The above photo was my one of my top wedding photos from this shoot. During this wedding, I saw some amazing light and snuck the bride and groom outside and were able to get some great shots right around sunset and the magic hour. Coastal Boston wedding venues by the ocean offer so much from a photography standpoint, and of course they’re simply gorgeous.
Mary and Steve hired me last year for their recent coastal Boston area wedding. The couple met at boston college and while she grew up in florida, they decided to get married near Boston since they both live and work in the area. It is often a choice as a destination wedding location because the charming New England seaside rich with historic details and filled with so many natural elements including parks, a wild life preserves and a quaint harbor. Mary got ready at a rented cottage with the help of her mother, and twin sisters Caroline and Kathleen.
Mary and her groom Steve chose to see each other before their wedding in order to make some time for photos. They are part of an ever increasing amount of newlyweds who choose to do a first look. First looks are a moment set aside to see each other on the wedding day, before the walk down the aisle. The first look is done alone, not in front of your wedding guests, and it is documented with photos. Historically, seeing each other before the wedding has been a hot topic, but I am noticing more and more couples want to get photos done beforehand rather than skip out on guests midway during their wedding day. Even though the first time you lay eyes on each other as bride and groom will not be in front of those close to you, the benefit of doing this is that before your wedding ceremony, you can budget time for photos and still have time to mingle with friends and family during cocktail hour later. Having a first look during late autumn weddings and early spring weddings is something important to think about. This time of year, days are shorter and with less sunlight, the possibility for outdoor photos for afternoon weddings is sometimes slim.
Mary’s aunt created all the floral arrangements for her wedding including this arrangement called the Bells of Ireland. This is popular in ireland and in the Boston area due to the large Irish American population. I have a lot of couples asking for information about incorporating Irish traditions in their wedding so below is a photo of the flower arrangement. While this one was used at the church, I have seen these also used as centerpieces for tables at wedding receptions.
The wedding ceremony was at Holy Family Church.
Steve stands before his groomsmen, awaiting patiently as Mary walks down the aisle.
Mary’s sisters watch as she gets married during a full Catholic mass
A bagpiper awaited for the newlyweds to exit the church. he played during the receiving line.
The wedding reception was held nearby at Duxbury Bay Maritime School located at 457 Washington Street
Duxbury, MA 02332 (781) 934-7555
Before the wedding, Mary had sent me snapshots of the wedding reception venue as it was just being built. The smith building at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School is part of a state of the art facility directly on the water. It made for picturesque views of colorful trees in the distance, while sailboats dotted the bay under the blazing sunset. If you are looking for a unique location outside of Boston, or are considering a destination wedding but don’t want to deal with traffic in the cape cod canal tunnel or want to go far for a Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard Island wedding, Duxbury is a perfect option.
With the bay as a backdrop, Mary and Steve braved the brisk seaside breeze and the result was an memorable set of seaside wedding photos.
After cocktail hour, the newlyweds enlisted Silent Chef for a french style dinner service. with all the weddings I have photographed over the years, this was my first wedding I shot that was served in this manner. French style dinner service offers waiters that bring a large presentation dish of the food (whether soup, salad or entree) to the guests. often, the waiters continue to refill the large dish until the guest indicates they are done.
Mary and Steve thanks for selecting me as your wedding photographer! I had so much fun shooting your wedding!
Wedding Vendors that were used include:
Wedding DJ: Beat Train Productions: Beat Train Productions is one of my favorite Boston wedding DJs.
Wedding Caterer: Silent Chef
Wedding Cermony Venue: Holy Family Church