Katie & Cole
Five Bridge Inn, Rehoboth, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
July 19th, 2026
One of the trickiest parts of being a wedding photographer is jumping into arguably the most important day a bride and groom will ever have, being intimately involved in the most important parts of that day and trying to capture photos that feel like you've known a couple their whole lives when, in actuality, you only get a few hours at most to spend with them.
That's why I'm always grateful when couples book me for full coverage of their special day. It just helps to get the whole picture of who they are, why they're getting married and the people who matter most to them.
It also shines a bright light on their real personalities and that's why I knew five minutes into walking into Katie and Cole's wedding day at Five Bridge Inn that we were in for something special and a day that really stood out.
Whether it was one of my favorite bridal prep sessions of 2026, some of the best formal photos I've taken all year or a reception that simply would not stop, Katie and Cole's wedding day was complete and total perfection from start to finish ... and I'm glad it was because these two were so amazing to work with that they deserved nothing but the best.
And they sure got it.
I always know I'm in for a good wedding when bridal prep is in a spacious area and few places are as nice in this regard as Five Bridge Inn. While I love this property for a number of reasons, Five Bridge Inn's bridal prep areas in particular are stellar, especially in their main building, which is where Katie was getting ready for her big day.
The moment I walked in and got a sense of the vibe for the day, I knew it would be a fun wedding as Katie was in great spirits and her girls were down for any silly ideas we had ... even if that meant crawling under the dress on their bellies for a group photo.
Katie's bridal prep session might be my favorite of the year so far, simply because of how relaxed it was and how we were able to take our time getting into the flow of the day. I was with this bride for 2.5 hours before she put her dress on and it felt like no time at all.
I loved how the mood shifted, though, and things got real the moment the bride got dressed though. It went from super casual, chill Sunday afternoon to "Oh, this is real life!" real quick.
To her credit, Katie never got too overwhelmed by the emotion of the day, though. I think that's in large part because of how relaxed her bridesmaids were and how intent they were at helping her with whatever she needed as she prepared for her first look with Cole.
Speaking of that first look, the moment Katie and Cole saw each other for the first time on their wedding day was one of my favorites for sure.
Whenever I'm photographing a first look, I'm always keeping an eye (and ear) out for the little things that make that moment stand out and this first look had a pair of great ones: The little, subtle way Katie caressed Cole's cheek and the way he circled around her dress to see the full picture.
I loved this first look and really think it set a great tone for what would be an outstanding day.
Katie and Cole started their time together on their wedding day with a first look and we rolled right into family and wedding party formals. I always love when this kind of schedule works out for a bride and groom's plans as it really takes the pressure off for the rest of the afternoon.
That paid off nicely as, following the "must have" group photos, I found myself with an extra 15 minutes or so to work with the bride and groom and could take them to my favorite place on the Five Bridge Inn property, a little spot deep in the woods where I've taken some of my favorite couples' portraits.
Within moments, I knew we made the right call because the lighting here was exceptional and the background really made Katie and Cole's love for one another pop out of the frame.
By the time we got ready for Katie and Cole's wedding ceremony itself, I had already been photographing their big day for six hours and, in many ways, almost forgot we still had the main event of the day to come.
Katie and Cole chose Five Bridge Inn's Innkeeper Barn for their reception and, with that, were lucky enough to get the venue's newest addition for their ceremony: A beautifully-done stone arch patio that is an insane upgrade over where wedding ceremonies on this side of the property were done before.
It proved especially helpful for the soon-to-be newlyweds as the arch gave *just enough* shade to knock out some of the blinding sun in their eyes for the ceremony. Not that it would have mattered, really, because Katie and Cole were all smiles from the moment they walked down the aisle.
Katie and Cole's wedding ceremony was simple but beautiful. The festivities were officiated by Cole's father, who brought a nice bit of humor and kept the mood light the entire time.
My favorite portion of this ceremony, by far, was the way this bride and groom looked at one another. There may have been dozens of people in this crowd but you'd never know it by how laser focused they were on one another.
This also led to one of my favorite photos of the day as, following their first kiss and official proclamation as husband and wife, Katie leaned into Cole and the groom gave her a simple kiss on the top of her forehead, a cute moment but one that summed up their feelings for one another perfectly.
Following their ceremony, Katie and Cole were nice enough to grant us a few more minutes of bride and groom portrait time before their cocktail hour and I'm grateful because I simply *had* to try out the new arch area and wooden deck on the property.
We kept these photos much more relaxed than the traditional bride and groom portraits we shot earlier in the day and that meant a lot more joking around and being silly, which I think brought out Katie and Cole's true personalities perfectly.
While the bride and groom mingled with their guests during cocktail hour, I made sure to take some time to grab detail photos as Katie and Cole had a lot of nice little touches to make their day stand out.
I especially loved the dark green and yellow vibes they brought to their color scheme. It really popped in the Innkeeper Barn and everything just felt like summer in the best way.
I had a feeling based on the vibes of the day that Katie and Cole's wedding reception would be a lot of fun and have a ton of great moments and, from the moment they were introduced into the Innkeeper Barn, that was certainly the case.
The newlyweds began the formality portion of their reception with a super sweet first dance set to “Bewitched" by Laufey and it set a great tone for what was to come.
Following their first dance, Katie and Cole finally had a moment to sit down and relax while their best man and maid of honor, respectively, made a toast to the bride and groom and the bride's father welcomed everyone to the reception.
After a wonderful dinner period, Katie and Cole resumed the formality portion of their reception with a number of sweet little moments. My favorite, though, was Katie's surprise decision to forgo the traditional bouquet toss to honor her mom with it instead. That moment got both the bride and her mom emotional and led into a beautiful cake cutting and two lovely parent dances to conclude the "feelings" based portion of our program.
With all the formalities of the evening in the book, it was time for Katie and Cole's friends and family members to party. Well, mostly.
Katie and Cole's dance floor portion of their reception was divided nicely into two parts. The first part was the initial dancing before sunset. The second part, the traditional nighttime celebration. And in the middle? Ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.
I always get a little worried when there's and item or event that takes wedding guests off the dance floor as, most times, said dance floor doesn't recover but Katie and Cole's party ramped up after everyone had their sugary treats.
Heck, maybe it was the ice cream itself that loosened everyone up.
Either way, the back half of this dance floor was a ton of fun, and not just because the soundtrack was 90s/00s bop after bop after bop.
As I packed my gear up and got ready to head out from Katie and Cole's wedding, I'll be honest ... I was exhausted. A full 10-hour day can really take it out of you in the best way. But that's why I love weddings.
Katie and Cole's wedding day was a long one but it was full of so many beautiful moments and memories that it was hard to keep up. I love that for them and know they appreciated every single second of the day they said "I do."
So thanks Katie and Cole for a wonderful summer evening that was an absolute delight to document and I wish you all the best on this new and exciting chapter of your lives 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 & Make-up: Rene Wallace of The Best of You; Bride's Dress: Alexandra’s Boutique ; Groom's Suit: Men’s Wearhouse; Ceremony & Reception: Five Bridge Inn, Rehoboth, Massachusetts; DJ: Sean Carney of Southcoast Entertainment; Cake: Traditions Bakeshop; Ice Cream Truck: Atomic Blonde Ice Cream.