Sophia & Tyler’s Classy and Chic Wedding

Some love stories are truly meant to be, and that was certainly the case for Sophia and Tyler. It all began in a Spanish class at Boston College. While Tyler recalls Sophia’s excitement for class, little did he know that she eagerly awaited each session to catch a glimpse of him. Their bond grew stronger when Sophia courageously invited Tyler to work on a group project, igniting a friendship that quickly blossomed into something more and turned into such a beautiful love story!

Sophia and Tyler met in Spanish class at Boston College, one that Tyler remembers Sophia being much more excited to attend than himself. In reality, though, Sophia was excited to see him every Monday and Wednesday — something that became clear when she asked him to work on a group project with her. The two began chatting over Snapchat and quickly became inseparable. Six years later, Sophia and Tyler were walking through their alma mater’s campus to see the new buildings that had been built since they graduated. When they passed the building where they had Spanish class together, Tyler brought their love story full circle by kneeling down and asking Sophia to marry him.

Having grown up in Rhode Island with annual summer vacations in Newport, Sophia dreamed of tying the knot in a luxurious waterfront mansion. It felt like fate when they fell in love with the Rosecliff Mansion, which sat beside the mansion where Sophia’s parents were married. Inspired by the grand venue, the couple opted for simplicity and timelessness in their wedding design. Sophia and Tyler said “I do” in a romantic ceremony on the mansion’s lawn with sweeping views of the bay behind them. The reception was held in a stately ballroom with exquisite architectural details. Wanting the venue’s beauty to shine, Sophia and Tyler kept the decor simple with crisp white linens, black cloth napkins, and towering centerpieces of dark greenery with white roses and hydrangeas. Personalized menus sat at each place setting, embellished with hand-designed black wax seals sporting the couple’s initials. – Colton Simmons Photography

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. Sophia’s dress story is definitely a journey — she originally purchased her dress at a boutique that ordered it much too small. She thought she could make it work with some good tailoring, but due to the design, it was difficult to get it to look right and fit well following the extensive alterations. Discouraged, she ordered a second wedding dress from the Anthropologie website on a whim four weeks before the big day. Miraculously, it fit perfectly except for the straps. And even better, she found a tailor who could make the minor alterations on the spot! How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? We met in an undergraduate Spanish class at Boston College in the fall of 2014. Tyler was both confused and intrigued by Sophia’s bubbly personality at 3:00 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, in particular, her greeting him before each class with an excited smile. This curiosity grew when the class was assigned a group project, and Sophia asked Tyler to be part of her group—while the precise details of the group project are fuzzy 9 years later, in the midst of working together, the two began chatting over Snapchat (a very 2014 moment), and have been inseparable since. What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? At the very end of the night, we asked our DJ to play Love Story by Taylor Swift as the last song. Everyone who was still there ran to the dance floor, and it was simply incredible — we were surrounded by our friends, siblings, and families, for a final send-off. Tyler in particular loved the experience of saying our personal vows during our ceremony. Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship! In early 2021, Sophia was a second year law student at Harvard during a remote semester. For a few weeks, she and Tyler talked about going to Boston College campus to see the new buildings that had been built since their graduations. The tentative plan was to visit the week of their dating anniversary or the week of Sophia’s spring break. However, on February 26, 2021, Tyler arrived home early from work and found Sophia in a burnout spiral from law school work. Tyler suggested they go to dinner, and Sophia lamented that she wished they could go to walk around BC that day. Tyler, acting very casual, said that if she wanted to go to BC they should go that afternoon. Sophia had hoped for a proposal in the place they met, but didn’t think Tyler would act so spontaneously about the proposal. Luckily, Tyler had received the engagement ring in the mail that week, and really decided to seize the day – as they left their apartment to walk around BC, he snuck the ring box out of his drawer.

After 6 years of dating, on February 26, 2021, Tyler proposed to Sophia at Boston College in front of Gasson Hall, the beautiful building where their fall 2014 Spanish class met. It was private, intimate, and exactly what Sophia dreamed of.

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? Sophia was raised in Rhode Island, and as a child spent a week each summer with her family vacationing in Newport. Years ago, her parents were married at the Beechwood, the mansion directly next to Rosecliff. As Sophia loves all things elegant and luxurious, and Tyler loves all things with deep history and stories to tell, a Newport mansion was the perfect choice for their wedding day. If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? Stay organized, or (ideally) find someone who can organize for you and put them in charge! Sophia did most of the wedding planning, with month-of and day-of help from a coordinator team — and honestly, she wishes she’d gone with a more comprehensive wedding planner package. There is so much to juggle, and the planning (along with the stress/high emotions) can really take over your free time unless you stay super organized.

And, perhaps a cliche, but weddings really do bring out the worst in the people around you–including your family and your closest friends. Remember that a wedding is a day for you as a couple. Though it may sound a little conceited, you are inviting your friends and family to share in your day – while you may want them there and they may want to be there, only you two as a couple are necessary for the wedding, no one else.

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? Our wedding was an absolute dream, truly a once in a lifetime day and feeling. We loved planning our wedding at Roseliff. Rosecliff is extravagant as a backdrop, but with that, it lends for simplicity in the details. For us, the concept of timelessness was a strong inspiration. Sure, weddings are still a part of the time period when they take place, but classic styles and simplicity often blur the lines of eras. When planning his choice of tux, Tyler’s motto was that if his photo were to be taken in black and white, someone seeing that photo should be able to envision it having been taken at any point in modern history. This concept is applicable to the entire wedding vision and inspiration. Photography / Colton Simmons Photography / https://coltonsimmons.com/ / @coltonsimmonsphotography
Venue / Newport Mansions / https://www.newportmansions.org/ / @newport_mansions
Wedding Coordination / Kay Northrup Events / https://www.kaynorthrupevents.com/ / @kaynorthrup
Florals / Cherryhill Flowers / https://www.cherryhillflower.org/ / @cherryhillflowers
Stationery / Cove Design Co. / https://www.covedesignco.com/ / @cove_designco
Rentals / Peak Event Rentals / https://www.peakeventservices.com/ / @peakeventservices
Catering / Blackstone Caterers / https://www.blackstonecaterers.com/ / @blackstoneri
Hair / RI Wedding Hair / https://www.riweddinghair.com/ / @rhodeislandweddinghair
Makeup / Here for the Glam / https://herefortheglam.com/ / @herefortheglam_
Ceremony Music / Golden Scrolls Soloists / https://www.goldenscrollsoloists.com/ / @goldenscrollsoloists
DJ / Meritage / https://www.meritagedj.com/ / @meritage_entertainment
Suit / Ralph Lauren / https://www.ralphlauren.com/ / @ralphlauren
Groom’s Shoes / Allen Edmonds / https://www.allenedmonds.com/ / @allenedmonds
Dress Designer / Jenny Yoo / https://www.jennyyoo.com/ / @jennyyoonyc
Dress Boutique / BHLDN / https://www.bhldn.com/ / @bhldn
Bride’s Shoes / Manolo Blahnik / https://www.manoloblahnik.com/us/ / @manoloblahnik
Second Look / Show Me Your Mumu / https://showmeyourmumu.com/ / @showmeyourmumu
Transportation / Fisher Bus Inc. / https://www.fisherbusinc.com/