Jamie & Ed *
Wychmere Beach Club, Harwich Port, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
September 25th, 2025
Whenever I am hired as a second shooter for a wedding, I like to think of myself as a backup quarterback. Sure, I'm doing the same drills as the starter but there's so much less pressure to perform.
The thing about being a backup quarterback, though, is you always need to be ready.
I keep this in mind anytime I shoot for Becky MacDonald of Pretty Nerdy Photography because we have a mutually-beneficial rule once a dance floor opens up: If she's feeling super creative, she's going to go try to set up a fun night shot with fancy lights, gels or maybe even some light-painting. And, if she does, it's my job to keep the great photos coming on the dance floor.
Luckily, Becky has amazing clients who have wonderful wedding days and that's why I knew there would be a moment during Jamie and Ed's September wedding at Wychmere Beach Club in Harwich Port, Massachusetts when the party popped off and I needed to bring my 'A' game.
And I'm so glad I did because those moments? They were priceless.
* These photos were taken as part of my work as a second photographer for Pretty Nerdy Photography.
and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.
Of all the weddings I shot in 2025, I think the start of my coverage of Jamie and Ed's might have been the most awkward. Because it was a bit rainy on their wedding day, we had a limited amount of time to work with outside. And, because I was arriving after their respective bride and groom preps and first look, I spent the initial moments with this bride and groom waiting for a chance to introduce myself.
Luckily, I thrive in awkward moments so it wasn't too weird when I randomly popped in in between photos, looked at the bride and said “Oh hey, my name is Paul” and proceeded to try to shoot some fun shots of these soon-to-be newlyweds before we headed inside.
Even more fortunately, Jamie and Ed and their wedding party were all a blast to work with. I didn't get a ton of time with the bride and groom but that's not why I was there. My main task was coming later. But, first, these two had to tie the knot.
Jamie and Ed's wedding ceremony was on the rooftop patio area of Wychmere Beach Club and I'm not sure what I spent more time doing: trying to capture beautiful candid moments of this couple or trying not to fly off the roof via one of the crazy wind gusts since we were, after all, on the beach on a stormy day.
To their credit, if Jamie and Ed were bothered by the weather, they didn't look it. These two were locked in the moment their eyes connected as the bride walked down the aisle and it only got sweeter and more beautiful as the ceremony went on.
One of the nicest things about being a second photographer is you really have free reign to do whatever you want during cocktail hour. I knew from working with Becky a bajillion times in the past that her main request from me was to grab photos of Jamie and Ed's guests mingling about during the period and, also, to get the details of the day before those same guests entered the reception ballroom and messed everything up.
I was especially grateful to have time to walk around and capture all the little details Jamie and Ed put into their day as it was beautifully beach-themed and felt incredibly personal to their story as a couple.
It's hard to believe but after cocktail hour, I was already in the second half of my time with Jamie and Ed and things were flying by. Still, I could tell despite my limited interaction with the couple by this point that their reception was going to be special.
The pair kicked it off just right with a beautiful first dance that took full advantage of the gorgeous ballroom area of their venue.
I think what makes a good second photographer, and what I always try to do when I am filling that role, is paying attention to your surroundings and understanding when something special might happen.
I felt this way watching Ed interact with his mom before their mother-son dance. I had a feeling this one might be a tear-jerker.
Where this skill really came in handy, though, was moments later. I had heard earlier in the day that Jamie's father had passed prior to the wedding and knew there wasn't a planned father-daughter dance on the itinerary.
But, as sometimes happens at weddings, family finds a way. That's why I knew how much it would mean to Jamie as multiple members of her family stood up to share a song with her on the dance floor. To say this was the most beautiful moment of this wedding would be an understatement. It was certainly the most touching for me anyway.
Following their planned and unplanned parent dances, Jamie and Ed finally took a moment to sit down and listen to some beautiful, heartfelt toasts. This was really the only big formality left prior to dinner and I think it was a great way to cap the emotional parts of the day before the party started.
Speaking of the party, as predicted, Becky told me when the dance floor opened that she wanted me to take lead while she worked on setting up some champagne photography photos for the bride and groom outside.
I knew it was my time to shine. What I didn't know was that Jamie and Ed's friends and family members felt the same way.
From the moment the music hit, it was clear that this party was ON and we were going to have a jam-packed dance floor that never let up.
What I really appreciated about Jamie and Ed's dance floor was that it seemed like EVERYONE in attendance was in the mood to dance. This was especially true anytime the bride and groom got to the dance floor and, in what I think was the cutest and most New England moment of the night, Ed surprised his bride with a custom-made Red Sox jersey with her new last name on it, leading to a lovely group dance number, and if that's not love, I don't know what is.
I ended up staying a bit longer than planned for Jamie and Ed's wedding but I'm so glad I did because this party was exceptional and a great reminder of why I love being a second shooter.
Even though I don't get to meet the couples I second shoot for before their wedding day, I trust the photographers I work for to pick great people to photograph and Becky certainly did here. This party was the perfect reason to travel all the way to Cape Cod and I know that even with the stormy weather and overcast clouds, Jamie and Ed left their beach-themed wedding believing it was the perfect day.
And I can't say I blame them. Not one bit.
-Paul J. Spetrini
