Meredith and Nick's wedding date was September 16th, 2017. That date may not stick out to you upon initial thought but it certainly might if you happen to live in Florida. That week hurricane Irma barrelled through the state causing all kinds of damage and flooding devastating homes and businesses. Meredith and Nick live in Atlantic Beach and their wedding day was just 6 days after Irma made initial landfall. The timing couldn't have been worse. 

The two were getting married at The Margate in Laconia and I hadn't heard from them the week before the wedding. I knew Atlantic Beach had been affected by the storm and I was just hoping that they were ok. 

At last, a couple of days before the wedding they got in touch and said everything was, thankfully, still on. It hadn't been easy though. Their flights had been cancelled and they had to rent a car and drive all the way up to New Hampshire. Needless to say, that wasn't part of the plan but they did what they had to do to keep their wedding plans afloat.

As I'm sure you can guess, I hadn't met the couple prior to wedding day. I had my second shooter Mark with me and we got acquainted as best as possible when we arrived before jumping right in. Thankfully they were in great spirits despite the chaos going on back home. Luckily they hadn't had any damage to their home so it could have been worse for them.

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Sunset on the Lake

Both the girls and the guys were getting ready at the resort. I covered the girls getting ready while Mark hung with the guys. Everyone was in great spirits and looking forward to the day ahead. You couldn't take the smile off Meredith's face. After some fun on the bed with her bridesmaids it was time to get into the dress. She looked amazing as all the final pieces came together. The girls were all in burgundy while the guys looked sharp in black. Nick went with the bow-tie while his groomsmen had burgundy ties to go with the girls' dresses.

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There was no first look planned with the two, but Meredith did want to do one with dad so we set that up before getting a few fun photos with the girls before ceremony time. 

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The ceremony spot at The Margate is awesome. It sits right on the lake with the sun going down behind it. Depending on the time of day it can make shooting very tricky but ultimately it's great. Meredith's dad escorted her down the aisle while Nick gazed upon his bride for the first time. He was a happy camper!

Meredith was a little emotional throughout but the tears were certainly ones of happiness. Both moms said a few words and then Meredith and Nick had a unity candle ceremony. Nick's dad was officiating and that made it extra special. 

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The timing of everything worked out really well. We caught the sun at a great spot in the sky for bridal party pictures. We had some fun with everyone then managed to get some super shots of the couple with the sun right on the horizon. The colors were spectacular. It's hard to do these kind of photos on wedding day as the schedule is always tight. Pre-planning is your best bet to make sure we can get out for photos when the light is best.

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There are a couple of locations for the reception at The Margate. There was another wedding there that day who had the tent up on the lawn near the ceremony spot. Meredith and Nick had the Main ballroom in the front building. It fit their guests perfectly. 

The family and bridal party were introduced followed by the stars of the show. They shared their first dance which were followed by toasts and then dinner. After the buffet we went right into parent dances and cake cutting. The party started after that. 

One thing that The Margate does is offer fireworks so we made sure to get out in time to get some shots with them. The other wedding was making sure to take advantage of them too. Fireworks are always a nice way to cap off a spectacular wedding celebration!

I hope you enjoy some photos from their day.