Patrick & Lauren
I've said it many times before but my favorite couples to work with are those who seemingly transition from being fun and silly on their wedding day to moving right into sweet and sentimental.
To me, there's nothing better than knowing you're seeing a bride and groom at their most authentic but then seeing that deep level of love they have when the moments get serious and that's one of the reasons I adored working with Patrick and Lauren back in April as the pair said "I do" at Stonehurst at Hampton Valley in Hampton, Connecticut.
At seemingly every moment the pair were together, Patrick and Lauren seamlessly moved from sweet to silly and from fun to loving in a way that told me not only were they having the most special and important day of their lives but they were loving every second of it along the way.
And, really, isn't that the entire reason two people fall in line and get married? I'd like to think so anyway.
As I prepared for my time with Patrick and Lauren to start on the afternoon of their April wedding, I couldn't help feel like I was being transported back in time to the last time I visited their venue as Stonehurst at Hampton Valley was also the location where one of Lauren's bridesmaids Victoria said "I do" back in 2023 and, honestly, the vibes on that day and this day were eerily similar.
I loved that.
At Victoria's wedding two years ago, I walked into a super fun bridal prep room and everyone was clearly thrilled to be there and excited to party the night away and Lauren was no different when it was her time to don the white dress. I especially loved how organized this group was as they were ready to go the moment I rolled in with details all set up, a "matching robe" shot easy to coordinate and the bride needing just final touches on her makeup before we rolled into getting her in the dress.
One of the main reasons I love working at Stonehurst at Hampton Valley is the bride and groom prep areas are just a few doors away from one another which meant I got to keep tabs on Patrick while Lauren was finishing getting ready and this made groom prep photos a breeze.
Patrick was a delight to work with as his entire attitude when I told him it was time for photos was to say "OK. What do you need?" That made his getting ready shots a breeze and set a great tone for later when we'd all have to rush to get formal photos done in between pockets of rain.
Even the little chaotic moments of Patrick and Lauren's wedding day seemed to pass fairly easily as the final few minutes of prep went fairly smoothly, with the exception of one zipper not working on the mother of the bride's dress.
If Lauren felt any pressure or nerves, she did a masterful job of hiding it as all I saw in the final moments before I put her and Patrick in position for their first look were smiles and excitement to get this day rolling.
Patrick was the same way as he got his boutonniere pinned and saw his adorable daughter all dressed up. Based on vibes of prep alone, I knew this would be a great day and, boy, was I right.
The first "major moment" of Patrick and Lauren's wedding day was their first look and I could tell putting both the groom and the bride in position that this would be one that wasn't overly heavy on wild reactions but more muted in tone and a sense of love and appreciation.
And I was right. As soon as Patrick turned around, you could see in his eyes how amazing he thought his bride looked and how excited he was to be able to tie the knot with her later. It was a special moment and one that set the tone for the afternoon quite well.
My biggest worry during Patrick and Lauren's wedding day was whether or not we'd be able to do outdoor portraits as, in what would be a theme for the beginning of my 2025 wedding season, cloudy and rainy skies gave way to light showers all day long for these two.
Thankfully, Patrick and Lauren are a roll with the punches type couple and we were able to knock out all of their family and wedding party photos before the ceremony and get a few select bride and groom portraits done ahead of time with the promise that we'd reconvene after they tied the knots if the skies allowed.
I appreciated that but still made sure to take full advantage of the stone facade of their venue because, honesty, it makes for a beautiful background.
When the rain started to be a bit much for Patrick and Lauren, we paused our formal photo session and moved indoors so they could, you know, have that whole wedding ceremony thing and while I'm not typically a fan of indoor ceremonies when we're talking about a venue I know has a beautiful outdoor area to say "I do" at, I was glad Patrick and Lauren's ceremony was always planned to be an indoor ceremony as it took the worry away of whether or not we'd all get drenched.
That allowed us to focus exclusively on the important moment about to take place as Patrick and Lauren sealed their love with a lasting union and, honestly, these two are so sweet and kind and deserved every moment of love that was in that room as they tied the knot.
Patrick and Lauren's wedding ceremony was short and sweet at just seven minutes from start to finish but it was packed with a ton of little moments between the bride and groom that felt like they could have stood there for hours.
I loved seeing the way they incorporated their children into the procession but what really made me smile was how they looked at each other in the moments before exchanging rings. This was a moment they waited a lifetime for and you could tell it not only lived up to, but exceeded, their expectations.
After sealing their love with a kiss, Patrick and Lauren headed back outside to finish their bride and groom portraits and, thankfully, the rain let up long enough for us to take our time and get all the poses I had originally envisioned for them.
While I normally like some variety in where I take photos with a bride and groom on their wedding day, Patrick and Lauren wanted to stay close by and get to as much of their cocktail hour as possible and, honestly, I didn't mind because the Stonehurst building itself was the perfect place for the photos I wanted creatively.
Seriously, though, look how great the stone backdrop looks with Lauren's dress. And kudos to both the bride and groom was managing to sneak their true personality into some of these portraits. These definitely felt inspired and authentic.
Following their formal bride and groom portraits, Patrick and Lauren made their way inside to mingle with guests during cocktail hour while I made my way around the room capturing all the special little details they put together to celebrate their wedding day. And there were a lot of them.
I loved the way these two decorated the beautiful Stonehurst ballroom and especially loved the cool ring photos I was able to take later but I could tell the photos they'd love the most came at the end of cocktail hour as Patrick and Lauren asked me for one last thing before their reception began: Photos on the front balcony of the mansion.
It was a simple request but one I just had to grant and I'm glad I did because these looked great with the fading light of dusk in the background.
I like to think I'm a pretty good predictor of how much fun a wedding reception will be and based on my time with Patrick, Lauren and their wedding party, I had a strong feeling once we got into the party portion of this wedding day that things were going to get wild.
It didn't take long for my suspicions to be proven true as the bride and groom's introduction was one of the wildest I've ever seen and so, so fun.
Patrick and Lauren's wedding party set the tone for the night from the moment they walked in and the bride and groom rolled with it perfectly and literally with the bride being wheeled in by the groom to loud and rowdy cheers and a floor COVERED with toy $100 bills. Talk about an entrance.
As I said above, I love a couple that can transition effortlessly from fun to romantic and that's the exact vibe we got rolling from Patrick and Lauren's wild and rowdy introductions into their super sweet and touching first dance, set to "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran.
I genuinely think Patrick and Lauren's first dance was the first time all day these two really soaked in the reality of the moment they were living and what they'd just done because the excitement I saw in their face really shifted into a look of deep love and affection for one another. Needless to say, this dance was one of my favorite moments of the entire wedding.
I've always said my favorite moments of a wedding day are the so-called “formalities” during a reception. I especially love a good first dance but what always makes me smile just a little bit more are when brides and grooms put their personal touches on the traditional spotlight moments of a reception and do something uniquely “them.”
That's why for Patrick and Lauren's wedding my two favorite moments of the reception actually came AFTER their first dance as the bride danced not only with her son but with her mother in two equally sweet and sentimental dances.
Anytime a parent dances with a child on their wedding day, there's an unspoken extra level of deep love in front of you and that was definitely present here as Lauren went from cute mom sharing a moment with her son to the little girl in her momma's arms in the span of just two songs and seeing such a generation transition was a heartwarming way to celebrate one of the biggest days of her life.
Following the big dances of the evening, Patrick and Lauren ran through a bunch of smaller but no less important formalities during their reception. The pair had two sweet toasts, a photo run, a bouquet toss and a garter toss and, before we knew it, it was time for the dance floor to open.
I really wasn't sure what to expect from Patrick and Lauren's dance floor as their friends and family seemed to be a pretty chill bunch but, thankfully, they didn't disappoint once the lights came down and the party started.
There were some great vibes in this room, so much so that the bride even asked me to stay an extra hour to capture it all. Luckily, it was well worth my time.
As my time with Patrick and Lauren came to an end, I wanted to end the night with another one of the night shots I've been experimenting with this year but, alas, steady rain outside made that a total bust. I mention that because, honestly, it was the one thing that wasn't 100 percent perfect about this bride and groom's wedding day and if that's the kind of luck I'm going to get with a couple, I'll take that every day.
Patrick and Lauren's wedding was a special celebration of their love and one of the most fun days I've had this year and I know for a fact that the couple themselves loved every second of it because I've already heard from the bride about how much she loved this day.
That's why I do what I do and I'm so thankful I got to help document it all for this pair to cherish forever. So thank you Patrick and Lauren for an awesome spring wedding day and best of luck on this new chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair: Blinked to Beauty LLC; Bride's Make-up: Wicked Beauty Studio; Bride's Dress: David’s Bridal; Groom's Suit: Men’s Warehouse; Florist: Alexandria’s Bridal; Ceremony & Reception: Stonehurst at Hampton Valley, Hampton, Connecticut; DJ: Tony Avicolli ; Cake: Ocean State Bakery; Other: Sola Wood Flowers.