Wellesley, Massachusetts

The History of Our Venue & Our Last Name

August 7, 2027

Wander the Gardens

take the long way…

Part of what made us fall in love with Elm Bank was that it never feels like just one place.

Beyond the estate are gardens, hidden paths, old trees, greenhouses and little corners waiting to be discovered. We chose a setting where our guests could wander, explore and experience the grounds rather than simply move from one scheduled moment to the next. This area captured our love of New England summers.

These are a few of the places we hope you'll find along the way.

Vintage illustrated map of The Garden at Elm Bank showing the maple grove, Italianate garden, Weezie's garden, Hunnewell building, Bressingham garden and trial garden

An estate map, drawn as it stands. The names below will find their places on it.

Film photograph of the great old maple at Elm Bank spreading over the ceremony chairs and flower borders

01 · The ceremony

Old maples, high branches, and a hush that arrives before anyone asks for it. We will say our vows here in the late afternoon, with the light coming sideways through the leaves. One of our favorite corners of the whole property.

Film photograph of the formal Italianate garden at Elm Bank with its central fountain, symmetrical beds and the brick estate house beyond

Clipped hedges held in perfect geometry, stone urns, gravel underfoot, and a fountain at the centre of it all. It feels borrowed from somewhere older and further away. Worth finding before the light goes.

Film photograph of a whimsical children's garden with a round moon gate, small bridge and winding stepping-stone path

03 · For children

A moon gate, a small bridge, a path that doubles back on itself. Built for children and immediately rediscovered by everyone else. Let the little ones loose here — then follow them.

Film photograph of a historic brick estate building at dusk with warmly glowing windows above a formal lawn

04 · The reception

The architectural anchor of the estate, and where the evening lands. Brick, tall windows, a slate roof — and at dusk every window turns amber. Dinner, toasts and the rest of the night happen here.

Film photograph of a gravel path winding through deep drifts of ornamental grasses and perennial foliage

05 · Cocktail hour

Nothing here runs in a straight line. Deep drifts of grasses move in the smallest breeze and the paths wander on purpose. Cocktails will find you here between the ceremony and dinner. Stay awhile.

Film photograph of long straight planted rows in a trial garden receding toward the horizon in low golden light

Long ruled rows of everything the season is willing to give, kept and catalogued all summer. In early August it is at its most extravagant. Wander this way if you like order in your gardens.

Film photograph of an antique glasshouse conservatory with white iron framing, glowing softly from within at dusk

Glass and white iron, warm from the inside, quietly beautiful at the end of the day. Not on our map — but look a little closer while you are on the grounds and you will find it.

Where Heaven Meets Earth

There are places that seem to remind you that God has been there all along.

Elm Bank is one of them.

For generations, this land has changed hands and changed purpose. Gardens have been planted and replanted. Buildings have been built, weathered, forgotten, and cared for again. The landscape has known seasons of extraordinary beauty and seasons of uncertainty. And still, it grows.

The elms that first gave Elm Bank its name are gone. Families have come and gone. The great estate changed. Gardens faded and were restored. Yet through every season, the land remained, held along the banks of the Charles River, waiting to bloom again.

We like to think God never forgot about this beautiful place.

He was present in every season. In what was planted. In what was lost. In what survived. And in what was given new life.

Perhaps that is part of why we felt so drawn here.

We wanted to begin our marriage somewhere that already understood the beauty of being cultivated over time. A place that reminds us that beauty is not found in remaining unchanged, but in being faithfully tended through every season.

On August 7th, beneath the open sky and surrounded by gardens that have been growing long before us, we will make our promises before God and the people we love most.

For us, Elm Bank feels like a place where heaven and earth have always been intertwined. Where the glory of what is above can be seen in everything growing below.

And for one evening, we get to become a small part of its story.

He never forgot the garden.

a little family lesson…

McILVEEN

MAC • IL • VEEN

With roots in Ireland and particularly the historic counties of Antrim and Down in Ulster, the McIlveen name has been carried through generations.

The surname is connected to an old Gaelic family name traditionally interpreted as “son of Giolla Mín,” a personal name associated with a gentle lad.

Over centuries, Gaelic names took on different spellings as families moved, records changed, and the names were translated into English. One of those spellings became the one our family carries today:

M C I L V E E N

And on August 7th, Dannielle gets to carry it too.

kindly reply

Once you’ve wandered the grounds, let us know whether you can make it.

RSVP by June 1