Hello! Today's wedding comes to you from Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill, MA. Southworth - the parent company of Renaissance - reached out to The Wounded Warrior Project with an offer to host a dream wedding for local engaged military veterans. The Wounded Warrior Project put them in contact with Rachel and Mark who met while they were in Fort Drum for physical therapy after both serving in Afghanistan.
The Renaissance team asked me if I'd consider donating photography services for this July 4th wedding and of course I said yes! I mentioned the plan on my Facebook page and within hours so many generous and talented New England wedding industry colleague had jumped on board offering all sorts of products and services for the Wounded Warrior cause.
Soirée in Andover, MA designed these beautiful invitations and other wedding stationery. I've worked with Trish and her team a number of teams and they're super creative with amazing attention to detail:
My day started at Renaissance where everyone was getting ready. A bunch of big shout outs seem appropriate at this point:
First of all to Jim of Boston Wedding Films who not only put together a beautiful little engagement film for Rachel and Mark but also worked tirelessly to film this wedding. It's always an absolute treat to work with the BWF crew - they're totally unobtrusive and when you see the resulting film you can't help but wonder how they managed to capture the most amazing moments.
Another yay/thank you to the talented Sarah who offered to shoot alongside me. Sarah's sweetie is in the military and as soon as she heard about this wedding she immediately contacted me.
And finally to the AMAZING crew of Interlocks Salon & Day Spa. I mentioned to Interlocks owner Ginny that this wedding was happening and before I could even send over the information TEN of the Interlocks team, yes TEN hair and make up artists had volunteered their days off! If you're looking for the most wonderful spa experience ever then take a little trip up to Newburyport, the only downside is that you'll never want to go to any other spa!
A little peak at Rachel's dress:
Rachel & Mark's daughter Scarlett was having a blast with a make up palette!
Silver shoes on and it was time for Rachel and Mark to see one another:
Cast your mind back to July 4th - you might remember warnings about Tropical Storm Arthur - the weather turned out to be nuts! We had torrential rain and huge gusts of wind but luckily we made use of the covered balcony for Rachel & Mark's first look:
The rain was fierce and so we took advantage of the beautiful Clubhouse for the rest of the pictures:
Scarlett was a fan of Rachel's dress :)
We took some relaxed pictures with family, friends and the wedding party. Waaaay better to do them early in the day when hair and make up is fresh and then you can enjoy talking and mingling with your guests (and a glass of champagne!) at cocktail hour:
Sadly with the torrential rain we were unable to have the ceremony outside but it was just as emotional as Rachel and Mark made personal and heartfelt vows to one another. Reverand Deacon Economus conducted the ceremony perfectly (the shot of Mark crouching is Sarah's image):
The Renaissance team pulled out all of the stops for cocktail hour:
Guests entered the ballroom which looked amazing with tall romantic centerpieces from the amazing Les Fleurs team (if you're in the Andover area you MUST MUST MUST stop by the store, they have the most amazing flowers, plants, gifts for your home and more). Cakes for Occasions created this masterpiece of a wedding cake!
Rachel & Mark were introduced and went into their first dance:
Creative toasts were next! Including dancing and choreography from the bridesmaids!
Rachel and Mark cut into the delectable cake. I can happily assure you that the cake tasted as beautiful as it looked!
Parent Dances:
DJ Greg Gates of Entertainment Concepts had the dancefloor packed!
Rachel & Mark - congratulations on your marriage! Thank you for your service, it was a honor to document your wedding day!
Hugest thanks to all of the incredibly generous New England wedding vendors who came together to support the Wounded Warriors cause - Renaissance, Boston Wedding Films, Interlocks Salon, Entertainment Concepts, Les Fleurs, Soiree and Flair Bridesmaids
If you'd like to see more weddings at Renaissance Golf Club you can check out:
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