What a fun day to revisit! Gaelyn and Sam had their colorful summer wedding at the Westbrook Inn, a wonderful new wedding venue in Derry, NH. I loved that the couple timed their day so that they could really maximize their time together and with their guests. They had an emotional first look, beautiful private vows and then we had plenty of time after the formal photos for them to hang out with their families and wedding party before the ceremony. Also, on a hot August afternoon it’s nice to cool off in the air conditioning for a bit! I was so glad I got to be a part of this gorgeous day.

Wedding Venue: The Westbrook Inn, Derry, NH

I’ve asked the couple some questions about their relationship and the wedding day, Gaelyn’s answers are throughout in italics.

We got engaged on our five year anniversary. We started our day at Haunted Overload with our dog Jax and went through the daytime spooky walk. I was on edge the whole time, I definitely thought we were going to get engaged but I had no idea when or where he was going to ask. Then we got home, Sam still hadn’t asked but he said we should head to his step dads house. His step dad and mom live on a beautiful property with trails and it was October so the foliage was gorgeous. We pulled up and immediately he wanted to go for a walk with the dog, and at the end of the walk there’s a field and in it were pumpkins that said “will you marry me?” and there Sam was down on one knee! He had a friend there with a camera (but hidden) and then he took us to one of our favorite restaurants where all our friends and family were, he had rented the whole space so we could celebrate with those closest to us. Sweetest day ever (until our wedding of course!)

Lots more from this wedding at Westbrook Inn below!

colorful pink and orange flowers with invitation suite and rings wedding flat lay

bride and her bridesmaids in cute shortsleeve pajamas before getting dressed for ceremony

I loved these colorful bouquets!

bride in getting ready suite at the westbrook inn derry nh

bridesmaids first look with bride big expressions of joy

gaelyn in front of mirror while getting ready for wedding at the westbrook inn

bride's dad escorts his daughter to first look before wedding

gaelyn's recites her private vows from vow book to sam after first look

sam gets emotional during first look and private vows and gaelyn wipes away his tears

These were the sweetest private vows…. And at the end Gaelyn looked up and said to me, “I totally forgot you were there.” Win!

wedding photos at the westbrook inn of bride and groom under large tree

colorful bridal bouquets bridesmaids in purple dresses

groomsmen formal photos, wearing navy blue suits and white collared shirts no ties

bride and groom wedding photos in front of weeping willow tree at the westbrook inn

We loved your approach to the day - neither of us love getting our photos taken, and aside from the portraits we spent the day not feeling like our every move was being photographed! You captured wonderful candid shots of us interacting with our guests, and of our guests enjoying the evening and I don’t think we saw you once! It was so nice not to have that pressure on us all day.

wide angle photo of the grounds at the westbrook inn with tent and the inn and lawn

ceremony set up under the old oak tree at the westbrook inn with fabric draped over brach for backdrop

bride and groom hold hands with sun filtering in behind them during their summer wedding in nh

What were your first reactions to the photos?

I cried (happy tears). It was overwhelmingly beautiful to be able to relive the day together once it was over and to see it through different eyes. We were so excited to see the ceremony pictures because we both just stared at each other the whole time and didn’t take a look around to see what was happening

close up photos of bride and groom during their ceremony vows

summer wedding ceremony at the westbrook inn in derry nh

bride and groom dip and kiss during ceremony recessional

We both just wanted to enjoy every single moment because all we heard beforehand was that it goes by fast, and it certainly did. We made a plan to stay by each other the whole time, and to just remember why we were doing all of this!

cocktail hour entrance area inside the inn at westbrook inn

cocktail hour candid photos inside the bar area and outside with games and on the porch westbrook inn

tent wedding details with greenery and twinkle lights threaded through

We were seriously stressing when it came to wedding venues. We found it to be so overwhelming, all we really knew was that we wanted the venue to be able to accommodate the ceremony and reception, and to be able to stay over. The Westbrook Inn was high up on our list because it was not only gorgeous but seemed to allow us to make a weekend out of our wedding. We had a zoom call with Marc and that completely solidified our plans - it was clear he and his family were experts and handled each wedding with care and thank goodness we found them!