Ashton and Stephanie’s Hampshire House Wedding Featured a Guest Book Quilt Everyone Helped Make

At Hampshire House in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept. 27, 2025, Ashton Hattori and Stephanie Tillman married surrounded by fall-toned roses and dahlias, a reception palette of white, red, pink, brown, mauve, peach and gold, and a stack of fabric squares that guests had signed, sketched on and filled with drawings throughout the evening. The squares, collected in lieu of a traditional guest book, are waiting for Ashton to sew them into a quilt. “Seeing what our friends and family created, from sweet notes to funny drawings, was so special,” Stephanie says. The finished quilt will be the kind of wedding keepsake most couples never think to make.

Getting Ready, Together

The two brides got ready together on the morning of their wedding, a choice that itself required a decision. As Stephanie explains, the couple found themselves “navigating a lot of logistics that non-queer couples might take for granted, like who would walk down the aisle, whether we’d get ready together or separately, how to structure certain traditions.” Without a standard template, they made each call deliberately. Getting ready side by side turned out to be the right one.

Beauty for both brides was handled by Charlotte Phinney & Company, whose work complemented a color story that ran from deep mauve to warm peach. The first look came later, once both were dressed, and it set the tone for a day that the couple had shaped entirely on their own terms.

Florals and the Fall Palette

Artistic Blossoms built the floral program around the season. Each bride carried a lush bouquet of roses and dahlias in romantic hues, and reception tables and the mantle were dressed with fall-toned arrangements that echoed the warm, earthy range of the wedding’s color palette. The effect was less autumnal decoration and more a considered extension of the overall visual language the couple had chosen.

The Ceremony at Hampshire House

Hampshire House, a landmark on Beacon Hill overlooking the Public Garden, served as both ceremony and reception venue. The site offered a formality that suited the occasion without overwhelming it, and its scale gave the couple room to fill it with their own choices rather than default to convention.

Both brides wore gowns from David’s Bridal, and the ceremony was photographed by Symula Media Group. “Make sure to get a photographer you trust and can have fun with,” Ashton says. “It’s 100% worth the investment.”

First Dance and the Details That Stayed

Ashton and Stephanie opened the reception floor to Lizzy McAlpine’s “Apple Pie,” a song whose domestic warmth fit a couple who live together in Somerville, Massachusetts, and whose wedding was, at its core, a celebration of ordinary life made official.

Entertainment Specialists handled the DJ duties for the evening. And then there were the fabric squares. “Our guest book quilt was hands down our favorite detail,” Stephanie says. The couple had placed the squares out for guests to use throughout the reception, and the results ranged from handwritten notes to illustrated drawings. Ashton plans to finish sewing the quilt this year. “We’ll have a cozy reminder of our wedding day that we can wrap up in for years to come,” Stephanie says.

Navigating the Planning Without a Template

Ashton and Stephanie were candid about one of the less-discussed realities of planning a wedding without the inherited scripts that many couples lean on. “With no ‘standard’ template for queer weddings, we experienced a lot of decision fatigue,” Stephanie says. Every structural choice, from the processional to the traditions they kept and the ones they set aside, required an active conversation rather than a default answer.

They found support in vendors who made the process feel less like an accommodation. “We were genuinely surprised by how welcoming and inclusive so many vendors were,” Ashton says. “Seeing that a business was openly LGBTQ+ friendly on their website set the tone for a positive and affirming experience from the start.” On the flip side, the couple noticed the difference when language didn’t match. “We really appreciated when vendors used inclusive language and avoided gendered terms like ‘bride’ and ‘groom’ on forms and in communication,” Stephanie says. “It made the experience feel more welcoming and affirming.”

The freedom that came with building the day from scratch, they both agree, was ultimately the point. “The freedom to do whatever we wanted made the day even more special,” Stephanie says.

Advice From the Marriers

After 18 months of engagement and a $40,000 budget, Ashton and Stephanie emerged with a clear message for couples in the middle of the planning process. “There will always be ‘one more thing’ you think you need to do before the big day, but nothing needs to be perfect,” Ashton says. “When the day comes, everything will be exactly as it’s supposed to be, and it will be amazing.”

The quilt, still in pieces as of the wedding day, is already becoming something. That feels right for two people who built the whole celebration by hand. ❤️

FEATURED LGBTQ+ INCLUSIVE AND QUEER AFFIRMING WEDDING VENDORS

Photographer: Symula Media Group

Wedding Ceremony Venue: Hampshire House

Wedding Reception Venue: Hampshire House

Florist: Artistic Blossoms

DJ: Entertainment Specialists

Attire for Ashton Hattori: David’s Bridal

Attire for Stephanie Tillman: David’s Bridal

Beauty: Charlotte Phinney & Company

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