The Midsummer Berkshires Wedding of Quinnipiac Sweethearts

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Story

Rebecka Atsalis and Nick Rivellini were the very definition of college sweethearts. Friends at first, the pair met at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and were a couple by the time Nick graduated in 2017. After graduating the following year, Rebecka moved to Boston, and Nick relocated to the city soon after to be with her. By then, they knew they were in it for the long haul. The couple adopted a golden retriever, Ryder, and started planning for the future, though when and where their engagement would take place was a mystery to Rebecka.

Because Rebecka’s parents live in Barnstable, the couple often took the ferry to Nantucket. In 2021, they made a trip to the island during Nantucket’s Christmas Stroll weekend. Rebecka’s sister, along with her parents and Ryder, were there as well, but the group split up once the ferry arrived. “At one point, Nick said, ‘Let’s go down to the lighthouse and take a Christmas photo,’” Rebecka recalls. “I thought that was a little weird because he doesn’t love to take photos.” But Nick’s mission became clear moments after they arrived when he got down on one knee. Once she accepted the proposal with a resounding “Yes!” Nick pointed down the beach at Rebecka’s family, who were hiding out waiting to celebrate with the couple.

When it came time to plan the big day, Rebecka knew that she didn’t want to have their wedding in a “hall or a ballroom,” she says, “but somewhere outdoors that had the feeling of a backyard wedding but a little more upscale.” Hoping to find a venue where they could host the ceremony in a big, open field, the bride- and groom-to-be toured Chesterwood, a historical estate in the Berkshires, one winter day. “Snow was everywhere, but we knew right away it was the one,” Rebecka remembers.

When the big day arrived in June 2023, the forecast predicted rain, so a backup plan was hatched to move the open-air ceremony of Rebecka’s dreams to a tent. But 15 minutes before they were set to say I do, the clouds lifted, and the sun came out. Pivoting back to the original plan, the team sprung into action, scrambling to set up the chairs outside in the field. With seconds to spare, Rebecka headed down the aisle outdoors.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Details

The Rehearsal Dinner

Rebecka’s mother is from Sweden, and Rebecka grew up spending summers there. The couple’s wedding weekend took place during Midsummer, which is the Swedish celebration of the summer solstice. At the rehearsal dinner, which was held at nearby Winbrooke, Nick’s family created a Swedish Maypole in honor of Midsummer, and Rebecka and her bridesmaids wore flower crowns, another Swedish summer tradition.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Flowers

“I changed my mind about the flowers so often,” says Rebecka, noting she first wanted pale pink, blue, and white blooms and then decided on all-pink flowers. “Then, right before our florist ordered the flowers, I told her I wanted them to represent all of the colors—a rainbow,” she says, noting that the flowers used in the ceremony were repurposed after in the reception tent. The bridesmaid bouquets also had a second life as table arrangements.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Invitations and Artwork

The couple wanted the invitations to have a summery floral motif that felt personal to them. Abby Armistead created the stationery suite, which included an RSVP card with a watercolor sketch of Nick and Rebecka’s beloved pup, Ryder. Ryder was also featured on matchbooks and the golf-ball markers that Nick gifted his groomsmen.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Dress

“Finding a dress was a roller coaster,” recalls Rebecka, who realized when she went to L’élite Bridal for her first fitting that the dress she’d ordered months earlier didn’t feel like her. Luckily, a sales associate pulled out a gorgeous Carolina Herrera dress that had been used for a recent trunk show. “It wasn’t a style I thought I would want, but it fit like a glove,” she says. For the reception, Rebecka changed into a Brock Collection lace tiered dress that was “feminine, fun, and easy to run around in.”

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Band

Having a great band that could perform Bruce Springsteen songs was one of Nick’s only requests for the wedding. “We came across the Sultans in a Facebook group, and the first video we watched was Jonny Rosch singing a Springsteen song. He was amazing. We knew right away that we had to hire him,” Rebecka says. Nick, his two brothers, and their dad all got up on stage and sang with the band at one point in the evening.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The Lighting

Wanting to make the lighting a functional design element, the couple selected hanging fixtures, which Drape Art Designs strung from the center of the tent. “Since there was a lot of white with the tent and the drapes, we picked fixtures with wood to add warmth,” Rebecka says. Avela Floral Design wove greenery around the rope from which the pendants were hung to add another textural dimension.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The File

BAND
The Sultans

BRIDE’S DRESS
Carolina Herrera, L’élite Bridal

BRIDE’S MAKEUP
Liz O’Malley

BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS
Brock Collection

BRIDESMAID DRESSES
Amsale

CAKE
Stacie’s Cookie World

CATERING
Powerhouse Café & Catering

FLORALS
Avela Floral Design

GROOM’S ATTIRE
State & Liberty

INVITATIONS
Abby Armistead

LIGHTING
Drape Art Designs

MAID OF HONOR DRESS
Monique Lhuillier

MATCHBOOK AND GOLF-BALL-MARKER ART
Peyton’s Post

RENTALS
Classical Tents and Party Goods

WEDDING-DAY COORDINATOR
MK Your Dream Day

First published in the print edition of the August 2024 issue with the headline, “Field of Dreams.”

Real Weddings: Summer 2024

• This Was the Very First Wedding at Raffles Boston
• A Dreamy Tamil Hindu Ceremony at a Cape Cod Beach Club
• A Hinge Match, a North End Cohabitation, and a Summer-Camp Style Ceremony in Vermont

Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Boston Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city.