There was a light drizzle when Alana dropped me off at Kristin’s house.George was sick so Alana was shooting with me today. She was heading to meet the guys at Mike’s house. As I was unloading my gear, I spied Russell Smithe with his video camera in the driveway. Russell and I have worked together several times and get along great. I was happy to see his familiar face.
I was greeted in the house by a number of bridesmaids. Kristin was in the make up chair receiving some finishing touches. She was doing her best not to cry. "I’m a crier" she told me. Before long, Kristin had her dress on, shed a few tears, and was ready to go. Because of the weather, we took the formal pictures in the living room after rearranging some of the furniture. "The trolley is here!" someone yelled. Rich, with Kenny’s Coach, had just arrived with our ride to the church. Everyone grabbed an umbrella and all the ladies held their dresses up off the ground. Rich played "Going to the chapel" and all the ladies sang along. Kristin shed a few more tears.
The bagpiper was playing outside of St. Mary’s as the trolley pulled up in front. I can remember as a kid hating the sound of bagpipes. They’ve definitely grown on me and I always enjoy hearing them now, especially in groups. I ran into the church, made sure Alana and the guys were there and found a spot to set down my gear. As I was putting a couple of lenses up front, I saw someone wave to me. I knew Kate and Brian (clients from last year and friends of Kristin) would be there, but that’s not who it was. It registered. It was Carolyn, a girl that works in a store I frequent. Why was she here? I’ll find out later. I had to run back out into the rain so I could get pictures of Kristin and her dad coming into the church. Kristin was wearing a beautiful smile the whole time. She wasn’t going to let a little rain dampen her spirits today.
The processional began. Following the rest of the wedding party, Kristin and her dad were smiling and laughing all the way down the aisle. Their joy would not be contained today! Mike patiently waited at the front of the church. He gave Kristin’s dad a hearty handshake and then proceeded to the altar with Kristin. The priest, Kristin’s cousin, started by saying, "You know you’re getting old when you’re performing the wedding for someone you baptized." Alana, Russell and I did our best to be "invisible" during the rest of the mass.
The ceremony was followed by Kristin, Mike and their parents greeting their guests at the back of the church. Then we were back in the trolley for a short ride to Lake View Pavilion.
Rich pulled the trolley up in front of the main entrance of Lake View Pavillion. Again, because of the weather, we were going with plan "B", which was to take the formals in the main ballroom. We opted for this instead of the photo room because of the large size of the wedding party – 20 including Kristin and Mike. It’s always a challenge to get a group this size organized and keep their attention, but we were able to do it. It helped too that Kristin knew what she wanted and had some creative ideas already planned. We did sneak outside to the gazebo with Kristin and Mike and even took a few pictures of them walking along the path with an umbrella in the garden. The grounds at Lake View Pavilion are magnificent, so I’m glad we were able to snap a few shots outside. Time to start the reception!
Kristin, Mike and the rest of the wedding party were announced into the reception by DJ Jim DePillo. They went right into their first dance, which was followed by a toast from the best man, Mike’s brother Matt.
The cake cutting was definitely memorable. Kristin started by "feeding" Mike. She got cake all over his face. Mike opted not to wait to retaliate and Kristin soon found that she couldn’t hear very well out of her left ear because it was full of cake. They tried the "feeding" one more time with similar results. Cake was everywhere and Kristin and Mike were laughing uncontrollably. I’m not sure which is worse for make up – tears or frosting – but it didn’t seem to matter at this point.
A little later, Kristin danced with her dad and Mike with his mom. After that, DJ Jim had the entire dance floor packed in no time with each table’s "party planner" leading the way.
We took a couple more group shots during the evening, but that was about it for formal requests. Alana and I spent the rest of the evening snapping away and capturing as many memories as we could. I said hello to Kate and Brian and took a minute to catch up with them. I also tracked down Carolyn and found out that she and Kristin are cousins! Every wedding I shoot, my world gets a little smaller.
Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. McCabe! Hope you had a wonderful time in Jamaica!
Vendors
Church: St. Mary’s Parish – Wrentham, MA
Reception: Lake View Pavillion – Foxboro, MA
Videography: Russell Smithe of Mavid Productions -Derry, NH
Livery: Kenny’s Coach – Weymouth, MA
DJ: Jim DePillo of JD’s Music Express – Foxboro, MA
To see more of Kristin and Mike’s pictures, click here.
Alana did a great job of capturing the moment here:
Great cake shot Alana!
No holds barred!
One of my favorite bouquet toss pictures to date.
Check out the shoes!!
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