Amy & Ben
In many ways, weddings are living, breathing events that often take on the personality of the brides and grooms at the center of them. It's for this reason that I try very hard not to go into any wedding day think about what is "supposed" to happen but, rather, letting things play out as they may.
I think that's why Amy and Ben's wedding back in July at Crystal Lake Golf Club stands out so much in my mind. Not only did these two choose to say "I do" on a beautiful Saturday morning instead of the traditional evening slot you typically see in the summer but they also held the most chill and relaxed reception I've seen in some time.
Most importantly, however, they had the wedding THEY always wanted and that's why it was such a beautiful day that I know they will cherish and love for a lifetime.
It's not often that my coverage of a bride and groom's wedding day starts with the main attraction of the event but that's exactly what happened on Amy and Ben's big day. Because the two felt they didn't need any documentation of their respective bride and groom preps, they asked me to arrive moments before their ceremony and to go from there.
I always find this a bit awkward of a way to begin wedding day coverage but it felt completely natural for Amy and Ben's big day as they were all about the authentic moments being captured and less about the pomp and circumstance of getting married ... with the exception, of course, of a couple of great and grand entrances of course.
Amy and Ben were married on the water at Crystal Lake and this has LONG been one of my favorite spots to shoot a wedding, especially a morning when when the sun hasn't started reflecting on the water behind the couple.
I loved Amy and Ben's ceremony for a number of reasons but I think my favorite was seeing the emotion on Amy's face nervousness to excitement and from wiping tears to laughing hysterically.
If weddings are supposed to bring the best out of a person, Amy and Ben's sure did in every way for these two as they were fully present and soaking in every second of the moment they tied the knot.
With Amy and Ben's wedding ceremony in the books, it was time for us to head to their formal photos and I knew ahead of time, that picking a spot to shoot these in would be the toughest decision of the entire day. And I mean that in the best way. Crystal Lake was gorgeous on this midsummer morning and I don't think we could've gone wrong shooting Amy and Ben's photos anywhere but when you can stay in the shade, you stay in the shade.
I love these photos of Amy and Ben for a number of reasons but I think the biggest reason is how easy these two made them. Without moving much from their ceremony location, we rolled through family and wedding party photos and their couple portraits were just as fun and effortless.
I don't know if I've had an easier bride and groom photo session all year but the end result? Hard to ask for much more than this.
Following formal photos, Amy and Ben made their way by boat back to the venue side of Crystal Lake. This is always the toughest part of shooting a wedding day at Crystal Lake for me as the logistics in traveling from one side of the venue to the other, and transporting lights and gear, often leave my little time to capture a couples' details but, thankfully, I was smart enough to do so before "officially" starting my coverage of Amy and Ben's wedding.
I'm glad I did, too, because I really liked the simple but colorful little touches this bride and groom put into their special day.
There were a number of reasons I was looking forward to Amy and Ben's wedding day but the biggest, by far, was it would be the first time I got to work at Crystal Lake since they overhauled and completely remodeled their ballroom since the last time I photographed a wedding there.
I don't know if I could have chosen a better first wedding to shoot in the new room than Amy and Ben's as the now-white walls and bright floor and ceiling really popped with the extra light of mid afternoon that I'm not used to seeing in this venue.
Add in the fact that Amy and Ben opened their reception with a beautiful first dance set to “99 Years” by Josh Groban and Jennifer Nettles and I can't think of a moment of this day I liked better.
I didn't know what to expect from Amy and Ben's wedding reception but I knew from the fact that they intentionally chose a Saturday morning wedding day that we were likely going to have a very chill and relaxed vibe heading in terms of formalities and dancing and we sure did.
Following their first dance, the pair took their seats for two lovely speeches, one of which took the idea of a wedding toast to heart quite literally.
Following the meal portion of Amy and Ben's wedding, the pair rounded out their formalities with a super casual cake cutting and two parent dances that really brought out the personalities of the newlyweds.
Following the formality portion of Amy and Ben's wedding reception, it was time to party. Or ... at least it would be typically but this wasn't your typical wedding day. While there were some who wanted to dance, Amy and Ben spent most of their reception spending quality time with friends and family members. That's not to say there weren't some who were eager to hit the dance floor, of course.
Whenever I am shooting a wedding that doesn't feature a lot of dancing, I always pay extra attention to the bride and groom hoping they're still having a great time and Amy and Ben sure were. Besides, who needs a wedding with a rowdy dance floor when you can just be yourself and have an impromptu water gun fight instead?
As my time with Amy and Ben came to an end, I couldn't help but leave Crystal Lake unsure of how to spend the rest of my afternoon as I'm not used to leaving a wedding with the sun still out. Still, I couldn't help but smile as I pulled out of the parking lot because it was a gorgeous day and I had had more than my fill of beautiful moments from the start to the end of this lovely wedding day.
So thank you Amy and Ben for allowing me to document your journey down the aisle. I hope it was everything you dreamed of and much more and I wish you all the best on this new chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
