Real Wedding: Caroline Gammill & Nathan Rothstein
December 31, 2016
Museum of Fine Arts
Boston, Massachusetts
The bride and groom took pre-ceremony photos in the museum’s Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art. / Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
THE STORY
Sometimes the greatest love stories start with friendship. So it was for Bay State natives Caroline Gammill and Nathan Rothstein, who met while they were living and working in New Orleans in the years following Hurricane Katrina. “We bumped into each other three days in a row, first at the local library, then at a playground build, and then again at some nerdy candidate forum,” Caroline says with a laugh. “After that, we were like, ‘I guess we should be pals.’” And pals they remained for nearly a decade before they decided to take their relationship to the next level, having both moved back to Massachusetts around the same time. At Nathan’s suggestion, they met for drinks on New Year’s Eve and, as Caroline says, “have been together ever since.”
When it eventually came time to plan their wedding, the Back Bay couple envisioned an elegant affair with great food, top-notch entertainment, and—most important—plenty of room for their 300-plus guests. Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, just a short distance from their home, checked all the boxes. “It’s a totally beautiful space,” Caroline says. “And we liked that we could do the ceremony and reception in the same spot.”
Exactly three years after that fateful first date, the couple said their “I do”s in the museum’s Linde gallery before rejoining guests in the Shapiro Family Courtyard to ring in the new year with dinner, dancing, and, of course, a countdown. “It was amazing to be on the dance floor together at midnight!” Nathan says.
THE DETAILS
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Photographer Lisa Rigby captured the couple’s first look at the top of the museum’s grand staircase.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
The jewel-toned floral arrangements included blooms such as scabiosa and ranunculus.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Guests mingled during cocktail hour, hosted in the museum’s mural-adorned Shapiro Rotunda.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Co-officiated by a rabbi and a reverend, the couple’s ceremony featured readings and blessings from both the Jewish and Episcopalian faiths.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Nathan surprised guests—and Caroline—when he slipped off his chair during the celebratory hora. “I had a heart attack, but then he got back up,” she says. “After, everyone was like, ‘I’ve never seen that happen before!’”
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Whipped up by Rockport-based Mayflour Cake + Confections, the flower-topped chocolate wedding cake featured a mocha buttercream filling and champagne buttercream icing.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
At the end of the night, the couple toasted guests—and the new year—with iced sugar cookies in the shape of champagne bottles.
THE FILE
Bride’s Gown L’élite Bridal Boutique
Cake Mayflour Cake + Confections
Calligraphers Jan Boyd Calligraphy; LiWardian
Cookies A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe
Flowers Mimosa
Groom’s Tux 9Tailors
Hair Styled By G
Lighting Suzanne B. Lowell Lighting Design
Makeup Kerri Herlihy
Planner Stone Event Planning
Reception Music Big Party Orchestra
Rentals Peak Event Services
Stationery Albertine Press
Videographer Gisele & George
Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Boston Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city.
