Rebecca & Jeffrey
The Codman Estate, Lincoln, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
September 14th, 2025
I've heard a lot of people say that wedding days are like rollercoasters but I have to disagree. Rollercoasters have crazy highs but they're immediately followed by crazy lows. To me, wedding days are more like a great play or movie. You're introduced to the characters, you see a bunch of amazing little moments and it all builds up to a hopefully emotionally satisfying finale.
Rebecca and Jeffrey's September wedding at the Codman Estate in Lincoln, Massachusetts was like that. From the moment they arrived on site until the very end of the day, these two got to experience some of the happiest and most emotional moments of their lives and, somehow, things just kept getting better.
But it's fitting because what good is happily ever after without an amazing love story to accompany it?
I knew heading into Rebecca and Jeffrey's wedding that this was going to be a hectic day. Not only did they have a jam-packed itinerary but their wedding was on the early side — which anyone who knows me knows isn't ideal for my weird sleep schedule — and it was my third wedding in three days.
But I didn't particularly mind when I arrived at the Codman Estate as this was a stunningly beautiful early fall day that felt more like summer and both the bride and groom were all smiles the moment they arrived on property.
It helps that I don't think we could have started this day any better as Rebecca and Jeffrey chose to do a first look to share a moment together away from everyone before the madness of the day took hold. Almost immediately, you could tell exactly how much this moment meant to these two by Jeff's reaction to seeing Rebecca and the absolute delight on her face afterward as her soon-to-be husband kept her laughing all day long.
After some time spent knocking out family photos, it was time for Rebecca and Jeff to tie the knot. As is customary in a Jewish wedding, these two began with a traditional ketubah signing.
I've seen a number of these this year but I don't know if I've had one as chill as Rebecca and Jeff's as they kind of just listened to their officiant, made sure things were in order, signed the dotted line and made their way over to their main ceremony.
But what this ketubah signing lacked in emotion, it made up for in excitement as both Rebecca and Jeffrey seemed thrilled to see their guests arriving and the reality of what they were here for setting in.
Whenever I shoot a Jewish ceremony, I always worry that the pre-ceremony events like a first look (if the couple chooses to have one) and the ketubah signing might take away from the specialness of that moment when the groom sees the bride walking down the aisle but it definitely didn't for Rebecca and Jeffrey.
And that says a lot since Jeff had an incredible look of love and admiration on his face as he waited for his bride to make the long walk to him and I especially loved how he met Rebecca halfway down the path to take her hand and finish the final steps together.
Rebecca and Jeffrey's ceremony was in the Italian garden of the Codman Estate and even though it was a pain in the butt to get from side to side to photograph – you had to walk the full length of the space past the center pond – it was worth it to see how beautiful this spot was.
The pair kept their ceremony pretty lighthearted, with their rabbi cracking tons of jokes that made both the bride, groom and crowd laugh while also honoring the seriousness of the commitment these two were getting ready to make.
I especially appreciated the green light Rebecca's rabbi gave me before the ceremony to photograph the big moments from directly behind him. I don't typically get that kind of access for a traditional ceremony and it made for really fun photos.
At the end, though, my favorite shots were the little moments, like Rebecca and Jeff holding hands and the excited look they had as they stared at each other and waited for permission to share their first kiss as husband and wife.
Following their wedding ceremony, Rebecca and Jeff's guests headed to their cocktail hour and I was finally able to get some alone time with the bride and groom and I'm so glad I did.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this couple's formal photos together as we hadn't really taken any throughout the day yet but once I got them alone, you could sense their true selves come right out and they lit one another up for some of the most natural poses I shot this season.
I especially loved all of the scenery near the area where Rebecca and Jeffrey got married as the lighting was perfect, the foliage looked great and the slight clouds we had rolled in made the temperature flat out perfect.
As Rebecca, Jeffrey and I made our way to the barn where they were set to have their reception, the couple had just two requests for me. For one, they wanted a couple of photos with the actual Codman Estate in the background and that was simple enough to get … even if it was oddly sunny in that one spot on the property.
The second, and arguably most important, was a sweet little request by Rebecca once we got to a shady area to get some shots of the full train of her dress all sprawled out.
Even though I didn't have an assistant on this particular day, I had to accommodate this ask because, man, the train on Rebecca's dress was beautiful and it really capped the formal photo portion of their day so well.
One of the things I loved about Rebecca and Jeffrey's wedding was how simple everything really was. The two didn't have a ton of plans for the event once we got back them saying “I do” and that was evident by the décor in their reception hall as it was all very nice, neat but clearly casual.
I did, however, love when I finally got my hands on this couple's wedding rings because their rings were beautiful and so was Rebecca's bouquet and, together? Made for some great photos.
By far one of the most beautiful and unexpected benefits of becoming a wedding photographer for me, personally, has been exposure to cultures and customs that I wouldn't have ever seen otherwise. It's why, after well over 425 weddings in my career, I can confidently say nothing excites me more than finding out a bride and groom are Jewish and will be doing the Hora to start their reception.
Unfortunately, for the most part, the Horas I've shot in my time have either been insanely short, insanely awkward or occasionally in wedding venues with low ceilings, making a proper lift up of the bride and groom and impossible.
That is, until Rebecca and Jeffrey. Even though their guest list was giving me the most relaxed vibes, once the newlyweds were introduced and it was clear we were rolling right into the Hora, the mood shifted in a big way.
I did NOT expect this crowd to bring such high energy but it made for the best Hora I've seen. I mean, look at the height both Rebecca and Jeffrey got on these photos. That's impressive. More impressively, neither looked scared out of their mind to be lifted up on a chair by their loved ones. That is MUCH easier said than done.
I knew heading into Rebecca and Jeffrey's wedding that I wasn't going to be around for much of their reception as they preferred it to be a casual, relaxed night of celebration but I'm glad I still had enough time left following their Hora to capture their welcome speech.
Both Rebecca and Jeff made some truly heartfelt remarks and you could tell that this moment meant the world to them and I loved that for them so very, very much.
As I packed my gear up and prepared for the crazy long walk to the Codman Estate vendor parking lot (Seriously guys, if you're reading this you need to fix that), I couldn't help but take some time to reflect on what was an awesome triple wedding weekend.
More importantly, I couldn't have been more thankful that Rebecca and Jeffrey are the couple who closed said weekend out for me as it was an absolute blast from start to finish and a lovely reminder of why I do what I do.
So, thank you Rebecca and Jeff for an amazing September wedding that I know you'll cherish for a lifetime and I won't soon forget and I wish you all the best on this new chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
