This wedding right here? It’s how I always pictured my own wedding to be. A laid-back meets casually elegant affair set against a stunning background with lawn games, s’mores and an amazing group of friends and family. In other words, it’s total fun meets a whole lot of pretty. See every last minute of awesome captured by Runaway Bride Nantucket right here in the full gallery.
From Runaway Bride Nantucket… My wife Rebecca and I felt an instant kinship to bride and groom Rebecca and Jonathan because, well, we have the same first names. But when we learned that they were getting married on Nantucket in just a month’s time with no photographer as of yet, we knew it was pure kismet.
From the minute Rebecca and Jonathan had started planning their wedding, they knew they wanted a cozy, backyard feel, and with a guest list of over 100 people and climbing, that is sometimes hard to accomplish! Their priorities were focused on their guests having a great time and being comfortable, so they planned their festivities in a way that matched that vision, keeping everything so simple and lovely. Something that made this event even more touching and romantic was that Rebecca and Jonathan had already been legally married on a cold January weekday in Nantucket, on their own, just days after getting engaged, so this was truly going to be a celebration of their commitment to each other, with their family in attendance to see.
Rebecca and Jonathan rented a private home on Wherowhero Lane, a gorgeous house that slept over twenty people, with plenty of entertaining area for the reception and a fire pit for late night s’more making after the festivities. The wedding itself was held on a long expanse of grass where both the Bride and Groom’s fathers performed a touching service. Afterwards, the yard was the spot for impromptu lawn games and softball matches, all with guests clad in their wedding-best attire.
Food was catered by local coffee shop The Green and cupcakes by Nantucket’s Petticoat Row Bakery. Guests drank from Bell mason jars and wrote their names on homemade drink labels the bride attached with twine to each glass. The fun continued when guests danced to iPod tunes deejayed by the groom’s brother.
The best part of the wedding for me was when Rebecca and Jonathan posed for photos in front of an old barn just down the road from the venue. The sky was beginning to fog like it does on all perfect Nantucket afternoons, and I was half expecting to see a Unicorn walk by in the background, it was just that magical. Rebecca’s FreePeople wedding gown really captured the laid-back yet lovely vibe she was going for, and Jonathan’s J.Crew suit complimented those colors beautifully. This bride and groom knew how to take simplicity to a whole new level – and is one of my favorite weddings that I have ever shot! With a honeymoon at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, I think we can all learn a little something from a couple that keeps things this sweet and simple.
Photography: Runaway Bride Nantucket | Flowers: Marine Home Center | Gown: Free People | Cupcakes: Petticoat Row Bakery | Caterer: The Green | Hair & Makeup: Barbara Hill | Suit: J.Crew | Venue: Private Residence