(Jen)
Walking into Room 123, at the Colony Hotel, on the morning of Kathleen and Chris’s wedding was like walking into a fresh, nautical garden. The walls were adorned with blush and sage florals: the couple’s wedding color scheme. Beautiful light was coming in through the doorway that led to an enormous deck with blue lounge chairs. The cozy space allowed for all of the bridesmaids to sit in on the ‘getting ready’ fun or escape out to the deck where the aroma of the coast of Maine competed with hairspray and “Love Story” perfume. Ladies wore white robes decorated with beautiful hydrangea florals as they prepped for the big day. With an unbelievably gorgeous ivory dress with jeweled sash hanging by ethereal water-colored bridesmaid gowns, capturing beautiful images was a breeze.
Kathleen’s excitement was infectious to all bustling in and out of the room. Her hair was neatly bobby-pinned with thick curls, and she completed the look with sassy sunglasses and multiple bottles of champagne. She was so excited about everything bridal: the arrival of sandwiches with a piece of tape reading “Bride 11:00”, waving at family members from the balcony, pausing for hugs and reminiscing with old photos from grade school, opening her Tiffany’s jewelry gift from, Chris...Kathleen was a glowing bride all morning long. She was even fine with me standing in a bathtub to get some photos of the finishing touches of her bridal hair-do.
Down the hall, Alex had to close the blinds of the groomsmen’s getting ready spot...not because they were celebrating too wildly, but because they could see the bridal suite from their window! No peeking ‘til the first look, Chris! Their room was filled laughter, whiskey, and colorful golf-themed socks. The groom was smiling every which way as his groomsmen ironed out the details of the sage ties and light gray, summer wedding suits. Since the groomsmen were ready a bit before our leading ladies, Alex took the gentlemen on a field trip around the grounds while photographing fun group shots and rounding out the venture with a quick stop at the Colony Hotel bar.
Ladies left Room 123 to put on their flowy gowns, while maid of honor, Steph, and mother of the bride, Eilene, took some deep breaths and sweet pauses while helping the lovely into her perfectly-Kathleen bridal gown. Her lace embroidered veil, her pearls, her jeweled sash, her satin Kate Spade shoes...my goodness, this bride took my breath away. Just look at how stunning she looked! As we all worked together in shakily clasping necklaces and bracelets and pinning a special memory charm from Kathleen’s father, we all gathered ourselves and hid in the bathroom (not what you were thinking would come next?!). The bridesmaids snuck through the room and onto the balcony where they’d await their ‘first look’ of the beautiful bride. Check out the faces on these bridesmaids as they were all so moved by Kathleen’s show-stopping bridal look!
Time for another first look, but this time, more emotional and with her soulmate and future husband! Alex found the perfect spot right near some classic coastal Maine views. I’m almost certain that Chris waited for about 30-45 minutes for us to get down there (thanks, Chris!), but you can totally tell it was worth the wait. The reunion between these two soon-to-be-weds on their wedding day was beautiful. I fogged up my lens with tears during this first look, and then I quickly got it together to go climbing on some very jagged rocks that somehow looked so inviting with camera in hand! After a few bride and groom portraits, we headed back up to the grounds of the hotel for bridal party and family photographs where a very small shady spot became our oasis from the hot June sun. (Shout out to Steph for getting me water when I needed it most!) Katheen and Chris were such troopers in the hot sun. You can’t even tell that we were all sweating and looking for ice water! And this bridal party portrait scenery...photography heaven!
We all scurried inside to an air-conditioned pre-ceremony waiting room, after Alex called “That’s a wrap!” And when I gently suggested that Alex take a seat with me in this glorious ice lounge boardroom I heard the sound of his pants ripping, “OH! That’s a rip!” I think Alex can take it from the part where he visited the hotel desk and stapled his pants together merely moments before our bride and groom walked down the aisle!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Alex)
I’d ripped my pants before, but never quite like this… a gorge, a chasm, the Grand Canyon of pant-rips, and right before the ceremony! I did what any sensible guy in his 20s would do: tried stapling my pants together, because, let’s be honest, who’s got time for needlework under a time crunch like that? Unfortunately, the staples didn’t hold, and so, bravely out into the open I went, slacks torn asunder…
Photographing the ceremony with torn khaki’s actually wasn’t as bad as I thought! I quickly remembered that I was not the focus of everyone’s attention, and so, like a true photo ninja, I kept to my mission despite my pantaloon problem. Thankfully, Kathleen, Chris, and their friends and family decided to look exceedingly beautiful and handsome!
During the processional, my favorite spot to snag photos is right in the aisle, one or two rows from the front. Knelt down, this is a great vantage point to see the bridal party’s smiling faces as they stride toward the ceremony site. Intermittently, I turn around to capture some of the rarest expressions of the day: the sight of the bride’s arrival.
Kathleen’s dress, even from a distance, and especially in the gleaming Maine sun, shone like a beacon against the Colony’s green grass and slate walkway. Escorted by her brother and her grandfather, Kathleen walked toward her future confidently, with grace and conviction (even when they all had to take a comedic pause to unravel their grandfather from the wind-sept cathedral veil!).
The sky and the sea: something old, something blue. Timeless and radiant that day, prosperous signals of a bright, glimmering future for Kathleen and Chris. Their ceremony instilled yet another layer of confidence and belief in me of the timelessness of the bond between two people.
With the ceremony and the recessional completed and photographed, I dashed back to the Fontenay Terrace Motel to change into a fresh pair of slacks (ok, the ones I wore the night before). That story will definitely be one to add to the ever-growing “Wacky Things That’ve Happened While Photographing Weddings” file.
I rejoined Jen on the veranda for cocktail hour. The libations and laughter were already flowing when I arrived. Sea air, fresh from the Atlantic, wafted up to the Colony Hotel and clung, as dew drops do, to the drinks of the Delude’s guests, to the chilled bottles and glasses. I hung close to Kathleen and Chris, to photograph details of their outfits: the bride’s wavy blonde hair spilling over her shoulder, the groom’s hand resting debonairly on his waist, wearing its new wedding band. As we continued to make our rounds, we kept seeing the unposed, candid smiles that accompany the reunions of familiar friends and family; we couldn’t help but smile to ourselves at all the joy that Kathleen and Chris’s special day had occasioned.
At the speed of a summer afternoon, the celebration moved inside into the reception space, a large and bright, wood-paneled room. Grand windows looked out onto the ocean. Colony blue plates hung from the walls. White and pink flowers topped the tables. A sign by the entryway read, “Best Day Ever” in cursive capitals.
As the guests filed in and found their seats, a buzz started to build in the room. The bridal party entries were about to begin, the kickoff to the festivities everyone was anticipating. Not to be outdone by the scenic beauty of the Colony Hotel, Kathleen and Chris’s bridal party came in with a bang! Fists were pumped, bridesmaids were picked up and carried in, even Sevi, a groomsman we knew from another wedding we photographed, was piggybacked in by his wife, Courtney. Last, but certainly not least, the Mr. and Mrs. themselves, Kathleen and Chris entered, with fists raised triumphantly.
To really kick off the party, the entire wedding gathered on the dance floor for the opening number. We knew, at that moment, that we were in for a raucous celebration! These were friends and family who loved to dance!
Kathleen and Chris then transitioned into their dance, set to a Dave Matthews song, reminiscent of the band’s concert where they met. The look in Chris’s eyes in that moment was singular, his gaze solely on his bride. The dance concluded with a classic Delude dip, Chris’s impressive, signature move.
The night continued on, with speeches and dances, cake cutting and big group photos. Jen and I continued to weave our way around the room, snagging candids of dancing guests and reminiscing relatives. As the sun started to set, we managed to pull Kathleen and Chris out of their dance trance for some newlywed shots. With golden light bathing the grounds of the Colony, and with the glittering ocean in the background, Chris and Kathleen kissed, gazed at, and held each other with the binding, pure joy that had been the theme of the weekend.
A day like the Delude’s deserved a fitting conclusion: a sparkler sendoff! Our first sparkler sendoff as photographers, Jen and I spent a few minutes calibrating our cameras, and testing the lighting, mustering up the last reserves of our photog energy to ensure we got the shot. The anticipation outside built, and, like a powder keg, erupted into showers of golden flames when Kathleen and Chris appeared on the Colony veranda. Arms raised and to the tune of the shouts of hundreds, they made their way through the fiery tunnel and back, towards the trolley that would take them into town, where the party was to continue.
As we prepared to leave, we said our goodbyes to the happy couple, and gave them big hugs. Kathleen and Chris’s wedding day will have a special place in our Lake Love hearts, and we couldn’t be happier for them. We wish them nothing but the best in life, and we hope that everyday they find a moment or two to live in the present and to dance like they did on that summer night in Maine. Kathleen and Chris’s wedding day, the way life should be...