Lauren & Matt
Colt State Park, Bristol, Rhode Island (Ceremony) &
The Waypoint Event Center, New Bedford, Massachusetts (Reception)
August 31st, 2024
Whenever I chat with a bride and groom in the lead-up to their wedding day, I make a point to talk about how they should really try to take it every moment. Now, inevitably, couples think I'm talking about the big things when I say this — you know, the ceremony, the first kiss, the first dance, etc. Honestly, I'm not.
For me, the real moments that make a wedding day special are the ones you never think of. It's the way a bride cries when she opens a gift from her soon-to-be husband. Or the way a groom paces back and forth in nervous anticipation before he sees his bride in her wedding dress.
In this regard, few weddings gave me more moments to smile than Lauren and Matt's back in August at Colt State Park and the Waypoint Event Center and, trust me when I tell you, this bride and groom were locked in during each and every moment of their wedding day ... no matter how big or small.
My coverage of Lauren and Matt's wedding day began with a nice and easy bridal prep session at the Hampton Inn Hotel in Westport, Massachusetts. Over the years, I've shot a LOT of bridal preps at this hotel and I've grown to really like it ... both because it's a nice hotel and because it's typically far enough away from any prospective wedding venue that I have time to decompress and refocus on my way to a ceremony.
I didn't really even need that while working with Lauren though as she was cool as a cucumber and made a point to take every second of her prep without worrying about a thing.
I especially loved the way she involved ALL of the members of her bridal party in the last bits of her prep. These were her people and she made a point to let them know they were ALL special to her.
By far my favorite part of Lauren's bridal prep session, however, was the moment everything got real for her and that moment came when she opened a gift given to her by Matt showing an item they had seen together a while earlier that she remarked reminded her of a special person in her life.
That Matt remembered and made sure to present that to her on her wedding day was one of the sweetest things I've seen in some time and the bride certainly felt that way as the emotions of that gift, that moment and this day all came flooding in to her at once.
With bridal prep in the books, Lauren, her side of the wedding and I made our way to Colt State Park. Up first for the bride and groom was a first look to knock out any nerves they may have had before their ceremony and, I've got to say, this was a fantastic decision by Lauren and Matt as it was a really nice and private moment for the two of them to share ... even if we were out in the open sun in the middle of a popular park on a holiday weekend.
Nevertheless, Matt and Lauren's first look was as sweet as it gets and by the time I drove back to the Colt State Park chapel, I know these two were ready to get married.
Lauren and Matt chose to say "I do" in the traditional chapel area of Colt State Park and it really was the perfect spot for their ceremony. Even though the sun was insanely bright and made it hard for me to see, I could still see how much this moment meant to both the bride and groom as Lauren walked down the aisle and caught herself getting emotional.
Who can blame her though? It's not every day you get to share a life-changing moment with your person.
Lauren and Matt had a beautiful and sweet ceremony that skewed about as traditional as you can get in the summer heat at a beautiful park but I could sense how relieved they both were once they made it through their vows and said what they needed to say.
And after exchanging a couple of rings and sealing their love with a kiss, this bride and groom were officially newlyweds.
If there was one thing that worried me about Lauren and Matt's wedding day, it's that the bride and groom specifically requested we do their family and wedding party photos on the water. Yes, I know. The water at Colt State Park is beautiful. But, as any couple who has done photos at that park will tell you ... on a warm day, that sun is unforgiving.
And, much as I worried it would be, the sun was unrelenting for Matt and Lauren's formal photo session. To their credit, though, Matt and Lauren never complained and their people did what we had to do to get in and out as fast as possible but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't counting down the minutes until we could get in the shade.
And, speaking of the shade, the very moment I was able to take Lauren and Matt into it, the entire vibe of their photos changed.
Ironically, this was almost a step-by-step repeat of the engagement photos Matt, Lauren and I did a few months earlier in downtown Providence and I don't know if that experience gave me the confidence to know we were going to do just fine with the limited time we had left or gave Matt and Lauren the confidence to immediately pose like professional models but these shots weren't just my favorite of the day ... they were some of my favorite all year.
While Matt and Lauren chose to say "I do" at Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island, they elected to have their reception all the way in New Bedford, Massachusetts at the Waypoint Event Center. Now, normally, I don't love a 35-45 minute drive in between a wedding ceremony and reception.
But, in this case, I think it was a great call as I could tell Matt and Lauren were wiped from the stimulus of getting married, then spending an hour in the sun and then posing until we ran out of pose ideas.
More importantly, when we got to the Waypoint Event Center, I understood perfectly why they chose this venue for their reception: It was gorgeous.
So, too, were the little details they chose to decorate it with.
Matt and Lauren were lucky enough to arrive to their venue with plenty of time to spend with friends and family members during their cocktail hour but it wasn't until we officially opened their reception with introductions and their first dance that you could truly see how much they were ready to celebrate this major life moment.
I especially loved their first dance as it was set to “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron, one of my favorite love songs of the last few years. Talk about a special moment for a special couple.
After their first dance, Matt and Lauren sat for two special toasts from the best man and matron of honor before finally having a chance to decompress a little bit with dinner.
Following dinner, the two asked me for a favor: They wanted to go outside and take some sunset formals in the Waypoint Event Center's outdoor patio area. We may not have had much of a sunset to work with but I loved that Matt and Lauren still wanted to take some photos after all the shots we had that day.
More importantly, this last little bit of portraits together was the perfect way to officially kick off the second half of their reception before we rolled inside and they cut their cake, Matt had his mother-son dance and Lauren shared a special dance with her family.
With their formalities out of the way, Matt and Lauren got ready to dance ... and I was ready to leave as my time was officially up. But how could I leave this wedding before getting at least a sample of the dance floor?
The answer is I couldn't and Matt and Lauren agreed, asking me to stay for an hour. I'm glad they did because this was one fun party.
I don't know what I expected to see from Matt and Lauren's reception but I don't think I could have predicted just how much they'd be on the dance floor themselves so to say it was a pleasant surprise is an understatement.
I always love when a couple is locked in and having a great time partying with their friends and family and these newlyweds sure were on this special summer night.
As my extended time with Matt and Lauren came to an end, I made sure to move all of my gear into a corner of their reception venue as I packed up so I could keep an eye on the dance floor because, honestly, I was having as much time watching them as they were having.
I think that says a lot about this day and this couple. Despite being utterly exhausted from a day FULL of important moments and memories, this bride and groom were still full of energy and love for everyone around them. I can think of no better way for Matt and Lauren to start their live together as husband and wife so congratulations Lauren and Matt on a beautiful wedding day and best of luck on this new and exciting part of your journey.
-Paul J. Spetrini
