Megan & Justin

A Cape Cod wedding conjures up such romantic images in my mind- being so exposed to American culture, today’s exquisite wedding is none of those things. It’s so much more. Megan and Justin’s beautiful Cape Cod wedding was a week long celebration that had their friends and family pitching in during the day, and catching up together at night. It stayed true to their personal way of living, but also added a strength to the relationships with their loved ones.

Megan recalls how they met. “Justin and I met in Boston while we were both working at Partners In Health, which is a non-profit organization that provides health care in developing countries.  Our first date was two days after I had run a marathon, and Justin had to premedicate me with horse-pill-sized pain relievers just so I could muster up the strength to leave my desk.”

Photos are by Christian Gideon Photography who has captured the soul of today’s wedding- the moments, the emotion and the beauty.

Megan and Justin hired a beautiful Cape Cod house for their wedding. Megan explains “Overbrook House is an old, rambling estate with nine bedrooms located on 20 acres of organic farmland.  We rented the house for a week so we could have a ‘base of operations’ for friends and family who were flying to Massachusetts from all over the world.  It’s right on Buzzard’s Bay, and there is also a pool, jogging paths, and a dance hall – it was the perfect low-key yet beautiful place where we could host the rehearsal, ceremony and reception.”

The wedding was made special because of the friends and family who lent a hand. Megan recalls “We honestly owe our lives to our friends and family for making our wedding possible.  My mother made our save-the-date postcards and Justin built a wedding website for us that we used instead of paper invitations.  My father baked our cupcakes and multiple friends pitched in with the endless frosting of them.  Everyone was so generous with their time and energy – from setting out chairs to making sangria, from washing dishes to singing during our ceremony.  Our wedding was truly a labor of love, and we feel so lucky to have such wonderfully generous and kind people in our lives.”

Justin wore a suit from Indochino and shoes from Cole Haan.

Megan wore a wedding gown from Saja. Megan’s friend & sister styled her hair and makeup and her friend Laura Szabo-Kubitz designed and made Megan’s jewels.

Megan and Justin made sure that their guests were accommodated every step of the way. Megan recalls, “Because so many people were coming from out of town, we wanted to create time for them to explore the area.  We purposefully had our ceremony late in the day on Saturday so that people could rent bicycles, sight see or travel around Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.  Later, I loved hearing about all the different adventures our guests had on their own.”

Megan and Justin both walked down the aisle to a song with much meaning to the couple. “We both walked down the aisle to “Sprawl II” by Arcade Fire.  The female lead singer of Arcade Fire is from Haiti, and the group has been very generous to Partners In Health, the NGO where Justin and I met.  We love the band, and that particular song has lyrics with which Justin and I both identify.”

Megan says “I loved having my friends and family so intimately involved with making the wedding a success.  I love that my father baked 150 cupcakes for us.  I love that my grandmother hand-sewed a wedding quilt for us that served as a backdrop for our ceremony.  I love that our Dominican and French friends worked together to decorate the dance hall.  We really could not have done it without all of our friends and family.” Friends of the couple Katie Mies, David Deminico and John Mleziva played music during the ceremony.

The couple were married by Megan’s brother Jacob.

Megan and Justin made sure the wedding reflected who they were. Megan states, “Every detail, from our rings to the music to the food, perfectly defined us.  If some conventional wedding tradition didn’t make sense to us, we just didn’t do it.  It was very liberating not to have to worry about little details like bridesmaid dresses or hair appointments or wedding programs.  The best compliment we received all weekend was from people saying, “This wedding is very *you*.””

The event was catered by Gourmet Goddess  who focused on organic produce. Megan says “The most important parts of our wedding were, for us, the food and the music.  So we spent a little extra time and care on those things – our food was all organic and locally purchased, and Justin painstakingly put together every playlist for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception.  And, if I do say so myself, we had a pretty rocking dance party.”

Of their photographer Megan recalls, “Christian was amazing.  From viewing his portfolio online, I knew he was extremely talented, and a wonderful storyteller.  We didn’t want any posed pictures because they always looked very unnatural and forced to us, so his photo-journalistic style was just what we were looking for.  Christian and his wife flew up to Massachusetts to spend almost an entire week with us – we went to a Red Sox game together, and they came to Overbrook House for dinner every night.  They fit in so well that everyone at the wedding assumed we were old friends.  And now we are. ”

Megan’s mother made the stationery, including the menus. She also styled the floral arrangements. Party Cape Cod provided the rentals.

Megan says “Our wedding was a celebration of love that was only possible through the incredible generosity and support of our amazing family and friends.”

Megan recalls “Justin and I have, at one time or another, lived in Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin and the Dominican Republic, so we had friends and family coming from all over the world.  It was very important to us that we spend a lot of time with all our guests, and also that there were ample opportunities for people from various parts of our lives to meet each other.  Renting Overbrook House for a whole week really helped facilitate that, as did planning little events like going to a Red Sox game, hosting a clambake, and showing an outdoor movie.”

One final special touch? Megan recalls “In lieu of gifts, we asked for donations to be made to the organizations Health Horizons International , Partners In Health, and the National MS Society ”

Congratulations on your marriage Megan and Justin! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to  Christian Gideon Photography  for sharing today’s wedding!