A Modern Wedding at an Art Museum Near Boston

Jenny Kaplan and Chris Corrado first met 15 years ago in New York City, when Jenny was interning and Chris was just beginning his career. They quickly discovered that they grew up a few towns apart from each other in Maine and stayed in touch, but didn't start dating until five years later. Fast forward to June 3, 2016, when Chris surprised Jenny with a proposal on their terrace and a celebratory lunch with their families at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn. The date happened to be a coincidence, but it was exactly one year after Chris had asked Jenny's father for her hand in marriage—also the date of her grandparent's wedding. "All signs were pointing to the fact that this was meant to be our wedding date as well," Jenny says. So, on June 3, 2017, Jenny and Chris wed at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, an art museum and sculpture garden near their hometowns.

With a special date set, the couple (co-founders of Pieces by An Aesthetic Pursuit), continued to personalize their big day—creating custom invites, a flower-covered chuppah, and a hanging installation for the reception. And the inspiration for all of the above? The bride's blush Naeem Khan wedding dress, which the groom helped select. "We couldn't imagine not coordinating our looks as it's something we always do," she says. "The dress was such a focal point of inspiration for the overall look of the wedding!" Keep reading to see more of Chris and Jenny's creative art museum wedding, as documented by photographer Cambria Grace.

Jenny went into dress shopping with a vision of a simple sheath dress, à la Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. But after trying on similar styles, she realized they weren't quite right. Thankfully, her mother had another vision: Jenny in color! "She mentioned that she wanted me to wear a color," she says, and on the way out of the store, Jenny passed a blush-colored gown and asked to try it on. "It was the opposite of what I thought I was going for," she says. "But when I put it on, everyone was flipping out—myself included!"

For her bouquet, Jenny had the idea of making it an extension of her dress. It was made of orchids, calla lilies, and greenery to match their chuppah, too.

The couple chose to exchange vows in private prior to the ceremony, which they did in the picturesque sculpture garden at their venue.

The bride and her father entered the ceremony to musicians playing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." Jenny and Chris exchanged traditional vows under a modern chuppah, which they designed together. They were surrounded by their "non-traditional" wedding party. "I had my brother and my two closet cousins, Jacob and Naomi, stand with me," Jenny says. "We didn't keep it gender exclusive."

During the ceremony, it actually started to rain! "We were really nervous about the weather all day, but it turned out to be a beautiful thing," Jenny says. "Everyone says a little rain is good luck, too!"

After the outdoor ceremony, guests moved inside the art museum for dinner and dancing. "We picked our venue because it's a beautiful setting close to home," says the bride. "It is truly a special place, and we felt like it really reflected our personal style."

The couple made a grand entrance to the reception that they designed together.

Chris and Jenny worked with Confetti System to design a custom installation for the dining space. It featured strands of wisteria flowers (in colors that coordinated with Jenny's dress, obvi) and was attached to branches that hung in the center of the room. Beneath the colorful focal point, long tables were set with low arrangements of local flowers and small table lamps. "We knew the venue had limitations on lighting, so we ended up buying lamps at Ikea and added LED lights," Jenny explains. "It added another element of soft light and an additional piece of decor to the tables."

Dinner was served family style and featured fish, lamb chops, a summer salad, and "his" and "hers" cocktails. Jenny's was a pink Mezcal margarita and Chris's was a "Bearded Iris"—a spiked Arnold Palmer with either vodka or bourbon.

"Chris's grandparents joined us for our first dance," Jenny says. "It was truly special to share this moment with them."

The couple ended the night by cutting a cake that was handcrafted to match Jenny's dress. "It matched almost perfectly," she says.

After a planning an art museum wedding with personalized details, Jenny has this advice for brides-to-be: "Tailor your wedding to what feels right to you," she says. "I often see couple get wrapped up in what everyone else normally does and that all felt really unnatural to us—for instance, Chris was involved in selecting my dress!"