The Series
The Tower Boston Wedding Photographer | 101 Arlington
By Will Hall · Perla Images
If you are planning your wedding at The Tower at 101 Arlington Street in Boston, you are about to host one of the most architecturally unforgettable wedding days the city has to offer. A 1890s historic building modeled after a medieval fortress, four distinct event floors, and a setting that lets every part of your day feel like a different chapter. This page is for couples deciding on The Tower and looking for an editorial Boston wedding photographer who knows the venue.
The Tower is part of the Longwood Venues collection, joining other historic Boston wedding venues like The State Room and the Exchange Conference Center. What makes it unique is the vertical experience. Most wedding venues are one floor. The Tower is four. Each floor has its own personality, its own architecture, its own light, and the day moves up the building as it unfolds.
THE FOUR FLOORS OF THE TOWER
The Parlor (Ground Level)
The ground floor seats up to 100 guests for dinner and dancing. Wood beams overhead, decorative fireplaces along the walls, the kind of warm 1890s historic detail that photographs beautifully in late afternoon light. The Parlor often serves as the cocktail hour space when the reception is upstairs in the Library.
The Gallery (Second Floor)
The Gallery accommodates up to 100 guests and features soaring ceilings and vintage chandeliers. The geometry of the room is excellent for ceremonies. The chandeliers create natural light pools that I will work with to compose ceremony portraits and processional shots.
The Reading Room (Third Floor)
At 750 square feet the Reading Room is the smallest space, designed for intimate cocktail receptions of up to 35 guests. The scale of this room is what makes it special for editorial portraits. The Reading Room is where I photograph couples in the quieter moments of the day, away from the larger reception energy.
The Library (Top Floor)
The Library is the centerpiece. Up to 175 guests, original 1890s bookcases lining the walls, a working catwalk above, and large windows that flood the space with sunlight during day and create dramatic backlit silhouettes at night. The catwalk is one of the most distinctive photography elements in any Boston wedding venue. Couples can be photographed from above, looking down on the reception, with the room scaled and lit in a way you cannot recreate at any other venue.
A TOWER WEDDING DAY
Most Tower weddings flow the same way. Hair and makeup wrap in a downtown Boston hotel suite. First look on the streets of the Back Bay or at the venue itself. Ceremony in The Gallery on the second floor. Cocktail hour either in The Parlor downstairs or in The Reading Room upstairs depending on guest count. Reception, dinner, and dancing in The Library on the top floor with the catwalk lit overhead.
The vertical movement is what makes the photography different. As the wedding progresses up the building, the light changes, the architecture changes, the energy changes. I plan the photography around the vertical arc. By the time you and your guests are dancing in The Library, you have been through four distinct rooms with four distinct visual signatures. The gallery you receive tells the story of that vertical journey.
THE EDITORIAL APPROACH
My approach to a Tower wedding would be the same approach I bring to every Boston wedding I photograph. Documentary in style. Editorial in execution. I move with the day. I look for the moment before the moment. I do not over direct. The result is a gallery that feels like the day actually felt, with the architectural drama of The Tower carrying the visual story.
Dinner party, supper club, and candlelit weddings at The Tower Boston
The Tower Boston at 101 Arlington is purpose built for the 2026 dinner party wedding and supper club wedding aesthetic. The interior architecture reads as candlelit lounge, the dining configuration favors long tables over banquet rounds, and the lighting design is already moody and warm rather than overhead fluorescent. For couples planning a fancy house party reception in the heart of Back Bay, the room takes layered candles and clusters of lanterns beautifully. The editorial portrait sequence in the building’s stairwells and against the Beaux Arts facade is exactly the moody Boston wedding photography that is climbing in Google search volume right now. Couples searching for candlelit reception Boston, supper club wedding photographer, or moody Boston wedding photographer should put The Tower at the top of the list.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much does it cost to have a wedding at The Tower in Boston?
Wedding pricing at The Tower varies based on guest count, season, day of week, and which floors you reserve. Reach out to Longwood Venues directly for current packages.
How many guests can The Tower accommodate?
The Tower can host up to 250 guests across its four floors. The Library on the top floor seats up to 175 for reception. The Parlor on the ground floor and The Gallery on the second floor each accommodate up to 100.
What is the best time of year for a Tower wedding?
The Tower works beautifully year round because the wedding moves indoors across all four floors. Winter weddings benefit from the cozy 1890s architecture and chandelier light. Summer weddings can use Boston Public Garden across the street for portraits before the reception.
Where do guests stay near The Tower?
The Tower sits in the Back Bay one block from Boston Common and the Public Garden. The Newbury Hotel, The Liberty Hotel, the Fairmont Copley Plaza, and the Mandarin Oriental are all within walking distance and offer wedding room blocks.
What other Boston wedding venues are similar to The Tower?
The Tower is part of the Longwood Venues collection. Couples who consider The Tower often also tour The State Room (downtown Boston with skyline views), the Boston Public Library (next door in Back Bay), and the Harvard Club Boston. See the Boston wedding venues guide for the complete list of luxury Boston options.
Who is the Boston wedding photographer behind Perla Images?
Will Hall is the founder and lead photographer of Perla Images, based in Boston, Massachusetts. He covers weddings across Boston, Cape Cod, Newport Rhode Island, and Nantucket, with 116 five star Google reviews and packages from $7,000. See the full Boston wedding photographer page.
If you are planning a wedding at The Tower in Boston and you would like Perla Images to photograph your day, visit the pricing page, browse the full portfolio, or reach out directly through the contact form. Weddings are limited to 29 per year. 2026 dates are booking quickly. 2027 dates now open.
