Our first true sports fan wedding- Courtney & Pat Donovan. Even at the very start of their day, I could tell that the group of people Courtney & Pat had asked to support them on their wedding day were going to provide the kind of teamwork to make this a win of a wedding. The getting ready space at the Tewksbury Country Club was dreamy with fancy furniture and a window built to frame the most beautiful of bridal gowns. I felt a level of classiness as I peaked around at all of Courtney’s chosen bridal details. She and her bridesmaids and bridesman rocked the morning away with some 90’s and early 2000’s throwback songs inspiring me to give my creative best to this bridal team. They were all so kind to move furniture and hang the gorgeous dresses to get the perfect photo in place. I found myself repeatedly thanking them and shouting “Go Team!”
(Click to scroll through Carousels above and below.) Another first followed, a first look with one of the couples’ dogs! Thor was probably one of the coolest dogs we’ve ever met, and Alex and I fell in love with his presence in so many of the photos we took that morning. Thor clung to Pat’s side as Courtney gracefully made her way to the picturesque stone bridge where their first look took place. A moment just for two and their pup quickly became a family and friend affair when the wedding party sneakily made their way to the cocktail hour deck to watch the first look for themselves. Even though the two weren’t exactly alone the way they might have pictured their first look, I think they were pleasantly surprised by the special first look video footage snatched by their friends.
Everyone excitedly made their way to the ‘Gronk Bus’ (the perfect transportation for these extreme Patriots fans!) to head to the church ceremony. The fluorescence of the flashing lights reading ‘TOUCHDOWN’ or ‘GRONK’, the dancing, the singing- this party bus could have kept driving around for hours of fun.
The mood shifted to readiness when we made it to the church. -Game time.- Pat waiting at the altar. Courtney arm-in-arm with her dad. Guests standing to attention at the bride’s arrival, attempting not to knock over the kneelers during this important moment. Courtney glides down the aisle to her groom. Pat beams as he sees his teammate for the second time in this day- guests see that he feels how lucky he is. First kiss. Ring exchange. Beautiful smiles. The newlywed walk. It swiftly passes by. The day slows a bit with the receiving line as all of Courtney and Pat’s biggest fans greet and congratulate the winning, wedded team.
Family and wedding party portraits ensued outside the towering church entrance. The cooperation of family and friends continued back at the country club where we ran through a long list of possible plays- a list of photos that Courtney & Pat took great care to create so their wedding day would be a success for everyone involved. Courtney even added a picture on her photo request list of a wedding party running away from a dinosaur. At first, I thought this was a joke just to break up the traditional photo request list, but on the day of, I asked with uncertainty, “So, that dino photo?” With a big smile, our bride and groom agreed “Let’s do it!” Aside from a nontraditional, hilariously dinosaur-involved photo, we had a blast taking photos in front of the ‘Gronk bus’: Courtney pretending to spike her bouquet like a football after a touchdown and Pat posing with his groomsmen as if he just won the Super Bowl. (Click to scroll through Carousel below.)
As guests entered the reception space bedecked with sports fan nods and photographed memories of loved ones, they found their seats with their escort card- designed to mimic a Boston Red Sox ticket! Flavored popcorn and sports-related entrances were just enough to remind guests of Courtney & Pat’s shared love of sports. The evening continued with loving speeches, including Courtney’s sister pausing to breathe through some beautiful, sisterly tears and Pat hugging her/ encouraging her to continue her supportive words. Dancing kept the evening filled with smiles and laughter. A dance floor that is constantly filled through the evening is most definitely the mark of a winning wedding. As our final minutes with Courtney & Pat came to a close, we looked around one last time and noticed a feeling similar to the joy on everyone’s faces when a team pops the champagne in a locker room after closing out a championship. We knew then that these two would continue a winning partnership with many more celebrations to come.
