Last weekend, we spent a beautiful Saturday with Julie and Seth

at the Chocksett Inn in Sterling, MA.  They were married in the beautiful garden on the grounds of the Inn and had their reception in the very elegant  Laurelwood Room in the Inn.  The Laurelwood was just finished in 2007 and features a massive foyer that makes for a perfect cocktail hour.

We arrived in the middle of the afternoon.  We started the day in the bridal suite with Julie and her lovely attendants.  They were still working on hair and makeup when we arrived – perfect timing for those getting ready pictures.  George snapped a few close-ups of the bouquet and dress and headed off to meet the guys.  I stayed with the ladies and finished up the getting ready pictures.

Julie and Seth opted to have their formal pictures taken before the ceremony.  Soon after everyone was ready, we got all the guys into position in the garden, so Julie could make a grand entrance.  Once she entered, Seth was so happy to see her that he met her half way and embraced her.  It was a great moment!  From there it was on to the formal pictures.  We took all kinds of group shots and, at the request of Julie, did portraits of all the bridal party attendants with their significant others.  The garden was a perfect spot for this.  It provided a great backdrop and George and I could both use a different corner so we could work simultaneously.  We finished up the formals before the guests started arriving and ushered the bride and groom back inside to await the big moment.

When Julie walked through the garden at the start of the ceremony, there wasn’t an empty seat in the place.  Their friends and family were all there to share the occasion with them.  What was unique about their ceremony was that a good friend of theirs named Tony presided over the ceremony.  Although Tony is ordained (for an interesting reason), he had never performed a wedding ceremony and had never intended to.  So when Julie and Seth asked him to marry them, his response was, “Seriously?!”  Well, they picked the right guy.  Tony did an incredible job!  The fact that he knew Julie and Seth as personal friends provided him with a unique perspective on their marriage.  Because of his specific situation, he was required by law to say, “By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts – for this day only – I now pronounce you husband and wife.”  Thus, that was the one day that counted, at least for Julie and Seth.

Julie, Seth and I snuck away quick after the ceremony so we could take a few shots of just the two of them.  Since we took the formals prior to the ceremony, they only missed about 15 minutes of their cocktail hour.  This also gave George and me the chance to shoot the cocktail hour.

Once the couple was introduced and had their first dance, George and I were on “sky watch.”  Julie had requested a twilight picture outside, so we were watching for the right time to take them back out to the garden for the shot.

After that, it was time to dance, dance, dance.  DJ Stevie V provided some great tunes for the celebration.  We could immediately tell that the families were very tight-knit and had a great time being together.  It was hard to tell who had the most fun because everyone was having a blast.  The foyer quickly became the spot for all the group and family pictures that everyone was taking.  I would try to grab a shot or two as everyone else was taking theirs.  We were even able to take pictures with both Julie and Seth’s college friends.

The whole day was fantastic!  The weather was amazing and everyone in attendance had a great time.  Thanks Julie and Seth for including us!