Rules are made to be broken, isn’t that what they say? Well, when my fabulous contractor Dennis DeMello asked me last year if I ever did weddings, my first answer was (as it always is), “No, but I can refer you to some great people…”
But then I got thinking about creative challenges, about the fact that I spend my days capturing emotion in families, and a wedding is just a big pile of emotions, so actually a wedding is a lot like a baby photoshoot, just longer, (um… note to self: 8x longer) and with less crying (um… I guess there’s crying at weddings too, so scratch that). But anyway, I called him back, and we talked… and here it is, a year later and just the other day his wonderful daughter Jen married the amazing Matt… and… I took pictures for them.
Disclaimer: in case you’re wondering, I’m still only in the baby photo business. No weddings. My trigger finger was TIRED after this one. That and my editing workflow doesn’t allow me to do more of these. I shoot about 160-180 family photoshoots every year, and in order to keep my turnaround time tight for those clients, I normally say no to weddings when I’m asked. But you’re looking for a wedding photographer, call the fabulous Sara of Simply Sublime Weddings who was my second shooter for this wedding (her photos are all watermarked with her logo below), or if Sara’s not available, ask me, I have lots of other friends who do gorgeous wedding work.
But enough about me – on to this fantastic couple. I met Jen at the Ames Hotel, where she was getting ready. She wore Vera, and I just loved the custom Mrs. Walsh hanger 🙂
While I was upstairs with the ladies, Sara went downstairs and met up with Matt and his groomsmen, as Matt waited for his Jen.
And look who surprised the bride and groom during their first look? Only the coolest Converse-wearing three year old ring bearer ever.
Next stop was Post Office Square for our formal photos, and Matt booked a trolley for the whole bridal party to zip around town in – it was fantastic.
Then we got to wander around Post Office Square while the trolley went back to pick up the rest of the Bridal Party. Matt pointed out to Jen that the two little girls in this next top middle picture were looking over at her, and said he thought Jen waving to them was like them getting a wave from a real live princess. And yes, those are sweet little Jimmy Choo’s peeking out from under Jen’s dress.
And then we hopped back on the trolley for the drive to the church. The trolley had great music playing – everybody sang along.
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is extraordinary. Just mind-blowingly gorgeous.
After the ceremony, the Bridal Party hopped back in the trolley and headed over to the State Room – what a gorgeous space that is! And I do love this shot as they got out of the trolley to go inside the State Room with the old State House in the background — Jen and Matt look so happy.
The tables looked elegant and the flowers were to die for… (not to mention the view)
Cocktail hour was relaxed and fun…
And when it came time to introduce the Bridal Party and the Bride and Groom, everybody had a little fun with it.
After Jen and Matt’s first dance, more fun was had by all (dancing pictures are coming, I promise), and everyone got to eat the amazing dinner. And then we had the toasts.
Which led right into the father/daughter dance, and then the mother/son dance. Not a dry eye in the house.
Then they opened up the dance floor, and everybody got out there and had a great time.
If you were a guest at the wedding and you’re interested in prints or want to download any of any of these photos, you can get to them here.
And then I’ll add all the photos from the wedding to that same gallery by early August!
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Ceremony: Cathedral of the Holy Cross
Reception: The State Room
Flowers: Cedar Grove
Hair: Jennifer Picanco & Anna Sousa
Makeup: Lauren Vancheri
DJ: Northern Lights Entertainment