An Elegant, New Year's Eve Wedding at the Battery Wharf Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts

Sarah Gunnery (29 and a postdoctoral scholar) and Mikio Yanagisawa (28 and a mechanical engineer) planned a festive New Year’s Eve bash to celebrate their nuptials. Wanting a venue that was convenient for out-of-town guests and showed off all the things they loved about Boston, Massachusetts, the couple hosted the affair at the Battery Wharf Hotel, right on Boston Harbor. “With it being New Year’s Eve, we wanted the wedding to feel very festive,” Sarah says. The couple looked to a blush and metallic color palette and plenty of shimmery accents to bring their vision to life, starting with their pressed-foil stationery that was decorated with a silvery confetti-like pattern that twinkled in the light. Sarah and Mikio also looked to the winter season for inspiration when it came to the decor, opting for simple arrangements of wintry white blooms in mercury-glass vases to dress up the reception tabletops. Amazing food was high on Sarah and Mikio’s priority list, and extra attention was given to the creating an unforgettable menu. Wanting guests to mix and mingle, the couple skipped the traditional sit-down dinner, opting for an array of dinner stations (serving dishes like crab cakes, pasta and short ribs) following cocktail hour and a selection of late-night snacks (like sliders and lobster rolls) served later in the evening. To truly make the most of the evening, Sarah and Mikio had their best friends officiate the ceremony and had all their portraits taken before the ceremony, so they could spend more time with their families and friends. At midnight, the couple and their guests took a break from dancing and headed outdoors to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks display. A tip for the taking from Sarah: “The night really does go by so fast. Having amazing pictures to look back on has helped us piece the night back together. Having a budget is important, but we found that the money we spent on our photographer was well worth it.”