Wedding: Michele & Steve

Michele and Steve are recent transplants to New Hampshire from New York. In planning their wedding day they wanted to ensure a very New England experience for their quests, almost all of whom were coming from out of town. There new-home town of Portsmouth, therefore, made the perfect backdrop for their wedding celebration. After spending Friday evening with Michele and Steve and many of their guests at the rehearsal dinner at Pesce Blue, I was even more excited for the wedding the next day.

Our day began at Michele and Steve's home where Steve and his groomsmen were getting ready. Here is Steve during a light moment at the house:

The light in the house was fantastic. Here is a moment captured unseen to Steve while he was getting ready:


The best man puts on the finishing touches:


We then spent a few minutes getting some group shots with the guys. Looking sharp, and having a great time...


And just before leaving to meet Michele and the bridesmaids at the Governor's House, I was was able to grab a few details shots, including this one of the rings.


Upon arriving at the Governor's House, we were greeted by this wonderful red door that was the perfect backdrop for Michele's bouquet:


Inside, the ladies were busily getting ready -- steaming wrinkles out of dresses, applying make-up, etc. Here, Michele's mother was helping her with her necklace:


I stepped out for a few moments while Michele got into her gown, and this was the scene I was greeted with when the bridesmaids came out:


We took advantage of the natural light in the bridal suite, and captured this lovely portrait of Michele before departing the inn:


And another on the beautiful staircase heading downstairs:


After a short trolley ride, we arrived at South Church in downtown Portsmouth. Michele was escorted in by the best man...


South Church is a beautiful, historic church that is lit by all natural lightg. Huge pane glass windows line the sanctuary. There is also a balcony that we were excited to shoot from. Here my second photographer David captured this striking image of Michele's entrance:


And as seen from my perspective near the head of the church:


This image taken during the ceremony shows the windows and the excellent light they allow for. Truly a beautiful location:


These two were giddy with excitement for their big moments, as seen here with Steve leaning in for their first kiss as husband and wife. I think he almost caught Michele off guard...


And here is almost the same moment -- right before the kiss -- as seen by David from up in the balcony. This image truly sets the scene, and is a great addition to the collection:


Always a great moment, the newlyweds exiting the ceremony:


Now this was a Fall wedding, and the ceremony was at 4:00 PM, and as is customary started a few minutes late, so we were worried about not having much, if any available daylight for some outdoor portraits. Because this was important to Steve and Michele, they planned on recessing right to their waiting car. They were so fast, Steve actually cam back in to grab us while we captured the rest of the wedding party exiting and packed out bags!

I had a location in mind, we we traveled to the reception site -- the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel -- by way of Newcastle. We stopped on one of the small shoals on the way where we were able to utilize the golden setting sun and also see the hotel in the background. Here a couple of the resulting images:



When arriving at the hotel, we still had a little bit of that golden light left, and we took the chance to capture these images in front of the hotel:




After a few portraits we all went inside. Michele and Steve mingled with their guests during a cocktail hour while David and I photographed some of the details of the reception before the guests moved into the well-appointed banquet room:


Shortly before their introductions, Steve and Michele broke away for a moment alone. David stole this moment as they made their way back into the reception room:


They went straight into their first dance. I love the expression of joy and happiness by Michele in this image below:



And the very New England "birch" cake:


Michele was very excited for her grandfather to be in attendance. She had told me that he would be easy to spot, and the one closing down the dance floor. We made several images of her and her grandfather, but this one is by far my favorite:


Following all the formalities, the band opened up, and Steve and his best man really let loose...



To wrap up this long blog post, here are Steve and Michele toasting their new life together at the Wentworth:


Be sure to check out the slide show from their day below:

Thank you, Michele and Steve, for having me be a part of your day. You were so much fun to spend the day with! And thank you, David, for your excellent images.