Christian & Richard
You can spend a lifetime planning the perfect wedding — from the type of dress you'll wear to the color scheme for your wedding party or the playlist for the dance floor — but no amount of planning can stop an unexpected cloud from rolling through and raining on your day right before you walk down the aisle.
I think about this a lot because, honestly, weddings can be stressful and they are among the most unpredictable life events you'll ever experience. So many things have to go right for you to have the day you've always dreamed of but, if you're lucky, you'll be the type of person who understands things don't need to go perfect to be perfect.
Mackenzie and Kory, who said “I do” at Rachel's Lakeside back in June, learned this the hard way as a sudden turn in the weather a half hour before their ceremony caused them to abandon all their plans and rush up the start time to their outdoor ceremony only for them, and all their guests, to get caught in the rain anyway.
It was the type of nightmare scenario that would ruin some couples' entire day but not these two. No. They stood in the sprinkles, held hands and pledged their love for one another regardless.
Then they proceeded to have the party of a lifetime. Because a little bad weather can't prevent you from having an amazing wedding day. And there was nothing stopping these two from having the wedding they wanted and the wedding they always dreamed of.
I could tell what kind of day we were going to have the moment I walked into Mackenzie's bridal prep suite and found her and her crew in amazing spirits, singing along to the music and generally having a great time.
I've also got to say. This was the first time I'd been back to Rachel's Lakeside in several years and this new bridal suite was pretty tremendous. I'm glad because the place brides used to get ready on the site, under the reception ballroom, is the smallest place I've ever photographed bride or groom prep.
Unfortunately for Kory, this was his spot for the day but he made the most of it. Most guys do as groom prep is just about the easiest part of a wedding day. You just get dressed quick, spend time with friends and maybe have a drink or two of champagne. Kory did and I was glad to be there to capture it ... even if it meant getting on the ground to do so.
As I said in the lede of this blog, Mackenzie and Kory's wedding day was interrupted by rain. Now, that's not entirely a surprise as we saw a forecast that called for potential showers throughout the day.
What did shock us was the timing. Just as Mackenzie was getting zipped into her dress, the coordinator at Rachel's came into the bridal suite and warned that it was starting to sprinkle and that a downpour was expected any moment.
To her credit, Mackenzie didn't panic much so when said coordinator let us know the guests had arrived, Mackenzie said to heck with it and we called an audible to start her ceremony 20 minutes early. I don't know many brides who would have been as stress free about it as she was but sometimes you've got to roll with the punches.
My hope with Mackenzie and Kory starting their ceremony early was that we'd get through things before the rain really came but, alas, that was not in the cards.
Almost immediately as the bride started her walk toward the aisle, the skies opened up. By this point, though, we were committed and I don't think Mackenzie or Kory were going to let it ruin a moment they waited a lifetime for.
Mackenzie and Kory's ceremony may have been wetter than planned but that didn't hamper how special it was. The pair shared some truly sweet and touching moments and vows together and, although they had to retreat inside the gazebo at Rachel's midway through when things got rough, there was no other change to plan.
I loved that for them and, honestly, as someone who had a wedding on a day where rain threw a wrench in the plans, I know they'll come to appreciate how funny it all really was down the line.
If nothing else, the image of Kory shielding his now-wife from the rain as they walked down the aisle was cute enough to make it all worth it.
With their ceremony in the books, it was time for Mackenzie and Kory's formal photos. This is the part of the day I normally have the most control over but, on this afternoon, I felt more like a bystander than someone actively influencing the timing of events as we had to wait to see what the skies would give us.
After spending 20 minutes coming up with an alternative indoor photo plan for Mackenzie and Kory's family members, I took one last chance at popping my head outside to see if the rain had let up and, thank goodness, it finally did.
This is why Mackenzie and Kory's flexibility was so key. When it was clear we'd have a little time before another potential shower, I took the newlyweds outside and FLEW through their family formals. For bride and groom portraits, we managed to get everything down in just 13 minutes and I consider that a win, especially considering how nice the photos turned out in the freshly-wet and humid area we were working in.
I had a lot of fun working with Mackenzie and Kory during their bride and groom portraits but my favorite ones, by far, were when we dropped the planned poses and just let them be them. This was most apparent when I had the pair hold hands and walk.
I don't know if it was any last bits of stress about the weather finally leave them — as we were finishing up, the sun came out — or the excitement of the party just moments away but I adored how relaxed and chill these newlyweds got as we finished their session together. It made for great photos ... even if I had to shoot them through a bucket of sweat as the already sweltering temperature somehow STILL got higher.
As we headed inside for Mackenzie and Kory's wedding reception, I wasn't exactly sure what the vibe for the rest of the night would be — it was still pretty early to get the party energy going — but I spent enough time with the bride and her people to know it would be fun.
First up, though, was capturing some of the details of Mackenzie and Kory's big day. I grabbed some of these photos prior to bridal prep but loved watching the room transform as the day went along.
I especially loved the beautiful uplighting Mackenzie and Kory's DJ provided as it really made their ballroom look exceptionally cool. Seriously. The blue lighting made this room pop so, so much.
Mackenzie and Kory set the tone for their reception from the moment they walked in and they never really let up.
After a really fun bride and groom introduction, the two took the dance floor and performed a beautifully well-choreographed first dance set to “Iris” by Ryan Mac.
The song was a bit on the short side but Mackenzie and Kory made the most of every second of it and really nailed the dip they planned at the end.
Mackenzie and Kory had one of the more laidback receptions I've seen this year, moving from their first dance right into dinner. Following a great meal, the two had a simple cake cutting, a sweet and sentimental dance between Kory and his mother and a surprise dance between Mackenzie and her mother that jump started the dance floor perfectly.
Heading into Mackenzie and Kory's special day, I knew they intentionally scheduled my time so that I would only capture a sliver of bride and groom prep and that more of my time would be available for the dance floor portion of the evening.
I never mind when this is the case but I did worry we may have overdid it in this case as my average couple books me for an hour of dance floor coverage and Mackenzie and Kory had me there for ... 2.5 hours of the party.
It didn't take long for me to understand why, though, as their friends and family members wasted no time hitting the dance floor the moment the DJ opened things up and, by and large, there were only a few moments the rest of the night when the floor wasn't packed with folks partying.
Mackenzie and Kory had one of my favorite dance floors of the season but what made it work was the balanced approach their DJ took.
For every high energy club banger from Bad Bunny or Chappell Roan, the crowd was greeted with a slower-tempo, fun song from the 90s or earlier. It made it possible for this party, largely consisting of millennials, to make it through the night without burning out too fast and i know they all appreciated that.
Mackenzie and Kory's crazy long dance floor ALSO allowed me and my assistant some time to go outside and set up a fun and creative night shot.
I always love when we can throw something like this together and while I was initially struggling with finding an idea for the photo, I figured it would only be fitting to take them back where they got married that afternoon and change things up with the lighting to really bring out how colorful and fun this wedding had been.
Back inside, Mackenzie was living her best life, especially after switching into a shorter dress specifically made to party in.
By far, my favorite moment of Mackenzie and Kory's wedding — and one I've replayed several times since it happened — was also one of the last I shot on this day: A fun little dance Mackenzie and her girls shared to "Coco Jamboo" by Mr. President.
I hadn't heard this song in EASILY a decade or more but it was obviously a favorite for Mackenzie and a great way to cap this night off.
By the time my time with Mackenzie and Kory came to an end, I was drenched in sweat and ready to get home and take a nice, long, cold shower. But that's because this day was WORK and I love a wedding that makes me earn every penny of it.
Mackenzie and Kory had an action-packed, crazy fun and insanely special wedding that I know I'll be thinking about the rest of the way and, honestly, it was the perfect way to spend a summer night, both for me and all of those in attendance.
So, thank you Mackenzie and Kory for a beautiful evening in Dartmouth. I hope your wedding was everything you wanted it to be and so much more and I wish you all the best on this new 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: Kauri of Kauri and Co, Providence, Rhode Island; Bride's Make-up: Alex of Kauri and Co, Providence, Rhode Island; Bride's Dress: Julie's Bridal, New Bedford, Massachusetts; Groom's Suit: Men's Wearhouse; Florist: Shaws; Ceremony & Reception: Rachel's Lakeside, Dartmouth, Massachusetts; DJ: George Ayoub of GS DJ's & Lighting, Fall River Massachusetts; Cake: Lover's Bakery, Dartmouth Massachusetts.