If you’ve ever wanted to get married in a bookstore, now’s your chance.
All She Wrote Books will start hosting small weddings, the store announced this week, inspired in part by Donald Trump’s imminent presidency.
The results of the Nov. 5 election add an urgency to the idea of hosting elopements, given the precarious nature of LGBTQIA+ rights in this political moment, owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa said. All She Wrote is Boston’s only queer woman-owned bookstore.
Trump’s return to office is “definitely a strong pushing point,” Pascucci-Ciampa said, though she’s been considering the idea of weddings since All She Wrote was still at Assembly Row and a couple got engaged there.
With last year’s move to East Somerville, that got pushed aside. “Now that we’re settled in the new space, and it’s such a cozy, friendly, lovely space, I was like, why not?” Pascucci-Ciampa said.
The wedding packages are for book lovers who happen to be lovers.
There are three available, beginning with the Chapter 1 Package for $350, which includes up to 15 seats for 60 minutes, access to the sound system, event setup and breakdown, an All She Wrote Books gift and a bookseller on-site to help with recommendations and sales. The store can source snacks and nonalcoholic beverages for an additional fee, or couples can bring their own. A First Edition Package for $700 adds professional photos by Devon Moos Photography of East Somerville.
The Plot Twist Package for $900 offers 20 seats and 75 minutes, plus two All She Wrote book concierges on-site. It includes officiant services by Moos and is great for people who don’t want to make any decisions except to get married at All She Wrote, Pascucci-Ciampa said. (“But if folks already have a photographer or an officiant in mind, they can still get married here with one of the other packages,” Pascucci-Ciampa said.)
She announced the initiative on Wednesday and has already received a few requests to reserve the space.
The services are relatively low-priced compared with other wedding venues – intentionally. “We really wanted to make it as accessible as possible while also supporting the business,” Pascucci-Ciampa said. “It’s very expensive to get married, and as someone who’s been married for a long time, I wish I had something like this.”
The store will host weddings indefinitely alongside events such as birthday parties and book club meetings.
“It’s not just elopements, we’re all about continuously being a queer safe space for all different types of events,” Pascucci-Ciampa said.
All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville
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