On a beautiful August day, Christine and Patrick were married in a scenic backyard in Gloucester…Their day started at the Hellenic Center in Ipswich, MA and wrapped up there too – for the cocktail hour and reception!
Christine’s niece in THE dress:)! A request from Christine! Adorable!
This is Christine’s nephew getting ready with the help of his mom (her sister) and his grandpa (her dad)…
Patrick arrived with his guys and quickly got into their suits while Christine wrapped up in the room next door! A fabulous perk of the Hellenic Center is room for everyone to get ready!
This is Christine’s AWESOME mom!!
Just before the first look, I presented Patrick with a gift personally made by Christine!
We did some pictures of Christine with her girls before heading over to Gloucester, but had a little snafu with a couple of the guys shirts (you can read that below) – but it all worked out:)!
A generations photo with some of the fabulous ladies of Christine’s family:)!
A little surprise on the trolley ride over and some celebratory champagne:)!
When we arrived the view was stunning….we started with pictures of the girls while still waiting on the shirts:)
One of Christine’s specific requests was a photo of their immediate families – it is something that I normally do, but seeing she really wanted it, I thought I would include it in the preview:)!
When the shirts arrived, we grabbed some pictures of the guys – don’t you love the shades – they were the groomsmen’s gifts!
We did do some without the shades too:)
Then the ceremony was about to begin!
Patrick wanted to add a few more petals to the isle and spontaneously did this! You can see the petals flying if you look at the people on the right:)!
These are Christine’s little nieces and their mama:)!
Christine and Patrick surprised everyone with an adorable poem…
Christine and Patrick were married in the same spot that Patrick’s parents were married – they surprised them with their framed wedding photo and stood under the arch that Patrick’s father built!
Back at the Hellenic Center – cocktail had begun…
I just love this fun picture of this little one and her daddy:)!
The reception began with an incredible 8min choreographed mash-up of songs that the whole bridal party was involved in!
Patrick proposed to Christine over the radio and it was recorded! Part of the first dance included a piece of that proposal for all to hear:)!
The speeches were fabulous! Christine’s sister had all sorts of props to go with her incredible poem – is was seriously one of the best I have every witnessed:)!
Patrick’s first dance with his mom started out traditional and then went into fun and crazy – it was great!
The rest of the evening was full of dancing fun and laughter – and they were a dancing group which kept the floor packed:)!
This was my first time seeing something like this, but it is a family tradition for them!! They played the song, “Rock the Boat” and all sat down intertwined and “danced”….forward, backward, side to side:)!
We wrapped up our evening with a few last pictures of Patrick and Christine:)!
Christine and Patrick – Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful day!
Vendor Info
bridesmaid dresses | Jenny Yoo
hair | Attractions Hair Salon Masfield, Ma Rebecca Foley and Brianne
make-up | Nina Swartz
florist | Flowers By Darlene Salem, Ma
ceremony | Family property in Gloucester, Ma
reception venue | The Hellenic Center, Ipswich Ma
cake | Cakes for Occasions
dj | CZone Entertainment Kevin Cusson
vidoegraphers | Clark and Walker
Songs
introductions | Jock Jams Medley
first dance | We started with ‘Everything’ by Michael Buble then went into a fun medley!
father/daughter | Because You Loved Me Celion Dion
mother/son | Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd
cake cutting | How Sweet it is to be Loved by You by Marvin Gaye
last dance | Bye Bye Bye N’Sync
Bride/Groom Questions
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
We absolutely loved doing the “First Look” It gave us a private, intimate moment to see each other for the first time! It then gave us to whole day together to enjoy with the bridal party. We got to drive on the trolley to the ceremony site together and get excited all together!
What was your favorite detail?
I have a few…We had Wendy’s French Fries delivered to the venue at the end of the night! Also, the week of my family and friends helped me make place cards and ceremony “fan” programs. I loved how they were unique and a one of a kind. Also, we cannot forget our trellis and entrance sign that Patrick’s father built for us. They were a lot of work and looked beautiful the day of!
Any advice for future brides/grooms?
Even though, it is very untraditional to see each other before the isle, we highly recommend doing a first look! It made the day run so smoothly with making sure all the pictures were done before the ceremony and we could enjoy the cocktail hour with all our guests! We got to all enjoy the day and it went by at such a nice pace. Plus none of your guests know that you already saw each other before that moment. It’s like a little secret!
Funniest memory from your wedding day?
Our bridal party had a choreographed dance to perform! We had friends and family from all around the country that learned the dance through a you tube video we made. We all ran through the dance once at the rehearsal and performed it the day of!!! Our nieces and nephews even joined in for the fun! It was so fun to perform it for all our family and friends! Everyone did a great job!
I also have to mention my sister (maid of honor) made a incredible speech with a crazy poem and had ridiculous props to go along with it! It was awesome and embarrassing!!!
If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Definitely check all your bridesmaids and groomsmen’s outfits!! Two of our groomsmen showed up for pictures in the wrong colored shirt!! Luckily we had a friend find the right ones at a local store. Other then that we thought that after our Wedding we were going to regret spending some money on certain details but we can honestly say everything was worth it and exactly how we planned it!
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went on a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale to Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico. We had a week off in between our wedding and honeymoon. I recommend to take a few days off to enjoy with your family and friends so you can reorganize and process your honeymoon! We had an amazing time and are looking forward to reality of being husband and wife.