieu of cake, the brides served doughnuts from Rhode Island shop Allie’s Donuts, which Rachel’s family frequents for birthdays and on Christmas. In addition to a rainbow doughnut wall, they also used the confections to spell out “Love is Love.”
Photo by Cyndi Lu Photography
Olivia and Rachel had their first dance to Lauryn Hill’s version of “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You.” Since neither enjoys the being the center of attention, they only danced for “about 35 seconds,” Rachel says. Though it was “the best 35 seconds” of her life, she adds.
THE FILE
Beer Redemption Rock Brewing Co.
Caterer Peppers Artful Events
Doughnuts Allie’s Donuts
DJ Sound Choice Events
Flowers AP Studio
Hair Studio Giorgi
Makeup Make-up by Kimberly
Photographer Cyndi Lu Photography
Pizza Antonio’s Pizza By The Slice
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