Katie and John’s love story started in a classic way – boy sees girl from across the room at a bar (or was it girl sees boy?) in New Hampshire. They hit it off and started dating 8 years ago, moving to Florida along the way. Last January, Katie was in the kitchen, setting the table for a nice dinner for the two of them. She had no idea that John was in the bedroom with their two dogs, outfitting them with bandanas that read, “Will you marry me?”! Katie said ‘Yes!’ of course, and the wedding planning began! 

I met Katie and John 5 years ago when I photographed Katie’s best friend’s wedding. Katie was Rebecca’s Maid of Honor, and last weekend, Rebecca was able to return the favor by being Katie’s Matron of Honor! Katie is a vet tech, and grew up in Topsfield, Mass. Her love of animals is very clear in her adoration for her two rescue pups, whom they flew all the way up here to Maine from Florida to be a part of the wedding! John was born in Maine, and raised in Florida. He was in the Navy (thank you for your service!), and is now in school for civil engineering. Katie and John love to go boating together, and they love New England, so they wanted to come “home” and celebrate their wedding among friends and family here! 

I knew it was going to be a fun day when I walked into the girl’s getting ready room and heard Backstreet Boys playing! I sung along as I photographed the bridal details – just wait until you see the dress(es)! The hair and makeup artists were amazing and fast, and the girls were finished in no time, and were able to relax and drink mimosas until it was time to get into the dress! Scroll down to read more about this amazing day and see the gorgeous photos!

I’m obsessed with Katie’s dress! If you look closely, you’ll see that there is pink and purple tulle running down her dress, and even the belt has subtle matching colors! Katie’s veil is a very light pink as well! The color bridesmaids dresses were portobello, which I’ve never seen before! I love how it compliments the pink and lavender in Katie’s dress!

One of Katie and John’s pups! Look how handsome he is in his mini tux and bowtie! 

John and Katie chose to do a first look before the ceremony to get all the jitters out! Nonantum provided us with a golf cart and drove us down to Colony Beach, where Katie and John saw each other for the first time! It was such a beautiful sunny day, with the perfect light breeze. Don’t they look amazing?! 

Below, I had to get a picture of Katie and John with their close friends, Rebecca and Jake. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since I photographed Rebecca and Jake’s wedding! It was so fun seeing them again 🙂 

Before the ceremony, the boys took a boat ride out to sea! What a great way to relax before the real fun of the day begins! 

John’s button popped off while we were doing photos, and thankfully my second photographer, Laura, was prepared with a mini sewing kit, and got that button back on his jacket in a matter of minutes! Just a fun behind the scenes photo of what sometimes really happens on wedding days! 

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This is one of the best dessert displays I’ve ever seen! I love the soft colors in the cakes, as well as the assortment of cookies, donuts, and Whannolis! What’s a Whannoli, you ask? Well, that’s a trademarked name for a special Whoopie Pie and cannoli combination exclusively invented and made by the Topsfield Bake Shop! Now, I have to preface this by saying that I’m not a huge cannoli fan, but I was able to snag one of these on my way out the door later that night, and let me tell you … I might be making a special trip down to Topsfield sometime soon to get some more! They’re so delicious! 

Getting some good laughing pictures during the toast was way too easy at this wedding, because Katie never stopped laughing the entire time! 

During dinner, Katie changed into her “party dress” and comfy shoes! I love that she wanted to be extra comfortable for fun dancing later! I took these photos of the dress and shoes earlier in the day 🙂 

While the sun was setting, we went out by the lighthouse for a few beautifully glowing sunset portraits. What a picturesque Maine scene!