Independent by nature, side-by-side by choice

Boston Globe

4 days ago

Neither was nervous — on the outside.
'Given the nature of my work, I have an elevator pitch,' Holly explains. The Quincy native is an illustrator and entrepreneur who graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts/Studio Art from the college in 2013. Her whimsical, colorful fashion art has garnered the attention of celebrities, brands, and
Adrian, who goes by Pablo, studied international business and is now in law enforcement. Like Holly, his then-longtime girlfriend, he was an involved alum — but he was working on a different kind of pitch.
For the wedding ceremony, each partner nominated a family member to read a poem — Holly's aunt read 'I'd Rather Rise in Love with You' by Jana Lynne Umipig; Pablo's cousin read J. Wailen's "Tú Y Yo" in its original Spanish and in English.
Kasey Canzano Photography, Gina Tremblay (second shooter)
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The event was a ruse orchestrated by Pablo and some of their friends, a well-meaning scheme to get the pair back to the campus where they fell in love as undergrads.
Their romance began in fall 2012; Pablo was a commuter student, and he and Holly had mutual friends on campus for three years. But it wasn't until Holly met Pablo's dog that she and her husband-to-be first connected.
The 'very attractive' man who accompanied chocolate lab Bella happened to be a bonus.
The university became the backdrop for a friendship that, over their senior year, became something much more. Graduation meant returning to their respective shores — South Shore for Holly, North Shore for Pablo, who grew up in Beverly.
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While the venue's aesthetics drew them in, the couple says the event team at the New England Botanic Garden sealed the deal. They've since joined as members and hope to revisit their wedding day memories when they return for the museum's programming.
Kasey Canzano Photography, Gina Tremblay (second shooter)
More than a decade later, neither can recall a formal declaration nor giving the relationship a label during this period. But for the two, both only children who value their independence above all else, choosing to spend time together over time alone began to feel like love.
'I just remember the feeling of, I can't imagine this person not being in my life,' says Holly. 'Whenever a conversation ended, or I left him, I wanted to see him again.'
So, in fall 2023, when Pablo began to plan a proposal, 'I figured, bring it back to where it all started,' he says.
A mutual friend who worked at Endicott helped to orchestrate a quiet, private moment at
Holly was confused when they walked into a seemingly empty venue at golden hour, but it all began to click as Pablo took a knee, surrounded by flowers and candles that Holly's best friend had set up.
Still life art inspired the dinner's design. Holly filled the Orangerie tables with Flower Moxie's anthurium and calla lilies in thrifted vases, as well as "a gazillion" fresh pears and bunches of grapes she had purchased from Trader Joe's the day before. (Guests later confessed to munching on the fruit displays during the reception; the bride approved.)
Kasey Canzano Photography, Gina Tremblay (second shooter)
'You're the love of my life,' he remembers saying as he presented a ring made by
Holly replied 'Yes, of course!' but then remembered the networking: 'I was like, 'Wait, but do we have an event to go to right now?' And he was like, 'This
is
the event.''
The couple chose the
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Wedding planning coincided with renovating the house on the North Shore, where they currently live. The residential project wrapped up (mostly) the same week as the wedding. The couple says they enjoy tackling professional and personal work as a team—and that both projects helped the relationship continue to thrive.
'If I'm still working at the end of the day, he'll just start helping me because it's nice to be around each other,' says Holly, who manages her art business,
The wedding stretched late into the night; the after party was a low-key hang at the bar of the Hyatt Apex Center in Marlborough, where most guests and the couple were staying. They shared pizza with friends before heading to bed. 'It was a very chill way to end the night,' says Holly.
Kasey Canzano Photography, Gina Tremblay (second shooter)
Holly and Pablo, now both 34, wed on Friday, May 23, in an early evening ceremony with 100 of their family and friends.
In the week leading up to the wedding, the couple recruited their families to help prep, stash, and transport DIY bouquets, arrangements, and 100 bud vases with fresh, soon-to-open blooms from bulk floral provider,
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The bride illustrated their invitation suite depicting the venue, and the reception table numbers, each named after a different artist chosen by the couple. And each place card was an original portrait of the guest by Holly; guests took them home as wedding favors.
For their wedding clothes, the bride and groom both opted for sparkles.
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Pablo wore a midnight blue tuxedo from Saks Fifth Avenue's house label, featuring metallic threading that shimmered in flash photography and when the sun peeked through rainclouds. Pablo lost his father in 2024 and wore his anniversary band on his right hand to keep him close throughout the day.
For their rehearsal dinner, Holly worked with Waltham designer David Josef to create a custom re-creation of her mother's wedding gown. Fabric from her grandmother's bridal gown was made into a clutch by Boston-based Christie Hourihan for the wedding day.
Kasey Canzano Photography, Gina Tremblay (second shooter)
Holly worked with bridal designer
A close college friend, Gregory Payne, served as officiant. He told the guests that while they would get to see the pair say their 'I do's, Holly and Pablo had exchanged their vows hours before.
Early that morning, Holly and Pablo had sneaked away to
'We both don't really like speaking in crowds,' explains Pablo. 'So, doing that alone and just having each other in our own space, it was nice. We could say what we wanted and I could barely get them out. I cried when I took the piece of paper out of my pocket.'
It was important to Holly to have both her mother and father accompany her down the aisle; they walked to a commissioned strings compilation of Schubert's 'Ave Maria' that blended into Beyonce's 'Smash into You' as she reached Pablo. After the couple's "I dos" they exchanged wedding bands by New England designer Melanie Casey.
Kasey Canzano Photography, Gina Tremblay (second shooter)
Both remember 'sobbing, eating our bagels' at the cafe. Pablo teared up again, as Holly approached him from down the aisle: 'It was kind of like meeting each other for the first time again.'
They likened the experience to feeling 'first-date jitters,' but as Holly descended toward her soon-to-be husband, all she could do was smile.
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'I had made sure all my makeup was waterproof. I was ready,' she says. 'But as my parents were walking
[me] down the aisle, I was having so much fun. ... I have never been happier in my life than in that moment.'
Read more from
, The Boston Globe's new weddings column.
Rachel Kim Raczka is a writer and editor in Boston. She can be reached at