Maeve & David
Five Bridge Inn, Rehoboth, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
August 30th, 2026
Being as experienced a wedding photographer as I am, I know when a bride or groom I'm working with is dealing with unneeded anxiety on a wedding day. It always manifests in little things, like a dress not feeling right once it's on or a groom rewriting his vows at the last second. I also know that, for these soon-to-be newlyweds, these nerves are totally normal and to be expected. After all, it's an important day. Maybe the most important they'll ever have.
That's why I wasn't too worried in the last few moments of Maeve's bridal prep session back in August as she needed a little extra time alone to deal with a small wardrobe malfunction. I knew the stress she was feeling would be gone the minute she saw her groom-to-be during their upcoming first look and, true to form, that's exactly what happened. Any stress this bride had went out the window and, in its place, was love, admiration, affection and so, so much laughter.
I think there's beauty in that. Because when you're with the right person, they calm you. They center you. They complete you. And Maeve and David's wedding day was the very definition of complete. With moments. Magic. And memories that will last forever.
And me? Well, I was just there to make sure those moments got captured, one heartwarming photo at a time.
One of the reasons I was so excited to photograph Maeve and David's wedding, besides the absolutely awesome time we had together a year earlier during their engagement session, was getting to have an extended period of bridal prep time inside the cottage at Five Bridge Inn.
I've shot a lot of weddings at Five Bridge Inn but have spent next to no time in this particular building as most of my brides get ready in the mansion on the other side of the property. Not Maeve. She and her girls were good to go in this lovely little rustic cubby hole and I loved it so much.
This cottage really made for a more intimate bridal prep session than the mansion and, to be honest, was one of my favorites this year because I actually had time to work with the bride and capture all the little moments that made her day so special.
As I mentioned above, though, Maeve dealt with just a little bit of unexpected anxiety on this day and it came at her in waves as we got her ready to go to her first look.
Whenever I have a bride in her feelings or stressing out because something isn't 100 percent right, I try to walk the line between being helpful and staying out of the way and I knew Maeve wanted some space to compose herself and address any lingering issues.
That doesn't mean we still didn't capture some nice final touches of her prep, though, and once she was ready to go ... she was really ready to go.
The first major moment set for Maeve and David's wedding day was their first look together about two hours before their ceremony would begin.
I was so thankful Maeve and David chose to share a first look, not only because I knew it would be adorable but because I knew on the day of that Maeve just needed to see her soon-to-be husband to calm any and all of that anxiety creeping in her mind and, sure enough, the moment David turned around, you could feel the entire mood of the day shift in the best way.
Maeve and David chose to share private vows with one another before they held their more formal wedding ceremony later in the afternoon and I felt privileged to get to witness this for myself. I knew we were in for something special and that David got the way his soon-to-be bride was feeling when he began his vows with "Maeve, let me start by saying ... you're overthinking it."
It was a lighthearted moment that really refocused this day as to what it was supposed to be: a fun chance for two soulmates to make a pledge that they will always be there for one another.
I loved Maeve and David's private vows because it felt very much like them and was the perfect mix of sweet, sentimental, funny ... and full of beautiful emotion. Like every good wedding day should be.
Following Maeve and David's private vows, and after a well-deserved moment to adjust and recover from the emotions of said vows, I found myself alone with the bride and groom for some couple portraits and was thrilled because this almost never happens this early in a wedding day.
Sure, I photograph brides and grooms all the time but, typically, we do family photos and wedding party photos first. Having time with Maeve and David while their smiles were fresh and they were full of energy was so much fun and we couldn't have asked for a better day.
And, because we had already worked together a year earlier on this very property for their engagement session, Maeve and David were old pros at posing and we flew through the typical icebreaker stuff I use with most of my couples to capture some really lovely shots of these two together.
I think my favorite photos of Maeve and David took place toward the end of this session as we made our way to the big iron gate at the entrance of Five Bridge Inn. For all the weddings I've shot on this property before Maeve and David's big day, and for all of the ones I've shot between their wedding and my writing of this blog, I'd never been to this gate.
Needless to say, apart from the awkward blocking of traffic in and out of the venue, this was an awesome spot that I definitely want to return to as often as possible and it was absolutely perfect for a late summer afternoon with beautiful greenery everywhere we looked.
I loved this batch of photos and could have worked with Maeve and David in front of this structure all day without getting sick of it.
Alas, we had to return to regularly-scheduled programming and that meant heading back to the area near the retreat barn for Maeve and David's family and wedding party photos.
Thankfully, because this was an absolutely breathtakingly perfect summer day, and we had a spot picked out that was perfectly covered by shade, these photos were a breeze, which I loved because that meant I wouldn't need to keep Maeve and David from too much of their cocktail hour ... or so I thought.
With the formal photo portion of their day in the books, Maeve and David tucked themselves away ahead of their wedding ceremony as guests began to arrive. This gave me some much needed time to recover before they said "I do" but also gave the couple a chance to reset and lock back into the reason we were all here on this day.
It even allowed Maeve the opportunity for one last surprise for her groom, the debut of a well-hidden veil that absolutely stole the show ... but I'll have more on that in a bit.
Maeve and David's ceremony was full of all the feels right from the start, in large part because it was officiated by David's sister ... also named Maeve. Maeve the officiant walked guests through the start of Maeve the bride's relationship with her brother and, with a ton of little sweet stories, showed why this day felt so genuinely beautiful to all lucky enough to see these two together.
What I loved the most about this ceremony wasn't just the emotions that provided the foundation upon which this marriage was built ... it was the blink-and-you'll-miss-it split seconds that only still photography can capture.
Take, for instance, Maeve's little moments of wiping tears away as she listened to her soon-to-be sister-in-law describe when the couple's slow dancing in the kitchen together. Or the giant smile on the groom's face when his sister cracked a joke at his expense. Those moments matter and I'm so glad I was able to preserve them through one of the most beautiful ceremonies I've shot this year, literally and figuratively.
From the moment their officiant built up the excitement of their first official kiss as husband and wife until the newlyweds dipped down the aisle in celebration, the end of Maeve and David's ceremony was full of love and joy.
I knew right away I had to capture that post-ceremony euphoria and am glad Maeve's official debut of her veil gave me an excuse to do so. What I didn't know is it would also lead to some of my favorite photos of the day, which is quite a statement since I walked into their ceremony feeling not just content about what we captured earlier in the afternoon but thrilled.
Still, you don't see a bride with a veil this stunning and not take photos of it. And what photos they were.
Heading into Maeve and David's wedding, I knew one of my biggest challenges of the day would be photographing their reception in the Retreat Barn of Five Bridge Inn. As much as I love a good rustic wedding, this barn might be the hardest room I have to work in nowadays as it's nice and cozy ... but oddly spaced with a dance floor on one side and the main dining area on the other.
When you get it lit right, though, it's a really pretty area and I knew from the moment the newlyweds were officially introduced into their reception that this was going to be a fun night.
Maeve and David kicked off their reception with a first dance set to "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons" by Nat King Cole and the old school vibe of the song set a great tone for a nice that was heavy on the idea of love being timeless and beautiful.
One of the things I loved most about Maeve and David's reception was how smooth everything flowed from one event to the next. The pair chose to knock out all of their big formal dances right at the start of the reception and that meant going right from their lovely first dance to two beautifully sweet and poignant parent dances.
Maeve's dance with her father and David's dance with his mother were nearly identical and the rustic barn setting, with string lights in the background, really made these moments stand out to me on a night full of lovely little touches for the newlyweds.
Almost immediately after finally taking a seat for the first time seemingly all day, Maeve and David moved right into three great speeches from some of the most important people in their lives.
I loved all three of these toasts, first from Maeve's dad and then the traditional maid of honor and best man speeches, because they were all different tonally and yet had a familiar feeling to them. There was an appreciation for the man and woman at the center of this day, and the way their love inspired those around them and it was clear just from these words and how the room welcomed them that there was a lot of love in the air for this couple.
The same was true later when they cut their cake and officially finished all formal requirements and could focus on their celebration.
What a celebration it was.
Maeve and David had one of the longest dance floors in terms of time that I've covered this year but it was also one of the most fun.
Why? Well, anytime you can combine traditional wedding dance floor songs with music from some awesome rock or 90s one hit wonder artists like Paramore, Blink 182, Del Amitri and Lit, I'm gonna have a great time. So, too, did Maeve and David.
If there's one word for me to describe Maeve and David's reception, it would be 'authentic.'
This party was authentic to who this couple was, all the way to the moment where the groom ditched his traditional wedding gear and tossed on a romper to rock out for the rest of the night.
I loved that for them but, honestly, it was just the cherry on top to an exceptional day that I don't think could have gone any better for this bride and groom if they tried.
As my time with Maeve and David came to an end, I couldn't help but feel absolutely exhausted as it was one of the longest and most energy-intensive weddings I've shot all year. But that's what was great about it.
Every moment, from the beginning of my time covering bridal prep until the last song of the dance floor, was better than the last and this was a wedding where I know the bride and groom at the center of the day left feeling like they left it all out there.
And, really, isn't that why you get married? To take the next step with the person you love and have a day you'll never forget?
Maeve and David certainly did and I'm pumped I was there to document it all. So congrats Maeve and David on a beautiful wedding I know, in my heart, was everything you wanted and more. And best of luck on this next chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair: Blinked to Beauty; Bride's Make-Up: Faces by Em; Bride's Dress: New York Lace, Taunton, Massachusetts; Groom's Suit: Revelry; Groomsmen Suits: Diamond Formalwear, Plymouth Massachusetts; Ceremony & Reception: Five Bridge Inn, Rehoboth, Massachusetts; DJ: South Coast Entertainment; Decorator: Jeap Phomsoupha, ATOVxLO (A Touch of Vermont x Lovely Occasions).