Gabriella Buerman remembers watching Barton Weinstein drive away from the 11-bedroom house they shared with friends senior year. From their first day at Cornell, the two had flirted, occasionally dated, and developed a friendship.
“There was something magnetic,” says Gabbi. Even their dads were vocal about their potential. Still, with graduation looming, their rooms—separated by one floor—may as well have been miles apart. As Bart’s car vanished, Gabbi wondered: Had she really missed the boat?
She didn’t wait long for an answer. At a Labor Day weekend reunion in Westhampton with Cornell housemates, their long-simmering feelings boiled over. Both were living in Murray Hill, and they spent three years exploring New York City, their lives becoming joyfully and irrevocably intertwined. After relocating to Boston, where Gabbi completed her MBA and Bart landed a job at Intercontinental Real Estate, he found the perfect spot to propose. Friends hid to capture photos, as Bart dropped to one knee beneath an illuminated B&G: not for Bart and Gabbi but for B&G Oysters.
“WE BOTH FELT VERY FORTUNATE ALL OF OUR FAVORITE PEOPLE WERE THERE. IT WAS A CLOUD NINE-ESQUE FEELING.”
The week before their wedding at Gabbi’s parents’ Newport estate, she vowed to “be nice to everyone, no matter what” because “sun comes to nice people.” Bart says his vivacious wife is “the most kind-hearted, loving, caring person” he’s ever met, so it wasn’t surprising their day was spectacular. Blue skies were critical to their plan to shuttle 184 guests via boats from Fort Adams State Park. After pre-ceremony cocktails, everyone lined the hill to spy on the bride and her parents aboard an amphibious boat that drove onto the lawn. As they approached with “Going to the Chapel” blaring, a string quartet picked up the tune.
When the couple locked eyes, their nerves dissipated. “I don’t think we broke each other’s gaze the whole ceremony,” says Gabbi. The service, conducted by family friend Hon. Sharon Townsend, and reception combined elements of their Swedish and Jewish heritages. “It was important to show the cohesiveness of our growing family,” Gabbi reflects.
The wedding meal was “our dream dinner: We really wanted to eat it,” Gabbi explains of their decision to retreat to the courtyard of the house before they were introduced by her dad as husband and wife. From their table for two, they could observe the gathering, feel the love and anticipate the party—and their life—ahead. “We both felt very fortunate all of our favorite people were there,” Bart says. “It was a cloud nine-esque feeling.”
Versatile band Decades by DeZyne kept revelers dancing until midnight, and a fire pit and hotdogs were after party highlights. They honeymooned on the Big Island and Maui.
Gabbi says: “We’ve been best friends for eight years,” but marriage is “a different level of happy.” Their bond, Bart shares, is strong because: “We complement each other.” She develops mobile platforms for Rue La La; he’s thankful for her “Geek Squad” support with his first iPhone.
And Gabbi has learned something fascinating about her detail-oriented husband: “Bart loves to lick envelopes!” You know you’re a team when he says: “You did so much hard work to plan the wedding, let me take the thank you notes” ... and he writes every one.
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Private Residence; Caterer: Russell Morin Catering & Events, Newport, RI; Event Design and Planner, Lighting: Exquisite Events Details & Décor, Newport, RI; Linen and Rentals: Rentals Unlimited, Stoughton, MA; Entertainment: Decades by DeZyne, Boston, MA; Stationery: Rugg Road Paper Company, Boston, MA; Wedding Dress: Vera Wang; Groom’s Tuxedo: J.Hilburn