Amy & Anthony - 5/17/2014 - Purpoodock Club, Cape Elizabeth

Sometimes when you wake up on the morning of a wedding, you get worried looking outside and seeing rain.  You remind yourself that they always say it's good luck to have rain on your wedding day, but you still feel bad for the couple.  Those were the feelings that passed over me as I packed the car for Amy and Anthony's wedding.  As noon came and went, the skies cleared up.  It wasn't in the forecast, but the sun fought through so Amy and Anthony would have a beautiful, dry afternoon for their wedding.

If you've read my recaps before, you know I have a soft spot for the Purpoodock Club.  I love doing weddings there.  The staff, the room, the ambience are all just awesome for a wedding.  I was certainly happy the sun came out for my load in.  As I first stepped into the room I was taken aback at the sheer number of tables and chairs set up.  It was easily the largest group I've seen in that room.  The layout was very tight, but I slalomed my equipment through and got set up.  You'll see in the pictures below, that they had a great theme going with the homemade wooden centerpieces and the flowers provided by the bride's aunt.  It's great to be at a wedding where you can tell the families came together to help build the day, not just the bride and groom.

I was informed early on from the coordinator that we were running a little behind.  There was a mishap with the ceremony script and it was pushing things back about a half hour.  Never-the-less, things got back on track by the time the reception started thanks to the quickness of the photos.  It's certainly worth noting that I was once again working with a friend and excellent photographer, Clare Norton of Clare Norton Photography.

We got the bridal party introduced and launched into a couple of great toasts from the best man and maid of honor.  Dinner was served, which due to the size of the crowd, did tend to push things back a little.  Once everyone had been served and Amy and Anthony had a chance to mingle and thank guests, we cut the cake.  The first dance came next.  The crowd took pictures and gathered around the dance floor to show their love and support of the newlyweds.  The father/daughter dance as well as the mother/son dance drew some "awwws" from the crowd and then we were ready to dance. 

I've been blessed with some great groups over the last few years, and this one was among the best.  They were ready to dance to anything and everything.  They were packed like sardines on the dance floor, throwing their hands in the air and singing along to the music.  Amy and Anthony had picked out some killer songs and I was doing my best to work as many in as possible.  The room was electric and we only slowed it down a few times.  Even for the slow dances, no one seemed to leave the floor.  When the time came to call for the last dance, I thanked the crowd for being so awesome and we took them out with the same music we brought them in to.  I thought we were done from there, but the "ONE MORE SONG" chants kicked in.  I'm always at the mercy of the club, but the manager said to go ahead and play one more.  We wrapped things up with a classic journey sing-along and the crowd went home happy.

I couldn't ask for a better beginning to the season than I had with Amy and Anthony.  Congratulations again to them and thank you again for making me a part of your special day.  I hope I can work with them again sometime in the future!

Song List

Introductions: Timber by Pitbull ft. Kesha
First Dance: At Last by Etta James
Father/Daughter Dance: I Loved Her First by Heartland
Mother/Son Dance: Simple Man by Shinedown
Cake Cutting: Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler
Last Dance: Timber by Pitbull ft. Kesha
Encore: Don't Stop Believin' by Journey