Jocelyn & Corey
Highfields Country Club, Grafton, Massachusetts (Ceremony & Reception)
September 20th, 2024
It's easy to lose sight of why people take the time to get married. Yes, I know. Marriage and weddings in general are looked at a major life event and a day of celebration but, at their core, weddings should really be an extension of who you are the relationship you're commemorating and few couples I've had this year understood that assignment better than Jocelyn and Corey.
Jocelyn and Corey, who said "I do" at the Highfields Country Club in Grafton, Massachusetts back in September, had the time of wedding day I love to see. Not only were they stress-free almost the entire day but they were so fun and having such a great time, you almost forget they were in the midst of a major life-changing moment.
I think that's how it should be, right? Because when you are pledging the rest of your life to your soulmate, it should be exciting. It should be a good time. And you should enjoy every single second of it.
And these two? They did. They really, really did.
From the moment I walked into Highfields Country Club on a suspiciously cloudy but otherwise beautiful September day to photograph Jocelyn and Corey's wedding, I knew we were in for a fun one as the groom was eager and ready to get the day going ... and making tons of wrestling jokes and walking around like Vince McMahon. Talk about setting a vibe.
I loved how relaxed and fun Corey and his guys were making the early portion of his wedding day and that energy never really let up.
Over on the bride's side? Well, as can be expected things were a bit busier and more hectic but Jocelyn and her girls were just as carefree, relaxed and excited to kick this day off. Me? I was just happy to be there to capture it all.
Jocelyn and Corey chose not to do a traditional first look but wanted, instead, to start their wedding day with a first touch and as many formal photos before their ceremony as possible and that meant lots and lots of back-and-forth coordination to make sure things were running smoothly.
Even with my bouncing from room to room to make sure everything was on time and everyone was where they needed to be, I knew I needed to spend a little extra time with the bride as she got zipped up in her beautiful wedding dress and I'm glad I did as these were some of my favorite photos of the entire day.
And that first touch? Oh boy was it worth it.
Jocelyn and Corey's first touch was one of the only moments on their wedding day that I feel the emotions of the moment got to the bride or groom but both were quick to shed the tears for smiles as we made our way to formal photos.
Of course, I think that's in large part due to their respective wedding parties as the folks on both Jocelyn and Corey's sides were incredibly fun and kept the day's mood light and silly, which is exactly what both the bride and groom wanted and needed in the final hour before they walked down the aisle.
As Jocelyn and Corey prepared for the day's biggest moment — their wedding ceremony — I could briefly sense a shift in the overall mood in both as it was clear to me how much this meant to them.
I think that's what I loved the most about this day. Sure, Jocelyn and Corey had an amazing time and spent ALL day laughing and having a great time but they never lost sight of why they were there on this September afternoon and that was to celebrate their love story with the sweetest of happy endings.
You can see exactly what this celebration meant to both the bride and groom, too, as Jocelyn walked down the aisle in a slight state of shock and Corey couldn't hide his smile.
Jocelyn and Corey's wedding ceremony was a dream come true ... both for them and for me. It's rare this year that I've had picture perfect lighting conditions but I couldn't have asked for a better scenario for a wedding day than this. The day was that perfect blend of early fall/slight chill in the air crispness and overcast lighting that was so nice I didn't even need to tweak my camera in the slightest to let everything look nice and natural.
And nice and natural is exactly how I would describe this wedding as Jocelyn and Corey's ceremony was perfectly them. The pair had moments of sweetness and beautiful words for one another but never strayed too far from what made them fall in love the most: Their little inside jokes and senses of humor.
Even before Jocelyn made a fart joke during her vows, I found myself thinking "Wow. This ceremony is awesome" and it sure was. So much so that I could tell based exclusively on how this ceremony went that we were in for a night of laughs and great times.
But, first, we needed to finish up formal photos. Which brings us back to Jocelyn and Corey's wedding party and, as they did earlier in the day, this group delivered big time.
With family and wedding party photos in the bag, it was time to pose Jocelyn and Corey by themselves for their bride and groom formals. Well, almost time anyway. We still had to contend with a guest jumping in to crash their photos but, honestly, that felt on brand for these two as Jocelyn and Corey never took things too seriously.
Thankfully, though, they didn't need to. These two have a quiet comfortability when they're around one another that is so effortless and natural that I actually found myself stumped about what other poses to do with these two because they breezed right through everything I threw their way.
And that veil shot I led this blog off with? Perfection.
Following their formal photos, Jocelyn and Corey headed to cocktail hour to finally spend time with their friends and family members and that gave me a few moments to catch my breath and make sure I captured all of the little details they put together to make their day so special.
There were a lot of little things to see and shoot but, honestly, it never felt like too much. Of course, when you have a venue as nice as Highfields Country Club, you want to go all out decorating it and Jocelyn and Corey sure did. I loved their decor so much and, if you look below, you'll see why. Talk about some nice touches.
As the time came for Jocelyn and Corey's wedding reception to start, I really didn't know what to expect but I assumed we'd continue the day's theme of an all-out celebration and that proved true the moment the DJ announced the wedding party in and when the newlyweds made their entrance as well.
I've shot a lot of weddings this year but it's rare I've had a reception like Jocelyn and Corey's. Namely, because as much as I absolutely freaking adore uplighting, most of my couples this year have decided not to get it. But Jocelyn and Corey did and, man, it set their reception room up so nice and so sweet.
This was evident throughout the night but the moment where it really made everything feel just a little more special was during Jocelyn and Corey's first dance, set to “Hold Back Time” by Derek Hough. I loved this song choice for the newlyweds but, more than that, I loved how clear it was that they were taking in every single second of this dance together.
I don't know if they could have set a better tone for how this evening would go. It was certainly my favorite moment of the night, that's for sure.
Following their first dance, Jocelyn and Corey sat down for a pair of toasts that I dare say rank among the best ones I've heard all year. First up was Jocelyn's sister/maid of honor Hailey who brought tears to the eyes of many with a beautiful and heartfelt speech. Then, Corey's best man Josh had his turn and he walked the line between sweet and hilarious perfectly.
The end of the toasts brought us to a nice little break for dinner and, following a great meal, Jocelyn and Corey headed back to the dance floor for the rest of their reception formalities. First up was a quick cake cutting and then a pair of super sweet parent dances.
Corey and his mother started the pair off with a trip down memory lane, spending most of their dance looking at a slideshow of images taken through the years that played on a nearby monitor. Jocelyn and her father, meanwhile, bounced perfectly between a fun and sentimental father-daughter dance.
Both dances set the stage for what I had no doubt would be an awesome night of partying ... and, boy, was it ever.
Almost from the moment the DJ opened the dance floor until the moment I headed out, this dance floor was packed and the bride and groom were all too happy to be right in the thick of it all.
I loved Jocelyn and Corey's reception so much, especially as it started to devolve into a bit of chaos with multiple guests taking off their shirts and getting a bit wild. But, hey, if you're having a great time and the vibes call for shirtless dudes running around the dance floor, who am I to say that's anything other than an awesome night?
As my time with Corey and Jocelyn came to an end, I couldn't help but smile as I packed up my gear as it really was the kind of wedding that reminds me how much I love photographing a bride and groom's special day.
Fall in New England can be a very difficult time for a wedding photographer as you're typically out and about all day, every day with one shoot or another but days like Jocelyn and Corey's are the kinds of weddings that keep me laughing and sane and having a great time.
So thank you Jocelyn and Corey for an awesome wedding I have no doubt was everything you dreamed of and more and I wish you all the best as you start this new and exciting chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
