Two weeks ago today I was photographing the most amazing winter wedding at
Tupper Manor at the Wylie Inn and Conference Center in Beverly, MA on the North Shore. Emily & John are still on their honeymoon but I thought they might like to relive their wedding with this handful of my favorite images from the day.
I started my day at M. Lekkakos where Emily was having her hair and make up done:
Audrey made her way to Tupper Manor to photograph John getting ready with the guys. John - or more formally Ensign Richey - is in the US Navy and his crazy schedule meant that the first time I met him was on the wedding day! Luckily I'd had the chance to spend time with Emily and her Mom Sarah and I knew this was going to be a very special wedding for a very special couple.
Emily and John had exchanged gifts and Emily's gift to John was a painting she had done herself!
Back at Emily's parents home Father of the Bride Blair opened some champagne so Emily could toast her bridesmaids. Emily had written thoughtful notes for her closest friends and they were wowed to open their gift of stunning earrings
Emily was helped into her wedding dress by her mother and Godmother:
Emily's parents surprised her with a purse to match her dress with a "love you to the moon and back" message on the inside
Father of the bride Blair sees Emily for the first time:
Emily opened a note from John which had to contain one of the best wedding gifts ever - the promise of a new puppy!
Next week I have an epic blog post coming up about timeline planning for all of my 2014 couples. One of the topics it'll cover is planning your winter wedding. Many couples forget that it's dark just after 4pm! With an evening ceremony we took advantage of the daylight to do some pictures of Emily with the girls and with her family. A shout out to the always amazing
Les Fleurs in Andover, MA who did all of the flowers - just wait until you see the centerpieces...
Loving the way the light hit Emily's veil
We also took pictures of John and his groomsmen and his family before the sun went down:
John's nephew and quite possibly the cutest ring bearer in the world. I was also wowed by John's upside-down bow-tying skills:
The wedding ceremony was held at the
First Congregational Church of Hamilton. Pastor Dorington Little led the most thoughtful, meaningful and even amusing service. When I asked Emily & John what they were most looking forward to about their wedding day they both independently said it was the ceremony - how important it was to them and how they couldn't wait to be husband and wife.
Emily walked down the aisle with proud dad Blair:
John seeing Emily for the first time:
Happy newlyweds in the limo on the way back to their wedding reception at Tupper Manor:
I've photographed a number of weddings at Tupper Manor and it's one of my very favorite North Shore venues. The team there are absolutely wonderful, the food is delicious and the whole space is a photographer's dream. You have a stunning fountain, private beach (which sadly we didn't get to use as it was dark by the time we arrived but trust me - it's beautiful even in the winter!), the library, balcony, staircase - it's perfect in any season and any weather!
A quick kiss for the bride from our other handsome ring bearer:
I was so happy to catch this big hug from John for his new father in law:
I took some relaxed pictures of Emily & John with their families and the wedding party and then headed into the library for pictures of the happy couple (who took advantage of the alone time to do a quick run through their first dance moves!):
Guests enjoyed cocktail hour:
Tupper Manor looked amazing with gold chiavari chairs, gold chargers accented with a ribbon-tied sprig of greenery and birch-wrapped centerpieces by Les Fleurs:
Before guests went through for dinner it was time for the newlyweds to make their grand entrance with a sword detail no less!
After a welcome and a blessing, guests enjoyed a fabulous dinner Maid of Honor Emily and Best Man and John's brother Drake gave wonderful toasts:
I should also mention
Night Shift Entertainment who are, in my opinion, one of the best wedding bands in New England. The dancefloor was literally bouncing all night. I was only able to get this picture as guests were eating dinner - the rest of the night you could barely move! If you're still looking for a wedding band then I can't recommend Night Shift enough - they're amazing.
After dinner Emily danced with her dad and John with his mom:
The cake was cut - why use a cake knife when you can use a sword? And with that the party was well underway. Let's just say that John & Emily's friends and family know how to dance!
John's Navy and Marine friends had a surprise for Emily as they sat her down and serenaded her with "You've lost that loving feeling". I worked with the super talented Jim of
Boston Wedding Films at this wedding - it's always a pleasure to work with the BWF team and I cannot WAIT to see the wedding film!
What a day! Emily & John - thank you SO much for trusting me to document your day. It was an honor to witness your wedding ceremony and a pleasure to see how close you are with your families and friends. I hope you enjoyed this handful of my favorites - there are a LOT more to come! Congratulations!!!
And that's it for this cold and rainy day my lovely blog readers. Coming up on Tuesday will be a winter engagement shoot in Kennebunkport followed by a super helpful blog post about planning your wedding day timeline. Stay warm...
If you'd like to see more Tupper Manor weddings check out these blog posts:
A blush pink and champagne romantic editorial shoot at Tupper Manor, published in Seacoast Weddings
http://leahhaydock.blogspot.com/2013/12/tupper-manor-wedding-pictures-kristen.html
A summer wedding at Tupper Manor with lemons and balloons!
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