Real Weddings

Photo by Alisha Norden

The story

Rebecca Atsalis and Nick Rivellini were the epitome of college sweethearts. First friends, the two met at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and were a couple when Nick graduated in 2017. After graduating the following year, Rebecka moved to Boston, and Nick soon moved to the city to be with her. By that point, they already knew they were going to be together for the long haul. The couple adopted a golden retriever named Ryder and began planning for the future, but when and where their engagement would take place was a mystery to Rebecka.

Since Rebecka’s parents live in Barnstable, the couple often took the ferry to Nantucket. In 2021, they took a trip to the island during Nantucket’s Christmas strolling weekend. Rebecka’s sister was also there with her parents and Ryder, but the group split up when the ferry arrived. “At one point, Nick said, ‘Let’s go to the lighthouse and take a Christmas photo,'” Rebecka recalls. “I thought that was a little weird because he doesn’t like taking pictures.” But Nick’s intention became clear shortly after they arrived, when he got down on one knee. As she accepted the proposal with a loud “Yes!”, Nick pointed down the beach to Rebecka’s family, who were hiding out and waiting to celebrate with the couple.

When it came to planning the big day, Rebecka knew she didn’t want to have her wedding in a “hall or ballroom,” she says, “but somewhere outdoors where it felt like a backyard wedding, just a little more upscale.” Hoping to find a venue where they could hold the ceremony in a large, open field, the bride and groom toured Chesterwood, a historic estate in the Berkshires, one winter day. “There was snow everywhere, but we knew immediately it was the right one,” Rebecka recalls.

When the big day arrived in June 2023, the weather forecast predicted rain, so a backup plan was hatched to move the ceremony of Rebecka’s dreams from the outdoors to a tent. But 15 minutes before they were set to say “I do,” the clouds cleared and the sun came out. The team went back to the original plan and went into action to set up the chairs outside on the field. With a few seconds to spare, Rebecka made her way down the aisle outside.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The details

The tasting meal

Rebecka’s mother is from Sweden, and Rebecka spent summers there as a child. The couple’s wedding weekend took place during Midsummer, the Swedish celebration of the summer solstice. At the rehearsal dinner, held in nearby Winbrooke, Nick’s family put up a Swedish maypole in honor of Midsummer, and Rebecka and her bridesmaids wore flower crowns, another Swedish summer tradition.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The flowers

“I changed my mind about the flowers so many times,” says Rebecka. She first wanted pale pink, blue and white blooms, then settled on all pink flowers. “Then, just before our florist ordered the flowers, I told her that I wanted them to represent all the colors – a rainbow,” she says, noting that the flowers used in the ceremony were subsequently reused in the reception tent. The bridesmaids’ bouquets also had a second life as table decorations.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The invitations and the artwork

The couple wanted the invitations to have a summery floral motif that felt personal to them. Abby Armistead designed the stationery collection, which included a reply card with a watercolor drawing of Nick and Rebecka’s beloved puppy Ryder. Ryder was also featured on matchboxes and the golf ball markers that Nick gave to his groomsmen.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The dress

“Finding a dress was a rollercoaster,” recalls Rebecka, who realized during her first fitting at L’élite Bridal that the dress she had ordered months earlier didn’t fit her. Luckily, a salesperson pulled out a beautiful Carolina Herrera gown that she had recently worn to a fashion show. “It wasn’t the style I would have wanted, but it fit like a glove,” she says. For the reception, Rebecka donned a lace dress by Brock Collection that was “feminine, fun and easy to walk around in.”

Photo by Alisha Norden

The band

Having a great band that could play Bruce Springsteen songs was one of Nick’s only wishes for the wedding. “We came across the Sultans in a Facebook group and the first video we saw was Jonny Rosch singing a Springsteen song. He was incredible. We knew immediately we had to hire him,” says Rebecka. Nick, his two brothers and their father went on stage at some point in the evening and sang with the band.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The lighting

Wanting to make lighting a functional design element, the couple opted for pendant lights, which Drape Art Designs attached to the center of the tent. “Since the tent and curtains had a lot of white, we chose light fixtures made of wood to create warmth,” says Rebecka. Avela Floral Design wove greenery around the rope that hung the pendant lights to add another textural dimension.

Photo by Alisha Norden

The file

BAND
The Sultans

Wedding dress
Carolina Herrera, L’élite Bridal

BRIDE’S MAKE-UP
Liz O’Malley

BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS
Brock Collection

BRIDESMAID DRESSES
Amsale

CAKE
Stacie’s Cookie World

GASTRONOMY
Powerhouse Cafe & Catering

FLOWERS
Flower Design Avela

GROOM’S CLOTHING
State & Freedom

INVITATIONS
Abby Armistead

LIGHTING
Drape art designs

DRESS FOR THE BROOMSTER
Monique Lhuillier

Matchbox and golf ball marker art
Peyton’s contribution

RENTAL
Classic tents and party items

WEDDING DAY COORDINATOR
MK Your dream day

First published in the print edition of the August 2024 issue under the headline “Field of Dreams”.

Real Weddings: Summer 2024

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