Zach & Gabby
Beavertail State Park, Jamestown, Rhode Island (Elopement)
June 26th, 2025
I love shooting a complete wedding day, one where I'm booked to arrive at the start of bridal prep and leave after the last dance. To me, that type of day is one where I get to tell a complete story. On the exact opposite side of that spectrum are two or three-hour elopement sessions. I find these can be the most challenging sessions to shoot as I'm often only present long enough to take shots of a bride and groom saying "I do," some family photos and some quick portrait of the newlyweds.
That's why I'm always grateful when I leave an elopement feeling like it wasn't an elopement at all and feeling like I got the whole story of the day in the bite-size chunk of time I was there. In other words, elopements like Zach and Gabby's.
Zach and Gabby tied to knot back in June at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, Rhode Island and while the specifics of what I was hired to shoot were short — a four minute ceremony, formal photos with the 15 total people in attendance and bride and groom portrait in one location — this beautiful day was one that was so fun I didn't need anything else. And neither did the bride or groom.
My coverage of Zach and Gabby's elopement began with my arrival to Beavertail State Park roughly 25 minutes before everyone else. As you can imagine, I'm always a little panicked when this happens as I never quite know if I'm in the right place and that was made even more challenging by me arriving before the tent for Gabby and Zach's wedding ceremony was even set up.
Thankfully, the bride and groom arrived on time and I felt better about being where I was supposed to be and I don't think these two could have picked a nicer place to get married or a more perfect day to do so as Beavertail State Park is truly stunning ... especially on days where it's not 95 degrees and bright sunny (AKA the way it's been every single other time I've ever worked here.)
Zach and Gabby both arrived excited to become husband and wife and you should see the love they had for one another plastered all over their face as the bride walked down the aisle.
Zach and Gabby's wedding ceremony wasn't long but it didn't need to be. The pair obviously have a strong connection, which was on fully display by the way they looked at one another as they listened to their officiant and the stunning backdrop provided the perfect location for a beautiful ceremony that felt deeply intimate, personal and touching.
By the time Zach and Gabby sealed their love with a kiss, it was clear to everyone in attendance that while this wedding may not have had the traditional bells and whistles of a larger ceremony, it had all the love of one and then some.
Following their wedding ceremony, Zach and Gabby spent some time celebrating with the small group they had gathered to witness their special moment and then we rolled right into their family and wedding party formal photos.
I am so grateful we had a nice overcast day for these photos as shooting at Beavertail State Park can be a challenge but the light was perfect on this day and the vibes were chill, making this one of my favorite shoots of the year without a doubt.
With their ceremony and formal photos in the books — and nothing else planned after our time together — the only task I had left for Zach and Gabby's wedding day was taking photos of the bride and groom themselves and I was ITCHING to do this because I couldn't wait to see how fun this shoot would be.
I've lived in Rhode Island my entire life but sometimes it's easy to forget how stunning our beaches and coastline can be but on this summer afternoon, it was on full display.
Zach, Gabby and I started their bride and groom portrait session on the grass near where they said "I do" moments earlier but that was just the warm up.
The real fun with Zach and Gabby was hiking down to the rocks and taking some of the most stunning photos I'll take all year. Seriously. Look at that view.
Ocean. Rocks. Coastline. It's so Rhode Island it hurts.
Add in a beautiful and fun couple and you really can't ask for much more as a wedding photographer.
I could have worked with Zach and Gabby for hours more photographing their beautiful love story but, honestly, it was kind of refreshing to pop in, shoot some stuff and pop out.
For a wedding day that lasted just two hours, I know this shoot will be I remember for a long time and one that likely factors in heavily when it comes time for me to update my wedding photography portfolio at the end of the season.
So, thank you Zach and Gabby for including me on your deeply personal and sweet wedding day and I wish you all the best on this new and exciting chapter of your lives together. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
