Intimate & Witchy : Wedding Inspo for the Creative Couple

Sep 20

Richie & Bailey: A Boston Love Story

Boston wedding. Witchy. Witch. Elopement. New England Wedding. Microwedding. Witchy wedding inspo.

When I tell you that you are not ready for these photos, I mean it completely.

The Beginning

Richie, a musician, & Bailey, a talented writer, met just before the pandemic, a chance encounter arranged by none other than Bailey’s best friend, Harriet, who happened to work at the local music shop with Richie. With little time to foster an early relationship in the throes of what was happening in the state of the world, R&B took a chance and moved in together. As someone who has known Bailey for almost ten years, I can easily attest that this type of spontaneity is very unlike her—but this is what makes their story so beautiful.

Speaking of taking chances, we cannot fully begin to tell this love story without some background on where it all began. Bailey, having just graduated from graduate school around the age of 24, decided to move to Boston several years ago. If you can believe it, she answered an ad on Craigslist searching for roommates who were interested in a type of communal living in what is now affectionately called, “The Bond House.” It would later transform into their wedding venue.

Listening to the story of how the Bond House came to be is truly one of my all-time favorite tales to tell my other couples. It’s a story of strangers from the ages of infancy to later life sharing a table and breaking bread at the height of the panic in the world. Bailey (who happens to be one of the most talented writers I know) does a phenomenal job of recounting her time in the house on her blog. You can read several anecdotes about how she fell in love with both Richie and the people-who-became-family here. My personal favorite story that Bailey shared with me about her time in the house was her recount of all member of the house gathering together to write an opera. I’m talking musical composition, theme development, and pure creativity.

The Bewitching Details

The details of the day are what originally inspired me to blog this wedding. I have photographed 70+ weddings in my time, and never have I seen such attention to detail than I have in R&B’s wedding. No corner was left untouched as little vignettes representative of the couple were scattered about every square inch of space.

The space already possessed so much character, but it was the witchy, moody, and eclectic collection of skulls, bones, trinkets, and dried florals that Bailey had been collecting for over a year to create her one-of-a-kind floral arrangements that truly elevated the space. I’ll let the photos do the talking here.

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It was funny. The entire day, Richie kept joking about how this entire wedding was comprised of “friends who do stuff.” Everything from the stunning deer skull altar to the wedding cakes, the candles and to the collection of varying vintage glassware—all came together from the efforts of close friends and family. Don’t worry; a full list of vendors will be available at the end of this blog.

Pre-Wedding Jitters

The “getting ready” part of the day is often overlooked by most photographers because it’s happening in conjunction with the height of the chaos. There’s hair and makeup tools everywhere, table-scapes are still a disaster, and we are simultaneously focused on making sure we don’t lose the rings during the detail shots AND capturing your precious moments before you walk down the aisle.

R&B’s getting ready process was, in theory, similar to what I just described, yet also fundamentally different. While the hustle and bustle was still happening all around us with all hands on deck, there was an indescribable feeling that something BIG, yet subtle, was about to happen—an underlying “buzz” of excitement running just below the senses. While in the makeup chair, Bailey turned to me and quietly said, “I’m really looking forward to having photos of Richie getting ready.”

I would say that more often than not, the bride is typically less concerned about her groom’s getting ready portraits in the middle of wedding day. This was all the inspiration I needed. I felt myself smile, knowing that in this moment—while her hair was actively being tugged in every direction, and with each stroke of the makeup brush as she got closer and closer to the ceremony—she was thinking only about Richie. I felt like it was most appropriate to detail their getting ready process side-by-side.

First Looks & Friendships

Finally the highly-anticipated moment arrived: the first look. I am always so humbled and honored to be present when my couples are individually centering themselves and taking a moment of quiet time to themselves before the first look. I helped build the suspense as they held hands before rounding the corner. Tristan, the best man and friend of the groom since “in the womb,” was also there to film the moment.

R&B’s friends showed up and showed out—especially Gideon, R&B’s Aussie pup. From baking the groom’s cake to building the arbor and more, 10 out of 10, would recommend this group of people to anyone. And, it doesn’t hurt that they are editorial as hell.

An Intimate & Witchy Ceremony

The deer skull altar was obviously a show-stopper. But no one could keep their eyes from the bride and groom as they got closer and closer to each other. They were all smiles. One of the most memorable photos for me from the day is a largely wide shot of R&B looking at each other from across the pond. It’s a summary of the love and excitement between them.

The ceremony concluded with a traditional hand-fasting. Historically, the bride and groom would not remove the ties for the remainder of the wedding reception. Obviously R&B did not do this, but they did think about it, which I thought was sweet. I snagged a few quiet moments of them together directly after the ceremony. I would say that they are some of my favorite photos of the day because of the pure emotion that they expressed when just with each other.

Quiet Moments

Shortly after the herding cats portion of the day (aka family photos), I stole R&B away for a few quiet moments alone to get that golden hour light. This is my favorite part because I get to sit back and witness the newlywed bliss, while also giving the couple a moment to themselves before joining the bustling reception. R&B have a very editorial vibe and I was sure to capitalize on that.

Time to Dance

String lights were strewn throughout the entirety of the property and made the space come alive as the sun fully set. After the guests enjoyed mountains of delicious shrimp and sides, heartfelt speeches were made and everyone enjoyed hearing the story of how R&B came to be. It was clear that this was a special group who had gathered that day; people from all walks of life came from all over the globe to love and support them. Both the bride and groom made separate speeches. As a writer, Bailey was as eloquent as ever. Richie, however, wowed the crowed with a song as he strummed his guitar. I swear, I felt like I was watching a true indie romance come true.

Richie continued to impress the crowd with his musical background, and as expected, the entertainment for the evening was superb. Bailey is a cellist herself. Two local bands, the Soggy Po’ Boys and Kotoko Brass, provided an atmosphere of jazz and eclectic beats while guests enjoyed dancing, board games, and French 75’s. As a gin lover myself, I must say I enjoyed every moment of this reception. My favorite personal touch from the evening was the tarot card reader, who answered any lingering life questions that the guests brought to her.

Each detail from the evening brimmed with thoughtfulness and heart. Another favorite event of the evening was the cutting of the Charm Cake. One of Bailey’s bridesmaids, Liz, baked a cake that morning with various charms that were connected to ribbons and nestled within the cake. With a countdown, every participant picks a charm and pulls it from the cake. From there, the guests can read the key with the associated meaning assigned to each charm. Of all of the weddings I have photographed, this was a first for me. It was absolutely delightful to have something so fun and interactive for the guests! Here are just a few favorite photos from the evening.

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Goodnight

If we’re being honest, no blog post could fully capture the essence of the day. But hopefully the photos bring back all of the warmth that was felt. As the music died down, R&B snuck away for a quiet moment on the hammock before saying their last good-byes to their guests. It was truly such a spectacular day. These were some of the last photos of the night.

Fin.

R&B: I am truly humbled that you would fly me all the way out to New England just to shoot your wedding day. I love you both and wish you the most fulfilling, creative, and beautiful life together.

For more photos of R&B, be sure to visit my Instagram and feel free to browse my website. Thank you for visiting!

Please feel free to comment below and share with friends, family, and vendors who made this day possible for R&B. I would also be honored if you shared with those who need a little inspiration for wedding day!