Daniela Gallinelli & Mark Lang

September 15, 2012
The State Room
Boston, Massachusetts

Photographs by Zev Fisher

Daniela Gallinelli and Mark Lang’s story begins in the most familiar of ways. They were celebrating the birthday of a mutual friend at the Harp, near TD Garden, when they hit it off on the dance floor. And then? “I offered to buy him a drink,” Daniela says. “He was obviously really cute and he was really interesting, so I decided to see what would happen.” In truth, it wasn’t the first time the two had met—they’d been introduced once before at another gathering—but it was the first time they had truly connected.

Six years later, Daniela said yes to Mark’s proposal on a vacation to Argentina. Having grown up in the MetroWest area, the couple—both of whom come from Italian families—knew they wanted an elegant city wedding with a touch of Mediterranean flair. The North End’s Sacred Heart Church, with its ornate frescoes and dramatic arched ceilings, had the perfect feel. “When we walked in, it really reminded us of being in Italy,” Daniela says. The State Room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, meanwhile, offered stunning city vistas for the celebration afterward. “Overall, the entire weekend was more than we ever could have imagined,” Daniela says.

The couple honored their Italian heritage with a ceremony at Sacred Heart Church, in the North End. 

Daniela’s “something old” was her grandmother’s rosary beads, which she wrapped around her bridal bouquet.

The bridesmaids, outfitted in gray Bill Levkoff dresses, carried bouquets of purple hydrangea. 

The bridal party posed for photos in the North End and Post Office Square, as well as on the South Boston waterfront, before making their way to the State Room.

Daniela and Mark’s first dance was to Jack Johnson’s “Better Together.”

The chocolate-toffee wedding cake was one of two on display that evening: Daniela also surprised Mark with a Funfetti groom’s cake covered in sprinkles. 

The pear-candle escort cards were inspired by a poem Daniela’s father had written, in Italian, about the bride and groom being “a pair,” which the family framed and displayed at the wedding.

“If it was a favorite candy of ours but didn’t come in pink or purple, it didn’t make it to the candy buffet,” Mark says of the color-coordinated sweets table at the reception.

THE FILE

Florist: Blooms of Hope
DJ: Paul Natale, Murray Hill Talent
Gown: Monique Lhuillier, L’élite Bridal Boutique
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff, Madeleine’s Daughter
Wedding Cake: I Dream of Jeanne Cakes
Groom’s Cake: Sweet Tooth
Stationery: Inviting Company
Hair: Maria Stathoulis, Kenzo Salon
Makeup: Jessica Peacock, Katrina Hess

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