Andy & I had been looking forward to Heather & Jesse’s May 29th Wequassett wedding with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Although we have been at this for nearly 9 years, photographing almost 200 weddings, we still get butterflies before each one. This is party because we take what we do very seriously and know there are no do-overs when it comes to weddings. But, more importantly, we want the photos we capture for our clients to be true reflections of who they are and of the unique love they share, both with each other and with the people with whom they choose to celebrate such an important day.

This is not always an easy task as weddings present many challenges. There is, however, excitement to be found in facing life’s challenges head on, and so, we do….with love in our hearts and butterflies in our stomachs.

The nervousness I felt before Heather & Jesse’s big day, however, was a little different. Although the regular nerves were there, I was also a little on edge for them, because I knew the day would be somewhat bittersweet.

When Heather & Jesse first contacted Andy & me about photographing their wedding, they kindly told us that while they loved our work, we were unfortunately beyond their budget. Although disappointed, we understood. Then, several months later, in November, we unexpectedly heard back from them. Heather told us that her brother died tragically the month before and while trying to find photos for his memorial service, she realized how important photos were to her, particularly after already having lost her mom in the 9-11 tower attacks. So, she told us, they would find a way to make the budget work.

I can’t really explain what it feels like hearing someone tell you in a moment of profound sadness that they are entrusting YOU to preserve that which is most precious to them. It is flattering in the most humbling kind of way. I won’t lie, it’s also a little intimidating.

Andy & I already put ridiculously high expectations on ourselves, leaving pieces of ourselves in everything we do.  A mathematician will tell you it is not possible to give 110%. The best you can ever do is to give 100%, but somehow, we wanted to push it further for Heather & Jesse.

Happily, the day was more sweet than bitter, save a few tears during the ceremony (including my own), and Heather & Jesse got the amazing wedding day they so deserved. The weather was perfect. Heather & Jesse were beyond radiant and their friends & family embraced them with a tender joyfulness that surely had Heather’s mom & brother smiling down with full hearts.

Weddings are a celebration of new beginnings and we hope these photos serve as a warm reflection of the love and happiness we and all of their friends & family wish for Heather & Jesse.  There really were so many wonderful moments that peppered their day it was hard to pick just a few, but we hope, Heather & Jesse, that you enjoy this teaser for now…

Beautiful Heather….She is wearing her mom’s veil, which matched her dress perfectly! LOVE!

Heather gets an unprompted group hug from her besties….Swoon!

Heading to see Jesse before the ceremony….

Jesse’s super sweet and slightly mischievous brother, Tyler, works on his Best Man speech…which was wonderful…funny, sweet and heartfelt.

Jesse shares a toast with his mates…

Lost in thought moments before his big reveal with Heather…

Heather’s girls look on and she walks to see Jesse for the big reveal…

Love is…..this!

Are they adorable or what? And, how about Charlie, their sweet pooch.

I absolutely love the expression of love and adoration on Jesse’s face in this next one….swoon!!!

Charlie, ring bearer extraordinaire!

Heather waves to friends as she gets walked to the aisle by her lovely dad, Fred. We love Fred!

Looooove this next photo of Jesse watching Heather walk toward him. Even though he’d already seen Heather before the ceremony while we did the family photos, he’s still moved to tears at the sight of her.

A tender touch…

The look of love…

The support of family & friends…

This next photo was taken as their minister stumbled on her words and mixed up who was the husband and who was the wife in the vows. It was a much-needed moment of comic relief.

The kiss that sealed the deal! What I love about this photo is the look on Heather’s Grandma’s face to the right…she is Heather’s mom’s mom and I spoke with her a bit and it was obvious that as happy as she was for Heather & Jesse, she was missing her daughter & grandson that day. So, I loved seeing this unbridled moment of sheer joy!

These vacationing cuties were curious about our couple and excited to show us the critters they had caught. Too cute!

A kiss, Charlie style! Mmmmmm, good!

Everything about Heather is graceful…even her walk.

Cheers!

Because we did most of their family photos before the ceremony, we had lots of time to get some great candid moments during cocktail hour, which we LOVE having the time to do as we get some great people pictures like these….The shot on the right is of Jesse’s handsome papa, Dapper Dan.

Beautiful spring flowers courtesy of the talented Meredith Fancy of Fancy Flowers.

The hydrangea-inspired cake by Montillio’s Bakery was super cute…

Tyler makes his grand entrance…

Heather & Jesse, thank you so much for putting your trust in us and for sharing so much of yourselves with us. We had a blast photographing you two the first time at our Boston love session. (Click HERE for a sneak peek.) And, your wedding was a day we will not soon forget! You have wonderful families & incredibly warm friends, which is not surprising given who you both are. We adore you and we loved documenting the start to this new chapter in your lives.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We hope we did you proud! Big love & hugs, Christine & Andy xoxo