Shannon & Derek
I was already married by the time I shot my first wedding but over the past 14 years, I've often thought about what my wedding day would look like if my wife and I were heading down the aisle now. Because I see so many venues and experience so many wedding-related things, I know the planning of the day would be easy and it would fly by like a breeze and I think that's why I knew heading into Shannon and Derek's wedding back in July that it was going to be smooth sailing from start to finish.
See, Derek himself is a wedding photographer. One I've worked with in fact. So I knew when it came to HIS wedding, he'd have everything neatly organized and the day's plan down to a tee … or, more likely, that he would know not to get stressed if things went off the rails.
And that's why Shannon and Derek's wedding at Lake of Isles in North Stonington, Connecticut was one of the most relaxed, and most beautiful, days I've seen this year. Talk about a photographer's paradise ...
I could tell exactly what kind of wedding day Shannon and Derek would have the moment I walked into Foxwoods and met Derek down at the lobby of the hotel. We briefly went over the gameplan for the afternoon and he told me he wanted me to head to Shannon's bridal prep, fit his groom prep photos in "whenever" and focus the rest of my time back with her.
That chill and relaxed vibe of "I trust we'll get everything we need" was invaluable as it can be a bit stressful trying to shoot two things at the same time but both Shannon and Derek were so laid back, I knew the day would be a breeze.
It didn't hurt that both had no nerves going into the wedding and seemed excited to get the day's festivities underway.
One of the perks of shooting a wedding for a photographer who KNOWS what weddings days are like is that Derek went into his big day eager to enjoy as much of it as possible and that meant leaving ample time before the ceremony for both he and Shannon to knock out a large portion of their formal photos.
I loved this so much as the bride and groom both were a breeze to work with for the first half of their formal photos and we rolled right into their ceremony with a big portion of the "must have" photos already in the bag.
And speaking of the ceremony, I don't think Shannon and Derek could have chosen a better place to get married than Lake of Isles. Even though the ceremony space is a bit disconnected from the main venue building, it is WELL worth the walk over and the crazy long aisle space from one space to the other meant I had plenty of time to capture tons of photos of both the bride and groom on their processions in.
I think this low key may have been my favorite part of Shannon and Derek's wedding. Look at the genuine excitement in each of their faces as they prepared to say "I do." This, folks, is why I do wedding photography.
Shannon and Derek may have been married on an oppressively hot July afternoon but it didn't matter one bit as they said “I do” and looked like they could have lived in that moment by the water forever.
Whether it was their touching and sweet vows or the endless smiles on their faces as they held hands and listened to their friend turned officiant talk about their love, Shannon and Derek's wedding ceremony was truly stunning and the location only added to the magnitude of the moment.
I loved a lot of things about this ceremony but I think my favorite one was just how deeply connected the two looked as they became husband and wife. You could FEEL how long they'd waited for this moment and how much it meant to them.
Following their official "I do," Shannon and Derek rolled right into their combined family and wedding party formals and, because we had finished so many earlier in the day, this part of the day didn't take too long. I'm thankful, too, as it left us just enough time to travel down to the iconic couples' bridge at Lake of Isles, one of my favorite places to shoot bride and groom portraits.
Ironically, the last time I took photos on this bridge of a bride and groom, I was working WITH Derek on a wedding. I think that's why I knew that even though we only had ten minutes to take these photos, we'd have a ton of variety and make the most out of every second and, boy, did we ever.
With their bride and groom portraits in the bag, Shannon, Derek and I made our way back to Lake of Isles and into their reception. This part of the day was the biggest wildcard for me, personally, as I didn't know what kind of crowd this bride and groom would have for their big celebration.
I did know from taking my first look around the room, however, that this was a meticulously-planned reception with some really beautiful decor and details.
Shannon and Derek's reception was all about good vibes and this was evident from the moment the pair walked into the ballroom at Lake of Isles after being introduced for the first time as husband and wife.
The newlyweds shared their first dance to “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper and Sarah McLachlan and that song set the tone of the night perfectly as they had a slow and sweet moment in each other's arms. I loved this first dance for a lot of reasons but I think the biggest was how stunning Lake of Isles looked with the two of them in the middle of the gorgeous dance floor. I can't think of a better way Shannon and Derek could have started what would prove to be an exceptional night of fun.
Shannon and Derek wanted a low key reception and that was most evident in the formalities of the evening. Following their first dance, the pair each had two toasts from special members of their wedding party followed by an extended dinner period.
After dinner, the night's program was just as simple and relaxed. Shannon and Derek had a simple cake cutting, two lovely parent dances — including one where the groom danced with his daughter — and then opened the dance floor for what I was sure would be a fun night of partying.
I was right. From the moment the dance floor opened for Shannon and Derek's reception, the two were in the thick of it all ... right up until a sudden interruption of the night's festivities for a "special surprise' for the newlyweds.
Nothing makes me cringe more than finding out members of a wedding party, or wedding guests in general, have gotten the approval of a DJ to have a live mic for a “surprise moment” for a bride and groom. I've seen more than my fair share of these types of well-intentioned performance moments by people and let me tell you: More often than not, they are awful.
Every once in a while, though, I am pleasantly surprised and what seems on paper to be a horrible idea actually crushes in the room and makes for a special moment for a bride and groom.
I think that's why I grew to love the surprise “freestyle rap” from a pair of groomsmen in the middle of Shannon and Derek's wedding reception. While I wasn't sure where this moment was going, these two brave souls really left it all on the floor and brought legitimate smiles and laughs from not only the bride and groom but all the wedding guests in attendance, as well.
Talk about a moment to remember.
Perhaps most importantly, once this special moment was over, Shannon and Derek were back on the dance floor soaking up every single second of their special night together.
As I started to pack my gear up following the conclusion of my time with Shannon and Derek, I couldn't help but finally let out a sigh of relief knowing the pressure was off for me to deliver photos I thought would meet the expectations of a fellow wedding photographer.
While I know Derek isn't the type of person to care THAT much about how everything turned out, I still wanted to make sure to deliver photos I thought he would cherish forever. It wasn't until leaving that I realized I should've never worried that much as the most important part of this groom's day was saying "I do" and marrying the woman of his dreams.
So thank you Shannon and Derek for a truly special and wonderful experience photographing your special day. I wish you the best on this new and exciting part of your lives together and hope this is just the start of the amazing moments you share together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
