I started my day with Claire and her bridemsmaids at her parent's home:
Claire was opening an
Letters and gifts for everyone! Claire and Kevin are both incredibly close to their families and this was so lovely to document. Hand holding and a card and hug for her mom Ann Marie and then a gift for Kevin's mom, not to mention purses and earrings for the bridesmaids.
And special letters for Claire's sisters and Maid of Honors.
With all the tears wiped away, it was time for hair and make up:
Claire was helped into her dress by her Mom and sisters. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I seem to only photograph the weddings of couples with amazing style! My 2017 brides have really excelled in their dress choices. Claire's dress was so delicate with the most beautiful lace detail by Monique L'huillier from L'Elite in Boston, MA.
Claire's proud parents waiting to see her as a bride for the first time:
Not only was Audrey with me for the day, but we were also joined by my super talented photographer friend Kate, their pictures are scattered throughout this blog post. Kevin had his own gifts to open from Claire as did all of the groomsmen with super cute socks.
Claire and Kevin wanted to enjoy as much of their day with friends and family so they choose to do a first look and all of the family/wedding party pictures ahead of the ceremony. Because who wants to miss cocktail hour to take pictures? No thank you! Champagne and hors-d'oeuvres here we come! Best reactions ever, also loving Kevin's prepareness with a handkerchief for the inevitable tears .
We were joined by the wedding party. Bridesmaid dresses by Bella Bridesmaid, Boston, MA with the clever idea of Julia and Meghan (Claire's sisters and MOHs) in a slightly different shade of blue. Flowers were by Fancy Flowers by Meredith in Orleans, MA.
Maisy, the flower dog extraordinaire, was ready for her close up:
Claire and Kevin lucked out on the weather with a bright sunny day. We were joined by both families for relaxed yet mantel-worthy family pictures:
And with that, it was time to head to Wychmere for a wedding ceremony!
Claire and Kevin had a beautiful outdoor Cape Cod wedding on the Hydrangea Lawn at Wychmere. Lindsay and the whole team at Wychmere are always a dream to work with:
We skipped over to the beach for 5 minutes of "just married" pictures before joining in all of fun of cocktail hour. Who doesn't love a glass of champagne on the back of a golf cart?
The main ballroom of Wychmere was beautifully decorated with lanterns and soft muted flowers and these adorable table numbers featuring childhood pictures of Claire and Kevin at the appropriate ages:
The new Mr & Mrs Gramza made their way into the ballroom and went straight into their first dance:
We did it! Ta Da!
Toasts and blessings had everyone running the whole gamut of emotions from laughter to tears. Here's where I'll get slightly photographer geeky - when you're planning a wedding, where you sit at the reception will have a HUGE impact on how your pictures look. The reactions of the couple during the toasts are one of the very best parts of the day and sitting super close together and having guests seated behind you (ideally some ambient light too) will make for beautiful pictures like these. Lots of venues will suggest you sit in a corner or perhaps with a blown out window behind you which doesn't always look as good, check out this blog post on seating ideas if you'd like to know more!
Claire danced with her father and then Kevin danced with his mother.
The band "Splash" by Wilson Stevens Productions were insanely good with crazy high-energy and there was barely room to move on the dancefloor.
I had the pleasure of working alongside Matt & Heather of LMV Productions. I've been fortunate to work with some of New England's best filmmakers (and sadly, unlucky enough to work with some of the worst!) and LMV fit fimrly into the first category. I always suggest that couples try to book photographers and filmmakers who've worked with each other in the past as it makes for a much smoother day with better teamwork and ultimately better pictures and film! Matt kindly let me share this little trailer:
Claire and Kevin, thank you, thank you, thank you! It's been so much fun getting to know you both (who'd have thought the meddling of the littles would have resulted in this amazing relationship!), thank you for trusting me to document your wedding day! Wishing you a long life of love, laughter, health and happiness together!
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