Sara and Greg were married on a cloudless and beautiful Saturday in May at The Shattuck in Jaffrey, NH. With Mt. Monadnock looming majestically in the background, and family and friends looking on, their ceremony epitomized a beautiful New England country wedding.

Late spring weddings in NH are always a joy to photograph. The leaves are finally in full display on the trees, colorful blooms are seemingly everywhere, and the hot and humid dog days of summer, are months away yet.

And when the bride and groom are as cool and authentic as Sara and Greg are, and the weather is supremely cooperative, good things happen!

From her very first email, I could tell Sara was a super enthusiastic, positive, and genuinely good person. Her upbeat spirit and easy to talk to persona made the planning for her and Greg’s wedding photography a joy. So it was a given that I was psyched to finally meet Sara and her finance Greg on their wedding day. As sometimes happens due to schedules and locations, planning is not always possible to do in person, so finally meeting Sara and Greg was like meeting long lost friends, or pen-pals you’ve just been dying to finally connect with.

And so I finally met Sarah and Greg at the Jack Daniels Inn which is located on the Contoocook River in Peterborough, NH, where they were getting ready. Both were as down to earth and relaxed in person as they had been on our prior planning calls. After meeting everyone, I got busy shooting Sara’s dress, shoes, jewelry, and details as makeup was finishing up. Once Sarah got into her dress and shoes, and had her veil placed, we all made our way to The Shattuck, a short 15 minute jaunt up the road.

The outside ceremony site at The Shattuck is known as the “Stone Terrace” and consists of an impressively constructed grand ceremony altar that alludes to Roman-esque aesthetics given its design and grandeur.

Sara and Greg’s dogs, Tank and Electra, served as the Ringbearer and Flower Girl, respectively, and performed their roles flawlessly.

Sandra Carter served as the officiant , while Sara and Greg’s bridesmaids and groomsmen stood up on the Stone Terrace as vows were expressed, rings were exchanged, and bride and groom became husband and wife.

The reception took place in the Cathedral Ballroom and began with Sarah and Greg sharing their first dance. Sarah’s dance with her Dad began as most father-daughter dances do, but with sunglasses donned, the dance soon transitioned into a raucous and entertaining father-daughter dance that won’t soon be forgotten by anyone who was in attendance. It was an awesome display of Sarah and her Dad letting loose and having fun.

Following Greg’s dance with his Mom, Sarah emerged once again to the dance floor having traded in her wedding gown for a shorter, sporty white dress. What followed was a flawless rendition of the iconic Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Grey dance from Dirty Dancing, complete with the jump and lift part perfectly executed. Sarah and Greg were indeed having the time of their lives, as were the enthralled guests looking on.

Following the cutting of the cake, the garter and bouquet toss, Sarah, Greg and I made our way outside where we got some final photos of the newly married couple in the beautiful dusk light.

Congratulations Sarah and Greg! I wish you all the best and I was honored to capture your special day.

Special thanks to the following vendors:

DJ - Chuck Noel
Officiant - Sandra Carter
Bridal Attire - Tulle Bridal
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – David’s Bridal
Groomswear – Men’s Wearhouse
Cake - Denise Fox
Venue – The Shattuck
Wedding Coordinator - Donna Benoit