A Tavola Wedding, Robin & Derek: Fill the World With Silly Love Songs

When Robin first reached out to me about photographing her and Derek’s wedding, I absolutely fell in love with everything about it immediately. It combined two of my favorite things – weddings and food. And, to add a third awesome thing to the mix, it was all happening in my hometown! Score!

Robin and Derek have a wonderful love story and it was an honor to join them in celebrating with them on their wedding day. I met up with Robin at the hair salon where she was with her sisters and my second shooter Erin met up with Derek and his parents at their hotel. What I loved most about their day is how relaxed and laid back it all was. I actually went with Robin to pick up her flowers (from Stems, a local florist) and to pick OUT the wedding cake. That’s right, we walked right into La Patisserie and picked out a cake. We even bumped into Derek on our walk around Winchester – no nerves, no jitters, no nothing. It was adorable. The wedding ceremony was performed at The Parish of the Epiphany (which just happens to be where my brother got married last year) which is a gorgeous church right outside of the center. Robin and Derek opted for a First Look, so we arranged to do that right in the church’s courtyard. And we had some time to get some portraits of the two of them before the wedding. They actually walked in to their ceremony together, something I think I’ve only photographed once before. To me, it just signifies such a partnership, and isn’t that what marriage is really all about? When it came time for portraits, we made the most of what Winchester Center has to offer, which in mind, is a kickass train station and a parking lot with lots of scenery. And, of course, Starbucks. That was the bride and groom’s suggestion! I asked them to sit down at one of the cafe tables, but in my mind, the other tables were populated. This time around, they weren’t. Until a large group of girls ran by on a scavenger hunt! When I asked if they wanted to be in the photo, they all jumped in! It was perfect. And in exchange for their participation, Derek had to dance with one of them so they could cross it off their list. Unscripted, unexpected moments like that just make the day so memorable!

Robin and Derek held their reception at A Tavola, an amazing Italian restaurant in Winchester. It’s dedicated to serving local ingredients from local farmers, so you can imagine how excited I was to photograph there! With only about 40 guest, it was the perfect setting for a wedding dinner. An origami heart, made by the couple’s nephew, decorated each seat. Everyone ate good food, toasted the happy couple, and chatted the night away.

I love SO MANY of these photos, it was hard to narrow them down, so this is a long post!
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I had to include this photo Erin took of me through the restaurant kitchen. I just can’t seem to stop being silly.

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Margaret Belanger Photography | A Tavola Wedding, Robin & Derek: Fill the World With Silly Love Songs

Meg Belanger