Blog— Weddings — Massachusetts — 2022 —
Avenir Wedding Photos
Marissa & David
Avenir, Walpole, Massachusetts
June 26th, 2022
Over the years, I've discovered I tend to attract a lot of similar couples. Maybe it's my sunny disposition, or perhaps my style of wedding photography, but a lot of the brides and grooms I work with tend to be selfless people who don't like being the center of attention and spend a lot of their wedding day making sure everyone else is having a great time.
What I love about working with these types of couples is you can always tell the moments where the reality of what they're doing hit them hardest and they actually take a second for themselves in the midst of worrying about others.
For Marissa and David, this was a brief five-minute first look in the garden of Avenir and though they spent most of their big day trying to help their friends and family make the most of the special occasion, that little moment between the two of them was my favorite because it was raw, real and full of love. Much like the couple at the center of this truly amazing and special wedding day.
I knew from the moment I walked into Marissa's bridal prep that this would be a sweet and sentimental day as her lovely bridesmaids were all beyond excited to see her walk down the aisle and already full of emotion. In fact, I'll go as far as saying Marissa was the person at bridal prep feeling the least emotional.
I always love when I'm working with a bride whose girls "get it" and it was clear these ladies had looked forward to this day for a very long time.
Marissa's bridal prep was low key and a breeze to shoot. In fact, the hardest part was knowing we'd have to venture out into the brutal summer heat of this particular June afternoon. But I was looking forward to it as I'd never been to Avenir before and I knew we were starting with what promised to be a great first look.
What I didn't know was just how emotional it would be as Marissa's grand reveal really hit David in the feels and led to some of my favorite first look photos ever. Talk about setting a great tone for the rest of the afternoon.
Marissa and David structured their wedding day in a way that made for a pretty stress-free environment. With a first look set before their ceremony, these two were able to knock most of their formal photos out before they even said "I do," which was great because I could tell their friends and family members were the type that wanted to enjoy as much of cocktail hour as possible.
The one drawback to Marissa and David's wedding day, as mentioned above, was the pure heat of a brutally hot summer day. Because of this, Marissa and David chose to get married inside of Avenir and I could tell they were glad as the bride walked down the aisle in the air conditioning rather than tempting the heat and humidity outside.
The air conditioning was just one of the reasons Marissa and David's wedding ceremony was so cool. The others were the couple themselves.
Marissa and David's wedding ceremony was a short, sweet and fun one full of laughs and while I could tell this moment meant the world to this bride and groom, it was nice to see how true to themselves they kept everything and the little ways they looked at each other when exchanging rings and vows.
With Marissa and David's wedding ceremony in the books, the three of us made our way back out into the heat for the rest of their bride and groom formals and I'm glad we did. While it hadn't cooled down much, there was substantially more shade on the grounds of Avenir and this led to some of my favorite photos of the day as Marissa and David were so much more relaxed in front of the camera now that their ceremony was out of the way.
I especially loved the fun veil shot that led this blog off as I could tell Marissa and David weren't quite sure what I was up to but trusted me enough to go with the flow.
Speaking of flow, I loved the way Marissa and David's wedding day flowed right from their bride and groom portraits into the back half of a casual cocktail hour and their reception. The laidback scheduling gave me plenty of time to walk around Avenir and capture all the little details that made this bride and groom's reception so special.
I especially loved the way their place settings and tables looked decorated in the purple and blue lighting of the ballroom at Avenir, which was truly stunning and one of the nicest I've ever seen.
There aren't a lot of moments that give me pause heading into a wedding day anymore but the night before I photographed Marissa and David's big day, I was doing my research on the venue as I hadn't been there before and was blown away by how amazing the ballroom looked.
Capturing their details during cocktail hour only made it stand out even more and, as such, I really hoped Marissa and David's first dance lived up to my expectations. Thankfully, Marissa and David not only MET my lofty expectations for their first dance, they vastly exceeded them.
I loved photographing Marissa and David's first dance and was so glad it lasted so long as I was able to capture it from a ton of different angles. I honestly can't think of a nicer dance floor I've seen this year, and maybe ever, and the combination of purple and blue uplighting just made everything look stunning from start to finish.
Marissa and David's first dance was just one of a number of special moments on their wedding day and it all started with a pair of great toasts to lead us into dinner.
Following dinner, and as the setting sun made the Avenir ballroom somehow even nicer, Marissa and David made quick work of the other traditional moments of their reception, with a lovely cake cutting and a pair of really nice and touching parent dances.
I could tell, however, that what their friends and family members were looking most forward to was the dance floor opening and, boy, did they take advantage.
I loved Marissa and David's wedding reception for so many reasons, not the least of which was how much fun EVERYONE on the dance floor seemed to be having. I don't think I've seen a more diverse crowd of people of all ages just vibing to the music but once this party started, it never let up.
Perhaps most impressively, every single time I looked around, Marissa and David seemed to be right in the middle of all the fun on the dance floor.
I can't say I pictured them as the partying type but Marissa and David made sure to make every moment of their reception count and I'm so glad they did as it led to a ton of fun candid photos.
As my time with Marissa and David came to an end, I realized I didn't quite know where they were as the two had disappeared off the dance floor for a bit. After looking around for a bit, I found them spending time with some of their older relatives in the lobby of Avenir and I think that says so much about this bride and groom.
Yes, it was their day but they went out of their way to make sure everyone in attendance felt special and that's truly a beautiful sight to be seen and says a lot about the newlyweds at the center of this gorgeous and fun summer wedding.
So congratulations Marissa and David on a fantastic wedding day and best of luck on this new chapter of your life together as husband and wife.
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair/Make-Up: Stephanie Garland Bladez hair design; Bride's Dress: David's Bridal - Galina Signature; Groom's Suit: Men's Wearhouse; Florist: Nolan's Flowers; Ceremony & Reception Venue: Avenir, Walpole, Massachusetts; DJ: Off the Record Productions; Cake: Art's Bakery.