Abby & Chris
The Barker House, Scituate, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
March 21st, 2026
If there's one thing I've learned about shooting weddings for 16 years now, it's that most couples are going to get swept up in the emotions of the day at some point and you just have to roll with it.
That's why when I was setting up Abby and Chris' first look back in March and saw a wave of emotions hit Abby unexpectedly hard, I didn't try to shake the soon-to-be bride out of her feelings. Instead, I let her sit in it for a moment because emotions can be a useful way to show how much something means to you and sometimes shedding a few tears is the most beautiful way to say "I love you" and that you care.
Chris and Abby cared on the day they got married. A lot.
And they showed it. A lot.
And that's why I loved their wedding. A lot.
I can think of no better way to say why this beautiful late winter wedding in Scituate, Massachusetts is already one of my favorites of 2026 and why I know it was the perfect day for this amazing couple to tie the knot and pledge their lives together forever.
My time with Chris and Abby began with bride and groom prep at The Inn at Scituate Harbor. I'm always so thankful when I get to spend time with both a bride and groom before we get into the nitty gritty of their timeline obligations on a wedding day as it gives me a sense of their mood and the vibes of the day right away and I could tell both Chris and Abby were excited to get this day moving.
Abby and her girls couldn't have been more relaxed and Chris was very go-with-the-flow as he waited for me to arrive to his hotel room before getting dressed and then rolling through all of the traditional groom prep shots quickly so i could get back to his soon-to-be bride.
I never try to shortchange a bride or groom on their prep photos but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was super thankful we rolled through Chris' groom prep shots quick as we did as I wanted to get back to Abby and her girls as soon as possible. Why? Because they were so much fun to work with.
I've had a LOT of great bridal parties in my time as a wedding photographer but Abby's was easily one of the most fun and after she and her girls finished their hair and makeup, it was time to take a group photo of them in their matching outfits.
And then another. And another. And suddenly I had six women stacked on top of one another looking at a wedding dress and trying not to laugh hysterically.
But that's what happens when your people are awesome. They're down for everything and they elevate your wedding day and that was certainly the case for Abby and her girls.
The interesting thing to me about Abby and her girls was the prep portion of Abby's day was so fun, I think she forgot about the typical stress and emotions brides have on their wedding day.
I was curious to see if Abby's demeanor would change as we approached her first look with Chris but she was pretty chill as her mom helped her get in her dress and even as we headed to see Chris.
Apparently, she was saving all of her emotions for the minute she saw her soon-to-be husband standing in position waiting to turn around.
In what I can only describe as the fastest 0-100 in terms of emotions I've seen in some time, Abby went from super fun and chill to overcome with emotions and then laughs and then tears the moment things got real.
I loved that for her. That told me how much this day has meant for her for a long time and how excited she was to marry her love. And the moment Chris turned around? Cue the waterworks. Talk about a beautiful first look.
Chris and Abby chose to do their family, wedding party and bride/groom portraits at the Scituate Lighthouse prior to their wedding ceremony and I don't think we could have had a better day for them.
I've done a lot of photo sessions at this lighthouse and it is almost always a pain in the butt to work with. Whether it's insane wind or freezing temperatures because we're on the water — or opporessively hot temperatures because there's often no cloud cover — the Scituate Lighthouse can be a challenge to work with but Chris and Abby nailed their photos.
I'm especially obsessed with the vertical photo we took of these two in front of the lighthouse on our way back to the cars. I can just about guarantee that makes the very shortlist of my favorite photos of 2026 and that's saying something considering Chris and Abby's wedding was just my second of the season.
With formal photos taken care of, it was time to get these two soulmates married.
Chris and Abby chose to say "I do" at the Barker House in Scituate, Massachusetts but, because it was late March, they made the decision in advance to have their ceremony indoors.
Now, most times, that's the right move for a late winter wedding but Chris and Abby's day was perfectly springlike and I was surprise we didn't move outside but the indoor vibes were perfect as their wedding felt both grand and intimate and I expected great things.
I wasn't disappointed.
From the very beginning of Chris and Abby's wedding ceremony, it was clear these two were head over heels for each other but they still kept their actual nuptials pretty lighthearted and fun.
My favorite part, by far, was Abby getting so lost in watching Chris repeat the official vows and get so lost in the moment that she forgot when she was supposed to say "I do," jumped the gun and made everyone in the room (herself included) laugh.
Moments later, though, she got to say it officially and before we knew it, Chris was breaking a glass in celebration and the newlyweds were taking their first steps as husband and wife ... through a sea of bubbles no less.
As Chris and Abby snuck away to the upstairs bridal loft of the Barker House for some alone time to collect their thoughts, I made sure to take a quick lap around their reception room once the staff at the Barker House turned it over from ceremony space to reception space.
My goal was to get all of the details taken care of while Chris and Abby enjoyed cocktail hour and I'm glad I did as there was a lot to see and shoot here and it all looked great.
In fact, I just about finished those shots as it was time for Chris and Abby to enter their reception so the timing worked out quick nice and I knew it was time to get this party started.
Chris and Abby kicked off their wedding reception with a first dance set to “Honeybee” by the Head and the Heart and it was a great way to set the tone for the rest of the night.
Because I was working with Becky MacDonald of Pretty Nerdy Photography as my second photographer, I knew I could be a little creative with how I wanted to shoot Chris and Abby's first dance and went with some more dramatic lighting than I usually do ... mostly because the Barker House is a tough room to nail the lighting in.
I loved how this made Chris and Abby's first official act as husband and wife pop color wise and, honestly, I might have to do more of this high contrast/saturated lighting this year.
Chris and Abby rolled right from their first dance into their parent dances and I was glad they did as I could keep my dramatic and moody lighting in place but both of these dances were so sweet and touching that they would have shined bright regardless of settings.
I always love when you can see how much a father/daughter or mother/son dance means to a parent and Chris and Abby's parents were absolutely living in the moment with their children in their arms, no doubt the culmination of a lifetime imagining what this day would be like.
The parent dances weren't the only contributions Chris and Abby's parents made to the reception. Both pairs opened the toast portion of the evening with special speeches about their children and some nice surprises.
Add in a pair of best man/maid of honor speeches and there were a lot of emotions in the room as Chris and Abby's wedding headed to dinner service.
Following a great meal, it was time to get Chris and Abby's dance floor going. I'll admit, I really didn't know what to expect from this crowd in terms of a party but I did know that we'd have an idea early as Chris and Abby were going to kick things off with a Hora.
I love a good Hora at a wedding and Chris and Abby's may have been one of the toughest for me to shoot as it was gigantic. The crowd that lifted them up was all about this dance and I found myself having to move in and out of the circle with the group which is always the sign of a good time.
Chris and Abby's Hora was the final true formality of their reception and, from there, it was just time to party.
What I loved about this night was just how much the bride and groom were glued to one another's side. Every time I looked, the pair were off doing something, whether it was jumping in the photo booth with friends or throwing it back on the dance floor. These two were determined to have a great time on the best night of their lives and they sure did.
Chris and Abby's guests, meanwhile, definitely got the memo about this wedding as they rocked out to some of the absolute go-tos that make a wedding great but gave just as much effort to other more chill songs as well.
All in all, that dance floor was hopping from the moment it opened until I headed on out.
By the time my time with Chris and Abby was up, I was absolutely spent. An eight-hour wedding this early in the season is no joke and this bride and groom wore me out.
But, honestly, I think that's the best compliment I can give them as this wedding was action packed and full of amazing moments and memories I know they will cherish for a lifetime.
So, thank you Chris and Abby for a beautiful early-season wedding that I know I won't forget anytime soon. I hope it was everything you dreamed of and more and wish you all the best in this new and exciting chapter of your lives together as husband and wife.
-Paul J. Spetrini
