Christian

Recently got engaged? Let me treat you with a bridal enlightenment! I’m sure a lot of brides-to-be dream of having the spectacular summer sunset in a gorgeous beach as their backdrop when exchanging vows. So, let me illuminate your ideas. Mike and Rachel’s big day is a very romantic beach themed wedding. It’s pristine, purple, and perfect! One of the best parts of this wedding is the venue – Wychmere Beach Club. It is a big and beautiful private beach located in Massachusetts. The boardwalk aisle made for an easy and elegant lead in to the beach. They opted to have a modern pitch while keeping a very intimate and heartwarming ceremony. These photographs by Julia Cumes Photography during the ceremony of Rachel and Mike while exchanging vows are too awesome not to share! Enjoy!

We’re All About the Details

The Lavender Ombre

Shades of lavender (“lavender ombre”) along with light gray is gorgeous! Rachel has loved the color purple her whole life and always knew that she would incorporate some shade of this color into her wedding one day. Once she decided on a summer beach wedding, we knew she wanted Mike and the groomsmen to wear gray suits, and so she thought softer shades of lavender just seemed like it would complement their attire, and the gray décor of the Wychmere, perfectly.

The Flowers and Décors

She wove this lavender ombre theme into various elements of the wedding, including the flowers and décor (bouquets, bountinnieres, ceremony decorations, centerpieces, signage), all of their stationary (save the dates, invitations, seating cards, menus), groomsmen’s ties and socks and bridesmaid’s dresses. Even Rache’s shoes and toenail polish were shades of lavender!

Message in a Bottle Donation Favors

Another unique element of the wedding that Rachel and Mike’s wedding favors. The couple wanted to give people a little something they could take home with them that would remind them of the beach, while also honoring one of the most important people their lives – Rachel’s mom.

Something Special

Over the years, Rachel and Mike participated in several MS Society fundraising events to help raise money to support research for a cure and to provide services for people affected by MS. To show their love and support for Rachel’s mom, they decided early on in the wedding planning process that they would make a significant donation to the MS Society on behalf of each of their guests as part of their wedding favor. To tie in the beach theme, they printed out pieces of paper that included a message to their guests about the donation, rolled them up, and inserted each message into little glass bottles.

The Crowdpleasers

Since neither Rachel and Mike are big cake lovers (nor were they concerned about sticking to traditions), they decided to do a tiered cannoli display instead. They chose three different flavors (coconut, cookies ‘n cream, and traditional with chocolate chips) and these were a big crowdpleaser.

The Photographer’s Advice

Make your wedding as personal as possible. Rather than following the usual wedding conventions, try to make choices that reflect who you are as a couple. This will lead to a far more interesting and memorable wedding that will be unique to you. Invite to your wedding the people who you think will be in your life for many years to come. It’s hard to keep guest lists down and the best way to do this is to not invite business associates or acquaintances you aren’t close to and don’t see being in your future. Don’t hesitate to delegate. Planning a wedding is an enormous task and many brides feel they have to control and decide every detail. Recognize what strengths your family/friends have and ask them for help in researching and making decisions about music, the photographer, menu, florists etc. rather than doing it all alone.

About the Photographer
As a working photojournalist, my approach to photographing weddings is to capture the spirit of your day through the spontaneous moments and tell the story of your wedding photojournalistically. I pay particular attention to the subtle gestures, humorous moments and quiet interactions that make your wedding unique. As you’ll see in my portfolio, I’m particularly passionate about capturing “moments” and try to be as unintrusive as possible. For the family and wedding party portrait sessions, I do make some suggestions and aim to make these photos as fun and enjoyable as possible. I love capturing the connection between people and am always thrilled when my clients tell me that I managed to capture a version of their wedding even they didn’t see how much they love their wedding images. I shoot high resolution raw files and each final image is carefully edited and toned. You will receive high resolution color and bw files of each final image on a thumb drive as well as unlimited online viewing. Quality prints and beautiful collage-style coffee table albums are also available. While I’m based on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, I’ve photographed weddings as far away as Italy and India and am always open to travel. My pricing starts at around $3,000. To see more of my work, please visit my in-depth website at juliacumesphoto.com. To contact me, email me at [email protected] or call me at (508)341-0375. Thank you!

Vendors

Photographer: Julia Cumes Photography
Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Angelo
Makeup Artist: Ali Lomazzo Beauty
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Floral Designer: Designers Touch Florals
Dress Designer: Hayley Paige
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Lobster Roll Cruises
Event Planner: Longwood Events
Ceremony Location: Longwood Venues
Second Shooter: Meredith Jane Photography
Invitation Designer: Minted – Jody Worthington
Band: Night Shift Entertainment
Tuxedo and Mens Attire: The Black Tux
Reception Venue: Wychmere Beach Club