Sarah & Cory *
Granite Links, Quincy, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
October 6th, 2024
It's not often that I'm left speechless at a wedding. Now, don't get me wrong, I love what I do but when you're rapidly approaching your 400th wedding, you've seen just about everything a bride and groom can do to make their day special and you've likely photographed it all two or three times over.
I think that's why I was left so stunned as I entered Granite Links in Quincy, Massachusetts back in October for Sarah and Cory's special day. It wasn't the venue that took my breath away as I've been there multiple times and LOVE photographing weddings there. It was something else entirely. Something I normally take for granted: The flowers.
Yes. You read that right. The flowers.
Sarah and Cory said "I do" back in October and without question, their wedding is one I will likely never forget as the bride had a vision of tying the knot with the most insane display of flowers I've ever seen decorating just about every nook and cranny of her wedding day.
But, hey. I honestly can't blame her. Because those flowers, and this wedding, were one for the ages.
* 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.
My time with Sarah and Cory started with one of the fastest groom preps I've shot this year and I mean that in the best way possible.
As I walked into the Marriott Hotel in Quincy, Massachusetts, Cory was just about good to go and from the moment I picked up my camera, we flew through all the standard photos and moments you expect to see from a groom getting ready for his big day.
I loved that for Cory but I loved the tone that set for this day as he and his guys were super calm and relaxed and I could tell they were eagerly looking forward to kicking this celebration off right.
I think part of the reason Sarah and Cory's wedding day was so fun for me creatively is I knew it was my last wedding as a second shooter this season and I always ADORE working for Becky MacDonald of Pretty Nerdy Photography as she's one of my favorite people in this industry and she attracts the best clients.
I also knew that since I was just a second shooter, I could focus on being creative instead of worrying about getting every bit of a photo list down pat and that proved especially helpful as we started Sarah and Cory's wedding ceremony and I got one of my favorite "back of the wedding dress" shots ever.
See what I mean about the flowers? Talk about amazing.
Sarah and Cory's wedding ceremony was one of the most visually-pleasing I've shot this year ... and not just for the gigantic floral arch they got married in front of. I love Granite Links as a wedding venue but had never photographed a wedding INDOORS at this location and now, it's the only place I want to shoot a ceremony on this property.
Sarah and Cory's wedding ceremony was short and sweet but full of cute little moments and as they walked down the aisle having just become husband and wife, you could feel the excitement radiating from them and could tell this was the start of a night they wouldn't soon forget.
Remember how I led this blog off talking about the floral arrangements? Well, there was a reason for that.
Almost immediately upon arriving to Sarah and Cory's wedding, I found out my main task for their big day was to make sure to get photos of ALL the details and while it seems silly to ask a wedding photographer to focus primarily on detail work, once I saw the way the Granite Links staff turned over Sarah and Cory's wedding ceremony space into the reception space, and saw how stunning everything looked, I immediately got why the bride and groom wanted ALL of the details of their day captured.
And, boy, were there a lot.
With detail duty done and cocktail hour wrapped up, it was time for me to rejoin the couple and their journey to wedded bliss and that meant the beginning of their reception.
Admittedly, because I was on detail duty for a large chunk of this day, I really didn't know what kind of mood Sarah and Cory would be when their party started but from the moment they walked in for introductions, I could tell they were ready to celebrate in a big way.
And that started with a lovely first dance full of sweet little moments and long looks of love between the newlyweds.
Following their first dance, Sarah and Cory took to their seats for the start of their toasts and, unlike most of my couples this year, that meant speeches first by the bride and groom's parents.
I'm typically not a big fan of a lot of toasts on a wedding day but each of the four speeches of Sarah and Cory's wedding were worth listening to and full of a great mix of sweet and sentimental moments and just enough jokes to keep the room laughing it up before dinner began.
As Sarah and Cory finished up listening to the last of their speeches, I was stunned to look down at my watch and realize my time with them had already come to an end.
As much as I love being a second photographer, sometimes you just know when you're heading out before the most fun part of a wedding day begins and that was certainly the case for me with Sarah and Cory. Thankfully, because the pair hired Pretty Nerdy Photography, I knew I would get the chance to see some of their reception photos and see just how wild the night got and I did ... and it did.
And, hey, looking back on it, I'm glad I was there to help document a small but vital part of this couple's journey down the aisle because this wedding is one I won't soon forget.
So thank you Sarah and Cory for including me as part of your wedding dream team and best of luck on this new and exciting chapter of your lives together.
-Paul J. Spetrini
