We had some people ask if we could post our vows or the Prayers of the Faithful because they didn’t heard them or wanted to read them over again. These are what we have written–the spoken version may have been slightly altered.

Margaret’s Vow

Adrian, you are the man I am going to marry and today, I promise you the whole rest of my life. I promise you my joy and my sorrow, my wisdom and my stupidity, my health and my sickness, my wealth and my poverty.

I also promise you my fidelity, my loyalty, and my love.

I promise to look for what is admirable in you, what is strong, and what is beautiful. I promise to see you clearly and to love you totally. I promise to comfort you when you are hurt or in sorrow, and to stay by your side – through thick and thin, come what may. I promise to laugh with you, to rejoice in your triumph, and to celebrate you.

For the rest of our lives I promise to be yours, and yours alone; to be the partner you want and the partner you need.

I make these vows in the knowledge that with God’s grace and the support of the people gathered around us, I will live them all the rest of my days.

Adrian’s vows

I, Adrian, take you, Margaret, to be my wife. I promise to love in good times and in bad, to talk with you and work with you through hardship, to thank you for things big and small, to try to amplify the good and joyful in our lives, to honor your strength, and to always answer your questions about what I am thinking honestly, for all the days of our lives.

Prayers of the Faithful

The Prayers of the Faithful was read by Adrian’s mom, Joan. Some were taken from the standard ones, others were adapted or entirely written new.

Continue reading →

In addition to our list of things to do in Boston, we have some recommendations for places to eat and drink near where you’re staying:

Marriott Hotel/ Kendall Square:

• Emma’s:  A very small and cozy pizzeria that consistently has good food.
• Meadhall: Tasty, hearty food with one of the most extensive beer lists in Boston.
• Friendly Toast: A retro diner that specializes in brunch but serves good food all day.
• Bon Me: The brick and mortar restaurant of the hip Vietnamese food truck, serving bahn mi (sandwiches) and rice bowls.
• Clover: Delicious food (that all happens to be vegetarian), served fast and cheaply.
• Area 4: Great pizzas plus some, with a cool vibe.
• Cambridge Brewing Company: A brewpub that is now a bit of a Kendall Square institution. We usually go for drinks but they do have a decent menu as well.

Charles Hotel/ Harvard Square:

• Tory Row: modern pub with clean lines and a simple but tasty menu and good beers.
• The Sinclair: a new restaurant with what might be described as fancy comfort food on the menu.  It has a great roof deck for when the weather is nice.
• Russell House Tavern: Somewhat upscale gastro-pub housed in a classic brick house from the early 1800s.
• Chutney’s: Indian food in wraps or ‘naaninis’. Delicious and inexpensive.
• Cambridge 1: Inventive pizzas with things like lobster, arugula, or potatoes on them.
• The Cellar: A slight walk from Harvard Square, this basement bar has a cozy atmosphere and delicious rosemary-truffle oil fries among other things.
• Clover: See description for the Kendall Square location.

Mary Prentiss Inn/ Porter Square:

• Christopher’s: A cozy restaurant serving pub food and American cuisine with a great beer list. Nice patio outside.
• Guilia: Upscale, modern Italian food with a concentration on quality. May require a reservation.
• The Abbey: Upscale pizzas and gastro-pub food in a modern but cozy setting.
• Elephant Walk:  A French-Cambodian restaurant with interesting foods from both cultures and fusions between the two.
• Andy’s Diner: A classic no-nonsense Boston diner, complete with portraits of Larry Bird on the walls.
• Rod Dee: One of our favorite Thai places in Boston.
• Pizzeria Posto: One of only a couple certified Neopolitan Pizzerias in the US. Italian style pizzas with quality ingredients.

Others favorites around Boston.

• Best sandwiches: Dave’s Fresh Pasta, Davis Square. A pasta and grocery store with a deli counter that serves up some amazing sandwiches like prosciutto with fig jam.
• Best Italian: Giacamo’s, North End. Incredibly delicious Italian in the traditional Little Italy of Boston. It’s so good there’s always a wait, so get there early!
• Best burger: Bukowski’s in Inman Square and the Back Bay. We have a soft spot for their no nonsense burger since we had one on our first date! RF O’Sullivan’s in Somerville also has excellent burgers.
• Best BBQ: Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington.
• Best lobster roll: Alive and Kicking. Easily one of the best gems in the Boston area.
• Best seafood (other): Belle Island Seafood, but people also enjoy Legal Seafood.
• Best place to get a fancy cocktail with your delicious meal: Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square or Drink in Fort Point.
• Best sushi: Avana Sushi, Chinatown. It’s an experience!
• Best Chinese: Adrian’s partial to China King in Chinatown, while we both also love Qingdao Garden in North Cambridge and Wai Wai, also in Chinatown.
• Best falafel/ schwarma: Schwarma Place.
• Best beer selection: Meadhall or Lord Hobo.

I hope you find something you like!

This is a work in progress so check back in later, but we wanted to give you an idea of some of the things you can do while you’re in the Boston area for our wedding.

Museums:

• Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) – A solid art museum with a considerable collection. There’s an exhibit this summer with the Magna Carta, drafts of the Declaration of Independence and other historical documents.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner – A unique museum that was an art collector’s house and became a museum after she died with strict instructions that it not be changed. Great collection.
• Harvard Museum of Natural History – It’s worth a trip just for the Glass Flower Collection.
• Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) – One of our favorites for new art.
• MIT Museum – Adrian loves this museum at his alma mater, especially the Doc Edgerton and Arthur Ganson exhibits.
• Peabody Essex Museum – A little ways out of the city in Salem it has roots back to items brought back by shipping companies and to donations from many of the Boston Brahmin families.

History:

• Freedom Trail The famous trail takes you to historic cemeteries (with Sam Adams and John Hancock), locations (the site of the Boston Massacre), buildings (Paul Revere’s House, the Old North Church) and establishments (the “oldest bar” in America).

Music:

• Classical: the well known Tanglewood Festival runs throughout the summer in Western Massachusetts.
• Rock: Check out clubs like the Sinclair and Brighton Music Hall. Promoters Bowery Boston and Crossroads book most of the best shows in Boston.
• Jazz: Margaret likes Wally’s for jazz. Many national acts go through Scullers.

Sports:

• Red Sox. They’re playing both the Friday night and Sunday afternoon of the wedding weekend at the historic Fenway Park. Go here for schedule and tickets.

Other fun tours:

• Duck Tours – These amphibious vehicles are a fun way to see Boston from land and sea.
• University tours. Cambridge has two of the world’s most famous universities. Both offer tours.
  • MIT tours
  • Harvard tours

Beaches:

• Revere Beach is the easiest to get to on the T (on the Blue Line) but can get crowded in the summer.
• Singing Beach in Manchester is quite nice and is accessible via the Commuter Rail.
• Beaches on Cape Cod are accessible via the ferry or train.

Shopping:

• Newbury Street – Known for many years as the heart of shopping in Boston with establishments from high end clothing outlets to comic book stores.

Unconventional activities:

• A user on the website reddit put together a great list: “35 Unconventional Activities Things to Do in Boston”. Click for parts 1, 2, and 3 of the list.

Day or overnight trips:

• Cape Cod. Visit Provincetown via the Fast Ferry (about 1.5 hr) or the Hyannis area via the CapeFlyer train (about 2 hours).
• Portland, Maine (and other areas in Maine) are accessible via the Downeaster train.
• Western Massachusetts. This requires a car, but the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), and the Berkshire mountains, along with the towns of Northhampton, Amherst and North Adams and the aforementioned Tanglewood Music Festival are all in the western part of the state.

Thanks, Freddie and Scott for the awesome drawing on the back of your RSVP!

Yeah. Good question, how did that absurd animal get on all our wedding stuff?!?!?!?!

(actually, see the save the date page P.S. for more info)

Still, they’re fun to look at, right? Here are some more for your viewing pleasure.

Gentle, 1780’s Tapir roams Mount Vernon. You’re far from your home in the Amazon, Tapir, but you look great in Sepia.

What?! Coloring book Tapir!

Little known drawing of a Tapir by Picasso. Less famous than the dove, but just as beautiful. Potentially, a Picasso forgery by James Thurber.

People think there is only one kind of Tapir. Fools.

Oh ho! You recognize this dapper fellow, here he is with his little spotted young ‘un from our save the dates, I hope!

You’re welcome for this page!

hearts,

M & A

“put on your party hats, this wedding is going to be a celebration of life, in all it’s amusing, abundant, raucous beauty”

Save the date, humans!

August 23, 2014

This is what our faces look like RIGHT after we got engaged. We’re in the woods (Middlesex Fells) near Cambridge, MA, our current home. In case you can’t tell by looking at this picture, we were pretty happy. Also, we have matching glasses. What you can’t see is that Margaret has *the most attractive outfit ever* on. Because you can’t tell in this picture of us being charming we have captured the amazing here:

This is the kind of style you are in for at our wedding. Kids, get excited.

LOVE!

Margaret & Adrian