Alex & Lori *
There are few moments more nerve-wracking for a groom that waiting, in position, for the bride to arrive during a planned first look. It's why I tell all of the grooms I work with to expect to feel a little anxious while they wait and that every second they stand there will feel like a minute.
Most of my grooms stand in this position awakwardly and I thought, for sure, that Alex would be one of them before his first look with Lori on the afternoon of their wedding at Miraval Gardens back in June but, instead, he stood relaxed and cool as if he could wait there all day.
I think it says a lot about this groom, and this couple, because not only was he not nervous but, deep down, you could tell this moment and this day was a lifetime in the making ... and what's a couple more minutes at that point, right?
Alex and Lori said "I do" on a beautiful summer day in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts and from the first to the final moment of this special day, they couldn't have asked for a better way to become husband and wife.
* These photos were taken as part of my work as a second photographer for Pretty Nerdy Photography.
and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.
As a second shooter for the always awesome Becky MacDonald of Pretty Nerdy Photography, I knew heading into my time with Alex and Lori that my objectives for the day were simple: Capture Alex's groom prep, accentuate Becky's coverage of the ceremony and big reception moments and, later, lead dance floor coverage so Becky could take care of a creative night shot or two.
What I didn't anticipate was how much time I'd have with Alex since he blew through all of the standard groom prep stuff in about two minutes.
I never mind when this happens as it tells me I'm dealing with a groom who is excited to get this wedding day rolling but I was worried I'd run out of things to do while the fully-dressed groom and his guys sat around and watched Yu-Gi-Oh! on the groom suite television. Luckily, the extra time gave me room to capture some portraits of Alex and focus on his details while we waited for the bride to get dressed and ready for the aforementioned first look.
I'm a big fan of Miraval Gardens but my favorite piece of the property is a tiny little walkway where I captured my banner image for the 2026 wedding season. Coincidentally, it was also where Alex and Lori would have their first look and my only hope during this moment was that the sun wouldn't suddenly start beating down on us as the trees giving us share made the lighting look perfect ... but would be a nightmare to work with if the sun came out full force.
The moment Lori arrived, though, I knew none of that mattered as this moment was going to be beautiful regardless and it sure was.
As a second photographer for Alex and Lori, my job on the first look was the bride's reaction, which always takes a bit of getting used to as it's the opposite from what I typically do when shooting a first look.
Thankfully, I knew I wouldn't need to worry about getting reaction photos of the groom as Alex and Lori rolled right from their first look into private vows and it was clear right away what these words meant to Alex and how important this moment was for both of the soon-to-be newlyweds.
If I have a complaint as a second photographer, it's that I rarely ever get to take bride and groom formals when I second and that really bums me out creatively. Luckily, Alex and Lori's wedding day was structured as such that we were largely early for everything and, because they planned a first look before their ceremony and family/wedding party formals during cocktail hour, their actual couples' portraits were done over a 20-minute period and i got to help out.
Immediately, I was incredibly thankful because the sun disappeared behind some nice clouds and we had some of the best lighting I've had all year for these two.
Alex and Lori were so incredibly easy to work with and had such an effortless charm with each other that their photos together came out wonderfully with almost no work needed on my part. All I had to do was sit back, tell them how to pose a little and let everything else fall into place.
With their couples' portraits out of the way, Alex and Lori had some time to relax in their suites at Miraval Gardens before they had their ceremony and that time allowed the weather to change once more, this time to an overcast day that made the site look closer to late fall than early summer.
I don't think either the bride or groom mattered though as the temperature was perfect and there was absolutely nowhere else they would rather be.
Alex and Lori's wedding ceremony was so simple and stuck to the basics of their relationship but what stood out the most to me was how neither the bride nor groom ever took their focus off of the other. The pair took each other's hands early on in the ceremony and never really let go, not even during the hand-fastening ceremony that would symbolically unite them in front of their friends and family members.
While they both recited a new set of vows during this ceremony, I got the feeling they said everything they needed to say to one another after their first look and the only formality here was to seal this new marriage with a kiss. And the moment they did? You could sense the vibe shift into party mode right away.
As I was a second photographer for Alex and Lori, part of my job was making sure to capture all the details they had on display and this was, by far, the funniest part of their wedding day for me as I genuinely lost count of how many times the staff at Miraval Gardens changed this room around.
Each time, though, things looked better and better so I made sure to take one last lap around the ballroom during cocktail hour ... and discovered that the gigantic "LOVE" letters that were outside during the ceremony had made their way to the DJ booth.
I'm glad they did as they offered the perfect backdrop for some of my favorite detail photos of the year. You can't go wrong with red and gold as a color scheme and Alex and Lori certainly nailed the vibes of their decor for this special day.
Alex and Lori kicked off their reception with a super sweet first dance that I could tell they worked VERY hard on perfecting and having the gigantic "LOVE" sign behind them for it only worked to enhance how special this moment felt.
I've said many times that I love shooting weddings at Miraval Gardens and I think their ballroom is a big reason why as it's the perfect spot to capture big moments like a first dance because it is so spacious and the lighting is perfect no matter how you approach things.
As a second photographer, my main objective during these big dance moments in a reception is to keep my eyes on the lead photographer and not mess up her shots but Becky and I have done so many weddings together at this point that it's practically clockwork. In fact, she was my second shooter for a wedding in this very room just three weekends earlier so we have our rhythm down quite nicely.
This was especially helpful during Alex and his mother's mother-son dance and the three toasts that proceeded dinner as I wanted to capture the spirit of the moment without encroaching on it and I'm pretty sure neither the bride nor groom noticed us at all as they soaked in these special moments on their special day.
Following dinner, I knew it was my time to shine. Anytime I work with Becky, her one real request of me is to capture dance floor photos while she hunts for a location for her signature night time photo. For Alex and Lori's wedding, this meant a special kind of rush on my part as their dance floor opened just 45 minutes before I was set to leave.
Not that it mattered. With this being a Sunday wedding, and dancing starting late, I had a feeling Alex and Lori's friends and family members would hit the ground running the minute the dance floor opened and I was right.
I didn't know what to expect from this collection of guests but I was pleasantly surprised to see the bride and groom right in the thick of things from the dance floor-opening anniversary dance until the end of my time covering the action.
As I packed my gear and headed home following my time with Alex and Lori, I was absolutely exhausted from a double wedding weekend — my first of 2026 — and was greeted by rain showers on my walk to my car but it didn't matter.
I always find myself creatively re-energized whenever I get to second shoot a fun wedding and this one certainly was. So thank you Alex and Lori for a great summer evening in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts and I wish you all the best on this new chapter of your lives together as husband and wife.