We Do!

– just to say they ate wedding cake. But the featured dessert of the night was the Inn's traditional apple crisp, which is topped off with a generous dollop of whipped cream by the couple. It's a take on the receiving line, says Harrison Corder. Corder described himself and his wife as "DIY-ers," who were budget conscious in their planning approach, and to add a cake to the mix didn't seem worth the expense. He noted that many of their friends who have recently married were less interested in a cake cutting, though some included it for their parents. Not to totally eschew tradition, he made sure to smear some whipped cream on his new bride's nose during dessert. "We still had that funny little moment," Corder said. FOR SOME, TRADITION REIGNS Cake or no cake, couples agree that dessert is not just for show – it should be enjoyed like the rest of the wedding fare. Lombar- di, of the Bean Counter, said gone are the days when the wedding cake was primarily a display piece that most people didn't actually eat. Think stiff, fondant icing that held up but didn't necessarily go down smoothly. Mary Lesonsky, a tradition-loving bride who married her hus- band Matthew Lesonsky at Charter Oak Country Club in August 2025, offered guests three flavors in her modern vintage-style tiered wedding cake. The pair embraced a traditional cake cutting, a photo opportunity the bride is sure will hold up. "I'll look back on it and it will just be timeless," Mary says. n While many brides look to the Internet for photographic inspi- ration, Mary Lesonsky was captured by her parents' wedding al- bum when planning her August 2025 wedding. Like her parents in 1983, Mary and her husband, Matthew, had a church wedding followed by a country club reception at Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson. "I would say I'm a traditional person, so I feel like it really re- flected me," says Mary, a Fitchburg native who now resides in New Hampshire. Mary borrowed details from her parents' wedding, such as flow- er baskets instead of bouquets for her bridesmaids, while making the day her own (Mat- thew shares that most of the details, he left up to Mary). "My mom's colors were pinks while mine were blue-green," says Mary, who got ready for her wedding in the home she grew up in. The cake, too, paid homage to the now-vintage style of her parents' tiered wedding cake, held up by the columns that were commonplace in weddings of the era. A grand, tiered cake with ex- tra piping helped create the vintage vibe, says Mary. She added fondant strawber- ries for a pop of color – fruit details are a modern twist, says cake designer Alice Lombardi. But the biggest statement of the day was the decision to wear her mother's wedding gown. The seed was planted years earlier when Mary's sister was getting married in 2021. Mary and her sister each tried the gown on for fun and it fit Mary per- fectly – though she had yet to meet her future husband. Four years later, when it was her turn, Mary asked to try the gown on again. It still fit like a glove, and she opted not to make any alterations to the timeless sil- houette with its short train and capped sleeves; she simply had it cleaned. "It was completely untouched, in a box for 42 years," Mary says. A cathedral-length veil – with a blusher for the walk down the aisle –sealed the deal: Mary's look was that of a quintessential bride, an icon that looms large even in the modern mind. P H OTO : H E AT H E R F U L L E R P H OTO G R A P H Y Hayley and Harrison Corder served guests fresh whipped cream atop apple crisp at the wedding at the Salem Cross Inn. The two skipped a cake at their September 2024 wedding in favor of the Inn's traditional dessert. Channeling Yesteryear Ellen DiConza, mother of the bride, on her wedding day in 1983. Mary Lesonsky wears the unaltered gown her mother wore in 1983 in the living room of her childhood home in Fitchburg on her wedding day. Ribbons, flowers and columns were the defining details of tiered wedding cakes in the 1970s and 1980s. Extra piping and fondant strawberries captured the modern vintage look Mary and Matt Lesonsky requested. The style is popular as vintage decor experiences a revival, says cake designer Alice Lombardi. For one bride, tradition is timeless www.wedoweddingsma.com • November 2025 • We Do! 55 P H OTO : M A RY L E S O N S K Y P H OTO : YO U R S T R U LY M E D I A P H OTO : YO U R S T R U LY M E D I A P H OTO : M A RY L E S O N S K Y

• Cover