Tiffany and Lael — Sea Dog Hull Wedding

I am sitting in my office looking out at a very angry sky and wondering whether or not I should cancel my high school senior shoot tonight. That storm we had this morning was HUGE, and I do not want to be caught out on the beach when lightning strikes! It seems appropriate, however, to be blogging Tiffany and Lael today, as the morning of their wedding started off rainy and gray; since they had planned to have their ceremony on the beach in front of the house in Hull that Lael grew up in, there was a bit of a scramble to come up with a Plan B in the event that we weren’t able to pull off the ceremony on the beach. When I arrived at the house where Tiffany was getting ready, she was as relaxed a bride as I have ever seen, and she didn’t care one bit about the weather. She was going to marry Lael no matter where it happened. Her bridesmaids were all in wonderful spirits as well, and just like that, the skies cleared and the sun came out, and Plan B wasn’t needed.

I want to back up a little, though, so that I can tell you how extraordinary these two people are. I first met them last year when they drove up from their home in Pennsylvania to meet with me. Tiffany brought her son Eathan, as as I asked questions about their wedding plans, she and Lael consulted Eathan almost as much as they consulted each other. Eathan is just about Calder’s age, and he is sweet and caring and funny and it was so nice to see him share in the delight of his mom’s engagement. When the three of them came up in February for their engagement shoot, it was a family affair as well. I had been looking forward to this day for such a long time, and I just knew it was going to be spectacular. What I didn’t know was how many times I was going to cry.

The room that Tiffany and her girls got ready in looked directly out at the beach (huge shout-out to Tiffany’s friend Kat who not only did hair and makeup for almost everyone in the wedding party, she was also a bridesmaid! She pretty much kicked butt all day long). I had been milling around with them, getting my gear ready to start shooting when I noticed that the guy out on the beach arranging the chairs and constructing the chuppah was actually Lael. Just two hours before his wedding and he was helping out, making things easier for his family. Tears for Lisa. Then, right after Tiffany put on her dress, she had a mini First Look with Eathan, whose eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw his mom in a wedding dress. Tears for Lisa. Tiffany and Lael elected not to see each other before the ceremony, but they did spend a few moments in each other’s company, quietly talking and holding hands without looking at each other. More tears. When Tiffany came across the sand with her dad and Eathan escorting her, the whole crew was sniffling. The couple wrote their own vows; after Tiffany had said hers to Lael, and Lael had said his to Tiffany, Lael called Eathan up from the front row and recited vows to HIM, about being a good father and devoting himself to Eathan and his mom. At this point I had to put the camera down and wipe my eyes with the hem of my dress, because OH MY GOD IT WAS SO AMAZING. Eathan just looked up at his parents and BEAMED.

Once the ceremony was over we took some shots at the Paragon Carousel and out on the beach. During the trip to and from, Eathan sat at the front of the party bus and pointed out the important sights along the way: World’s End, the surfers at Nantucket Beach, the liquor store where he thought a lot of the beer had come from…that got a big cheer. Tears of laughter this time. We finally ended up at the Sea Dog Brew Pub down at the docks at the end of A street where the reception was held in the Bay View Room, which pretty much gave us a front row seat to the sun setting over Boston. More tears from this sad sack when Tiffany danced with her mom. I finally got myself together when the awesome DJs (yay Charlie!) turned up the party vibe and the dance floor stayed packed all night.

Tiffany and Lael, I can not thank you and your families enough for including me in your incredibly beautiful day. I am so blessed too know you, and even though I’m a little disappointed that you chose not to take me to Greece with you, I still hope you find as much happiness in viewing these photos as I had making them for you. I wish you a long, happy, and healthy life full of laughter and love. oxoxoxoxox.

Hair and Makeup // Kat O’Mara
Seashell Bouquet // Seashells in Bloom!
Wedding Dress // Taylored for You Bridal Boutique
Groom and Groomsmen Attire // Joseph A. Bank
DJ // The DJ Experience
Cake // Konditor Meister
Venue // Sea Dog Brew Pub

A bouquet made out of shells!

A little pre-wedding love from the family dog…

Tiffany is simply stunning, all the time.

Gorgeous makeup by Kat.

The bride’s two sisters, Stephanie and Lauren, were so wonderful…

I love this moment.

Right here. This is when I had to put my camera down and wipe away the blubbering tears.

Lael’s brothers looking on…