James and Gabriella met at college during freshman orientation and after navigating their realtionship throughout college they finally settled in Massachusetts and got married at the stunning Saphire Estates.

How they met

"James and I met in college in Geneva, NY, which is a beautiful area in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. I had not even started my first day as a freshman when I met him during orientation. I decided to join the jazz ensemble so that I could see him more. I play piano and he plays saxophone. Our relationship really blossomed from there. We navigated many years of college fun, a few years of difficult long-distance as he graduated earlier than me and I did a semester abroad in the South of France, and finally planting our roots near where I grew up in Massachusetts."

The color scheme

"We chose ivory, black and gold as our color scheme. It was a no-brainer. We loved the vintage and classic look of black tuxes and I bend towards ivory more than white. Adding in touches of champagne gold throughout the day gave it a pop of elegance and all of our decor and florals were very under-stated yet rich and full."

Finding THE dress

"At first, the process was very difficult for me because I had a very specific vision of what I wanted. I've always adored fashion and appreciated luxurious fabrics, and I was set on choosing a simple, classic gown with a thick silk or mikado fabric with lots of construction. I was also set on wanting long sleeves, as I tend to wear long sleeves in all sorts of style all year, and with it being a colder month (late November) it just fit even more. My ideal bridal image was heavily inspired by my mom and my older cousins who were all the most beautiful brides I had ever seen. My grandmother and mom had long sleeves on their wedding gown and they looked so beautiful. My godmother's gown in 2004 was this beautiful thick, ivory mikado ballroom gown with a v neck and 3/4 in sleeves. It was so regal and wonderful on her. That's pretty much what I was envisioning for myself, until I started trying on gowns at my first appointment and noticed that my figure was getting lost in ballgowns and I came to adore the more fitted silhouettes more on myself. Once we narrowed that down, it then became very difficult to find the fabric and design I was looking for. I was so set on the fabric and was constantly being offered crepe or thin satin gowns at each and every bridal shop we went to. Although those gowns were beautiful and would work for a spring/summer/early fall wedding, it did not fit my vision and I was having trouble letting it go. We were just about to give up and go to a custom bridal gown maker, when my sister, Mom and I ventured out on a Friday night during a snowstorm to the local bridal shop in the town I grew up in. The stylist pulled this absolutely gorgeous gown with the exact fit and fabric I was looking for. When I tried it on, we all just knew. It had this beautiful off-the-shoulder look as well which I loved on myself. It looked like it was made for me and I couldn't keep a smile off my face. The bridal shop owner had nothing but amazing things to say of the designer and shared that they even offered custom sizing to ensure a better fit for the custom-made gown. I looked at the photos of me in the gown every single day leading up to the wedding. I was so excited to wear it. When the gown arrived 4 months later, it fit like a glove. There was just one thing that I couldn't get off my mind all year - that it didn't have long sleeves. Well fast-forward to not even 3 weeks before my wedding day, right before my first fitting appointment, that I saw this dress pop up on Antonio Gual's instagram page. It was my dress, BUT WITH SLEEVES! I gasped out loud and sent it to my mom and said can you believe this? I don't think the timing could have been more coincidental or perfect. So we showed up to my first fitting appointment with this vision in mind, and this seamstress was so in love with the idea. She sourced the most amazing silk fabric that matched the dress exactly. It looked like the dress had always been made with the sleeves. I couldn't have been happier. She used the fabric that was hemmed off the bottom of the dress to create a beautiful cuff at the bottom of the silk balloon sleeves."

The venue

"We got married at a beautiful Greek Orthodox Church in Braintree, MA and the reception was at the gorgeous Saphire Estate in Sharon, MA. We visited many amazing venues, but fell in love with the Saphire Estate the second we pulled in. It is so quaint, private and had everything we were looking for. The views of the lake were stunning and most importantly for my family, the food was made all fresh in-house and had raving reviews "