Micro Wedding, Woods Hole MA: Allie and Brian

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What to do with your wedding and Covid? 

For many couples, to say trying to get married during Covid was stressful and difficult would be a light way to say it. However, for the micro weddings that did happen, they have been wonderful moments to photograph. The small intimate environments have allowed couples to expand their idea of what it means to have a wedding and have allowed for laid back wedding where they could be more present with the people that they love. Some couples incorporated new parts to their wedding day they wouldn’t have normally had time for, others had more time to thank their friends and family.

Allie and Brian originally planned a 250 person wedding on the cape this year. Because of the pandemic, they decided to change it all and move forward with a more intimate celebration. The couple decided to incorporate their family into their ceremony by reading words of wisdom or short phrases to the couple. I believe they originally allocated 30-40 minutes for the ceremony and while it ended up being over an hour, it felt like 15 minutes of pure laughter. It was one of the most enjoyable ceremonies I’ve ever documented. The tears, love and joy were overwhelming and wonderful.

For couples unsure of what their wedding may look like, Allie and Brian generously wrote a lovely write up of their thoughts and hopefully this help you with your decision.

Also, I’m sorry, there are a lot of images in this post. I just couldn’t narrow it down. For every image I did cut, it felt like I was tearing out a small piece. I hope you enjoy the post!

What led you to decide to celebrate the wedding the way that you did. 

We were supposed to have a 250 person wedding in my parents’ backyard on Cape Cod on Labor Day weekend. We had sent out the Save the Dates, but not yet ordered invitations when the pandemic hit in early March. We both had a feeling from the very beginning that our wedding would not be able to happen the way we had planned. Pretty early on, we decided to postpone our party until 2021 for the health of all of our guests. However, we decided to move ahead with a small ceremony on the planned date in 2020, because we’d been together for 10 years and were so ready to be married!

What was the biggest adjustment from what you originally planned? How were you able to handle it? 

The biggest adjustment was definitely the size of our guest list – we were pretty sad to know we’d be getting married without any of our friends (many of whom had known us since we first started dating) and so much of our extended family. But, in the end, our wedding was perfect! We still had the wedding in my parents’ backyard and used the same caterer, photographer (Angie is the best!!), and officiant (my dad!) as we’d originally planned, but had 20 guests instead of 250. Because the guestlist was so small, we were able to make our ceremony really intimate. We celebrated by having a delicious dinner and watching a blood moon rise over the bay, the perfect end to a perfect wedding.

What was the best part of your wedding?

The best part of our wedding was definitely the ceremony. We were able to throw out all of our (and our families’!) expectations of what a wedding should be and do something that really felt like our wedding. We walked into our wedding together (we didn’t really have an aisle) and that was so powerful – it really felt like we were stepping into the next phase of our lives as a team. Everyone sat in a circle, and there was time for everyone to share something with us to take into our marriage — a memory, story, quote, or piece of advice. With this, our wedding felt so unique, as only this group of people coming together could have made it as beautiful as it was. Also, we were able to share longer and more intimate vows than we may have felt comfortable doing with the whole guestlist present. 

Was there anything that surprised you about your wedding?

If we were to go back to the moment we got engaged and plan this whole thing again, knowing what we know now, we would have planned a small wedding from the start. While we’re so excited to celebrate our marriage next year with all of our friends and family, we really wouldn’t change a thing about the wedding day we happened into given the circumstances. We’re surprised we felt that way – we were both expecting to feel the joy of getting married, but also to feel that people were missing. Instead, we both felt filled to the brim! 

What were some of your favorite images?

Well, we really loved all of our images. Angie did such an amazing job capturing our day, that it’s hard to choose favorites! But in general, we loved the images from the ceremony, because we were able to see how our family members experienced our wedding. Surprisingly, we also loved the family portraits. We weren’t expecting to not like them, but these wedding staples felt like something we just had to check off the list to appease family. But somehow, Angie was able to capture everyone’s personality in these portraits and they were so fun to look through!

Any advice for couples going through this process or about to go through the process?

If you’re choosing between a big wedding and a small one, go small! Or, know that you can have the bigger party at a later date. Because our wedding was so small, it really felt like our families were able to come together in a way that I don’t think would have been possible at a larger event. 

Also, do your portraits before the wedding! We had planned not to do a first look, because Brian wanted to wait to see me in my wedding dress until I was walking down the aisle. When all of our plans turned upside down, I decided not to wear my original wedding dress because I couldn’t get it altered in time, so we decided that doing our portraits before the ceremony would make the most sense for the flow of our day. My mom walked me down to meet Brian, which was such a special moment for the three of us. Brian and I had each been unexpectedly nervous all day, and spending this hour together before the ceremony was so fun and really calmed us down.

Other thoughts?

We were pretty nervous about being photographed so much on our wedding day, but we knew from our engagement session that Angie really puts us at ease. We realized on our wedding day that the person you spend the most time with besides your new spouse is your photographer, so you better make sure it’s someone you love having around! Angie is just the best – not only did we love to hang out with her during our portraits (she kept having to remind us that the purpose of this time was for photographs, not just catching up with her), but our family members kept remarking that she was a wonderful presence and so good at keeping everyone organized. If you are reading this wondering if you should book with Angie, the answer is YES!! Thanks Angie!  

NH elopement scenic portraits

Intimate Micro Wedding, Franconia NH: Anne and Eamon

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What led you to decide to celebrate the wedding the way that you did. Was it a big adjustment from what you originally planned?

We got engaged literally two weeks before the world shut down, so luckily we hadn’t put down a deposit on a venue yet. Many people have decided to wait for the big party, but at the end of the day, we just wanted to be married to each other! Of course we will celebrate with everyone when we can, but we didn’t want to put our life plans on hold just for a big party. 

What was the best part of your wedding?

For a COVID wedding, the day was actually pretty perfect, so it’s hard to pick the ‘best’ part. The toasts were definitely a highlight. There is one picture of my dad looking at me as he gave his toast, and you can just feel the love coming off of him. The next best part was the cake and s’mores. Eamon did a good job smashing the cake in my face – good thing it was REALLY good cake!

What were some of your favorite images? 

My favorite images are the beautiful candids that Angie was able to capture. There is one that we have been referring to as our ‘Vogue shoot’ picture. When Eamon first saw it, he said ‘I could swear I’ve seen this picture before in a cologne ad in GQ.’ Naturally, it’s already framed prominently in our house. I am also so happy with our family formals, especially with my grandparents. These are pictures that I will have forever.

Any advice for couples going through this process or about to go through the process?

Try to live in the moment, the day can get away from you! Though we didn’t have the big wedding that we had originally planned, I actually think it was for the best. We had a lot more quality time with each other and our families, time that we may have not had otherwise. I remember thinking at the end of the day, even though I missed having more family and my friends, I don’t know how I would have fit everyone in! 

Additional Thought:

It was really important for us to capture not only beautiful formals, but candid shots that captured the essence of who we are as a couple, as well as our family members. This was even more important for a COVID wedding because we wanted to be able to share the pictures with our family and friends who were not able to attend. We wanted them to feel like they were there and feel the love and beauty of the day, like we do when we look at our wedding pictures. 

Fun fact, Anne has a stunning Jewelry line which I highly suggest you check out Annie James Jewelry @anniejamesjewelry. Her company also donates 20% of the profits from each necklace to CancerCare, which directly supports thyroid cancer patients with the cost of long term medical treatment.

Also, the incredible flower were from Tarrnation Flowers @tarrnationflowers and the venue is the Profile club (@theprofileclub) in Franconia NH.

Eastern Yacht Club Wedding and Elopement, Marblehead MA: Kate and Thomas

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In the difficult times we are in right now, I’m really happy to share this wonderful elopement of Kate and Thomas at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead MA. These two shared their intimate wedding with about 20 guests made up of friends and family. One of my favorite parts of the day was during the portraits it quickly changed from a light drizzle to a down pour. Kate and Thomas laughed through it and thankfully some of their lovely guests helped dry them off before the ceremony. I hope you’ll enjoy some of the lovely moments from their wedding and a few words of wisdom from the couple.

– What lead the two of you to have a wedding the way you did? Family, friends location etc?
We chose to have a small wedding for a large variety of factors. The biggest one was the timeline we were hoping to get married in and the practical factors of wanting to have a very nice, but economical event. In terms of location, we chose Eastern Yacht Club because it is a meaningful place for both of us. Thomas and I met there at a sailing event they were hosting five years ago. Some of Thomas’s Dad’s family members have been members there for several generations. Currently, Kate is a member and we spend a lot of time together up there on the water and with friends.
– What were you most excited about before the wedding?
We were most excited about the idea of having a an opportunity to celebrate this next step of our relationship and have a (hopefully!) very nice party to show our appreciation for a very close group of family and friends. It was very special to have this group of people from different areas of our lives all together in one space.
– Did anything surprise you?
It was a much more special, heartfelt, and intimate experience than anticipated. Kate was nervous about pulling the event off and was trying to keep expectations in check by keeping cool and allowing herself not get too overly excited (/ nervous!). We felt extremely loved and supported by every person who was present and they each showed their excitement for us in ways that was so unique to themselves and fun for us to experience. Upon reflection, the ceremony was both of our individual highlights of the event – it was a very emotional and fun experience.
– Which images did you love the most?
In the portraits we were feeling very happy, relaxed, and connected. There was a perfect mixture of portraits that felt very natural and candids. The photos captured real, unfiltered emotions, facial expressions, and body language of us and of our guests that are very transparent. I also really enjoy how you used the environments and interior spaces we were in as an important additional element of detail beyond just the people in the frames. Even in the photos where the subject was making eye contact with the camera (lol, almost every one of my mom!) the results are real to the moment.
– Any advice for couples going through this process or about to go through the process?
Have trust and confidence in how you are deciding to do your wedding – whatever cultural traditions you want to go with or step away from are okay and don’t give any headspace to anyone who tries to convince you otherwise! Also, in whatever this means to you, it was helpful to try and keep things simple and easy as possible. In the long run, the small details won’t matter if they don’t come together perfectly. With our intentions set on the excitement of getting married, in the end we would have been thrilled no matter how the event played out. Also, the photos are a wonderful tangible memory – so make sure to get an amazing photographer ?!