Blog— Weddings — Massachusetts — 2023 —
Lake Pearl Wedding Photos
Katy & Tyler
Lake Pearl, Wrentham, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
September 30th, 2023
Whenever I photograph a wedding, I'm obviously always looking to capture the big moments of the day but, to me, it's the little moments some people might not even notice that stand out the most.
In the case of Katy and Tyler, who got married back in September at Lake Pearl in Wrentham, Massachusetts, there was one blink-and-you-missed-it moment that, to me, said it all.
Standing two feet from one another during their wedding ceremony, Katy and Tyler put a personal touch on the traditional unity ceremony by forgoing lighting a candle or mixing two containers of sand into one and, instead, they mixed a cup of coffee to how their now blended love together instead. Once they were finished, Katy reached over and fist bumped her soon-to-be husband and they both laughed.
It was a cute, light-hearted moment between two people who don't take things too seriously and it was the perfect way to start their life together.
Just like their wedding day was.
I've said this time and time again but I love when a bride and groom book me to photograph a decent chunk of bridal prep and that's exactly how my time with Katy and Tyler began.
While I am more than capable of jumping right into shooting a wedding, I like some time to casually stroll into it and get a feel for how everyone is handling the day and having three whole hours with Katy before her side of the pre-ceremony formal photos felt like an eternity … in the best way.
Katy's hair and makeup session might be the busiest and most hectic I've shot this year but only because there were so many girls running around from place to place and so much to photograph. The bride herself was super cool, calm and collected as we chatted casually about her big day, the amazingness that is Taylor Swift and pretty much any topic we could to pass the time as she got ready.
I think my favorite part of Katy's bridal prep, however, was getting to grab some detail shots of some of the flowers she picked out for her girls. I won't lie, I've never seen this much baby's breath used … well, anywhere, but Katy loved it and it went well for the early fall/rainy vibe this day was turning into.
I had a feeling as we got closer and closer to Katy's wedding ceremony that the day was about to take a turn and it sure did. Almost from the exact moment she put the dress on, the previously-fun and carefree Katy got a lot more quiet and a serious.
I get it. This is pretty common for brides as the reality of the day hits them for the first time. Thankfully, Katy had a trio of great bridesmaids who kept her in good spirits while also letting her soak in the moments she was having as we prepared to get the wedding day crunch rolling.
Up first for Katy and Tyler were pre-ceremony formal photos with each of their sides.
I'll be honest, I wish I was able to convince Katy to knock out ALL of her and Tyler's formal photos before their ceremony began as that just makes life so much easier than splitting the formal photos in half but I can respect the fact that she didn't want Tyler to see her prior to her walking down the aisle.
And it didn't take long for me to see during the ceremony itself that that was absolutely the right decision.
Katy and Tyler's wedding ceremony was originally set to take place on the beach at Lake Pearl but, as has been the case all of 2023, rainy weather forced us to scramble on the actual day of the event.
Luckily, Lake Pearl had a great back-up option for this bride and groom just feet from where they would've said “I do” at the beach and this covered pavilion was a wonderful spot to watch this sweet ceremony.
I knew we were in for something special when I saw Tyler's reaction to Katy in her dress. Talk about heartwarming!
Katy and Tyler's wedding ceremony was super sweet and emotional and I loved the fact that the groom, who I had only just met an hour earlier, was a big teddy bear when it came to Katy and this special moment between the two of them.
Even though it was pretty tight space wise where they said “I do,” I'm glad I was able to get around well enough to capture close ups of both Katy and Tyler as the emotions were all over their face throughout this ceremony.
And by the time they sealed their new marriage with a kiss, I knew the rest of the day would be super fun and smooth sailing. Or, at least I hoped.
One of the hardest parts of being a wedding photographer is wrangling everyone together for family photos and wedding party photos after a ceremony and, in Katy and Tyler's case, this was twice as hard because all of the people closest to them REALLY wanted some of the Lake Pearl appetizers during the newlywed's cocktail hour.
As I try to be a patient person, and because I knew this bride and groom needed at least a little bit of a break from photos, I gave Katy and Tyler some time with their guests before gathering everyone back outside for some of the quickest family and wedding party photos I've done all year long.
Why were they so fast? Well, in true 2023 fashion, we were not only losing daylight quickly by this point in the wedding day but there were large patches of rain coming our way.
Thankfully, we got everything in with Katy and Tyler's family and wedding party but as we started their bride and groom formals, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stressed.
Lucky for me, Katy and Tyler were practically photo experts by the time we started their individual couple portraits. And thank goodness they were because we were up against the clock, especially since we all wanted to make sure we had enough time to get the bride and groom down to the beach before the sun was gone and the rain took its place.
And our timing was great. I kid you not. Literally as we were setting up the final photos, the rain started coming down. Thankfully, I don't go anywhere this season without an umbrella so we got everything we needed and I was finally able to take a breath as we made our way to Katy and Tyler's reception.
If there's one thing I could change about Katy and Tyler's wedding — besides, of course, the rain constraining our time for formal photos — it would be more time for me to grab detail shots before their reception began. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry that much about it as I asked my second photographer to capture everything for the bride and groom while I was busy during cocktail hour but, man, I haven't seen a lot of weddings where a bride and groom put more thought into the theme of their day.
Katy and Tyler decorated the room at Lake Pearl with more baby's breath than I've ever seen anywhere but also had board game-themed decorations and table centerpieces and I thought that was super cool.
More importantly, it fit the theme of their reception which was super fun and carefree, starting with their first dance set to“Can't Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.
With their first dance in the books, Katy and Tyler settled in for a nice, relaxing night of special moments, including a handful of great toasts, one of the most comprehensive and delicious buffet dinners I've ever seen (They had pretzels, hot dogs and even a custom pancake maker!) and a new twist on the speed run game which had all of their guests run to them, table by table, for quick and fun photos together.
My favorite part of this portion of the evening, though, was the cute little interactions between Katy and Tyler during their cake cutting and Katy's father-daughter dance with her father, which was just about the most adorable thing I've seen this year.
I have no doubt Katy and Tyler's wedding will be remembered for a lot of things by the folks who were in the room that night (Seriously. Custom pancakes!) but, if you ask me, the most amazing part of this evening was once the dance floor opened up.
I've been to a lot of wedding receptions this year but there aren't many that had a fully-packed dance floor for two full hours and Katy and Tyler's likely could have done a third.
I especially loved that this bride and groom were right in the thick of everything when it came to their big party. Sure, Katy initially had to drag Tyler onto the dance floor as he wanted to hang out with friends at one of the nearby tables but once he hit that floor, there was no stopping him.
Katy and Tyler's wedding reception was a ton of fun and the perfect way to cap their perfect day.
As I started to pack my gear up following the final song of Katy and Tyler's wedding reception, I looked around and noticed I was one of the last people left as the friends and family of the newlyweds made their way to a planned afterparty.
Putting my lightstands away, I could hear from another room the final few moments of a sweet 16 birthday party and while they sounded like they had a lot of fun, I can't imagine it was anywhere near as amazing as Katy and Tyler's night was.
And that's what wedding receptions are suppose to be. The kinds of parties you talk about with friends and family members for the rest of your life. Katy and Tyler certainly had one of those nights and I know they'll never forget it.
I'm just glad I was able to be there to witness it all and document it for them so thank you Katy and Tyler for an amazing wedding day and I wish you the best as you begin this new and exciting chapter 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: Cindy Garcia, Cindy G Beauty; Bride's Make-up: Rania Chakar, Rania Chakar Makeup; Bride's Dress: Chantilly Place; Groom's Suit: Men’s Wearhouse; Florist: Alana Trudell, Blooms by Faith; Ceremony & Reception Venue: Lake Pearl, Wrentham, Massachusetts; DJ: Ken Cosco, A Touch Of Class Entertainment Productions; Cake: Melissa, Batter Up! Cakes; Other: Pancake Artists - Dancakes.