05/24/2023

Carrie + Ricky’s Fun and Creative Wedding

With the 2023 wedding season nearly upon us, we had to share one more absolute gem of a wedding from last fall. Garage B hosted several weddings in 2022 that quickly have made “hall of fame status” in our books. These couples brought so much creativity and life to our blank-slate wedding venue, making each wedding incredibly unique and custommade for their tastes and interests.

When planning an event in a space like Garage B, there are so many directions to take the look and feel of a wedding. Some couples can walk in and picture what they’ll do with the space right away, others need some visual inspiration to help make decisions. That’s where we come in! Looking for more unique weddings and how they made the most of our blank-slate wedding venue? Check out Sara + Tom’s Traditional and Bright Wedding, Rohan + Jackie’s Vibrant and Colorful Sangeet, and Olivia + Dylan’s Rock n’ Roll Wedding.

Carrie + Ricky

From the minute we met these two, we knew that they were the perfect couple to make the most out of Garage B’s blank-slate canvas. As Allston residents, Carrie and Ricky are deeply involved in the local community and love where they live.

It was on their way back from a visit to check out a nearby traditional wedding facility when they passed Garage B on Soldiers Field Road. The idea dawned on them then that this just might be the creative solution they were looking for all along.

Engagement Photos

The couple booked the wedding in January 2022, and asked if they could take their engagement photos at The Speedway. They loved the historic and urban setting, and also wanted to introduce the idea to their wedding guests through pictures. With a few costume changes and using nearly every corner of The Speedway, they got an incredible collection of engagement photos from their photographer Brain Pu Ruiz.

The Ceremony

Carrie and Ricky not only utilized Garage B for their wedding, but they also used the entire Charles River Speedway complex in a really creative way. The beautiful fall evening got off to a very fun and celebratory start when the bride was dropped off at Gate 1 on Western Avenue, and walked with her wedding party through the busy Speedway courtyard on her way down to Garage B. The courtyard was already buzzing as the location for a 5k race afterparty, but when Carrie and her bridesmaids walked through, the crowd went wild. And we were off to the races!

The couple held their ceremony inside, with a really creative and effective layout. With the altar set up opposite the wall of garage doors, the wedding party made their grand entrances through the center open door, walking in under a sparkling disco ball chandelier. After the beautiful and warm ceremony, the party moved to the courtyard for a cocktail reception and for family photos. (The bride and groom also took a very photogenic breather on the lawn on the Charles River Speedway buildings – swapping their wedding shoes for fashionable – and comfortable – sneakers.)

Party Time

Back in Garage B, the catering team was efficiently moving the ceremony set up into a wedding reception arrangement, moving the chairs and setting up the dining tables. The reception layout mimicked the ceremony, with a head table where the vows took place, and a large dance floor in the middle of the space. The disco ball was still prominently featured.

They ate, and drank and danced the night away – but the night wasn’t over yet! It was time to move on to the after-party, but they did it high style, of course. A New Orleans-style street band, The Pat Gaulin NOLA Trio, led the wedding party in a rollicking second line parade from the Garage, up through the Speedway courtyard (where the Speedway courtyard crowd showed their appreciation so much that the wedding party took a few laps), before heading down Western Avenue to a post-wedding party at Avenue 24. The traditional second line parade signifies the start of a new life together – we wish Carrie and Ricky the very best and will welcome their creativity and energy back here anytime!