Boston Public Library Elopement, Jen & Dan

April 14, 2025

The dictionary defines “elopement” as a marriage conducted in a secretive and sudden fashion, but I’m inclined to say the definition of the word has evolved. Jen and Dan’s Boston Public Library elopement wasn’t really secretive or sudden, but it was small and intentional. Jen and Dan wed at the Boston Public Library on a windy Monday in March. The BPL only allows the bride and groom to invite twelve guests (plus a photographer) to their elopements, so everyone in attendance that day is super special to the couple. That makes it so easy to feel the loving energy in the room.

The Boston Public Library is one of the most beautiful spots in the city to get married. Jen and Dan chose it as their wedding venue without ever having been. It was so fun to be with them when they saw it for the first time. Surrounded by their family and friends, they exchanged vows while crying, laughing, and even dancing. After the ceremony, we had a little time to take photos inside the Gustavino Room in the library. Then we joined the tourists and denizens of Boston on the front steps of the library. Photographs on the steps are pretty much a requirement of any Boston Public Library elopement (or full-size wedding)! You have to take advantage of those quintessential Boston spots when you can.

Once Jen & Dan’s guests settled in at the OAK Long Bar at the Fairmont Copley, the bride and groom humored me by taking some windy portraits out on the street! It was such a joy to celebrate with these two wonderful people (and 12 of their nearest and dearest)! And a very special shout-out to Emily for connecting us!

Front view of The Boston Public Library with multiple arched windows, displaying two American flags. Collage of a bride and groom on their wedding day, stepping out of a van, holding flowers, and smiling. The bride holds a bouquet and a sign reading "Happily Ever After. A pregnant bride in a white dress pins a boutonnière on her father in a suit and plaid tie. They stand in front of a decorative wall. A pregnant bride in a white dress stands in front of a large, ornate bronze panel depicting two figures at the Boston Public Library.A bride in a white dress holding a bouquet stands in front of a bronze statue backdrop at the Boston Public Library. A couple in wedding attire stands together, smiling. The woman holds a bouquet, and they are positioned in front of a decorative wall featuring ornate figures at the Boston Public Library. A groom in a suit and bow tie stands next to his mother. They are smiling in front of a detailed wall relief at the Boston Public Library. A bride holding a bouquet stands arm-in-arm with her father. Both are smiling and looking forward. Photographed indoors in black and white. A bride hugs her father while holding a bouquet of flowers. A group of people, including men and women, are seated and smiling in the background.  A couple exchanges vows during their wedding ceremony, standing in front of a decorated fireplace with the officiant reading from a book. A bride and groom share a joyful moment during their wedding ceremony. The groom is laughing, and both are dressed formally. Four images showing a wedding ceremony with a bride and groom exchanging vows in the presence of an officiant, and family members seated and observing. A bride in a white lace dress is holding and reading her handwritten vows. The groom in a black suit stands nearby. A bride and groom exchange vows in front of a fireplace adorned with flowers. The ceremony takes place inside a room at the Boston Public Library, with some seated guests visible. A man in a suit wipes his eye with a tissue while sitting next to a smiling woman in a floral dress in an indoor setting. Other people are visible in the background. Two people are sitting and laughing while holding a bouquet of flowers. One person is in a suit with a bowtie, and the other is in a light-colored outfit. A groom in a black tuxedo and a bride in a white dress stand facing each other during a wedding ceremony. The groom is holding his vows and speaking. A couple stands facing each other during their wedding ceremony in a library venue. A small group of seated guests watches them. Bookshelves filled with colorful books are in the background. A couple stands, exchanges vows, and shares a kiss during a wedding ceremony in front of a floral-decorated backdrop. A bride and groom stand facing each other and holding hands at an indoor wedding ceremony, surrounded by guests seated on both sides.  A newlywed couple dances down the aisle, smiling and holding hands. The bride carries a bouquet and the groom gestures playfully as guests on either side rise to congratulate them.  A bride and groom dance down the aisle with seated guests in the background. The bride holds a bouquet, and both appear to be smiling. A bride and groom celebrate by dancing down the aisle, surrounded by a few seated and standing guests. Two wedding portraits of a bride and groom standing with their parents in a room at the Boston Public Library. A bride and groom stand closely together on a narrow balcony in a library, surrounded by shelves filled with colorful books. They share an intimate moment under warm, hanging lights. A couple dressed in wedding attire poses together on a balcony in a library, with bookshelves and an ornate ceiling visible in the background. A bride and groom in wedding attire stands on a library balcony, smiling at each other. Books line the shelves behind them. A bride and groom stand together on a library balcony with shelves of books in the background. A couple in formal wedding attire stands in front of an ornate, historic building with large arched wooden doors and decorative lanterns. The bride holds a bouquet of flowers. A couple in a wedding dress and suit standing under an ornate arched entrance, holding a bouquet, smiling at each other. A couple, dressed in wedding attire, stands in front of an ornate, stone building with large arched doorways and intricate metalwork. The person on the left wears a black suit while the person on the right wears a white dress. A couple, dressed in wedding attire, stands embraced in front of a grand historic building with arched doorways and ornate details. A groom and his pregnant bride smile at each other while standing in front of the ornate building entrance of the Boston Public Library. A couple stands in front of a building, holding hands. The man is in a black suit and bow tie, and the woman is wearing a white dress, holding her pregnant belly. Both are smiling. A group of people dressed in formal attire laugh and pose on the steps of an ornate building. The bride and groom stand in the center of the group. A group of people, dressed in formal attire, stand on the steps of the Boston Public Library. The bride and groom are at the center, with family and friends gathered around them for a group photo. A couple stands in front of a building, smiling at each other. The man is wearing a black suit, and the woman is in a white dress holding a bouquet of flowers. They are the stone steps of the Boston Public Library. A pregnant bride and a groom dressed in formal attire hold hands while standing on the steps of a large, ornate stone building with double doors and two American flags. A bride and groom in formal attire embrace in front of the ornate iron and stone entrance to the Boston Public Library. A bride and groom in formal attire embrace and smile at each other outdoors, standing close with their foreheads touching, in front of an ornate wrought-iron gate. A man and woman stand close, touching foreheads with eyes closed. They are dressed in wedding attire, with the woman wearing a white dress and the man in a black suit. A building is visible in the background. A couple in formal attire, holding a bouquet, takes wedding photos in a city. They pose on a street and cross a crosswalk, with urban buildings and the American flags on the Boston Public Library visible in the background. A couple in formal attire stands in a decorated hallway; the bride is pregnant and holds a bouquet and both share a moment together. The hallway is adorned with chandeliers and arches. Black and white photo. A couple, dressed in wedding attire, stands close together and smiles at each other in a warmly lit restaurant with seated guests in the background. A bride and groom pose for a photo at a bar with a bouquet of flowers, surrounded by smiling friends and family seated on bar stools in a warmly lit room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. A bride in a white dress and a groom in a black suit stand smiling outside a historic brick building. The bride holds a bouquet of orange and white flowers. The wind blows their hair back. Bride in white gown and groom in black suit stand smiling, holding flowers, in front of a historic stone building on a very windy day. A couple dressed in wedding attire shares a kiss while standing in the middle of a city street. The bride holds a bouquet, and tall buildings are visible in the background. A bride and groom share a kiss in the middle of a city street. The groom is in a black suit, and the bride holds a colorful bouquet. Buildings and pedestrians are visible in the background. A bride and groom stand closely together, smiling and laughing, with their reflections visible in a window next to them. The bride holds a bouquet of flowers, and both are dressed in formal wedding attire. A bride and groom stand close together, smiling and touching noses. The bride holds a bouquet of flowers, and the couple is reflected in a tall glass building behind them. A bride and groom embrace by a reflective glass wall on a city sidewalk, holding a bouquet of flowers. The image is in black and white. A bride and groom walk on a city street; the groom helps the bride with her jacket. She holds a bouquet of orange and white flowers. People walk past them, and buildings line the background. A bride and groom stand on a city sidewalk in formal attire; the woman holds flowers, and both are smiling directly at the camera. Buildings and a street with cars are visible in the background. A bride and groom walk along a city street. The bride carries a bouquet of flowers and wears a white dress with a black jacket. The groom wears a vest and bow tie. Both are smiling. A smiling bride and groom stand together, with the woman holding a bouquet and showing a pregnant belly. They are dressed in formal attire, standing in front of the entrance to the Fairmont Copley Hotel. A pregnant bride in a white lace dress holds a bouquet and smiles. The photo is in black and white.

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Margaret Belanger Photography | Boston Public Library Elopement, Jen & Dan

Meg Belanger