Jonathan & Karlee
I've always felt weddings are a window into the soul of a couple and you can learn a LOT about a relationship by watching the way a bride and groom choose to celebrate the special day they say “I do.” For some couples, the day is a quiet reflection on how much they love and appreciate one another. For other, it's a rip roaring party where everyone goes absolutely insane and has the night of their lives.
I think that's why I love weddings that feel like a mix the most. As much of a sucker as I am for a day of deeply romantic and touching moments, when the lights come down, I want to see my couples living it up on the dance floor and going so crazy the only question they encounter the next day is some variation of “Dude, did you see that?”
That's why I loved Jonathan and Karlee's wedding back in April at Stonehurst at Hampton Valley in Hampton, Connecticut so much. For all the great parties I've had so far this season, Jonathan and Karlee's reception was without question a highlight and a vibe so wild I had to do a double take because I never expected it.
But, more importantly? It was a day that fit this couple, and fit their love, to an absolute tee and I adored that for them.
I've got to be honest. As I started my coverage of Jonathan and Karlee's wedding day, I couldn't help but feel a bit of deja vu as I had JUST shot a wedding at Stonehurst at Hampton Valley eight days earlier and, in many ways, the vibes for this wedding were eerily similar to that one in that I knew heading into the day that it was going to be a fun one with a sweet couple, a super casual day and one I knew would be full of special moments.
The difference, though, is Karlee's bridal prep was mostly finished when I arrived and as such, we got off to a much faster start ticking through the many boxes on photos I wanted to knock out before she got dressed.
I loved a lot of the little touches Karlee put into her wedding day look but especially loved the little hair piece that wore that beautifully complemented her lovely dress.
Speaking of the dress, there weren't a lot of moments of nervousness for this bride but I did appreciate how when it came time for Karlee to get zipped up and ready for her ceremony, you could sense the magnitude of the moment really hit her.
I always love that look brides get on their face when the day gets “real” and, to Karlee's credit, she never looked worried about how things were going to go but there was definitely a bit of nervous energy as her transformation into a bride shifted from something she would one day do to something she was doing right now.
I could tell we were in for a special day the moment Jonathan and Karlee's wedding ceremony began. As fun as these two have been to work with, there was something a bit more special in the air as Jonathan walked down the aisle: Namely, the excitement was building and you could tell everyone in attendance was waiting with bated breathe to see the bride in all her glory.
And in what I can only describe as my favorite groom reaction in YEARS, Jonathan absolutely lost it the moment he see Karlee walking down the aisle and his brain processed what he was there for.
I've seen a lot of grooms get emotional during their bride's procession in but Jonathan's was something special and it filled my heart with so much joy and anticipation for how sweet this ceremony would be.
As you might expect, the emotions of Jonathan and Karlee's procession carried over into their ceremony and the result was a beautiful, sweet and touching display of the love and affection they each had for one another.
I enjoyed all the little moments between the bride and groom here and, even though it was crazy bright and warm out for a mid April afternoon, it was obvious to me this couple didn't want to be anywhere else on this special day.
After exchanging vows, rings and a kiss to make it official, Jonathan and Karlee readied for their formal photos and, boy, I'll tell you: There were a lot of them.
All told, the three of us spent well over 40 minutes on just their family and wedding party formals which doesn't sound like a lot but in this heat and sun, it was a bit much. Thankfully, Jonathan and Karlee never lost their enthusiasm for these photos and we got everything they wanted in the time we had allotted.
What we didn't have a ton of time for were bride and groom formals but, honestly, I didn't mind as I could tell Jonathan and Karlee were a bit tapped out by the time it was time to pose them alone.
I took a few shots of the newlyweds before we headed inside and told them we'd grab more when the sun came down a bit and I think both they, and I, were appreciative for the break.
I've always said the first few minutes of a wedding reception set the tone for the rest of the night and that's why I knew we were in for a good time when Jonathan and Karlee rolled into theirs. After a slew of great introductions from their fun wedding party, the bride and groom strolled into the Stonehurst at Hampton Valley ballroom like ballers and immediately strutted right into one of my favorite first dances of the year, set to “Happy Together” by the Turtles.
I loved this first dance, not only because the song choice was perfect but because Jonathan tried his best to lift Karlee up and slipped ... and didn't even let that phase him in the slightest, laughing hard as he nailed it on the second try and spun her around the room. It was an adorable moment for an adorable couple.
One of the nice things about Jonathan and Karlee's reception was the pair were eager to knock out all their formalities in a row, meaning we rolled right from their first dance into a pair of lovely parent dances.
And once the parent dances were over? The newlyweds wasted no time going straight into their toasts so they could enjoy the rest of their reception without worrying about any remaining formalities.
Why I loved this scheduling set-up was simple: It meant after dinner I could take the bride and groom outside and finish off our remaining portraits of them without worrying about needing to get back to hit any timeline beats.
This was key.
Jonathan and Karlee were a lot of fun to work with once we resumed their bride and groom portraits and they brought a lot of silly energy into their portraits together. I loved that for them so much and had a great time taking these shots ... especially the photos of the two of them on the iconic Stonehurst balcony.
Once their portraits were done, it was time to get the party started and this was a moment I was waiting all day for as Jonathan and Karlee had a hidden trick up their sleeve for their friends and family members, many of whom were alum from the University of Connecticut.
That's right. They had a room full of Huskies in attendance so ... it was only fitting to bring the school's mascot to the dance floor to kick this night off right.
Talk about a moment.
After tossing t-shirts into the crowd and successfully hyping the room up, the UConn Huskies mascot even broke out some sweet dance moves to let everyone know what the tone of this party would be.
It didn't take long for the bride and groom to follow suit and, before I knew it, the room was rocking.
I spent about a half hour shooting dance floor candids for Jonathan and Karlee and I could have sworn it flew by in three minutes. That's how fun this night was.
Before I left, however, I simply had to take the bride and groom out for one last hurrah and I wanted to try my hand at some sweet gel shots to cap the night off right. I'm glad I did because this was the perfect send off for the evening.
With my night shots in the book and my time with the bride and groom at an end, I packed up my stuff and made my way home but not before laughing to myself the entire time thinking about how much fun Jonathan and Karlee's wedding day was.
I love working with couples that have both a romantic and fun side and these two really personified how important it is to find balance on your wedding day and make it one you'll never forget.
So thank you Jonathan and Karlee for an excellent spring wedding day and I wish you all the best as you navigate this new and exciting chapter together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Videography: Lucy Hamilton, Southern Maine; Bride's Dress: Covet Bridal, Essex, Connecticut; Groom's Suit JT Ghamo, Hartford, Connecticut; Florist: The Sunshine Shop, Dayville, Connecticut; Ceremony & Reception: Stonehurst at Hampton Valley, Hampton, Connecticut; DJ: Brandon Aull, Aull That Entertainment, Southern Maine; Ice Cream Bar: Shahan Kukreja, Micro Creamery of CT.