The 2019 season has been amazing and although it isn’t completely wrapped up for me, Alex and Jay’s wedding wrapped up my fall weddings and they wrapped it up with a BANG!!
I met these two at Jay’s cousin’s wedding and when they contacted me after just getting engaged, I was psyched! I already knew how wonderful Jay’s family and extended family were and after meeting Alex’s family at their engagement session, I knew her family was just as wonderful!
With all of that said AND with looking forward to this wedding for OVER a year, it STILL exceeded my expectation! A-MAZ-ING!! More on all the reasons why below!
My day started at the beautiful house that Alex and her family rented for the weekend…I jumped into the details as soon as I arrived and found that the rings not only had their date, but also their nicknames – even in Alex’s dainty ring!
Downstairs, Alex had a card to open from Jay and as she opened it, she realized that it was the card that she had almost picked for him!
These girls are at the top of the list of why this day blew my high expectations out of the water – they were the BEST from the moment I walked in! So welcoming, fun, funny, down to earth and kind! You will see in a bit how much they all truly love Alex and were so happy for her – such true friends!
These were my first pairs of socks that I have seen – soo cool!! I have looked at these photos a ton of times and I am JUST seeing that Alex’s sisters were backwards LOL! If you read it from the center where the Ales sits and read to the left it is perfect though;)
Over at Hotel 1620, Jay and his guys were ready to get their suits on:)
Jay and his brother-in-law, recreating a scene from his wedding;)
Engraved glasses for all of the guys – including the dads!
I didn’t get the story, but the tiki glass has some meaning;)!
Back at the house the ladies were ready and Alex’s sister and mom helped her into her dress!
Alex’s adorable mom also had a couple of gifts for her daughter – she wrote her a poem and superimposed it on her baby photo – they were barely holding it together as Alex read it.
THE BEST reactions from the girls!
We stepped outside for a few minutes of photos before the trolley arrived. On the left is Jay’s sister Meg whom I worked with in her cousins wedding and LOVED! She just celebrated her one year anniversary and sadly I didn’t get to be a part of her day because I was already booked:( So good to see her again:)!!
As we waited for the trolley we popped into the street for a quick picture with the ocean in the distance;)
Not a dry eye – the sweetest!
After the ceremony, we scooted right over to Pinehills for all of the photos. We were working to get them all in AND get to most of cocktail hour and we achieved our goal!
Pinehills is truly one of my favorite venues! Tons of gorgeous spots and look for photography, a beautiful reception space and an AMAZING staff! Kelli (the fabulous coordinator) and I headed out with Alex and Jay for some photos of just the two of them! A quiet few minutes together alone in the hustle and bustle of the day!
This couple, this spot and this amazing light looks great in color OR stunning BW! So hard to decide what I like best!
Inside of the Pinehills Pavilion, the room was set up, the candles were lit and the sun was setting – ready for the party to begin!
This fabulous family is my original connection to Alex and Jay! Elizabeth and Matt (on the left side) were married on a chilly November day in Boston!
Once everyone moved inside, the reception kicked off with some fun into – including Joey and the girls with the Limbo;)!
I just love these two moms and how much they love each other too!
DJ Buono got the party started with a quick song following their first dance and then went into some awesome toasts and speeches!
Jay’s grandfather gave an amazing speech and also happens to be 93 years young!
We did a few group photos during the early dinner courses and I chose the middle photo to make the largest because this is Jay’s hockey buddies – they just won their league championship and happened to mention it during the hotel time….they mentioned bringing their trophy and although I wish they had, this photo is close to as good:)! Congrats guys!
Jay mentions in the comments below that one of the funniest memories of the day was me telling him that it was the last photo BUT then having to go over to him and pull him back for another….this was one of those moments LOL!
After dinner we jumped into parent dances and tried to do a quiet cutting of the cake in the corner, but that didn’t turn out so quiet LOL!
Two fantastic dances full of choreography, spins, laughter, love and belting out some lyrics:)!
THIS. THIS. THIS. This is what I knew would be an awesome part of the day! After Elizabeth and Matt’s wedding, I knew Jay was a dancer (look for him and Joey in Elizabeth’s post:). I KNEW this night was going to be fabulous and it didn’t disappoint! Such a fun group!
Alex and Jay – THANK YOU for choosing me to be a part of your day! It was truly my pleasure to photograph your day and get to spend it with your amazing group of family and friends that surround you! As I remember Jay’s grandfather saying – you two are a perfect match! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and hope we get to hang out again soon:)!!
Vendor Info
bride’s dress | Alexandra’s Boutique
bridesmaid’s dresses | Alexandra’s Boutique
hair | Family friend Kristen Murray
make-up | Get Glam By Dawna
florist | Flair Floral
ceremony | Saint Bonaventure Parish
reception venue | The Pavilion at Pinehills Golf Club
cake | Fratelli’s
DJ | Spinner Music Productions
Songs
introductions | Gimme All Your Lovin’- ZZ Top
first dance | Pushing Up Daisies- Brothers Osborne
father/daughter | I’ll Be Your Man- Zac Brown Band
mother/son | Forever Young- Rod Stewart
last dance | I’m Shipping Up to Boston- Dropkick Murphys
Bride/Groom Questions
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Alex- It is hard to pick just one, but for me it was either seeing Jay when the big church doors opened or all the speeches (they killed it!).
Jay- Watching Alex walk down the aisle.
What was your favorite detail?
Alex- My favorite detail was the signature drinks! Jay’s was a Shipyard Pumpkinhead that we drink all the time and mine was apple cider sangria. The recipe was from our favorite restaurant and we shared it with Pinehills to make. We got an awesome sign from an artist on Etsy for the bar.
Jay- My favorite detail was the scally caps I got for all the groomsmen. Heather got an awesome picture of all of us wearing them.
Any advice for future brides/grooms?
Try not to stress! It is definitely easier said than done, but everything comes together perfectly. It is easy to get caught up in all the little details, but you are so overwhelmed by all your family and friends surrounding you with love the day of that none of that stuff matters. Even if things go wrong it won’t matter to you.
Funniest memory from your wedding day?
Alex- The funniest memory I have is watching Jay grab the microphone and sing “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon to all our guests.
Jay- Heather kept telling me I was done taking pictures and then would come grab me for more.
If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
We wouldn’t change a thing! We had the most amazing day with our families and friends! The weather was amazing and our venue put everything together perfectly!
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went on a mini-moon to Kennebunkport after the wedding and plan to go to Hawaii in the summer.