Beth & Bryan
Fort Phoenix, Fairhaven, Mass. (Ceremony) & McGovern's On The Water, Fall River, Mass. (Reception)
August 12th, 2018
One of the biggest benefits to shooting a wedding for a bride and groom you've known as friends for years is, by and large, you can predict how their wedding day will go long before they walk down the aisle.
Back in August, I was lucky enough to photograph Beth and Bryan's beautiful day at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, Massachusetts and that was certainly the case.
I've known Beth and Bryan for years and have shot multiple weddings for the folks closest to them. Because of this, I knew their wedding was going to be a crazy fun affair full of laughter, tender moments and lots and LOTS of line dancing. And this was not a day that would disappoint.
Beth and Bryan's wedding was everything I hoped for and much, much more and getting to see them say "I do" brought a huge smile to my face. In fact, that smile was dwarfed only by the one that I would wear when I saw how the photos came out. Talk about a day to remember ...
My coverage of Beth and Bryan's wedding day kicked off with a brief but eventful bridal prep session as the bride-to-be finished up her hair and makeup moments after I walked into her hotel room.
Thankfully, we still had plenty of time to capture all the details of your typical bridal prep session and, boy am I glad we did because Beth has a great eye for cool details and there were plenty on display here.
I knew heading into Beth's bridal prep that she was likely to be a little nervous about everything going on that afternoon but it was nice to see her still manage a smile or two as we tried to hustle her through the last little preparations that go into making a bride's look complete.
Of course, Beth wouldn't have been Beth without her cowboy boots ...
Though I didn't get a ton of time with Beth and her girls before the ceremony, I feel like we got everything we needed and more. And I'm glad because I was really looking forward to Beth and Bryan's ceremony.
And when I saw the location? Well, you can say I was excited to see what kind of cool photos we could create ...
Beth and Bryan's wedding may have taken place during the hottest part of a sweltering hot summer afternoon but if either the bride or groom were uncomfortable, you wouldn't know it as the two had beaming smiles on their face throughout their entire ceremony.
And while the ceremony itself was quick, it was meaningful and a beautiful expression of their relationship together.
Knowing this bride and groom for as long as I have, even I had a hard time not getting a little misty-eyed. It really was a beautiful ceremony for a pair of beautiful people.
As much fun as Beth and Bryan's ceremony was, though, what I was really looking forward to on this wedding day was time alone with the bride and groom as our last session together was one of my favorite engagement sessions of 2017 and I knew this would be even better.
And I was right.
I had a full half hour with Beth and Bryan after we finished their wedding party formals and I'm glad I did as we took our time making sure to get poses and photos true to their character as a couple.
And even though the clouds began to roll in, it actually enhanced the final photos we got and gave their images a cool vibe you just can't fake no matter how good you are at Photoshop.
If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be the shot of Beth in her veil that led this blog off. By the time this year is over, that may well find itself pretty high in my favorite shots of 2018 list.
Following their formal photos, it was time for the three of us to head to their reception hall.
Beth and Bryan chose McGovern's on the Water for their reception location and what a choice it was. I especially loved the uplighting the pair added to give the room a cool vibe.
I love uplighting (as I've said on this blog many times) and seeing Beth and Bryan's first dance to "My Kind of Crazy" by Brantley Gilbert shows exactly why.
Now, in full disclosure, Bryan is a line dance instructor and he and Beth dance all the time so, of course, their dance photos are going to look awesome but I LOVE how the uplighting in this room made everything pop just a little more.
Whether it was Beth's father-daughter dance with her dad, the four awesome toasts the bride and groom had or their fun cake cutting, all of the little moments of their day just felt a little extra special.
My favorite part of Beth and Bryan's reception, though, was the unexpectedly hilarious shoe game the pair played.
This is a fairly new concept, one I hadn't heard of until this wedding but essentially the bride and groom take one of their shoes and one of their spouse's and answer questions akin to "Who is more likely to hog the covers?' as their guests watch and laugh.
The shoe game was a big success for this bride and groom and really set the tone for the rest of the night.
And once the formalities of the evening were over, I knew we were in for one heck of a party.
There's a reason Bryan and Beth had a large group of their dancing friends with them at this wedding and, trust me, they didn't disappoint once it came time to put boots on the floor.
Though my time with Beth and Bryan during the open dance floor portion of their evening was short, I managed to get a ton of shots of them and their guests tearing it up.
I made sure never to lose sight of the bride and groom, though, as I knew I could count on Beth and Bryan to put the pin in our coverage of their special day the only way they know how: in each other's arms.
As the night wrapped up for Beth and Bryan, I couldn't help but think of how much fun we really had.
I've known for years that Beth and Bryan's wedding day was going to be a party unlike any other I've shot and they delivered in every way possible.
And whether it was taking shots at the bar or constantly getting pulled in a bunch of different directions for guest photos, I could tell this day was everything this bride and groom hoped for and much more.
So congratulations Beth and Bryan and thank you for including me in what was one of my favorite days of the summer. I had a blast and I know you did ... because all I have to do is look at the photos and see for myself. :)
-PJS
Tags: Outdoor Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings, Fort Phoenix, McGoverns on the Water, Fairhaven,
Fall River, Paul J. Spetrini Photography
The Vendor List
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Ceremony: Fort Phoenix, Fairhaven, Massachusetts; Reception: McGovern’s on the Water, Fall River, Massachusetts; Minister: Paul Bagge; Cake: Sandy Bolton Arnold; Bride’s dress and alterations: Ana’s Bridal, located in East Providence, Rhode Island; Hotel: Best Western Hotels & Resorts, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts; Bridesmaid dresses: David’s bridal; Groom and groomsmen’s suits: Main Street formals, Acushnet, Massachusetts; DJ: Scott Reiniche with Pro Sound Entertainment; Live singer: Taylor Cormier of Taylor Cormier Sings Sinatra.
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
Karolyn & Ethan
Location: Private Residence,
Sterling, Connecticut
Date: August 11th, 2018
Danielle & Mark
Location: Roger Williams Park Casino, Providence, Rhode Island.
Date: August 5th, 2018
Robin & Rick
Location: Twelve Acres,
Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Date: August 4th, 2018
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