Meghan and Sean’s love story began in high-school but fast forward 10 years and you’ll see their long-awaited wedding day that was nothing short of perfect. They prioritized involving their 5-year-old daughter in the celebration, and she even hand-painted their table numbers made with love. Photographed by Ashley Caroline, this is one gallery you don’t want to miss.
From Ashley Caroline Photography… Meghan + Sean’s day was very special. Together, they have the sweetest 5-year-old daughter, Molly. It was evident throughout the day that she is not only the light in their lives but in so many close family and friends as well. Molly painted the table “numbers” and was so excited to show everyone her adorable artwork. It was a lovely personal touch. The day was beautiful from the bride + groom table full of candles to the greenery covering the tables and the portraits at golden hour. The bride’s J. Crew dress stunned everyone. It was a lovely day with the best trolley ride and I couldn’t wait to share it with you. My favorite moment was towards the end of the night when the groom serenaded the bride. He sang a song and played on his guitar and it was the sweetest moment.
From the Bride… Sean and I met freshman year of high school in keyboarding class, and although we would both later admit to an immediate mutual crush, we didn’t start dating until the summer before our senior year of college. We had run into each other at a dive bar one random, fateful night; I was there with my sister, who had recently gone through a breakup and Sean had gotten dragged out of bed by a friend in search of love. Sean was wearing gym shorts and black mid-calf socks under sandals – I thought no one had ever looked better. I’ll never forget how happy I was to see him, a happiness I have felt seeing him thousands of times since. Sean swears that he was the first one to text after that night, and I’m certain that the opposite is true, but we both agree that the summer that followed was one of the best of our lives. After 7 years of friendship and 3 of dating, we entered into our next and greatest adventure: parenting. Molly was born on a warm, sunny day in the middle of September. She has Sean’s eyes, my smile and both of our love for laughter and music.
Our wedding day was also on a warm, sunny day in September, 5 years later. Our wish was to have a day that was just bursting at the seams with love, and I am very happy to say that that wish was granted. We got married in the church where my Father grew up, a church where we said goodbye to my Grandpa earlier this year. Being there as a family again, celebrating a birth of sorts, was a beautiful, emotional experience. We took our pictures in Bayard Cutting Arboretum, where my brother’s wedding pictures were taken, and then headed over to the reception in our trolley. The party was held at The Snapper Inn on the south shore of Long Island, in an open air gazebo overlooking the water. I will never forget the feeling of the breeze drifting in and out as we ate dinner at our candlelit table and looked around at 200 of our favorite people, wishing we could hold onto these treasured moments as they passed by relentlessly. Although there were many moments I loved, it is easy to say that the highlight of the night was listening to Sean play “This Must be the Place” by Talking Heads. He sings and plays so beautifully and it was a true moment in time, seeing him share that talent with the people we love.
While we were on our honeymoon in Italy I said to Sean that the greatest gift we could have given to our friends and family on our wedding is to have a night where they can forget about work or obligations and just simply celebrate love. The greatest gift to us was looking around at these wonderful people, people who have been there for many milestones in our lives, and seeing the pure joy they felt in being there, being present, and frankly, tearing UP the dance floor. We don’t get to experience joy that way on a daily basis and it is such a beautiful reminder of how much we need love and need each other. It was a bit difficult coming back to reality after a night like that, but to steal a line from our wedding song, “I guess we’ll just begin again.”
Photography: Ashley Caroline Photography | Floral Design: Flowers by Burton | Wedding Dress: J.Crew | Cake: Audrey's Fine Baked Goods | Reception Venue: Snapper Inn | DJ + Live Music: Paul Loren | Flower Girl's Dress: J.Crew