Faith & Pat *
The Barker House, Scituate, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
April 25th, 2025
Of all the things I've come to love as a wedding photographer, one of my absolute favorites is the friends I've made in this industry who both help me to be a better photographer and who form the creative community that helps us all thrive.
That's how I went from having my first day off in a month and a half to suddenly shooting a wedding in Scituate, Massachusetts on three hours notice back in April as one of my oldest friends in wedding photography, Kristin Griffin, asked if I wanted to tag along to help shoot Faith and Pat's beautiful wedding at the Barker House.
I hadn't planned on being at a wedding that day but, honestly? I'm so glad I was. Not only because I got to hang out with a friend and see how she shoots a wedding but also because this bride and groom were absolutely adorable and their day was beautiful from start to finish.
* These photos were taken as part of my work as a second photographer for Kristin Griffin Photography.
and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.
My coverage of Faith and Pat's wedding day began with a low key groom prep session inside the lovely, but absolutely crazy hot, groom prep area at the top of the Barker House. For those who don't know, this historic property is quintessential Colonial New England and it felt like the perfect place for a nice and cozy winter wedding. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to us, Mother Nature made an unexpected choice to turn this nice April day into a much warmer than anticipated spring afternoon.
To his credit, Pat never let the heat get him down and you could see how genuinely excited he was to say "I do" as he put the finishing touches on his attire before we headed down for he and Faith's first look.
I always love second shooting for fun photographers and Kristin is a great example why. While we've worked together once before, she was a videographer at that 2024 wedding and Faith and Pat's wedding was the first time I saw her in action as a lead photographer and she is crazy similar to me in how laidback and relaxed she makes her couples feel.
I could tell Faith and Pat needed that as their first look was short, sweet and definitely helped knock out all of the nerves they may have been feeling before they walked down the aisle.
One of the main reasons I wanted to shoot Faith and Pat's wedding was the opportunity to work at the Barker House, a venue I'd never been to but have three upcoming weddings at. The nice thing about the venue is it's close proximity to the Scituate Lighthouse, a beautiful and majestic spot for bride and groom formals that I WAS familiar with and that was the perfect backdrop for Faith and Pat's couple's portraits.
One of the perks of being a second photographer, especially for Kristin, was that there were no expectations on what I needed to do during Faith and Pat's bride and groom portraits. My job was just to get different angles and be a bit creative during this time period and given that the soon-to-be newlyweds were a bit introverted and didn't want to make a big deal out of their formal photos, it didn't surprise me that this session lasted just a few minutes before we headed back.
But in that time? Man. I love what we were able to capture for these two.
Back at the Barker House, Kristin ran point on Faith and Pat's family and wedding party formals and it was nice to see how relaxed she makes her couples in front of the camera. My job, meanwhile, was just to shoot some candid-style photos in between posed shots and this group really brought it when it came to fun photos and living in the moment.
With formal photos in the books, it was time for the main event of Faith and Pat's wedding day: Their actual wedding.
Of all the parts of Faith and Pat's special day, their ceremony was what I was looking most forward to as it was an outdoor ceremony and the lighting was perfect: Two things I haven't encountered much this wedding season so far as many of my couples have had to overcome planned indoor ceremonies or bad weather conditions when saying "I do."
Faith and Pat's ceremony couldn't have been in better conditions and I loved that for them because this part of the day was, without question, the sweetest and most endearing part of their journey to becoming husband and wife.
I knew from my brief interactions with Faith and Pat prior to their walk down the aisle that their ceremony would be short and sweet but full of love and meaning and I can't think of a better way to sum it up honestly. I think my favorite part, though, was knowing that as a second photographer I had no pressure on me to perform and could just walk wherever creativity took me and look for moments of genuine joy and happiness.
There were no shortage of those in this ceremony and I especially adored the moment Pat had to wipe tears out of his eyes. Talk about real emotion and a beautiful reminder of why I love doing what I do.
As Faith and Pat sealed their love with a kiss and headed into their cocktail hour, my focus shifted to capturing the little details of their day and, boy, there were a lot of them.
These two really used ALL of the Barker House to put their special little touches on the rooms their guests would be in and I loved that they had a nice, long cocktail hour to catch up with those guests and enjoy the experience of the historic property thanks to knocking their photos out beforehand.
Faith and Pat wanted a low key reception and that showed in how their night was structured. The pair went straight from an extended cocktail hour to introductions and then right to dinner. Rather than focusing on formalities and being the center of attention on their wedding day, these two chose to spend as much time as possible with their friends and family in an organic way and I loved that for them.
And while it didn't leave me much to shoot in terms of formal moments prior to my departure, I could tell this was the wedding these two always dreamed of and it was the perfect way to celebrate their love.
Before packing my bags and heading out, I was lucky enough to capture Faith and Pat's cake cutting and a nice, big group shot with all their friends and family in the room and, honestly, that's all I really needed to call this wedding a success in my books.
Faith and Pat's special day was not only a reminder of why I love shooting weddings but a great reminder of how important it is to be open to saying "yes" to unexpected assignments when your friends come calling. So thanks Faith and Pat for letting me play a small part in documenting your special day and, of course, thanks Kristin for asking me to tag along and see you work your magic live and in person. Can't wait to do it again some day. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
