A Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Wedding Ceremony and Backyard Bash | Chelsea + BJ 8.8.2020

WeddingsThe Photos

Aug 11

He stood, confident and relaxed facing the guests spread across his daughter’s backyard who were seated at white tables with tall candle center pieces. String lights dangled crisscrossed above his head and he held a microphone that he never raised to his lips. Tom spoke so that all could hear him without it. He held a paper he didn’t have to read from. The words would come from his heart, not a paper. I think we all expected him to be serious and then he started, “You know that movie Father of the Bride staring Steve Martin as the dad? When his daughter talks about having a backyard wedding, he’s happy and has visions of himself flipping burgers on the grill in the backyard of his home. Little does he know his wife and daughter have another plan that involves a wedding planner, swans, the whole deal…..yeah.” The whole crowd roared with laughter as they looked at the beautiful scene that they were all part of….Chelsea and her mother had outdone themselves. Everyone had. It was beautiful to behold especially as the sun set just so behind the tall tree branches scraping the sky protecting us all from the heat of the day. Fans whirred quietly throughout as an added measure to keep guests comfortable as they sat at socially distant tables. White tens were erected to provide shelter and shade and food was brought in from their favorite restaurants to be served safely by catering staff.

The plan changed time….and time…and time again for Chelsea and BJ. Just when they thought they had it all planned, they were forced to reschedule their date. They almost lost me until the couple who were originally going to get married on 8/8/20 on my calendar moved their wedding to next year allowing me to remain their photographer. Then, they lost their church. They were originally going to get married down the street from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in the same church BJ’s parents got married in. And, lastly their venue was out of the question with new COVID restrictions. I never once received an exasperated or complaining email from Chelsea. She simply rolled with it and rolled up her sleeves to re-plan….again. We made adjustments to the timeline as needed and even on the wedding day we decided almost last minute where to take their husband and wife portraits (a park down the street from their house and a park that BJ had grown up going to most of his life!). They lost a lot of things along the way but they will always have each other, forever.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral was the stuff of dreams with its black and white marble checkerboard pattern down the exquisitely long aisle. The space was all gleaming beauty with pops of color, blue and gold. I was entranced upon entering. The service was beautiful followed by a fun walk through the city to the Civic Club for bridal party photos then a Trolly from Unique Limousine picked them all up to take the bridal party to the reception and the couple to their portrait location down the road. Like stated earlier, the park was so close to their house that they decided to walk home to their reception, horns honking from cars driving by all the way. Neighbors shouted congratulations. It was so sweet.

Timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the entire day. As soon as they arrived home, they noticed a package that had been dropped off moments before by the delivery truck. Chelsea’s eyes gleamed with fun as she said, “Let’s go in. I want you to open it.” Eyeing me to let me know to come along to get photos of it. She had ordered special coozys for the reception with an inside joke on it….BJ LOVED them. Well done Chelsea.

The rest of the night was intimate and fun. Guests were encouraged to socially distance themselves and to wear masks even outside if they wanted to and EVERYONE had fun. Even their puppy Cosmo made an appearance though we all tried to not let him steal the show….it was hard. It was the perfect day. I remember chatting with BJ close to my end time telling him what a spectacular day I thought it was. He leaned back into his heels, held up his drink in one hand, pulled on his suspender with the thumb of his other hand and gazed up at the sky with a dazed grin. He agreed whole-heartedly. He finally got his girl. They dance together like they were made for it and do they ever love their family and friends. It really was the perfect day.

Chelsea and BJ, thank you for allowing me into this happiest of days in your lives. I cannot stop smiling thinking about it all. I have no idea how I’m supposed to slim down the almost 500 highlights I have processed for you to the 250 photo limit on the blog. BJ, thank you for sharing your amazing smile with the world. I don’t think it’s possible not so smile while in your presence. Chelsea, I admire the way you know exactly what you want and aren’t afraid to go for it. You were SUCH a beautiful bride. I think you two are completely perfect together and I am so happy you found each other. I hope you love this sample of my favorites from your wedding day and because I know how hard it is to wait for the full gallery, there is a surprise in your inbox right now, so go check! XO - Megan