Sondra and Greg’s Salem Cross Inn Wedding in West Brookfield Ma.
Today I am so excited to be bringing you Sondra and Greg’s Salem Cross Inn Wedding, truly one of my favorite wedding venues.
I love capturing the joy and emotions on a wedding day and their wedding had plenty of both!
Sondra and Greg put their wedding together in a relatively short amount of time but you wouldn’t have known it with how perfectly everything went.
let’s hear about their wedding day back in August from Sondra herself.
It was Mother’s Day (and Greg’s 39th birthday!) and we were getting ready to leave the house to visit with our families. He was just standing there in the kitchen holding our daughter so I asked him, “Why are you just standing there? ! Did you feed the dog?” I immediately regretted my sass when he replied, “Eleanor and I were wondering if you would share our last name for the rest of our lives?” as he got down on one knee and held out a beautiful ring. I never thought he would propose on a holiday, nevermind a holiday/birthday, so I didn’t believe him at first. When Greg turned to Eleanor and asked her if I was going to answer them, I finally said “YES!”
What was your favorite moment(s) from the wedding?
We just loved being surrounded by so many of our friends and family, especially knowing that they were able to be there for us on such short notice. A cute and memorable moment was when my older brother, Nathan, gave a toast and our one and a half year old daughter burst out in laughter at all the appropriate times. It was adorable.
Fun, filled with love, laid back and relaxed! We planned it from start to finish in 3 weeks so we felt no pressure to make everything “perfect.” We were really able to kick back and enjoy the day, celebrating with our closest family and friends.
What photography-related advice would you offer to a couple?
If you want to document the memories of your day so you can look back and relive them, photography is not the place to skimp, budget-wise. A reputable and experienced photographer is worth every penny! We chose the Salem Cross Inn for our reception, and we wanted someone who was already familiar with this unique and beautiful venue (it seemed like the lighting might be a challenge for a photographer who wasn’t familiar with it).
We looked through wedding albums that were specific to Salem Cross Inn and every album of Greg Moss Photography caught our eye. We contacted him immediately and are so glad we did – he and his assistant, Lesley, exceeded our expectations. We ended up extending our initial contracted time in order to get some sunset photos, which I would highly recommend! The showed us a sneak-peek of some of the shots as we were taking them and it was hard to believe that it was actually us and not a stock photo of another couple!
Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?
I knew that I didn’t want or need a crazy expensive dress, and while I considered my options on Amazon Prime (the prices and 2-day delivery were tempting for a wedding that was less than 3 weeks away), I decided it would be best to actually try something on. I hijacked my mom who was in the middle of washing her car and we headed to David’s Bridal. I quickly scanned the available dresses and saw four that caught my eye. They almost didn’t let me try them on because I didn’t have an appointment, but quickly changed their minds as we were walking out the door. I fell in love with two of them, but ultimately chose the dress that flattered my shape and made me feel the most beautiful. The bonus was that it was on sale for $249 and that I didn’t need any alterations!
How was your experience taking photos/working with me on your wedding day?
Greg and I had so much fun working with Greg and Lesley (his second shooter) on our wedding day! We had only spoken over the phone and through emails/texts prior to our wedding day, but you would have never known that by how comfortable they made us feel and the way we interacted. We shared a lot of laughs! Since Greg and Lesley were familiar with our reception venue, they didn’t waste our time setting up or getting a great shot. They were true professionals and went above and beyond.
Tell us about the wedding professionals that exceeded your expectations.
Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, MA was (nearly) a one-stop-shop for us. The scenery outside provided a picture-perfect background for our guests and our photographs. The decor inside the barn didn’t call for anything “extra” on our part (although we did make some centerpieces by filling old mason jars with hydrangeas from my mom’s front yard). The food was amazing… AMAZING! And Donna was wonderful to work with and helped us pull our last minute wedding off without a hitch.
DJ Sheldon Hanson was our emcee and DJ and did a great job keeping our guests entertained from cocktail hour until the end of the night. His prices were so affordable and we were very impressed that he was able to get the crowd dancing on a Sunday afternoon!
Let’s take a look at a few of the photos from their Salem Cross Inn Wedding.
