Blog— Weddings — New Hampshire— 2024 —
Castleton Banquet and Conference Center Wedding Photos
Denise & Lawrence
Castleton Banquet & Conference Center, Windham, New Hampshire
January 27th 2024
At the end of every wedding season, all I want to do is crawl in bed and wake up four months later fully refreshed and ready to go. But that's a Catch 22 because, when that happens, it takes me a while to get back into the swing of things and I spend weeks wishing I hadn't had so much time off.
That's one of the many reasons I was so excited to shoot Denise and Lawrence's wedding to start my 2024 season ... a mere four weeks after closing out 2023 with a New Year's Eve wedding. I had hoped the relative small break in action would keep me sharp and lead to great photos. The other reason I was excited, admittedly, was Denise and Lawrence were a super fun couple and I knew their wedding would be something special.
And while it was just as cold and awful outside as you'd expect a January wedding to be, I'm so glad I got to start my 2024 season off with this couple and this wedding because, honestly, it set the tone for an amazing year perfectly right out of the gate.
My coverage of Denise and Lawrence's wedding began nice and easy as I arrived to their venue — The Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire — with plenty of time to spare before their ceremony and enough time to catch both the bride and the groom's final preparations.
In fact, it turns out I had more than enough time to document Denise's getting ready as she got her hair taken care of a bit later than planned, which gave me plenty of leeway in shooting her prep before she put her dress on. This was my first indication that Denise was going to be the most relaxed bride on her wedding day as no one really minded if we ran a bit behind on the timeline. This was a day of celebration, not stress and I loved that for her.
Once Denise got into the dress, I could sense a slight change in the tone of the afternoon as all those telltale signs of nervousness came up as we inched closer to the wedding ceremony.
To her credit, I don't think Denise was feeling any anxiety about the actual getting married idea. It was more the reality of the moment hitting her and she still managed to have a smile on her face the entire time as we made sure she soaked in every moment before walking down the aisle.
Because they were getting married at the end of January, I knew heading into Denise and Lawrence's wedding day that their ceremony would (thankfully) be indoors and I don't think it could have been in a nicer spot. I loved the ceremony space at the Castleton Banquet and Conference Center as it felt both large and intimate at the same time, especially once they put up the wall dividing it from the cocktail hour area.
As for the ceremony itself, I knew this would be a good one when I saw the look of love in Larry's face as Denise walked down the aisle. Neither this bride nor this groom needed to say a word to show how much this moment meant to them.
Denise and Larry's wedding ceremony was just about 10 minutes long but still felt beautifully personal and unrushed. I especially loved the two speeches the pair picked out to have read and the way they stole glances at one another throughout the readings and vows.
I admit I was also pumped the ceremony was so short because I had a ticking clock in my head knowing we were getting closer and closer to sunset with every word spoken and I wanted to get this bride and groom outside for some portraits before day turned into night.
Following Denise and Larry's wedding ceremony, it was go-go-go time for me as the two walked down the aisle at 4:49 p.m. and sunset that day was scheduled for 4:51 p.m.
Needless to say, I knew we didn't have a ton of time for outdoor bride and groom formals. Thankfully, my efforts to learn off camera flash in 2023 have been paying huge dividends and thanks to the help of my lovely assistant Amanda and the super understanding and accommodating couple at the center of this wedding day, we were able to speed run through a ton of poses in the six minute window we had before transitioning to wedding party photos and heading back inside for the rest of the formals.
For only having six minutes with Denise and Larry outside, I really loved these photos. I especially love how wintery they feel, even if we didn't get any snow in the lead up to the wedding like I wanted.
With their formal photos in the books, I was excited to get back inside the Castleton Banquet and Conference Center ... not only because I was shivering a bit but also because I was looking forward to capturing all the details from Denise and Larry's reception.
I'm a big fan of the Lord of the Rings and, as such, loved the little touches the bride and groom had honoring the franchise but my favorite part of Denise and Larry's decor were the little touches of red throughout, whether it was the napkins on the tables or the roses sprinkled in the bouquet, invitation and cake topper. All together, it made for a beautiful color scheme which fit the night perfectly.
Heading into Denise and Lawrence's reception, I made a remark to the DJ that I truly had no idea what to expect from this night as it could have been the kind of reception where the dance floor hops all night or where everyone sits and relaxes at their tables but, thankfully, I knew we were in for a fun time the moment the newlyweds were introduced for the first time as husband and wife.
Denise and Larry rolled right from introductions into their first dance and even chose one of my all-time favorite wedding songs in “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden for their special moment.
Denise and Larry's first dance was easily my favorite moment of their wedding day, if for nothing more than the big grins both had on their face as they soaked in every second of this magical memory together.
Denise and Larry kept the formalities of their evening pretty low key. After their first dance, the newlyweds had a pair of nice speeches by the maid of honor and best man and rolled right into dinner, spending a lot of the time going table to table and thanking those closest to them for coming to their special day.
After dinner, Denise and Larry had just a couple of items to tick off their list before the formalities for the evening were all set: a cute cake cutting and a combined father-daughter/mother-son dance. Both were special were their own reasons but I especially loved the combined parent dance as you could see how much it meant to all four of those on the dance floor.
With the formalities out of the way, it was time for Denise and Larry to open the dance floor and they did just that.
One of the things I loved the most about Denise and Larry's reception was the true family celebration vibe the night took and, from the start to the end, the dance floor was packed with children and adults of all ages having a great time.
I especially adored the way Denise and Larry themselves were all over the dance floor — when they weren't at various tables talking to family members or outside enjoying a nice breeze.
As the night went on, the bride and groom took over the dance floor and their friends and family members that stayed to the end made sure to send them off on the right note.
By the time. I headed home from Denise and Larry's wedding day, I couldn't help but laugh at how much I swore I'd never shoot winter weddings and, yet, they are almost always some of my favorite ones once they're done.
While I love my time off during the offseason and especially love being able to sit on my couch and catch up on television, there's simply nothing as fun that I do as wedding photography and Denise and Larry's wedding was a good reminder.
Plus, I can't think of a better way to have started this year off than with these two so thank you Denise and Larry for a wonderful beginning to my 2024 season and I wish you the best as you begin this new journey 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: Alyssa Robson; Bride's Make-up: Megan Santos; Bride's Dress: David’s Bridal; Alterations: Sew Nicely Done Burlington; Groom's Suit: Men’s Wearhouse; Florist: Lyndsey Loring Design; Ceremony & Reception Venue: Castleton Banquet & Conference Center, Windham, New Hampshire; Officiant: Katie French; DJ: DJ Entertainment and Photobooth; Cake: Klemm’s Bakery; Videographer: Summers Cinema.