Melissa & Nick
The Bristol Harbor Inn,Bristol, Rhode Island (Ceremony & Reception)
October 18th, 2024
If there's one thing that occasionally bums me out about wedding photography, it's that every now and again, I leave a wedding feeling like the couple didn't enjoy their day as much as they could have. Maybe it's the stress of getting married or the pressure for everything to go right but, sometimes, I'll see a bride and groom who look like the special day of their dreams didn't pan out quite as they envisioned.
Thankfully, I experience the opposite a lot more often and, with most couples, they are elated and loving every second of their wedding day from start to finish. Even then, few couples I've worked with have had the kind of "Time of their Life" wedding day Melissa and Nick did back in October.
Melissa and Nick said “I do” at the Bristol Harbor Inn in Bristol, Rhode Island and I can't think of another couple that laughed harder, had a wilder time celebrating their love or just lived in the moment more all of this year.
It was inspiring, to say the least.
I knew from my pre-wedding timeline chat with Melissa and Nick that their bride and groom prep was going to be different than most. In fact, the two of them seemed so unconcerned about photos for this part of the day that I nearly just showed up for the start of their ceremony.
Melissa, in particular, was totally care free about capturing the moments before she and Nick said “I do” but I'm glad I showed up a bit earlier than planned to shoot Melissa and Nick's final stages of getting ready because not only did I think it was adorable that they were getting ready together, with their children, but it yielded some of my favorite candid photos of the day.
I particularly loved the little interactions Melissa had with her mother in law and was glad I got to see how the soon-to-be newlyweds felt before their ceremony because it was clear both Melissa and Nick were looking forward to walking down the aisle.
Melissa and Nick were married at the Bristol Harbor Inn in mid-October and if there's one thing I know about Bristol during the middle of October, it's that you can count on it both being sunny AND being slightly freezing as you're by the water.
Both things were true on the day Melissa and Nick said “I do” but, really, I don't think either of them cared.
Melissa and Nick were married inside the tent area of the Inn and I'll be honest, it was one of the most challenging ceremonies I've shot this year. Not because of the couple — I mean, they were ecstatic and loving every single second of their ceremony — but the harsh sunlight was near impossible to work with on this sunny but brisk wedding day.
Not that the bride and groom cared, of course. I mean, look at those smiles as Melissa walked down the aisle. She was locked in and ready to tie the knot.
Melissa and Nick's wedding ceremony was one of my favorites this year, even with the terrible lighting conditions and part of the reason why was their officiant Pamela of Love-N-Promises, one of my favorite officiants to work with in the area.
Pamela is hilarious and was the perfect choice for Melissa and Nick, who chose to have a wedding ceremony that perfectly walked the line between funny, sweet and sentimental and it was absolutely beautiful to see how emotional these two were while also laughing their asses off at points.
Talk about a ceremony to remember.
With their wedding ceremony over, it was time for the most stressful part of my day: Trying to wrangle Melissa, Nick and their friends over for formal photos before the sunlight disappeared.
To their credit, Melissa and Nick were a pleasure to work with but up until this point, I was incredibly worried about how patient they would be for family photos and bride and groom portraits as they really didn't seem like the “posed photos” type. Luckily, I've learned to adapt in this situation so when the newlyweds really wanted to rush inside to celebrate their time with their friends and family members, I was content with just getting a few minutes of photos because I figured that would be good enough. What I didn't know was the lighting would be so perfect and the couple so fun that those few minutes would feel like hours and I'd leave feeling like we took some of the best photos I've taken all year.
Seriously, these were so special.
What I loved the most about Melissa and Nick's bride and groom portraits, besides the amazing light of course, was just how much of their personality came shining through each photo. These two are so in love with one another but, much more importantly, are just fun people and that translated really well on camera for some of the most fun couples' portraits I've shot this season.
With their formal photos in the books, Melissa and Nick made their way back inside the tent area to celebrate cocktail hour with their guests while I made myself busy capturing the little details of their day. Like the couple, and the day itself, these details were understated but fit together so perfectly well in the beautiful venue space of the Bristol Harbor Inn.
As much fun as I was having with Melissa and Nick, I'll be honest: I had NO idea what to expect from their reception. Before their introductions, I spent time talking with their DJ and told him I thought this would be a night where either EVERYONE was dancing all night long or there wasn't a single person on the floor five minutes in and I couldn't tell which scenario was more likely.
Thankfully, the moment the newlyweds walked into the room to a loud ovation, I had an inkling which is might be and, to their credit, Melissa and Nick set the tone for their evening perfectly with a beautiful first dance set to “Can't Help Falling in Love” by Elvis.
I loved a lot about Melissa and Nick's first dance but, without a doubt, my favorite part was how emotional the bride got at the very end as she made her way to the sweetheart table. You could tell that moment, and this day, was special to her and it all hit her as she danced in her husband's arms and I think there's something special about that.
With their first dance in the books, Melissa and Nick completed the one and only formality they had planned for their wedding and the rest of the pre-dinner period of their reception was spent hanging out with friends and family members, something I know they both appreciated having time to do.
Following dinner, it was time for Melissa and Nick to open their dance floor and, again, I was incredibly interested to see how this would go. With just 50 or so guests in total, I braced myself for the chance this would be a slow night without much going on in terms of a party and, thankfully, moments into the DJ turning the music up and the house lights off, I could tell we were in for some fun.
Of course, that might also be because of Melissa's son, who really tore the dance floor up and set a vibe right from the start that the bride was all too happy to match and even exceed.
What I really appreciated the most about Melissa and Nick's reception was the old school vibe that reminded me a TON of my high school homecoming dances. What do I mean by that? Well, if you're of a certain age the way I, Melissa and Nick are, you have a deep love and respect of mid 90s/early 00s music and that was definitely the theme of this party.
Every time I looked around, Melissa and Nick's DJ was playing some popular banger from that period or a deep cut that I wasn't expecting from groups ranging from N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys to Wu-Tang Clan and Biggie.
It was an interesting mix but one Melissa and Nick's guest LOVED and showed appreciation for on a packed dance floor.
Of course, I'd be remiss not to point out my favorite part of Melissa and Nick's reception: The bride and groom themselves. I've seen a lot of couples enjoy partying with their friends and family members but Melissa and Nick were simply VIBING during this reception and loving every single second of it and I adored that for them.
Seriously. These two were living up every moment in a way that said everything you need to know about how much they loved this special day.
As my time with Melissa and Nick came to an end and I packed my stuff up in the corner of the tent at the Bristol Harbor Inn, I couldn't help but rock out a little on my own as the DJ continued to play banger after banger.
To me, there's no greater complement I can pay these newlyweds that simply saying their wedding was likely as much fun for me to shoot as for them to experience and enjoy. In fact, I'll go as far as to say I don't know many couples who enjoyed their day as much as Melissa and Nick did.
So thank you Melissa and Nick for letting me document your journey down the aisle and I hope you never lose sight of the special love you had on this wedding day as it really is what every couple, everywhere is chasing. Best of luck in this next chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. I know, if nothing else, it will be a ride full of great times and lots and lots of laughs and, really, who would want it any other way?
-Paul J. Spetrini
