“ Tim and I met in September of 2007 through mutual friends at a bar in Portsmouth. He has always described meeting me as a “breath of fresh air” and I know exactly what he means, as I felt just the same way about him. We never struggled with awkward conversation. Even when we first met, it felt very natural being together, like we were old friends. ”
“ I’ve never been a super girlie girl, and never really liked pastel colors much. So picking the color scheme was pretty easy….we went with black and white, with a splash of red. I wanted the theme to be simple, classy, and a little sexy too! We felt like all our vendors helped us execute this perfectly. ”
The Groom Getting Ready
The Bride
“ I was not that girl that grew up dreaming of her wedding day…and to be honest, I really didn’t know what I wanted for a dress. However, I went on-line to the David’s Bridal website, and I was browsing through what felt like an ENDLESS amount of dresses, when there she was! As soon as I saw the strapless, ball-gown style dress with the rouching on top, and pickup style bottom with the flower detail, I knew I had to have it. It was elegant, but fun…and I felt like it was a great representation of what I wanted my wedding day to be. ”
The Ceremony
“ We chose to do an intimate, private ceremony at the Great Island Common in Newcastle, NH. We wanted to keep it to immediate family only for the sake of keeping it as small as possible. There were just 17 people in attendance, which helped keep our nerves calm. We chose the Commons because it is a beautiful park right on the ocean, which overlooks both the Maine and New Hampshire coastline. Tim and I both grew up in the Kittery/Portsmouth area, so we wanted to pronounce our vows overlooking a place closest to our hearts. ”
“ The weather was horrible all weekend, rainy, cold and raw. They predicted rain for the wedding day, and it was not looking good for our Newcastle ceremony. This was made all the more upsetting due to the fact that Tim had worked super hard on my gorgeous wedding gift in the weeks leading up to the wedding – a beautiful, cedar arbor that he “carved from a single block of wood” (name that quote!) for us to get married under. Fortunately, it cleared up just long enough for us to pull it off, and even though I was 30 minutes late (did you expect anything less?!), and our guests were freezing their a**es off…it was absolutely beautiful, and everything I dreamed of. ”
“ Focus Photography helped make my wedding day move along with ease. Leading up to my wedding, we had several meetings, in which Lucia gave me advice based on her professional experience. We also went over all the details of the wedding day, so they knew exactly what was going on that day and what shots they would need to get and when. This really helped on the actual day to keep us on track time-wise as much as possible, and they always knew where to be. They were organized and prepared, even though I was running around like a chicken with no head. Their calm and professional presence really helped keep my nerves in check. it was so nice to have someone direct me and tell me exactly what I needed to do. Besides the posed shots, I really didn’t even notice their presence at all…not at the ceremony or the reception. They blended well with the scenery and the event, so people didn’t notice a camera in their face snapping photos all night. They were great to work with, and with so many things to worry about as the bride, it was nice to not have to worry about photos. By the time the wedding came, our confidence in them was secured and we knew they would deliver.”
“ Photography was one of the most important elements of my wedding to me. As everyone said would happen, the day went by in one big blur. While I can never go back and re-live that day in person, I can go back for years to come and re-live it though pictures. Pictures that not only capture things, but that capture moments and feelings. This being said, I wanted the best. I first met the Will and Lucia from Focus Photography at a wedding fair in York, ME. While browsing through their amazing photos, Lucia came over, took my hands, and started talking to me about my wedding day. Her excitement was contagious and her warmth undeniable.”
“ Will….hmmmmm, well Will is a little unforgettable. I mean this in the most affectionate way. He is eccentric, enthusiastic, and clearly loves what he does. He is a true artist. Together, they make a great team. I took their card and left the fair, telling my mother “I want them.” (And I’m the bride, so I get what I want right?!) haha. A few days later, I was at Tim’s cousin Tara’s house talking wedding talk. I was looking through her wedding album, amazed with the quality of her photos. Lo and behold, I look in the corner and see the name “Focus Photography”. She expressed to me her happiness with the photos and her experience, even showing me a large canvas-printed photo from their Romantic Session they ordered as an extra item because they loved their photos so much. Will and Lucia were clearly the best, and “The Ash Master” (as Will and Lucia call me) was sold. – Ashley”
The Reception
“
Our reception was held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth, NH. We chose this location because I grew up in Portsmouth and absolutely love it there. The hotel is right downtown, which was convenient for our guests, and the recently renovated lobby area with the spiral staircase is absolutely gorgeous. ”
“ “Katryn Treamer is the wedding coordinator at the Sheraton, and after meeting with her in our search for a venue, we knew it was the place we wanted. We were inviting over 200 guests and their grand ballroom was large enough to accommodate our needs. They also offered a separate area for the cocktail hour, which was something we were looking for. The staff (especially Katryn) was absolutely wonderful and accommodating to work with…I don’t think we ever heard the phrase, “sorry, we can’t do that” during our planning process. We felt like Katryn and the rest of the staff at the Sheraton executed our vision perfectly, and we would recommend this venue to anyone without an ounce of hesitation. ”
“ My mom and I chose Jardiniere Flowers in Portsmouth, NH. They are a long-standing business, do a ton of weddings, and have a great reputation. I worked with Kathie, who was very accommodating and helped me execute my vision to a “T”. The centerpieces were absolutely beautiful and I got tons of compliments on them. I loved my bouquet, which was all white, with callas, roses, and orchids. I will definitely recommend Jardiniere in the future, and use them for other floral items as well!” ”
The Cake
“ The cake was a 4-tier cake from Jacques’ Fine European Pastries in Suncook, NH. Each layer had a different flavor cake and icing and there were fresh red roses (from Jardiniere) cascading like a waterfall down the side. It was beautiful and tasty….it looked gorgeous just sitting there, and it looked good on Tim’s face too. hehe. ”
The Toasts (or Roasts)
Dancing
“ Eric Pomerleau from Audible Events was our DJ. He was great to work with, very accommodating and played exactly what we asked. His DJ set up was very clean, much cleaner than I’ve seen at a lot of other events…everything was hidden behind a nice, white screen (even the lights!) which gave it a very polished look. He kept the crowd dancing all night long…including myself. Everyone loved him! ”
The Rings
Lucia and I had a ball at this wedding. Thank you to everyone for making it fun, and thank you to Ashley and Tim for having us there! -Will
The Vertical footer Image (line 392) has been replaced with the vertical feature image!