The Derryfield Restaurant Wedding Photos
Shaniques-Lana & Adam
If you live in New England, you know it's next to impossible to know when summer is going to start. Sure, the calendar says it's June something or other but, depending on the year, you might have 90-degree weather in April or it could be in the 40s well through the end of May.
As a wedding photographer, I'd resigned myself in knowing that it won't truly be the “start of the summer” until it's Memorial Day weekend and I'm pouring sweat through every pore of my body at a wedding but, luckily, it's also been my experience that Memorial Day weekend weddings are among my favorite all year long.
And Shaniques-Lana and Adam were no exception.
By far one of my favorite couples this year, Shaniques and Adam said “I do” at the Derryfield Restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire and while the temperature might have been cooking us, it was well worth it to see these two adorable people become husband and wife in a day full of laughs, love and moments worth waiting a lifetime to celebrate.
In what is becoming a bit of a rarity for me this year, I was actually lucky enough to start my time with Shaniques and Adam with Shaniques' bridal prep session and it's a reminder of why I love couples who want me to capture this part of the day.
For one thing, I like to ease into a wedding day and get a feel for how a bride is taking in her day before sticking a camera in her face. For another, I love the sweet little moments that happen during a person's hair and makeup prep and, in this regard, I couldn't have asked more from Shaniques, who was grinning ear to ear every single time I looked her way.
Up first on Shaniques and Adam's itinerary was a first look at their venue. I had never been to the Derryfield Restaurant prior to Shaniques and Adam's big day but, right away, I realized I had underestimated how nice this location was going to be.
I had expected this to be some sort of small restaurant type location where they said “I do” and, instead, I was greeted with a giant golf course/country club vibe and I think that really made Shaniques and Adam's first look, which was adorable, stand out even more.
I had a feeling Adam might get a bit emotional and he sure did and who can blame him? Shaniques looked amazing and you could see the reality of how special a day lie ahead for him hit Adam perfectly.
One of the only down sides of Shaniques and Adam's wedding timeline was we were completely held hostage by the lighting. On this particular May afternoon, there was a small mix of clouds and a large mix of hellfire sunshine and, depending on when you were taking photos, everything looked great … or felt like you were on the surface of the sun.
Still, I can't help but credit this bride and groom for going with the flow. In fact, Shaniques and Adam were so accommodating to my ideas that we broke their bride and groom formal photo session into four small sessions to give us the best chance at the best light and I'm sure glad we did as they were a joy to pose together before AND after their wedding ceremony.
Speaking of their ceremony, apart from the blinding sunshine, I don't think Shaniques and Adam could have asked for a better way to officially tie the knot.
While, yes, it may have been hot outside, I don't think this bride or groom cared one iota because they were locked in the moment and locked on each other from the minute they both walked down the aisle until their first kiss as husband and wife.
I mean, look at Adam's cheesy grin when he sees Shaniques walking with her fathers. Talk about a special moment.
I loved Shaniques and Adam's ceremony for a lot of reasons but the main one was just how personal it felt. Shaniques, Adam and their officiant took a lot of time really expressing why this couple just clicks and how special their love is and you could feel that everyone in attendance felt the same way.
I especially dug Shaniques and Adam's personalized vows, which were super sweet and geeky and showed a side of them that I didn't see before this moment.
And it all culminated with that first kiss, a moment I know these two will never forget.
Following their wedding ceremony, Shaniques, Adam and I made our way back to the golf course greens for some more family photos and bride and groom portraits and, I've got to say, these ones were much easier as we actually had a little shade to work with.
But that was kind of the theme of the day, really. Patience pays off. And though I released Shaniques and Adam to their cocktail hour shortly after grabbing a handful of more poses — it was still brutally hot and I could tell they needed a break from photos — I held out hope that we'd get a nice sunset later in the day and I could take them out one last time.
As for the reception itself, I don't think I could have asked for a better reception for Shaniques and Adam. I knew from the moment we opened the doors to the Derryfield Restaurant and Shaniques and Adam's wedding party rocked their way into the room that this would be a special night and it only got better.
I especially loved Shaniques and Adam's first dance, set to “I Do” by Aloe Blacc & LeAnn Rimes.
These two controlled the dance floor and you could tell they spent a LOT of time either dancing together regularly or dancing together specifically for this dance. Either way, it was time well spent.
Following their first dance, Shaniques and Adam had a fairly straight forward start to their reception. The newlyweds had three toasts and then thanked their guests for coming.
After dinner, meanwhile, the emotions of the night picked up as the bride and groom held a slew of special dances with their parents. First up was Shaniques, who danced with both her fathers and her mom and Adam closed it out with a sweet dance with his mom.
The moment Adam and his mom finished their mother-son dance, it was my time to shine. Even though we didn't get much of a sunset on this particular evening, I knew I wanted to take Shaniques and Adam outside one last time for some formal photos … this time without blinding sunshine and heat making every shot harder than it needed to be.
We were rewarded for our efforts as the location of Shaniques and Adam's wedding ceremony proved the perfect spot for some nice, evenly-lit and fun portraits of the bride and groom. Not surprisingly, these were my favorite shots of Shaniques and Adam on the entire day.
To say I was glad they indulged me one last time is an understatement.
With the final bride and groom portraits in the bag, it was time for Shaniques and Adam to party and party they sure did.
I can not tell you how thankful I was to shoot Shaniques and Adam's reception. I've had almost nothing but barn and rustic venues so far this year and when I saw that the Derryfield Restaurant has nice, low, white ceilings I'd be able to bounce my light off of … and that Shaniques and Adam had my favorite DJ in Ramu and the Crew, I could have cried I was so happy.
But I still wasn't as happy as their guests were because this night was wild in the best way.
I had so much fun shooting Shaniques and Adam's reception that I ended up staying way later than I planned and, boy, am I glad I did because this was one of those fun nights you never want to end … which is exactly what I know the newlyweds felt as well.
It's not easy to plan the perfect wedding but I genuinely think Shaniques and Adam nailed the challenge. It was a complete day full of so many special moments and, more importantly, the bride and groom at the center of the day undoubtably had the time of their lives, which is why we go through all this pomp and circumstance when folks want to get married in the first place.
So, thank you Shaniques and Adam for a beautiful start to my summer wedding season. I couldn't have asked for a more fun day to start one of the wildest times of my year and I know you loved every minute of it as well. Best of luck on this next chapter of your lives together and congratulations, once again, on a wedding none of us will soon forget.
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair: The Blowout Queen, Lynnette Ozores Arroyo - Bedford, New Hampshire; Bride's Make-up: Kettia Fenestor - Bedford, New Hampshire; Bride's Dress: Alexandria's Boutique - Fall River, Massachusetts; Groom's Suit: Generation Tux; Florist: Celebrations by Heidi - Manchester, New Hampshire; Ceremony & Reception: The Derryfield Restaurant, Manchester, New Hampshire; DJ: Ramu and the Crew; Cake: The Whoopie Pie Lady; Transportation: Axis Coach Transportation.