Weddings take time.
So it is that one year before opening bookings have started for weddings at the Encore Boston Harbor resort casino, and the first person to book a wedding celebration at the luxury resort is from Everett.
Everett’s Caitlin Ellis and her husband, Brendan Costin, plan to hold their cocktail hour and wedding reception at the Encore on October 26, 2019. The booking makes them the first couple to book a wedding at the resort’s function space – which opens in June 2019.
“Living in Everett, it’s been following the casino for a long time and keeping my fingers crossed because we knew it would be the perfect place for our wedding,” said Ellis, who said they plan to get married at St. Francis de Sales Church in Charlestown before heading over to Encore. “I had been to Wynn Encore in Las Vegas and knew what it would be like. I’ve been following the casino for years now and when we got engaged in December, we agreed to try to see if we could get it. I reached out to John Tocco and he got me in touch with the right department. I explained to them I grew up in Everett and then moved back after college and that having our wedding there would be perfect. Cathy in the booking department made it happen. I thought it was a long shot.”
Ellis grew up in Everett, but attending St. Francis Catholic School in Charlestown – where her family has deep roots – until it closed down. She went on to attend the Parlin School and was very active in hockey. She played with the boys all the time and was the official Water Girl for the storied girls’ varsity hockey teams Everett High fielded some years ago.
After moving to Billerica for high school, and attending UMass-Amherst – where she met Costin (a hockey player) while playing hockey – Ellis returned to the family home in Everett where she has lived since.
Costin works for a software company in Assembly Row, Somerville, and Ellis is an attorney for Athena Health.
She said, growing up in Everett, she could never have imagined having a luxury wedding without having to leave the city limits.
“I told Cathy that, growing up, I could have never imagined getting married in Everett,” she said. “The only place to have a gathering back then was at the Rec Center where we had our middle school dances. The location is perfect. Downtown is just too tough. We have grandparents coming, and it will be much easier for them to go from the church to Encore. We are still shocked that this happened. Everett was a great place to grow up, and now it will be a great place to get married, too. We’re very excited.”
Ellis is the daughter of John and Theresa Ellis. Costin was raised by his grandmother, Joan Costin, and is the son of the late Michael Costin. They have a lovely Labrador retriever named Oshie.