By Sarah Adamski

Happy February, friends! As the month of love, we are highlighting D + B for this month’s Red Lion Weddings blog spotlight, one of the couples that reminds what true love is ♥️

Q. You & your spouse’s names, and when did you get married?

A. Dave & Brooke Giannattasio, and we got married on September 23, 2022.

Q. How did you meet?

A. In 2014, Brooke had just graduated from college and started her full-time job where she met a girl named Courtney. Brooke and Courtney became fast friends and ended up moving in together in South Boston in the summer of 2015. That summer, Courtney was on a family vacation and talking to her cousin, Dave, about this new roommate of hers. Just a few weeks later, Courtney had Dave over to “check out her new apartment”, but the real intention was to introduce Dave and Brooke. They hit it off and the rest was history!

Q. What was your proposal like?

A. At one of our favorite places is Martha’s Vineyard. Dave’s family has been vacationing there for many years and it has become a place where we have created a lot of memories together as a couple. At the end of August 2020, we went for a final summer escape with Dave’s brother (Mike) and his wife (Kelsey). Prior to having dinner in Edgartown, Mike and Kelsey thought it would be fun to have a drink down by the Edgartown Lighthouse and enjoy the sunset. Little did Brooke know, but Dave had secretly planned their engagement… he even hired a photographer (Michael Blanchard) to capture the special moment. Brooke was completely stunned (the videos are hilarious), and it will forever remain the best sunset they ever saw!

Q. How did you hear about the Red Lion Inn?

A. A few people that Brooke knew from her hometown and from work got married at the Red Lion Inn. I remember seeing photos from both weddings and thinking it was stunning. After a few Google and Pinterest searches, I knew I needed to go check it out!

Q. What made you choose the Red Lion Inn?

A. The first time seeing the Red Lion Inn, I knew it was the place for us – it was only the second venue I had looked at! I went with my mother and future mother-in-law in October 2020, and although it wasn’t hosting any weddings at the time, I could immediately envision our wedding day. I was going for a “rustic elegant” style wedding, and the Red Lion Inn captured that perfectly. A huge selling point was that everything was on-site – we held our ceremony & reception in the barn, cocktail hour at the Hillside House, and after-party at the Cave. This ended up being important for us so guests could enjoy the night and not have to worry about hopping from place to place. Lastly, the entire Red Lion Inn staff could not have been easier to work with – every meeting we had was well organized and productive, and everyone we met was extremely nice and a pleasure to work with.

Q. What was your favorite part of the planning process?

A. We really enjoyed the tasting the Red Lion Inn hosted. First, both sets of our parents were able to join us, which made the tasting that much more special. We got to enjoy all the amazing food that the chef and team prepared – seriously everything was delicious. Lastly, it was the first time that we had experienced more than six people in the Barn at once, so it was surreal to get an opportunity to feel what the wedding day would be like!

Q. What was the most memorable part of the day?

A. Too many to count! In all seriousness, it was the best day ever and the entire day went extremely smooth so it’s hard to pick. We’ll give you two 😊 First – We decided to have two family members officiate our wedding – Brooke’s Aunt Patti and Dave’s Uncle/Godfather Bill. This made the ceremony truly special and unforgettable – those two were made for officiating! Second – our band was incredible and the last song they played was “Hey Jude.” We’ve been to many weddings, and we weren’t sure if we had ever heard that as a final song – Hey Jude quickly became one of our favorite songs. Thankfully, Dave’s Best Man captured a video of the scene.

Q. Apart from the Barn, what is your favorite space at the Red Lion Inn property, and why?

A. This is a hard one – I loved the Hillside House… The Bridesmaids got ready in the Hillside House in the morning, which provided a lot of space and plenty of room to hang out in. At cocktail hour, many guests complimented on how beautiful the space is from the bar to the beautiful chimney. That being said, it has to be the Cave. You can’t have a wedding at the Red Lion Inn and not have your after party downstairs. The speakeasy, laid back vibe is a great way to round out an awesome night.

Q. What was your favorite menu item served at your wedding?

A. A random one, but the clam chowder cups! They were adorable and easy to eat. Also, we opted in for the Raw Bar and it was a spectacle and spectacular – our out of town guests really enjoyed having a taste of New England!

Q. What is one piece of advice that you would like to give future RLI couples?

A. Don’t panic! The events team has got your back. The entire team went above and beyond all day and night (and even the next day at brunch) to make ourselves, our family, and friends feel extremely welcome. Someone gave me this advice, and I’ll pass it along… During the reception, find a quiet moment in the corner of the room to just look out and remind yourself that everyone who attended came to celebrate you as a couple because they love and support you. Make sure you do that and soak it in – it really is amazing.

Q. Any feedback that you have for our events team:

A. Short, simple, and a little cheesy… you rock, don’t ever change!

Vendor Spotlight:

• Hair: Brianna Lombardi (@Lombari_Hair_Design)
• Makeup: Cynthia Klocek (@cynthia.klocek)
• Florals: The Dirt Empress (@thedirtempress)
• Band: The Midnight Project (@luckyjoeshane13)
• Photography & Videography (@bkbcoboston)
• Invitations (@rsvphingham)