Andreia and Jackson got married at The Connors Center in Dover, Massachusetts, a Boston College retreat property that looks like someone dropped a European manor into the New England woods. Stone walls, manicured gardens, ivy everywhere. It’s one of those venues where you walk in and immediately understand why someone chose it.

The ceremony was outdoors, down a long stone staircase into what felt like a tucked-away garden. Intimate and a little theatrical in the best way. Exactly right for these two.

The Detail That Made Everyone Lose It

Andreia and Jackson’s best friends, a married couple who introduced them and served as their entire wedding party, gifted them ceremonial swords. Real ones! They was one of those details that especially works if the couple has the right energy to pull it off, and Andreia and Jackson were absolutely those people. They were playful and silly and full of joy all day, the kind of couple who make everyone around them feel like they’re having the best time, because they genuinely are.

The Venue

The Connors Center is a dream to photograph. The grounds feel like a European garden, which, in Massachusetts in September, is remarkable. Stone staircases, manicured hedges, tall trees, that castle-like architecture as a backdrop for portraits. Every corner of this property has something interesting going on and I never ran out of places to shoot.

The Photos

I’ll let Andreia’s email do the talking here. She wrote to me after getting her gallery:

“Real quick: what the actual ever living fuck?????!?!!!???? These are insanely good!!!! Like, Jackson and I literally had our mouths just gaping looking through each one, and then the next one would be even better!!? The veil picture??? Are you absolutely kidding me? I’ve never seen a more beautiful photo, it looked so ethereal and pure and otherworldly. I don’t usually use real life pictures as my phone background, but I couldn’t help myself with these. AND THE SWORDS ONE LOOKS SOOO COOL!!!! I can’t thank you enough for these, and for being so amazing on the day!”

Andreia, I think about this email on a regular basis.

Q: Is The Connors Center affiliated with Boston College? Yes, The Connors Center is a Boston College retreat and conference property in Dover, Massachusetts. It’s not on the main BC campus, which is part of what makes it feel so tucked away and private. You get the institutional quality and grounds maintenance of a major university without the campus-adjacent feel.

Q: What does The Connors Center look like? Think European manor dropped into the New England woods. Stone architecture, ivy-covered walls, manicured gardens, a long stone staircase that leads down to the ceremony space. It genuinely looks like somewhere you’d get married in the English countryside…except it’s 45 minutes from Boston.

Q: Is The Connors Center a good wedding venue? It’s genuinely one of the most unique venues I’ve shot at in New England. The grounds are beautiful, the architecture gives you incredible variety for portraits, and the ceremony space down the stone staircase is unlike anything else in Massachusetts. It’s intimate without feeling small and special without feeling stuffy.

Q: How many guests can The Connors Center accommodate? The Connors Center is best suited for smaller to mid-size weddings. It’s a retreat property, not a traditional banquet hall, so the intimate scale is part of what makes it special. Worth contacting them directly for current capacity details.

Q: What’s the ceremony space like at The Connors Center? The outdoor ceremony is down a long stone staircase into what feels like a private garden. It’s tucked away, atmospheric, and completely beautiful, especially late summer when lush greenery feels lived in. Andreia and Jackson got married there in September and it was one of the most dramatic ceremony setups I’ve ever photographed.