Shayna & Dan
St. Kevin's Church Warwick, Rhode Island (Ceremony); Wright's Mill Farm, Canterbury, Connecticut (Reception)
August 8th, 2015*
Before this year, I had only shot a handful of weddings inside a church but I've been incredibly fortunate in 2015 as it seems my path has taken me to some truly beautiful houses of worship all year.
Shayna and Dan's August wedding at St. Kevin's in Warwick was no exception. A beautiful and modern structure tucked away in a small neighborhood near Oakland Beach, this place was really a site to see and allowed for some incredible views around the couple, making their photos really stand out.
And then, if that wasn't enough, these two also picked a gorgeous farm for their reception. Yeah. It was a pretty good day ...
I could tell this was going to be a good day when the bride Shayna arrived with enough time before the start of the ceremony that I could snap a couple of quick bridal portraits. As a second shooter, sometimes that's not the case but I really, really, loved her dress and the natural light inside the church's lobby. Truly beautiful stuff.
And speaking of beautiful, how about that church? Because it was so large and the priest so relaxed, I had free reign to go wherever I wanted to for photos and I'm so glad I did because Shayna and Dan picked a great place and had a really sweet ceremony that was only enhanced by the beauty of their venue.
Not surprisingly, this traditional ceremony yieled some very traditional and classic wedding photo opportunities, such as their beautiful first kiss as husband and wife.
Following their ceremony, we made the hour-long drive to Canterbury, Connecticut for the reception. Normally, I HATE extended drives between locations but for this wedding, it was totally worth it.
Shayna and Dan picked Wright's Mill Farm as their reception venue and it made perfect sense when we arrived as the location had a ton of really picturesque spots for formal photos, some of which I feel are my most naturally beautiful of 2015.
Inside, the hall was beautiful. Shayna and Dan had a very Easter-like color scheme of yellow and white but it worked within the confines of the room and as my time came to an end, I was luckily enough to see everything come together in time for a very nice and sweet first dance between the newly-married couple.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better summer day for Shayna and Dan's wedding. Everything about this event was natural and asthetically pleasing and it made for some really nice photos.
Of all the weddings I shot in 2015, this was one of my top ones for using natural light and I think you can see why. Such a great day and a sweet couple. I have no doubt I'll be reflecting back on these photos for a while.
-PJS
* These photos were taken as part of my work for George Street Photography and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.