Mr. & Mrs. Simpson
July 25, 2015
Lamoine, ME
Bride & Maid of Honor's hair done by>> Mother- Kristy Hodkiewicz
Maid of Honor>> Lauren Harney, Sister of the bride
Best Man>> Nick Simpson, Brother of the groom
I am so excited to be blogging about this wedding! From the moment the day began until I was packing up to leave I had a blast photographing Mr. & Mrs. Simpson's big day! First off, let me start by telling you that Ben and Jessica are big fans of anything Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. so as you can imagine when they told me their wedding decor would be inspired by characters and themes from these movies & show I was gleaming with excitement to begin photographing such a creative reception! I will come back to the reception- but first let me tell you about the start of the day!
I arrived in Lamoine to meet Jessica and the maid of honor, her sister, Lauren while they finished up getting ready. When it was time for Jess to slip into her simple yet very elegant wedding gown Lauren and her mom surrounded Jessica with love and happiness. My sister, mom, and I are super close and do everything together so to watch these two sisters and their mom share such a beautiful moment was very touching and hit home for me. I instantly felt that goose bump feeling a photographer can get when you're involved in photographing moments such as that. There were tears, hugging, and of course laughter! One of my favorite shots from the entire day is when Jess is finally in her gown and her sister and mother are wrapped around her all huddled in smiling and glowing. I will always remember witnessing that moment of such real love between a mother and her daughters.
Now, came the time to head down to the ocean where the ceremony was. When Robyn, my second shooter, and I pulled into the location we both lit up! It was a location you have to see in person- photographs do not do it justice! The ground covered in sea shells and the air smelling of the sea we began capturing images of Lauren and Jess as well as family photos.
Jess and Ben had decided ahead of time they wanted to walk each other down the aisle- which side note: how adorable and romantic is that- so the reveal photos were up next! All of Jess's family and some of Ben's surrounded Jess to create a wall to ensure that when Ben showed up he would not see her just yet! Another one of my favorite photos is of Jess's dad hugging and kissing his daughter as she waits with anxious butterflies to see her groom! As Ben walked closer and closer the family all began to walk away too....and then there it was that moment that everyone felt- excitement! Ben walked closer and closer to Jess as she was facing the sea. She stuck her hand out for Ben to grab and turned around. I stood and photographed the two embracing each other and what would be the best day of their lives. Jess and Ben are that couple that when I photograph them they just seem to fit. They have that laid back loving feel that makes it easy to capture the realness of what they have between them. After more photos it was time for the ceremony!
Everyone got into place as Jess and Ben walked back up to the embankment to make their walk down the aisle. The ceremony was short and sweet with tears and laughter from family and friends. During the ceremony Jess and Ben poured white and purple sand into a vase to symbolize the two of them becoming one. I loved this idea!
Okay, now back to the reception! What a fun one! The guests loved walking around to read and see all the decor that screamed Jess and Ben! I absolutely loved how personally decorated this reception was. The bride and groom danced their first song as Mr. & Mrs. as all their family and friends looked on. Another favorite photo alert! I captured a moment when Ben said something to make his beautiful bride laugh- one of my favorite first dance photographs ever taken. :)
There was lots of dancing to be had at this party! Friends of the bride and groom knew how to dance! Robyn and I followed all the swinging and stomping around- we just couldn't get enough! Everyone was having so much fun on the dance floor and it was all so much fun to watch!
Jess & Ben wanted to do something special for Jess's sister Lauren who was due to be married next! So after some thought we came up with asking CJ, Laurens fiancé, what a meaningful song between the two would be. After a small speech by Jess Lauren and CJ danced... Well! That was a very moving moment to witness as well! It even brought tears to my eyes! I love that Jess & Ben wanted to include them in their big day with something special!
As some time passed the ice cream bar opened for service! Everything imaginable was available for ice cream sundaes! Sprinkles, chocolate syrup, candies & chocolates were just a few things piling high on the guests flavor of choice ice cream! I thought it was a really neat idea for Jess & Ben to have an ice cream bar!
I love every wedding I photograph and each and every one is unique in its own way but this wedding in particular was by far one of the most fun weddings I have ever had the pleasure in photographing. A big thank you to Jess & Ben for being so wonderful!
Mr. & Mrs. Simpson may you live long and prosper or as they say in the Vulcan language-
"dif tor heh smusma"
With love,
Hannah
