Courtnie & Richie
Glad Tidings Church, Quincy, Massachusetts (Ceremony) &
Emerald Hall, Abington, Massachusetts (Reception)
August 24th, 2018
No matter how many weddings I photograph, I'll never get tired of seeing a bride and groom excited to say "I do."
Wedding days can be super stressful and chaotic but at the heart of it all are two people so committed to each other that they feel the need to express their love in front of all of their friends and family members closest to them.
There's something beautiful about that and those feelings are why I loved documenting Courtnie and Richie's wedding day back in August.
Though I've only known Courtnie and Richie for a few months, it felt like much longer as we approached their wedding as Courtnie and I regularly talked about her big day, and the photos she hoped to capture, on Facebook.
Her excitement was palpable and, after their amazing engagement session in Boston earlier this year, it was contagious as even I was excited to see it all come together.
Courtnie and Richie's theme for their wedding was Beauty and the Beast and this wedding truly lived up to the old adage "Tale as old as time."
My coverage of Courtnie and Richie's wedding day began by waiting for the bride and groom to arrive individually at their church for their final preparations.
This is how I knew we'd have a super fun day: Both the bride AND groom were running behind schedule to get ready and neither really cared.
It was so refreshing to see a couple march to their own pace and when Courtnie finally did arrive, I had plenty to photograph as her dress, shoes, bouquet and all the little details of her day were perfectly put together.
Without a doubt, though, my favorite moment in the lead up to Courtnie and Richie's wedding ceremony was watching each of them get a little bit emotional as they read the notes they wrote for one another.
Courtnie and Richie are a pretty religious couple and their faith has played a huge role in their lives.
Because of this, I knew their ceremony was going to be important to them. What I didn't know is that it would be one of my favorite ones to photograph ever.
The two chose Glad Tidings Church in Quincy, Massachusetts as the place where they would say their vows and it's a stunning church and one of the best lit I've ever seen.
And whether it was the super cool slideshow they played before the procession began, the signs Courtnie's bridesmaids all brought with them into the church or the look on Richie's face when he saw his bride for the first time, this was a ceremony I won't soon forget.
I loved photographing Courtnie and Richie's ceremony but, if I'm being honest, I was mentally freaking out the entire time as we were quickly approaching sunset by the time we started their formal photo session.
Thankfully, because we only had to go across the street and because all of their friends and family members were great during the posed portrait portion of the event, I had plenty of time to take photos with the bride and groom following their ceremony.
And thank goodness I did as I LOVE posing Courtnie and Richie. Their engagement session was a ton of fun and their wedding portraits, to me anyway, were even better.
After their bride and groom portraits, Courtnie, Richie and I made our way to Emerald Hall for their reception.
I love having a bit of a drive from the ceremony site to the reception site as it gives me a chance to clear my mind and think about what I want to document when I get to the reception and this couple had plenty of great decorations that I couldn't wait to capture from the moment I walked in the door.
Courtnie and Richie's reception had a lot of great moments but my favorite, by far, was their first dance set to a mix of Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" and Elvis Presley's "Can't help falling in love" by Joey Stamper. This was the first time I'd heard this mix and, honestly, it was the perfect song choice for a beautiful couple and a beautiful moment I've sure neither will ever forget.
And the photos of this moment? They just might be my favorite shots of the entire day.
Following their first dance, Courtnie and Richie had two great toasts (both of which heavily talked about the role of faith in their lives and love) and a great cake cutting which resulted in one of my favorite photos of the year as I somehow caught Courtnie giving Richie one of the funniest facial expressions you'll see between a bride and a groom.
Seriously. I love that photo. To me, that sums up the silliness of this bride and groom perfectly.
With the formalities of the night over, it was time for Courtnie and Richie's wedding guests to take over the dance floor and they did just that.
Though Courtnie and Richie spent a good chunk of their reception taking photos with their friends and family members, they still found plenty of time to dance ... even if Courtnie looked a bit unsure she wanted to at first.
I'm glad she did though as it led to a lot of fun photos between the newly-married pair.
As the night wore on, Courtnie and Richie's guests loosed up more and more and that led to some really fun moments we captured on the dance floor.
By the time Courtnie and Richie's reception came to a close, I knew we had captured something special and I couldn't wait to get to look at the photos. Now that I've had a chance to edit everything, I can comfortably say it's one of my favorite weddings this year without question.
Courtnie and Richie were a blast to work with and their wedding day was everything I could have hoped for and much more. I just love when two people are so head over heels for each other that it comes across in every photo and that's most certainly the case here.
I may not know what life has in store for Courtnie and Richie after their wedding day but I know this: The two of them will be excited to be with each other every day, all day for the rest of time.
And if that's not a beautiful way to start off your life together, I don't know what is.
-PJS
Tags: Church Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings, Glad Tidings Church, Emerald Hall, Quincy,
Abington, Paul J. Spetrini Photography
The Vendor List
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Dress: Twice as Nice Consignment Shop; Flowers: Petal Peddler's Shop; Ceremony: Glad Tidings Church, Quincy, Massachusetts; Reception: Emerald Hall, Abington, Massachusetts; Officiant: Pastor Renny Varughese; Cake: Montilio's Baking Company.
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
Patti & Bob
The Olde Colonial Cafe,
Norwood, Massachusetts.
Date: August 18th, 2018
Beth & Bryan
Fort Phoenix, Fairhaven, Mass. (Ceremony), McGoverns, Fall River, Mass. (Reception).
Date: August 12th, 2018
Karolyn & Ethan
Location: Private Residence,
Sterling, Connecticut
Date: August 11th, 2018
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