Blog— Weddings — Massachusetts — 2020 —
Brewster Gardens Wedding Photos
Katie & Merrill
Brewster Gardens, Plymouth, Massachusetts
October 10th, 2020
As a wedding photographer, there's a certain rapport you build with your clients from the time of your first consultation until they say "I do" that is often invaluable in producing the best photos possible. This relationship helps break the ice and keeps everything relaxed on a couple's wedding day and, without it, things can be a little awkward ... especially with my relative dorkiness and general sense of humor.
But, much like there's always one exception that proves a rule, every now and again I get a wedding that pops up on my schedule at the last minute and I don't actually get to meet the bride and groom in person. When this happens, I walk into their session blind and have to hope that they're my kind of people and fun to work with.
Katie and Merrill were a couple like this and we didn't actually settle on working together until just about two weeks before their big day. Thankfully, though, I knew from the minute I walked into the bride's bridal prep session that I was in great company and about to witness a wonderful wedding day.
I knew heading into Katie's bridal prep session that we were in for a very, very fast day. As she and Merrill were essentially having a pandemic-friendly elopement day at Brewster Gardens in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the schedule for the wedding meant I was only needed for a total of four hours.
The minute I walked in and saw how much fun she and her bridesmaids were, though, I knew we'd still make it feel like a complete and total wedding day regardless of timing.
That meant getting super fun candid photos of the bride and her squad getting ready and TONS of little photos of the details Katie and her mom spent a lot of time picking out.
Heck, she even had a BEAUTIFUL mirror constructed to hand her dress on for photos. Needless to say, I was one happy photographer.
What I loved the most about Katie and Merrill's wedding day was how important they treated it. While social gathering restrictions may have impacted the SIZE of this wedding day, and even changed the reception venue at the last minute, Katie and Merrill were just like any other bride and groom in the hours before they said "I do."
Katie was far less nervous than most brides, though, and kept her girls in stitches as she finished her hair and makeup and put on her dress, making the moment truly real for those closest to her.
I especially loved the little bit of emotion she and her father shared as he saw her for the first time.
With Katie dressed and ready to go, we made our way to the Brewster Gardens in Plymouth, Massachusetts and we were immediately greeted with bright sunshine and a very eager groom.
As someone who has gotten married in a park pretty similar to the one Katie and Merrill chose for their wedding, I absolutely adored the totally informal spot these two chose to exchange their vows. It was quirky, intimate and super personal and I know Katie and Merrill loved it as they couldn't stop smiling as their ceremony began.
Katie and Merrill's ceremony was a beautiful reminder that you don't need 200 people and a giant church to express your love one another and as their friends and family members looked on, the bride and groom honored those closest to them with stories about how they met and how important this day was to them.
It was the perfect ceremony for this moment and all you had to do to get an idea of how much both Katie and Merrill were locked into each other while they exchanged their rings and vows was look at the emotion on their faces.
The only downside to Katie and Merrill's plan to have a short wedding day was that for me, as their wedding photographer, I could have spent hours with them exploring Brewster Gardens and taking formal photos of them.
Thankfully, I feel like Katie and Merrill still got the full experience of wedding day formal photos as they had a great family and wedding party behind them and we literally did EVERY combination of photos they could think of.
Afterward, I was lucky enough to get some time with the bride and groom alone and we took a lot of beautiful portraits of them both in absolutely perfect fall weather with great foliage everywhere we turned.
And, honestly, I know deep down that's all these two needed.
Katie and Merrill ended their wedding day with an informal lunch with those closest to them and I can't think of a better way for them to have capped off an incredibly successful afternoon that changed their lives forever.
I may have only had the pleasure of working with Katie and Merrill for four hours but I learned a lot about them in that time and enjoyed every minute of it. More importantly, I know THEY enjoyed every minute of that time and will never forget their beautiful fall wedding in sunny Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In a year where there's really no such thing as normal and it seems almost impossible to celebrate major life moments, I'm so glad Katie and Merrill chose to proceed with their wedding days and I'm honored I was there to document it for them.
So congratulations Katie and Merrill on a beautiful wedding day and best of luck as you take on this next chapter of your lives together as husband and wife.
-Paul J. Spetrini
