Blog— Weddings — Massachusetts— 2024 —
Whites of Westport Wedding Photos
Alyssa & Devon
White's of Westport, Westport, Massachusetts
March 9th 2024
Writing this blog is never easy. In fact, sometimes it takes me literal days to think about what I want to say about a bride and groom's wedding day. I suppose in many ways that makes sense. When you've shot close to 350 weddings the way I have, eventually you get worried you're repeating yourself or not giving a wedding its proper due the way you should because you want to check it off your list.
As of right now, it's taken me about four days to write this first paragraph about Alyssa and Devon's wedding day. And it's not because I don't want to write about it. It's because it was such an unbelievable, fun and joyous day I don't feel words can properly sum it up. I think that's the biggest compliment I can pay these newlyweds.
Alyssa and Devon were married back in March at White's of Westport in Westport, Massachusetts and it was the kind of wedding day that makes me fall in love with this industry all over again. Not only was this couple amazing to work with but you could see every time you looked at them how much this wedding meant to them and how much they were enjoying every single second of it.
Honestly, I can't blame them. It was that good a day.
My coverage of Alyssa and Devon's wedding day started in just about the best way it could for a photographer who loves a good story: Alyssa was getting ready with her parents in her childhood home.
If you've followed my work long enough, you know I live for this kind of situation and Alyssa didn't disappoint. Not only were her parents and friends incredibly excited to get to this wedding but their infectious energy kept the timeline moving so smoothly, I almost felt things were going too good.
And the bride? Well, if Alyssa was feeling any nerves on her special day, she sure didn't show them.
The only person I think may have been more excited than Alyssa was her mom and as the time for us to head over to the venue approached, you could see the reality of the day setting in more and more for both the bride and the woman who raised her.
I particularly loved seeing Alyssa's mom's face when she zipped her daughter's dress up. I could tell that was a moment she dreamed of for years and it didn't disappoint.
With bridal prep in the books, Alyssa and I made our way to White's of Westport for her planned first look before her and Devon's ceremony.
From the moment I walked in, I could see the groom was a bit more nervous than the bride but it was so adorable to see how much he wanted everything to go right that I couldn't help but smile.
After getting Devon's boutonniere pinned by his mom, I set him up outside for the first look and couldn't wait to see his reaction to seeing Alyssa in her dress. It was worth the wait.
There's not a lot I would change about Alyssa and Devon's wedding day but if I could change one thing, it would be adding about 15 degrees to the temperature outside.
While you can never know for sure what kind of weather early March is going to produce, Alyssa and Devon's wedding day was a cold, cloudy and windy day where Mother Nature had no problem reminding us that winter was far from over.
Still, to their credit, Alyssa and Devon hung in there as long as they could during bride and groom formal photos and while I only got seven minutes with them before they'd had enough of the chill, I think we did a pretty good job in that TV commercial break amount of time in capturing some nice photos of the two of them before tucking them back into the warmth of the heat indoors.
With their first batch of formal photos in the books — we'd later finish these photos after the ceremony — Alyssa and Devon prepared for the biggest moment of their lives as their wedding ceremony officially began.
As someone who had never photographed a wedding at White's of Westport before, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this very awkwardly shaped indoor ceremony space but that didn't really matter as this ceremony was so sweet and touching, it could have taken place anywhere and been beautiful.
Alyssa and Devon's wedding ceremony may have only been six minutes long but they crammed a lot of sweet emotion and devotion in that six minutes. I love how true to their original vision of their wedding day they stayed by tossing out a lot of the extra fillers some ceremonies have and sticking to the nuts and bolts of the day.
After all, when you have a love as sweet as theirs, why wouldn't you want to get to the point of officially being husband and wife as quickly as possible?
Following their ceremony, Alyssa and Devon spent a sizable amount of time doing family and wedding party photos and I could tell while they adored those photos, the best part of the night was yet to come.
And once we got closer to the beginning of their reception, I knew we were in for a special evening.
But, first, I simply HAD to capture the little details of this wedding day because Alyssa and Devon really did a great job with the decor in this beautiful venue.
While I almost always advise against this, Alyssa and Devon decided to start their reception by having all the formal dances and toasts in a row.
The reason I tell couples they would be better served spreading these moments on is, often, you start to lose the interest of your guests if you wait too long for dinner to begin.
That wasn't a problem here, however, as the newlyweds opened their reception with their first dance, set to "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain, and things only got sweeter and more touching from there.
Whether it was Alyssa's heartwarming dance with her father where both the people dancing and the entire crowd watching were on the verge of tears to Devon's fun dances with both his mother and grandmother, the formal dance portion of Alyssa and Devon's reception had so many amazing moments to capture.
The toasts were just as personal as well.
In fact, by the time to dinner, it felt like a great time to take a bit of a break before resetting for the evening.
I could see the bride and groom agreed, as well, because by the time we opened the second half of the evening with their cake cutting, Alyssa and Devon were both eager to get this party started.
And what a party it was. For two and a half hours, Alyssa and Devon's friends and family members had a great time on the dance floor ... often with the bride and groom right in the center of the celebration.
I haven't had a lot of weddings lately where a bride and groom want me to stay until the very last song but that was the case for Alyssa and Devon and I'm so glad it was because, even as the night drew to a close, this was still a celebration worth documenting.
Even the final dance of the night was a sight to see as Alyssa and Devon took the dance floor one last time, surrounding by their friends and family, to put the perfect cap on a perfect evening.
As I packed my gear in the corner of White's of Westport and called it a night on Alyssa and Devon's wedding, I knew in my heart that I couldn't wait to get home and look at all the photos we took because it was such a fun evening. Not just for me, mind you, but for the bride and groom at the center of it all.
I think that gets lost sometimes in the hustle and bustle of planning a wedding. These things are supposed to be a good time and full of joy.
I've seen a lot of couples in my time that have a giant celebration and leave it all on the dance floor and Alyssa and Devon sure did that and more. I think that says volumes about not just their relationship but about how their lives together will play out moving forward.
So congratulations Alyssa and Devon on a wonderful wedding day and I wish you all the best as you begin this beautiful new chapter of your lives together as husband and wife.
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair & Make-up: Hollyann of Eyes & Irons Beauty; Bride's Dress: Alexandra's Boutique; Groom's Suit: Men's Wearhouse; Flowers: Lings Moment; Ceremony & Reception: White's of Westport, Westport, Massachusetts; DJ: George of GS DJ's; Cake: Delia's Bake Shop.