Amanda & Steven
Whenever I walk into a wedding day knowing the forecast says it's going to rain nonstop and there's nothing we can do about it, I know in my heart that the success or failure of the day will come down to a couple's attitude about it all. For some people, it's a total vibe kill. For others, it doesn't change anything as the reason they're getting married is the person they're saying "I do" to, not the party they're planning.
That's why I was immediately set at ease when walking into Amanda and Steven's wedding back in April as, within moments of arriving, I found myself in a room full of Amanda and her bridesmaids singing songs and dancing.
If these girls were bummed about the weather, you'd never know it and if you thought the constant showers would dampen the mood of the day, well, the absolutely bonkers dance floor that capped the night showed otherwise.
And I don't think there was any chance Amanda and Steve's wedding could have been better ... rain or no rain.
As I said above, my time with Amanda and Steve began in a place very familiar to me: The basement bridal suite at the Barn at Wight Farm. I've been in this room more times than I can count and it really is one of my favorite spots for bridal prep because it's nice and spacious and super comfortable for those last-minute getting ready shots.
And, from what I learned with Amanda and her crew, it's also the perfect place for impromptu dance offs. But don't take my word for it. Let's check in with the bride and bridesmaids themselves:
As fun as bridal prep was, I could tell Amanda was eager to get this show on the road and the last little bit of her preparation was equal parts excitement ... and a little bit of nervous energy as she readied for her first look with Steve.
Speaking of the first look, I knew from having shot Amanda and Steve's engagement session last year that once these two are together, they light up and their first look was no exception. Look how thrilled Steve was to see his bride on their special day.
Following their first look, Amanda and Steve exchanged private vows and our jumpstart into their full go-go-go wedding day timeline was on.
The toughest obstacle Amanda, Steve and I faced on their wedding day was the weather, particularly because while the Barn at Wight Farm is a lovely venue to say "I do" at, it's also a VERY difficult one to shoot family photos in if you're stuck indoors.
Thankfully, Amanda and Steve were very chill and relaxed about it and we carved out a little corner of their reception room for some basic family and wedding party formals, keeping our eye on the skies in the hope that it cleared long enough to take at least a few outside.
It took a while but a brief pause in showers gave us literally two minutes to pull everyone outside with clear umbrellas for a few wedding party and bride/groom portraits before we all tossed our hands in the air and went back indoors before the ceremony started.
It wasn't much but, hey, you take what you can get weather wise in New England in the spring.
With formal photos in the bag, it was time for the main event of Amanda and Steve's special day: Their wedding ceremony.
I've shot a lot of weddings at the Barn at Wight Farm and, honestly, their ceremony space is one of the sweetest I've used as it really does feel quite intimate and gives each ceremony a very rustic and down home vibe.
That was the perfect energy for Amanda and Steve's nuptials as the room fit the style of this ceremony perfectly. But, first, of course was the beautifully sweet moment Steve watched Amanda walk down the aisle with a deep look of love and satisfaction plastered all over his face.
Amanda and Steve's ceremony was short and sweet but beautifully intimate and I loved that for them. I especially enjoyed how in tune and in the moment they were the entire time. You could see how much this moment meant for them by the way they looked at each other and when it came time to seal their love with a kiss and walk down the aisle, the joy was palpable.
Of course, there was still that little pesky matter of rain when Amanda and Steve ended their ceremony and, to their credit, the bride and groom didn't balk at my request for just a littttttle bit more of their time as we attempted our second round of outdoor bride and groom formals.
This time, we managed to get a whopping FOUR minutes of photos before running back indoors but, hey, can't say we didn't try.
Following their ceremony and our second attempt to defeat Mother Nature, Amanda and Steve headed inside for their cocktail hour while I did my best to do justice to the beautiful way these two chose to decorate for their wedding.
Whether it was the super sweet and touching notes Amanda's fourth grade students left for the couple or the lovely Polaroid guestbook they asked their guests to create, this wedding had a LOT of little personal touches that really spruced up the barn. My favorite, though, were the orange and purple uplights which really made the room pop beautifully. I couldn't wait to take full advantage of that when the dancing began.
Speaking of dancing, after some lively introductions, Amanda and Steve turned their wedding on its head with their first dance as husband and wife — set to "Yours" by Russell Dickerson — and let me tell you something: that moment was beautiful.
I loved this first dance so very, very much and the stunning way this venue looked played a big part in it but the way Amanda and Steve were totally, over-the-top, head-over-heels in love in that moment? That's the type of moment that fills my freaking soul man. For realllll.
Amanda and Steve followed up their beautiful first dance with a pair of equally sweet parent dances and whether it was Amanda's dad fighting back tears or the wide smile on Steve's mom's face, you could really sense how much this moment meant to both the bride and groom as their friends and family members cheered on in the background.
With the formalities of the evening all taken care of, it was time for Amanda and Steve's family and friends to celebrate the new couple and, boy, did they ever.
I've had a LOT of rowdy weddings in my time and Amanda and Steve's is right up at the top in terms of absolute bonkers fun. I loved this reception so freaking much. Everywhere I looked, people were all over the dance floor making the most of every moment and at the heart of it all was the bride and groom who savored every second of it. Like, for real. Check it out for yourself:
I've had a lot of awesome wedding receptions but I don't get "Groom crowdsurfs" all that often.
But that was just the energy of this night. The vibe in this room was so good and, honestly, it really raised my expectations for the rest of my 2025 couples this year because it's gonna take a LOT from the rest of my weddings this year to match Amanda and Steve's party.
One of the things I loved most about Amanda and Steve was the trust they put into me as their photographer. Given how crazy fun this reception was, you can imagine my hesitancy to pull the bride and groom outside AGAIN in an attempt to get more bride and groom formals but I practically begged the newlyweds for a chance to try something I've been wanting to do at a wedding for a while now and only learned this year.
That's right: Gel shots.
With the help of my good friend Becky MacDonald of Pretty Nerdy Photography, I've been trying so hard this year to figure out how to shoot nighttime bride and groom gel portraits and I can say, confidently, that Amanda and Steve's wedding was the first time I ever felt I knocked it out of the park. These were some of the most fun shots I've taken in YEARS.
As excited as I was to capture the awesome photos of Amanda and Steve above, I still felt like I owed it to them to document a little bit more of their party because, as I've said many times now, it was amazing. I'm glad I did because I can think of no better way to have capped off my coverage of this wedding day than more dance photos.
And, yes, this crowd lost not one bit of its energy while I whisked the bride and groom away.
As my time with Amanda and Steve came to an end, I couldn't help leave Sturbridge with a massive smile on my face. Apart from having some better weather, I truly can't think of any way in which this bride and groom's special day could have been better.
I knew when I shot their engagement session that Amanda and Steve were my kind of people and their wedding day was everything they could have asked for and so much more.
So thank you Amanda and Steve for allowing me to capture this special day for you and I wish you all the best on this next chapter of your lives together. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair and Haircut: Odessa Weddings; Bride's Dress: Alexandria’s Bridal; Groom's Suit: Main Street Formals; Ceremony & Reception: The Barn at Wight Farm, Sturbridge, Massachusetts; DJ: Jam Events DJs; Cake: Francesco’s Italian Bakery.