Kelsey & Connor || Pawtuckaway Wedding
Surrounded by close family and friends, Kelsey and Connor were married at Pawtuckaway State Park, under a canopy of fantastic fall foliage with the tranquility of Pawtuckaway Lake serving as their backdrop. Like so many others this year, Kelsey & Connor’s wedding plans had undergone several modifications, iterations, tweaks, and date changes. But on October 3rd, the waiting would come to a beautiful and emotional end. As Kelsey so eloquently stated: “It wasn’t the wedding we originally planned, but it was everything we dreamed of.”
Kelsey and Connor planned, organized, and created their special day from scratch, with hard work and love, a total DIY effort resulting in nothing short of beautiful. Just check out those place settings! The entire day had the coolest, down to earth authenticity to it, characterized by what I would call an “upscale woodsy boho vibe”. The flicker of candles provided ambient lighting; a blanket of freshly fallen pine needles the dance floor; and an abundance of love, the warmth for staving off the early autumn chill. Theirs was by far one of the more uniquely magical weddings I have had the pleasure of shooting, and one I won’t soon forget.
Shooting Kelsey and Connor’s wedding had me thinking a little more about the nature of time. 2020 has been such a strange year. Time seems to have flown by faster than past years. Many of these days have gone by in a blink of any eye. One day becomes the next with little to no fanfare. An entire spring and summer are in the review mirror already! How is that possible I’d like to know!? Autumn’s falling leaves only remind us of the fleeting nature of time and the utter impermanence of all things. There is no pause button, as much as we would like there to be. For me, weddings are one of the few things where time does slow down a bit. The collective mindfulness and the purposeful presence of all in attendance have something to do with it I believe.
These errant musings on my part had reminded me of that old Robert Frost poem that speaks to the sentiment so well:
“Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.”
Kelsey and Connor: You guys are gold. And you guys are forever.
Mike
Vendors:
Kelsey’s Dress: Maggie Sottero
Connors Outfit: Eddie Bauer (shirt); Duluth Trading (pants);
Groomsmen’s wooden bowties: Made by Connor!
Rings: Anvil (groom) & Hannoush Jewelers (bride)
Flowers: Trader Joe’s & designed by Kelsey & Her Maid of Honor
Food: Tuckaway Tavern
Donuts: Stonehouse Bakery
Girls Getting Ready Suite: Kelsey & Connor’s restored conversion bus named Obie!
