A Fenway Bar Blind Date, a Provincetown Proposal, and a JFK Library Ceremony

Photo by CityLux Studios

In December of 2015, Michael (Mike) Weinstein and Richard (Ricky) Simeone were knee-deep in festivities. Both were fresh off holiday parties, and the last thing either wanted to do was go to Yard House in Fenway, but a mutual friend (who is also Ricky’s cousin) had organized a watch party for the Patriots game. Little did they know that there was an ulterior motive at play to introduce them. Luckily, they both decided to rally, and it’s a good thing they did—the duo met there and hit it off immediately.

Fast-forward four years, and the pair found themselves at a club in Provincetown after finding their home on the Cape in Truro. Overwhelmed by the monumental act of building a life together, Ricky decided to make the ultimate commitment: He spontaneously proposed on the dance floor, surrounded by some of their closest friends. “There was no ring in hand, and there was no kneeling. It was just very organic, very spontaneous,” he says.

Due to the pandemic, the couple had a long engagement before fully jumping into wedding-planning mode—after which they drew inspiration from their family and friends, as well as interests like gardening, history, and architecture, to create their three-day celebration.

Photo by CityLux Studios

The Details

The Bling

Ricky and Mike chose matching 18-karat-yellow-gold Forever bands from Tiffany & Co., which doubled as both engagement and wedding rings. “[The store] busted open the champagne. They couldn’t have been more excited for us,” Ricky says. To make the rings more personal, they had their wedding date and the initials “M&R” engraved inside. Their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dolly, also got a special accessory for the occasion—a Tiffany collar and leash.

Photo by CityLux Studios

The Signature Cocktails

Two signature cocktails made nods toward the couple’s life together—the “Empress Dolly G & T” as an ode to their dog and the “Cranberry Hill Cosmo,” which paid homage to their home in Truro.

Photo by CityLux Studios

The Ceremony

The couple tied the knot at the JFK Library—the building tries to host only 10 weddings a year. “For us, it was a connection point; we live in the city, but we also live on the Outer Cape, and John F. Kennedy was the one who preserved this beautiful place we live in. It’s an amazing space,” Ricky says.

Photo by CityLux Studios

The First Dance

Under the advice of Gourmet Caterers’ Jeanne Spence, Mike and Ricky booked dance lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Boston, where they learned a club swing to Tina Turner’s “The Best.” “There wasn’t a single time we left that studio not in a great mood,” Mike remembers.

Photo by CityLux Studios

Photo by CityLux Studios

The Welcome Party

As garden and art enthusiasts, the couple knew that they wanted the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to play a role in their celebration. Because the venue doesn’t allow weddings, they settled for hosting their welcome party there, during which they split a heartfelt speech with two of their close friends at the Dutch Room Balcony. Mike adds, “It was a very big hit to kick off the wedding weekend.”

Photo by CityLux Studios

Photo by CityLux Studios

The Aesthetic

“It starts in black and white and ends in technicolor,” Ricky describes. The couple opted for minimal décor in the JFK Library, during which two large organic structures flanked the altar. Moving into the cocktail hour, flowers started to dot the décor, only hinting at the burst of intense color that decorated the reception through large-scale tree-like structures, traditional floral arrangements, and deconstructed installations.

Photo by CityLux Studios

The Rehearsal Dinner

Having both grown up in families where good food was the heart of the home, Ricky and Mike were determined to find the most authentic Italian restaurant to honor Ricky’s Italian heritage for the rehearsal dinner. After weeks of sampling meatballs in the North End, they declared Table the winner for their large family supper.

Photo by CityLux Studios

The File

Band Clockwork Boston
Caterer & Planner Gourmet Caterers
Flowers New Leaf Flores
Grooms’ Hair Styling Barbershop Deluxe
Grooms’ Tuxedos Ralph Lauren
Grooms’ Wedding Bands Tiffany & Co.
Lighting DesignLight
Makeup (Grooms and Bridal Party) Demiche Beauté
Photobooth Entertainment Specialists
Photographer CityLux Studios
Stationery Mark Harris Stationers
String Quartet Hank Agency
Venue John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

First published in the print issue of Boston Weddings 2025 with the headline, “From Fenway to Forever.”

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