Katherine and Kyle were married at her parents’ home in Webster NH on July 22, 2017 in what to my mind has been a perfect example of what a backyard wedding has the potential to be. This couple was so incredibly busy that I’m surprised they found the time to get married at all! In fact, the day after the wedding Kyle was literally packing up to move to Singapore, to join Katie where she’d been living for some time already. Talk about some huge life events that less ambitious people ease into over the course of a few months, usually. But this is just part of what makes them such a dynamic and interesting couple.
It was an honor to receive such a beautiful testimonial from Katherine shortly after their wedding. She had this to say about her experience with me:
“We immediately fell in love with Erika’s style and ability to capture stunning shots in natural lighting. She was so easy to work with and very accommodating to us. We couldn’t be happier with what we received and have gotten so many compliments from our friends and family about how beautiful the album came out.”
getting ready
What was unique about this at-home wedding was that it required two residences to pull it off. Katherine’s parents have dear neighbors who were kind enough to share their home, yard, and another part of their property for the ceremony. These two families are longtime friends, so this little area deep in the woods of Webster, NH, connected by a hilly dirt road, became a vast wedding wonderland on a sunny July day.
Once Katherine was dressed,we headed outside for some portraits. I loved how the milky pale blue of their dresses matched the summery trim on the house.
Meanwhile, over at the other house, my assistant Carey was photographing the guys hanging out and getting ready. I loved the special moment of Kyle opening his gift from Katherine, a beautiful wood watch.
Soon it was time to gather for the ceremony. The space was exquisite: a level grassy area surrounded by wooded hills surrounding the space. Every guest was given a little cone of dried flower petals to toss at the end of the ceremony. Pure sweetness!
I was completely unprepared for this ceremony in an emotional way. I rarely cry at weddings, or get teary over much of anything anymore. But wow, Katherine and Kyle’s vows that they wrote themselves just did me in. It was in fact pretty hard to shoot for the tears in my eyes!
As they walked back down the aisle, married at last, they paused near the end for the guests to throw the flower petals in an epic photo op. Why more couples don’t do this, I will never know! What a great photo to cherish.
cocktail hour and portraits
At this point the wedding planner had scheduled a really nice chunk of time for cocktail hour and group portraits. There was plenty of time for the newlyweds to take a moment for toasts, family photos, and bridal party group photos in a variety of locations.
Here’s a tip: any twinkle lights or string lights that are present, need to be on at all times, even during the day. They WILL show up in the photos, and they look so much better when they’re on.
We found a lovely wooded area in the trees near the river for some fun and natural portraits.
the reception
Just as cocktail hour was wrapping up on schedule, we delivered Katherine and Kyle back to the wedding planner so that we could roll right into the reception. The tent had been decorated early in the day, with beautiful and simple summery decorations: wildflowers and colored glass vases under a beautiful white tent in her family’s backyard.
Ben from 2ClappsDJ introduced the couple, and then the rest of the night was a whirlwind of toasts, wood-fired pizza for dinner, and dancing. I remember the wedding planner and her assistant literally had to hold back the crowd long enough for me to get a few photos of the pies before they were devoured. This is always true of the dessert: guests are absolutely ravenous for sugar, and the sweets will disappear in no time flat if you don’t schedule time to photograph them before they’re gone. One of my most popular requests for reception photos is the college group photo, easily done! Just ask the DJ to call together all your college friends, and we can fire off this shot using a banner or flag. It’s a great way to include your friends in your wedding celebration!
#neverendingstorey
Venue: Private Residence, Webster NH
Wedding Planning: Detailed Engagements
Tent and Rentals: Lakes Region Tent & Event @lakesregiontent
Florist: Studley’s Flower Gardens, Rochester NH
DJ: 2 Clapps DJ, Lee NH
Dress: WTOO
Desserts: Pies from
Catering: Flatbread Company, Portsmouth NH
Beauty: Alyssa McKenzie of Radura Salon