Hannah & Paul
As a wedding photographer who prides himself on not only matching but exceeding his bride and groom's expectations, I walk into every single shoot looking for something I can do to “wow” my clients. This means if they come to me with an idea for a creative photo, I'm not only saying yes but I'm going to try very hard to knock said photo out the park.
That's why when I chatted with Hannah and Paul two weeks before their August wedding at Boat House Waterfront Dining in Tiverton, Rhode Island and the groom-to-be asked if we could make sure to take a couple of photos with the classic car he rented, my brain automatically went into creative overdrive and I knew it would be a shot I needed to nail on the day of.
Thanks to the amazing couple I was working with and perhaps the single best sunset of the summer, we did and we created one of my favorite photos of the year. But that's not why I loved Hannah and Paul's wedding. No, I loved it because that marquee shot was just one highlight on a day full of awesome moments from start to finish as Hannah and Paul's dream wedding proved to be one of the most beautiful and memorable weddings I've shot this year.
My time with Hannah and Paul started with their respective bride and groom preps and I knew we were in for a great afternoon the moment I walked into the home where they were getting ready and could see that both the soon-to-be bride and groom were just casually hanging out waiting for me and ready to hit the ground running.
I always love when a bride and groom get ready close by, or in this case in the same home, as I truly feel the moments before a wedding are important storytelling moments for BOTH people saying “I do.”
That's why I was thrilled to have so much to do before we headed to Boat House. I started with some simple shots of the bride hanging out, grabbed some detail shots of her dress and headed over to Paul.
The timing was perfect as the groom rolled right through his final prep items before taking Hannah's dad with him to the ceremony site for some of that good ol' fashion father and son in law time. It was a ride I'm sure neither will soon forget.
With Paul and Hannah's father on their way to the ceremony site, the big moments of Hannah's prep came quickly. I can confidently say Hannah getting her dress zipped, putting on a veil and taking some time for some last minute bridal portraits before we headed out provided some of my favorite prep shots of the year and, more importantly, told me everything I needed to know about this bride before she walked down the aisle.
Hannah was a little nervous and anxious – as most brides are – but she was really excited and I could tell she couldn't wait for Paul to turn around and see how stunning we looked on this amazing day.
One of the toughest things to coordinate on Hannah and Paul's wedding day was their first look. Not only did the two want to have this moment on a public dock on a day where tons of fisherman were walking by everywhere we looked but Hannah and Paul's schedule for their wedding day meant we needed to do said first look when the sun was at it's brightest.
Thankfully, I've worked VERY hard over the last two years to know exactly how to work around these lighting challenges and could focus on the more important aspect of this first look: Paul's awesome reaction when he saw how beautiful his bride-to-be looked.
Needless to say, she took his breath away.
Following their first look, I made sure to snag a couple of easy bride and groom portraits of Hannah and Paul on this dock area … mainly because I didn't want us to have to come back here but also because it was a very pretty dock.
I'm glad we got these photos as the water looked awesome on this day and I knew we weren't likely to have nearly as much time for their couples' portraits as I may have wanted when we started those after the ceremony.
Even though I had spent two and a half hours with Hannah and Paul by this point, it didn't properly feel like their actual wedding day was beginning until we got to their low key and intimate ketubah signing.
It's funny how sharp a turn a wedding day can take when you get to the serious stuff but, to Hannah and Paul's credit, if they were feeling any nerves it sure didn't look it. Their ketubah signing was upbeat and fun as their rabbi made the ultra serious moment lighthearted and gave us all a nice reminder that you can have a milestone moment in life and treat it with the reverence it deserves but still have a good time doing it.
With their ketubah officially signed, it was time for Hannah and Paul's traditional wedding ceremony and what a ceremony it was. I don't think these two could have picked a better day to get married and the lighting at the Boat House was some of the best I've seen all year.
On top of that, Hannah and Paul did a wonderful job choosing the floral arrangements for their chuppah and the décor looked great as Paul smiled wide watching his bride walk down the aisle.
Hannah and Paul's wedding ceremony was a little over 20 minutes long but, honestly, it absolutely flew by. The pair incorporated a lot of the key staples of a Jewish wedding ceremony and even took time to give a special place for those closest to them to come up and recite the seven blessings.
It was a little touch but one that spoke volumes to what mattered to this pair on their special day.
By the time Paul stomped on the traditional wedding glass and the rabbi declared “Mazel Tov!” those gathered in attendance were ready to celebrate the new couple and get this party started.
To be fair, the guests at Hannah and Paul's wedding still had a while to wait for the official party to begin but me? After a length list of family formals, I finally had more time with the bride and groom and that was MY party.
Hannah and Paul's bride and groom portraits couldn't have happened at a better time on their wedding day as the light was simply stunning.
How much did I love this session? Literally in the moment, as I was shooting, I told them “OK, time for me to capture some shots for my new marketing brochure.”
And I meant it. These were two were awesome and I loved everything we captured, especially the way they just naturally embraced one another and conveyed the love they had for each other without me needing to prompt them much if at all.
Following their bride and groom portraits, Hannah and Paul made their way inside the Boat House restaurant and, I've got to say, this may have been the most challenging room I've shot a reception in all year.
For one thing, it's literally a restaurant. For another, there was little to no space to move around.
Luckily, that didn't deter Hannah and Paul from putting together some nice decorations that spoke to the vibe of their day.
Hannah and Paul's selection of the Boat House for their reception spoke volumes about how casual and relaxed they wanted their wedding day to be and nowhere was that clearer than in the beginning of said reception as they took the dance floor for their first dance and parent dances.
I've seen a lot of couples who don't like being the center of attention breeze through their formal dances but, man, Hannah and Paul set a new record for me as the THREE dances lasted less than two and a half minutes combined.
It didn't leave me a ton of time to photograph them but, honestly, it fit their vibe so well I couldn't complain.
With their formal dances out of the way, Hannah and Paul finally had a chance to sit down and take in the special day they were having and a handful of special toasts helped make that even more meaningful.
Following an excellent dinner, it was my time to shine creatively as Hannah and Paul request for nice photos with the car they rented were the final items on my list of things to take of photo wise.
I held off doing these shots earlier in the day as I really wanted to take them when the sun came down and I'm so thankful we did as Hannah and Paul were treated to one of the nicest sunsets I've had all year and it was the perfect time to shoot some of my favorite shots of the year.
Seriously. Look how cool these two look. I loved these photos so much and I think it made this wedding feel even more special than it already did.
Back inside, Hannah and Paul had just one more obligation on their wedding day itinerary: cut their cake.
Well, two, technically as the moment that was finished it was time to DANCE.
Now, I didn't know what to expect from Hannah and Paul's dance floor as it technically wasn't a dance floor at all and was just a small tent on the side of the restaurant room where they ate but I'll say this about these guests: They gave their all to make us feel like we were in a much larger area.
For such a low key and casual reception, Hannah and Paul's guests sure had a great time and I loved that for them.
As I packed up my gear and headed out of Hannah and Paul's special day, I couldn't wait to get home and see how those sunset photos came out and, to my relief, they were perfect and exactly what I was looking for.
I can say the same about this wedding.
Hannah and Paul had one of my favorite weddings of the summer season and, more importantly, I know it was the exact day they wanted and then some.
So congratulations Hannah and Paul on a wonderful and life-changing day. I wish you all the best on this new and exciting chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
