In typical New England fashion, the forecast leading up to Thursday, June 13 was calling for rain. Although this summer was far less damp than the summer before, it was still a wet June and I was not a fan. I was getting a bit nervous about Sarah + Tyler’s day. 

I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious, so kicking off the busiest time of the year for weddings with a rainy one had me hoping this wasn’t going to set the precedence for the rest of this season. 

Miraculously, about 36 hours before their wedding day, the forecast began to shift from downpours to full sunshine and a nearly 0% chance of rain. What the whaaaat?! *cue a happy dance*

I arrived at The Artisan Hotel at Tuscan Village in Salem, New Hampshire– a beautiful boutique hotel located in the heart of Tuscan Village where the bridesmaids were getting ready in their adjoining rooms. In typical bridesmaid fashion, there were snacks, music, matching pajamas, and tons of laughter. 

Sarah, the bride-to-be, was the calmest bride I ever walked in on. If I hadn’t already met her when we did engagement photos, I honestly would’ve mistaken her for a bridesmaid. That’s how laissez-faire she was toward everything going on around her. 

Soon after my arrival, my second photographer, Shaunna, arrived. Shaunna is my work-wife, the peanut butter to my jelly if you will. She and I work seamlessly together and rarely need to give each other direction because we’re that in sync. I introduced Shaunna and Sarah and we hit the ground running.

While Sarah was just starting to get her makeup done, Shaunna and I went off to find the perfect spot for her detail photos. The Artisan offered so many incredible nooks throughout the common areas that provided great backdrops, accents, and lighting for the details photos.

By the time we returned wrapped up detail flatlays, we were able to photograph Sarah getting her makeup wrapped up, the girls hanging out, and them in their matching sets! 

The mother of the bride had arranged a limousine to drive the boys from The Artisan to Granite Rose where the ceremony would be taking place. We knew the bride wanted photos of the groomsmen arriving at Granite Rose, so Shaunna and I headed over to the venue early to capture the men’s arrival in the limo.

Once the boys arrived in the limo at Granite Ridge, we snapped some photos of them in their “street clothes” and then, the car returned to pick up the girls and transport them to the venue. While we waited the 45 minutes for the girls to arrive, Shaunna and I began taking photos of the decorations and little touches throughout the reception space as the boys got into their suits for their formals.

With Sarah, her girls, and all the dresses at the venue, and the groomsmen under strict instructions to stay hidden away in their suite, we snuck Sarah’s gown into the cocktail hour space for some photos. 

From here, the day became a blur as do most weddings! Once we returned Sarah’s dress to the bridal suite, the bridesmaids began to get in their dresses so they could help Sarah into her gown. 

Before we knew it, it was time for Shaunna and I to get into position for the ceremony to begin. Sarah + Tyler had a beautiful outdoor ceremony full of sunshine and blue skies. There was laughter, there were tears, and there were smiles all around. 

Once the ceremony wrapped up, we whisked the bride and groom off to the back gardens where they shared a few minutes together and exchanged their private vows, which naturally rolled right into family formal portraits in the same garden area.

I consider my family formals a success if we get all the groupings requested by the newlyweds and I get the couple to their cocktail hour well before it ends, which made Sarah + Tyler’s formals a total success! 

While the bride and groom soaked up quality time with their guests, Shaunna and I spent some time taking candids of guests before we headed off to get our gear ready with fresh batteries and flashes for the reception events.

Once we were all done laughing from the grand entrance of the wedding party, Sarah + Tyler made their entrance into the ballroom between the cold sparklers, which made from some wonderfully dramatic images! 

The rest of the evening flew with beautiful speeches by siblings, parents, and friends, to the sweetest of first dances of the couple, parent dances, to a honeymoon dance, and then, a cake cutting. 

If you’ve worked with me before, you know that I’m a rather huge fan of Sneak Away photos. Sneak Away photos are when I steal you away for 10-20 minutes for some pictures together, usually while your guests are still eating. I try my best to time this around the sunset and that sweet, golden light, and boy did Golden Hour deliver for Sarah + Tyler’s wedding day. After snapping some pictures outside, we headed in to use the cocktail hour bar for a few photos before returning the happy couple to their reception to open the dance floor. 

The drinks were flowing and the guests made their way out onto the dance floor where foam glow sticks seemed to magically appear. Guests were line dancing, lap dances were given and received, and the bride and groom were hoisted into the air on chairs. 

The wedding of Sarah + Tyler was a day with an intentional focus on quality time spent not only as a couple but also with their guests. It was evident that Sarah + Tyler not only loved every person they invited to their wedding but that they were so cared for by all in attendance. 

Also, one of my favorite things for weddings is an end-of-the-night group shot! It’s one of those times I get to break out my (former) teacher voice! 

Congratulations, Sarah + Tyler. Here’s to many happy years together.