Neil & Abigail
Buffumville Lake Park, Charlton, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
September 13th, 2025
It doesn't happen often but, every once in a while when I'm photographing a wedding, I'll look around and wonder why I'm even there. I love my couples but a LOT of them choose to have relaxed, backyard type weddings, choose to toss away most of the formalities associated with a “traditional” wedding and my job is to essentially photograph a family party … but with nicer clothes.
I've learned never to judge these types of weddings because, no matter casual they are, there are always moments that take my breath away. And that's how I went from thinking Neil and Abigail didn't even need me to document their super chill wedding day to knowing in my heart it was one of the best I'd shoot in the entire 2025 season.
Neil and Abigail's wedding was everything they told me it would be and more. It was low key. It was stress free. And it was fun. It was oh so fun.
My time with Neil and Abigail started with one of the legitimately most shocking bridal prep moments I've had as a photographer. I don't know what I was expecting when Neil and Abigail told me they were having their wedding reception at Abigail's mother's house but when I walked in and saw it was literally going to be in the living room and kitchen area, I laughed at how crazy casual this day actually would be.
But here's the funny thing about backyard/home weddings: They feel more personal because they ARE more personal.
From the moment I walked in and saw that bridal prep was literally just Abigail in a room with her mom finishing her hair, and saw that the groom was downstairs in the basement hanging with friends, I knew what the vibe of this day would be and loved it.
Neil and Abigail told me in their very first consultation with me that they would be getting ready in the same house because they didn't want to spend the morning apart and, honestly, that says a lot about their relationship.
These two were absolutely adorable in the lead up to their wedding ceremony, with Neil looking slightly nervous to step into the center of attention role on this day and Abigail showing off the pockets of her dress with pride.
What I loved about these two was you could tell how much this day meant to them as the reality of the moment set in and even though we didn't have a LOT of big things planned this day, you just knew the ceremony would be something they cherished for the rest of their lives.
Neil and Abigail chose to say “I do” at Buffumville Lake Park in Charlton, Massachusetts and I'll be honest. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived at this location as it was pretty small and other than an oversized bandstand, it didn't look like a place that had ever hosted a wedding before, let alone a place a bride and groom might immediately say to themselves “Let's get married there.”
But that's the thing about Neil and Abigail. It wouldn't have mattered where they tied the knot, as long as they tied the knot and once I got a full look at the property, especially the incredible foliage where Abigail would walk down the aisle, it was like their vision of their wedding day finally unveiled itself to me.
Which only pales in comparison to the look of love Neil had all over his face when he saw his bride-to-be for the first time.
Neil and Abigail's ceremony was about 10 minutes in length but it felt much longer as Abigail's brother David did a masterful job as their officiant and balanced the sweet and sentimental moments of the day with the type of fun laughs and easygoing spirit that honored that love perfectly.
Even though Neil and Abigail went out of their way to not make a crazy big deal out of the formal moments of their wedding day (more on that later), it really touched me to see the special little touches they put into their ceremony. In particular, I love that the pair wanted to do a hand-fastening ceremony to honor the commitment they were about to make.
The moment that stole my heart, though, was shortly after the hand-fastening ceremony when Neil pulled out a scratch ticket with extra special meaning. He explained that Abigail bought it for him early in their relationship and that, after holding onto it and leaving it untouched for three years, they felt the best place to reveal if they won was at their wedding.
The ticket wasn't a winner itself but I think it's clear who hit the jackpot that day anyway.
Following the exchange of wedding rings and their first kiss that officially made them husband and wife, Neil and Abigail turned the floor over to me and my task was simple: find a place to take some formal photos.
It took some doing because, again, this park was small but after initially bringing the elderly members of the newlyweds' families back to the ceremony spot, I took Neil, Abigail, the rest of their families and their full wedding party on a small walk hoping to find an area that might give us something to work with in the gorgeous foliage on display on this beautiful day.
Then we found it. A little hill that would be a small challenge for the folks in high heels to climb but a spot so pretty it simply had to be done.
Now, don't get it twisted. After nailing the “must have” formals, we still had plenty of time for Neil and Abigail to let their personalities shine and that's how we ended up with some of my favorite group shots of the year, first of Neil getting kissed on the cheeks by two of his closest friends and absolute silliness by the wedding party itself.
Formal group photos at a wedding are rarely fun but, man, when you have great people behind you, it makes a world of difference.
After finally dismissing Neil and Abigail's friends and family members, it was time to work with the couple by themselves and, honestly, I had no idea what to expect from these two as it's one thing to work with a fun-loving couple when you're doing silly photos. It's quite another to bring out the romantic side of their relationship that they only share with one another.
Almost immediately, though, I knew we were in for something special.
I haven't mentioned it in this blog yet even though it's glaring: Abigail's dress was INCREDIBLE. From the moment I saw it, I was giddy with excitement over getting to work with it but it wasn't until I had the newlyweds go belly button to belly button and forehead to forehead with the beauty of nature behind them that I saw just how special it was.
These formal photos in this spot were so good I knew immediately that night that they would be heavily featured in my marketing and I was right. Talk about stunning. These are everything I could have asked for and more.
Neil and Abigail only had one request for their formal photos. They wanted to go over to the water and take a couple of photos. Given all the amazing photos they'd already allowed me to take, how could I say no?
What I didn't know was that was going to lead us to a couple of other areas in the park, even more beautiful than the next. I could've worked with this couple for hours and never gotten bored and I think that says a lot about how much I loved this day and their special relationship in particular.
With their bride and groom photos in the book, Neil, Abigail and I made our way back to Abigail's mom's house for the reception and when I saw this place was tiny, it was TINY.
This was easily the smallest room I've ever shot a reception in but, truth be told, it fit this day perfectly.
Neil and Abigail's reception had a very casual, down home vibe that felt more like an elaborate dinner and the décor reflected that beautifully.
As I said above, Neil and Abigail chose to disregard almost all of the “traditional” wedding reception moments in favor of a reception that felt more like an extended cocktail hour than an over-the-top party.
They decided early on they didn't need a first dance or parent dances or really anything other than the company of the ones they asked to share their special day.
In fact, the only true formality they had were toasts and even those were unplanned. The bride and groom opened the floor to anyone who wanted to speak and what they got in return were a handful of beautiful toasts that clearly meant a lot to them by the people they love and adore the most.
Following dinner, Neil and Abigail kept the casual nature of their reception going. For the final hour I was there, the only thing this bride and groom wanted to do was catch up with their guests and enjoy the moment.
Apart from Neil slicing open a bottle of champagne, there wasn't much to shoot other than people having a great time and, honestly, it fit the vibe of this day perfectly.
Abigail did get talked into a bouquet toss right before I left but I got the feeling she would've thrown those flowers even if this was just another backyard barbecue type event.
As I prepared to head home from Neil and Abigail's special day, I made sure to grab some final photos of the couple with the fading light in the sky. I thought this was a touching way to close out a touching day as Neil and Abigail's wedding was so sweet, so simple and so beautiful.
I love when wedding days exceed my expectations and I can honestly say that this one was one of the weddings I will cherish most from the 2025 season.
So, thank you Neil and Abigail for trusting me to document this special day for you. I wish you all the best on this new and exciting chapter of your lives together and know if you approach it even half the way you did your wedding day itself, you're in for quite a fun, and beautiful, journey together.
-Paul J. Spetrini
