Blog— Weddings — Massachusetts — 2022 —
Independence Harbor Wedding Photos
Kirsten & Nicholas
Independence Harbor, Assonet, Massachusetts
September 23rd, 2022
One of the biggest rules in entertainment is you always want to leave your audience wanting more. I truly think this applies to wedding days as well. In my experience, the best weddings are the ones where the last song plays and everyone left in attendance is not only surprised the party went by so quickly but wishing they had more time to dance.
Considering how long wedding days are, I feel this is the ultimate barometer for an amazing wedding day and, using that metric, it's had to call Kirsten and Nicholas' September wedding at Independence Harbor anything but a rousing success.
A day full of lighthearted fun and tons of jokes, Kirsten and Nicholas' dance floor was packed from the first song until the last and it was plain to see EVERYONE in attendance was having a blast. And I can't blame them because when it comes to people you want to spend more time with, Kirsten and Nicholas are at the top of the list. So it makes sense that they'd make one of the most important days of their lives one of the most fun of their friends and family members as well.
I knew from the moment I left my car and made my way toward Kirsten's bridal prep that we were in for a fun day. Not only was the weather absolutely breathtaking but the moment I walked into Kirsten's bridal suite, she and her girls had giant smiles on their faces and looked so in the moment and so excited for what was to come.
What's more, even though we were only an hour or so away from the shuttle bus arriving to pick everyone up, there was no sense of worry or panic as the time ticked away.
No, Kirsten was in good spirits and feeling so pumped that this day she'd always dreamed of was finally here.
I'm always a big fan of weddings that have a little bit of travel between bridal prep and the main venue as it gives me time to mentally relax for a moment before we get into the big swing of things and I think Kirsten and her girls felt the same way.
Because the minute they got off the bus and ushered into the bridal suite at Independence Harbor, it was clearly go time. Kirsten got dressed and was ready to walk down the aisle moments into our arrival and I could tell everyone was excited to see this ceremony start.
As for the ceremony itself, it was clear to me right from the processional that this would be an emotional one as Nicholas' mother lost it coming down the aisle and Kirsten couldn't stop smiling.
In fact, the only thing brighter than the smile on Kirsten's face was the beaming sun that made for, easily, the brightest ceremony I had in 2022.
Thankfully, Kirsten and Nicholas kept their ceremony short and sweet and I don't think they were bothered by the red hot beam of light directly in their faces. Nothing would have made this moment less than perfect for these two.
I won't say I was "thrilled" when Kirsten and Nicholas' wedding ceremony was over but I was pumped to finally get the two of them to myself for some bride and groom formals as the light was much nicer and easier to work with in the garden area of Independence Harbor.
Kirsten and Nicholas' family photos moved like clockwork and I'm so glad they did because not only did that mean I still had an enthusiastic group when it came time for wedding party formals but it meant I had some time to actually work with the bride and groom for their couple portraits, a luxury that I never take for granted.
Even though Kirsten, Nicholas and I had just 15 minutes for bride and groom formals, that time felt like much more as these two were naturals in front of the camera and kept each other loose and in the moment.
I really loved how Kirsten and Nicholas' bride and groom formals came out, particularly because we never took things too seriously and managed to walk the line between sweet, sentimental and silly perfectly.
If I had any doubt how the rest of the night would go once we made our way inside, it didn't take long for Kirsten and Nicholas to show me. The pair entered their reception to professional wrestler Bobby Roode's theme song and it was, indeed, a glorious night.
What's more, their first dance to "Can't Help Falling In Love" by 21 Pilots was the perfect song for the first big moment of their life together as husband and wife and with their friends and family members sitting at their respective tables, it really felt like Kirsten and Nicholas were all by themselves in that moment and I know they loved every second of it.
One thing I wasn't sure of for Kirsten and Nicholas' wedding plans was their timing for events at the start of their reception. The pair wanted to go right from their first dance into two parent dances.
I typically try to dissuade couples from doing this so they can get to dinner a bit quicker but it worked wonderfully here as Kirsten and her grandfather's traditional father-daughter dance really set a fun mood as grandpa was rocking the purple Converse sneakers and busting a move to the delight of all in attendance. And Nicholas and his mother? Well, much like the walk down the aisle, mom was all up in her feelings in the absolute best way.
Setting the parent dances before dinner also made it a bit easier for Kirsten and Nicholas to settle in and relax a bit before the toast portion of their reception and with five speeches, all of which provided great insight into the couple, I can't say I blame them.
Following dinner, Kirsten and Nicholas wrapped up the signature event portion of their evening with a traditional cake cutting and a simple bouquet toss. I could tell that both of these two were eager to hit the dance floor and their guests were far behind.
And the moment that dance floor opened? Woooooo boy.
Kirsten and Nicholas had one of my favorite dance floors of the 2022 wedding season. Not only was there a steady stream of people on the small patch of hardwood flooring at Independence Harbor but it didn't matter who you were, or who you knew, everyone on that dance floor was having a blast and rocking out with whomever was around them.
It was, in a word, a blast and so much fun to try to keep up with as the photographer tasked with trying to capture all of these moments as they happened. It wasn't easy but I like to think I got almost all of them ... even if I did occasionally have to dive on the floor to do so.
Kirsten and Nicholas had nearly two full hours of dancing at their wedding reception and, somehow, I left knowing it would have been much longer if it were possible. There wasn't a person left at the end of this wedding that wasn't exhausted yet simultaneously eager for more.
To say these two threw a party worth remembering on this late September night is an understatement and I'm just glad to know that both Kirsten and Nicholas walked out of Independence Harbor grinning ear to ear, knowing the wedding of their dreams not only lived up to but exceeded all of their expectations.
So thank you Kirsten and Nicholas was a wonderful, fun time that I'm still fondly recalling months later and I wish you the best on this new and exciting chapter of your life together.
-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: Laura Philbrick of St Germain Studio; Bride's Makeup: Molly Bennett; Florist: Lee from Merriweather’s Flowers, Raynham Massachusetts; DJ: DJ Jeff Baker of Baker's Music and Video; Cake: Kasey Bishoff of For Goodness Cakes; Day of Coordinator: Angel Gauthier.