Zach & Kelly
I think the thing that draws me to wedding photography the most is the knowledge that what I'm witnessing when I see a bride and groom say "I do" is more than just a ceremony or a gathering in a park or country club somewhere. It's an event two people will remember for the rest of their lives. It's the day they changed forever.
The magnitude of what you're capturing when you're behind the lens for an event like this is so much more important than a typical day in a person's life. For good or for bad, this is an affair an entire family and group of friends will think back on for possibly generations to come.
In a way, when I'm at a wedding, it feels like I'm living in a couple's history and nowhere was that clearer than when I was lucky enough to see Zach and Kelly vow to spend the rest of their lives together back in June.
Zach and Kelly are an incredibly wholesome and beautiful couple and their wedding day was one that brought great joy to my heart as it was just about perfect.
And the moments that weren't perfect? That's where the best memories were made.
Zach and Kelly were married on a beautiful, warm, early summer day at Blissful Meadows Golf Club in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.
It was the type of day you dream of as a bride planning your wedding but one that's much tougher to get through than you imagined as the heat and humidity was something fierce right from sun-up.
Thankfully, this bride and groom aren't the type to let a little uncomfortable warmth ruin one of the happiest days of their lives. And even when I noticed Kelly started to get a little anxious at the lack of air conditioning in the bridal suite, all it took was a moment outside to clear her thoughts and get the day back on track.
I'm glad we were able to put Kelly at ease because what happened next would stress out even the most carefree brides. In a beautifully poetic moment straight out of a Hollywood movie, Zach and Kelly's wedding ceremony started in hot, humid sun and MOMENTS BEFORE the bride came down the aisle, we were treated to an absolute downpour.
But, hey. Rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck for you, right?
Thankfully, much like a baseball game with passing showers, we didn't have to wait long to get this show back on the road. In the meantime, Zach and the wedding party huddled in the gazebo to try their best to avoid the rain.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely tickled by this turn of events.
Because I know that, no matter where Zach and Kelly go for the rest of their lives, they'll remember this happening on their wedding day forever. And it only disrupted things for a few minutes.
Worth it if you ask me.
Once the rain died down, we were finally able to start Zach and Kelly's ceremony.
And what a ceremony it turned out to be.
Zach and Kelly's wedding ceremony was short but sweet and I don't know if I've had a more beautiful location for a ceremony this year thus far.
I loved this site and the way the light looked especially but it wasn't until AFTER the wedding that we really got to take advantage of the beauty of Blissful Meadows Golf Club.
Needless to say, I had a lot of fun with Zach and Kelly on the golf club's grounds as everything from the antique car they had to the barn and golf holes themselves proved to be an amazing backdrop to a super sweet bride and groom formal photo session.
It's rare for me to leave a bride and groom formal photo session feeling like we accomplished everything we set out to do as I always want more time with the bride and groom but, honestly, Zach and Kelly's went so well that after 20 minutes, I looked at them, smiled, shrugged and joked "Well, I think we got it covered."
I knew later we would go out for some sunset shots if the weather cooperated but, at the same time, I was excited to get inside and get some detail shots as Zach and Kelly's reception was inside the golf club's reception room and had the barn/rustic feel I love so much that I knew it would look awesome ... and it sure did.
I loved the room Zach and Kelly chose for their wedding reception.
Not so much for the lighting which, admittedly, took a little while to figure out how I wanted to work with it but for the cool vibe inside and the amazing lights hanging over the dance floor that gave it a special feeling.
Because of those little touches, I adored how Zach and Kelly's first dance came out. It just had that little something extra, you know?
And as a guy who lives for these moments, I couldn't help but smile.
After the first dance, Zach and Kelly finally had a chance to slow down and take everything in.
First came a pair of super sweet toasts from their best man and maid of honor all about their love and relationship. Afterward, we sat for a great dinner and went outside for a short sunset photo session that was more to get one last look at the breathtaking scene outside than anything else.
From there, we sped right through the rest of the evening's formal events, with two great parent dances, a fun cake cutting and a lovely bouquet toss serving to kick the party off right.
And what a party it was.
Zach and Kelly are two fun-loving country souls and their playlist showed it.
For the weeks immediately following this wedding, I found myself in a country music loop but with the bride and groom playing such staples as "One Number Away" by Luke Combs, "I Don't Dance" by Lee Brice and "Die A Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett, can you blame me?
I love country music. It's easy to see why, then, that I had so much fun at this reception.
I don't know if I had a favorite moment from Zach and Kelly's wedding reception per se but, if I had to rank them, seeing her and her girls try to figure out "Cotton Eye Joe" on the dance floor would be pretty high up there. As would watching Zach get carried off his feet and dragged to the dance floor by his groomsmen.
What I couldn't stop watching, though, was the way Zach and Kelly were never too far apart. While they did their best to say hello to everyone and spend as much time with friends and family members as possible, Zach and Kelly found plenty of ways to sneak a dance in here or a kiss there and I think that speaks volumes to how much they valued each other and the day they were sharing together.
By the time it was time for me to call it a night with Zach and Kelly, I knew I had just witnessed something special.
It's rare that you leave a wedding thinking, in the moment, how much you just saw two people's lives change but that's the feeling I had walking out of Blissful Meadows the night Zach and Kelly exchanged rings and vows.
Zach and Kelly are an amazing couple whose love beams off their faces anytime they're near each other and getting to shoot their wedding was a privilege I won't soon forget.
And, much like the couple themselves, when I think back on this day I'll think of three things: 1.) The love they shared; 2.) The laughs they made and 3.) The rain that put an imperfect exclamation point on an otherwise perfect day.
So congratulations Zach and Kelly! It was an honor to watch you experience this day together and I'd wish you nothing but the best going forward but it's clear you already found it in each other.
-PJS
Tags: Blissful Meadows Golf Club, Outdoor Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings, Rustic Weddings,
Paul J. Spetrini Photography
The Vendor List
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Hair: Jacqueline Lusignan; Makeup: Ariana DelGigante
Bride's Dress: The Trinket Shoppe, located in Danielson, Connecticut; Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka; Groom Suit: Men’s Wearhouse; Ceremony & Reception: Blissful Meadows, located in Uxbridge, Massachusetts; Officiant: Rev. Darlene Shlesinger; DJ: Pleasure Sounds Unlimited; Cake: Dyanes Sweet Tooth, located in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
The Schooner Aurora & Regatta Place,
Newport, Rhode Island.
Date: May 31st, 2018
Kendra & Joe
Location: Crystal Lake Golf Club,
Mapleville, Rhode Island.
Date: May 26th, 2018
Ali & Gary
Location: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Providence, Rhode Island.
Date: May 5th, 2018
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