We could not wait to say "I do!"

Chris & Laura first met one summer day at a mutual friend's house and, while they both thought the other was cute, neither of them made a move. Fast forward a few months and Laura had stopped by the house, where Chris now lived, to drop off some holiday baked goods before she went on another horrible online date. They chatted for a bit and Laura shared tales from the nightmare that was online dating. They had a good laugh at her expense. She said good night and headed out on her date. The next day Chris messaged her to make sure she survived and to see if she had another horror story to share. He then took his shot and asked Laura out. Based on her prior failed dates, he promised not to cry, not to make her cry, and said if she was still thinking about becoming a cat lady at the end of the date she could start with his cat. How could a girl say no?!

After dating for three years, Chris & Laura began talking about their future together. Laura had a feeling that Chris was studying up on the 4 C's but that didn't stop her from making sarcastic comments about sparkly accessories. One day Laura found evidence that Chris was trying to inconspicuously figure out her ring size. She, of course, mentioned it and helped him out by telling him. Then one Sunday night a few months later, Laura got home from running errands and told Chris to come over for dinner. As she began prepping for dinner Chris casually started asking about her ring size again. He pulled out a plastic ring sizer and asked if that was her size. Laura reminded him they already had this conversation and it was a size too small. He pulled out another plastic ring sizer and asked if that was better but it was still half a size too small. Exasperated and thinking "this is never going to happen!" Laura turned back to the stove with an emphatic no. He then asked if this was her size while holding out a ring box with a beautiful sparkly accessory for Laura. She did not see that coming! Laura froze as Chris got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of their lives together. It was an easy "Yes!"

At the beginning of March Chris & Laura viewed several different wedding venues. After making a thorough pros & cons list they narrowed it down to one place that just seemed perfect for them. They got together with the event planner to do a walk through and discuss dates. As luck would have it they had several fall dates available for 2020. Chris & Laura told her they would check their calendars and get back to her. That night they excitedly chose a date in November 2020. Laura called her the next day to select the date and to set up an appointment to go over some details and make a deposit. Then the pandemic hit home in Boston. We all hit the brakes. As the state went in to lockdown, churches and schools were closed, and large gatherings were banned, planning a wedding just didn't seem like a priority, nor did it seem like a safe option. They resigned themselves to being in engagement limbo with no end in sight to the pandemic and no plans to get married. A few months later as spring bloomed Chris and Laura decided they did not want to put their life together on hold. They were talking about just the two of them heading to the court house and how that would be safer than potentially exposing those they love most to Covid. Laura just couldn't see herself getting married without her parents and sisters there and Chris was feeling the same way. It was then that they decided to have a small backyard wedding with just their immediate family members. On Father's day while they were grilling out at Laura's parents' house the subject of their engagement came up and Laura's Dad, Henry, made a joke about getting married in the back yard. She asked him how long it would take him to get the yard ready. He didn't think she was serious. She asked if two months would be enough time. Unsure of whether to make a joke or get to work Henry said sure, he could do it and Laura's Mom, Debbi, cried. haha So the countdown began.... they had 8 weeks to plan their backyard wedding.

Chris & Laura got married on a cool, gray Saturday at her parents' house in Rehoboth, MA. They gladly sacrificed blue skies for relief from the hot August temperatures we had been having. Also, it was fantastic to be able to rub it in that their summer wedding was much cooler than Andrea & Jay's fall wedding! Henry walked Laura out of her childhood home, across the lawn, to her handsome Groom who waited under a beautiful cedar arbor that was a wedding gift from her parents (and built by Henry). Despite the pandemic, Chris's Dad and sisters safely made the trip to celebrate from NH, NY, and NC. Surrounded by their immediate family members they shared their vows and promised to love each other for all of their tomorrows. After they took an abundance of family photos, their fantastic photographer Suzanne and her daughter Shannon stole Chris & Laura away to take pictures all over the property. Kristina prepared and served individual cheese and hors d'oeuvre platters for everyone to enjoy while they did their best to make a dent in the overstocked bar. Chris & Laura shared their first dance to Tennessee Whiskey by their favorite, Chris Stapleton (who was also their first concert together). Laura & Henry have shared many dances together but dancing to I'll Be Your Man by Zac Brown Band will always be Laura's favorite dance with her Dad. Dinner was a homemade farm to table feast; salad fixings from the garden to start, followed by filet and lobster tail, squash and zucchini from the garden, twice baked potatoes, and homemade rolls. Dessert was a delicious sangria inspired wedding cake that was a beautiful wedding present from Chris's Mom, Jean. Now that everyone was sufficiently stuffed it was time to break out the glow sticks, light the fire pit, and spend the rest of the night laughing and celebrating. While they wish they could have shared this special occasion with all of you, Chris & Laura are so thankful for the beautiful intimate celebration they were able to have.

For more info and another perspective of our very special day, please check out our photographers', S. Jolley Photography, blog posts. Copy and paste the links below into your web browser. Her first blog post is the Sneak Peak: https://sjolleyphoto.com/blog/f/sneak-peek---laura-and-chris---rehoboth-ma The second post is the first part of our wedding day: https://sjolleyphoto.com/blog/f/laura-and-chris---part-1-backyard-wedding-rehoboth-ma And finally the last blog post: https://sjolleyphoto.com/blog/f/laura-and-chris---part-2-backyard-wedding-rehoboth-ma