Eoin & Louise were married in Portland Maine on the eve of 2016 surrounded by a multitude of friends and family. We began with pictures of the bride and groom getting ready before the wedding at the Portland Regency Hotel in the Old Port. The groom had his groomsmen gifts of monogramed flasks, pocket squares, and ties laid out on a table. All the guys were in LL Bean boots and I wondered if that was going to be a part of the unique winter look with the tux’s but it was not. I took the wedding bands and the grooms new Bean boots with me, leaving my assistant Alyssa with the guys-the best man finishing up his speech and the others watching football. I headed off to one the Portland Regency’s nicest suites where Louise and her 2 bridesmaids were getting ready. When I arrived to the room the smell of perfume and hairspray greeted me. Different from the groom’s room, the room was full of sunlight, hair spray,and a wonderful west view of the city of Portland. One could even see the steeple of St. Luke’s (where the wedding ceremony was to take place) from her snow covered balcony. The ladies were looking elegant and stunning with hair and make-up done by Deena Berry of The DuDa Spa of Portsmouth. The hour of the first look loomed nearer as I shot all kinds of wonderful details of rings on fur, in white LL Bean boots, Laurie Andrews gorgeous bouquets, the ladies in all their fur trimmed robes toasting with champagne. What I like about this part of the day is the bride transforming into a bride. The “it is getting real” moment happens and she is made up, excited, and camera ready for me! I like time to play and photograph the bride before she gets into the dress, once the dress is on, with bridesmaids, and without. While we were doing this ,her Dad popped in to say hi and I had to drop all details and get those shots.
Louise was debating going outside for a few photos because wedding photos on the streets of the old port are awesome! But the sun disappeared and some rain started to fall. So we did all of our first look and family pictures in the Regency. Then we went across Portland on New Year’s Eve to St. Luke’s to be married.
The ceremony was very personal and touching. The priest quoted the bride and groom and I recall wanting to include some of these quotes in the pages of their wedding album. Post ceremony we did a few images at the altar of the church and then across the street to the Portland Club. Amy from Black Tie Catering met us at the side back door where we went up to take a few pictures of the wedding party in the billiard room before they went down to cocktail hour. Black Tie hors d’oeuvres are simply the best.
I photographed the ballroom at the Portland Club while Alyssa photographed guests at cocktail hour. I had never seen the ballroom so intimate looking with the drapes on the side wall and tables covered with gold candles.
The reception began with an intro of the wedding party and the bride and groom going into their first dance. I photographed the dances with one camera synced to 3 remote triggered strobe lights and 1 camera for grainy b/w ambient photos. Next was dinner with toasts, starting with Louise’s Dad who couldn’t have expressed any more how pleased he was with Eoin joining their family. Bride’s sister and the groom’s brother followed with similarly heartfelt speeches.
The dance floor stayed packed from DJ Luke of Event Lighting Concepts. He lit the room and provided much of the ambience of the room. The guests also enjoyed a s’mores bar and dessert bar and open bars throughout. Everyone celebrated 2016 on the dance floor with lots of kissing going on and followed by the groom and what appeared to be a bunch of his Yarmouth high school friends singing a Pearl Jam song. At 12:30 everyone headed upstairs for more food and drinking in the billiard room. My last shot was the bride in her fur with her mom in the high top chairs at the Portland Club. At 1:30 Sharyn Peavey and Alyssa Lewis called it a night and headed home on the icy streets of Portland Maine on New Years with 4001 wedding pictures shot.
Congratulations to Eoin and Louise for your wedding, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and for your many more years together as Mr. & Mrs. Lynch!
For more images: Wedding Preview Gallery
Vendors:
Laurie Andrews - Designer Florists
http://www.laurieandrewsdesign.com/
Black Tie Catering & Portland Club
www.theblacktieco.com
Event Lighting Concepts & DJ LUKE LANNIGAN
http://www.eventlightingconcepts.com/
Deena Berry of The DuDa Spa of Portsmouth
http://thedudaspa.com/
Portland Regency Hotel in the Old Port
http://www.theregency.com/
LLBEAN Boots
www.llbean.com