Maria Coppola + John Wade – Seacoast Weddings

November 4, 2023

Boston, MA

The elegant and sophisticated Fairmont Copley Plaza fit Maria’s vision for her wedding day perfectly. But even more memorable was having the ceremony in the same church her parents were married in 35 years ago. “The majority of my family is from Dedham, and everyone gets married there.” Since she and her husband had always wanted to live in Boston’s Back Bay area—he proposed to her on the Common—they searched there for a reception venue and came up with the historic Fairmont. “I loved the charm of the hotel, the beautiful ceilings and chandeliers in the Grand Ballroom.” And, she explains, the ballroom could easily accommodate their 240 guests. “I come from a big Italian family!”

Maria’s opulent dress from Berta, an Israeli fashion house, was perfect for the Grand Ballroom setting. “I’d heard of Berta when I was in my teens, and ever since then I thought, ‘I have to be a Berta bride,’” she says. “With my petite frame, I always knew I wanted a form-fitting mermaid style.” Maria also chose a simple veil made in Italy.

A few Italian wedding traditions were woven into the big day, including Maria’s mom and female family members waiting outside her home to throw rice as she left to get dressed at the church. Traditional Italian music was played at the reception, specifically the Tarantella, an Italian folk dance. But most meaningful, she says, “was when I hooked arms with my dad and the church doors opened and there was my husband waiting for me.”

by Pat Chaudoin

{the wedding recipe}
Photography
Salma K Photography

Dress
Berta, L’Elite Bridal
Boston, MA

Hair
Grazielle Meola
Salon Capri
Boston, MA

Makeup
Sarah Elizabeth at
Sea Glam
Coastal New England

Ceremony
St. Mary’s Church
Dedham, MA

Rings
Wholesale Diamonds
NYC

Reception/Catering
The Fairmont
Copley Plaza
Boston, MA

Cake
Dessert Works
Westwood, MA

Groom’s Attire
9Tailors
Boston, MA

Flowers
Just Bloom’d Weddings
Sudbury, MA

DJ
DJ NVM
NYC