This summer of weddings has been (an insanely fun) whirlwind. Amazing dance parties, creative and heartfelt toasts, beautiful friends and family, delicious food, stunning table settings and decor, and of course behind it all, couples that are so great that I truly don’t know how I’ve gotten so lucky. Michie and Dave are one of those couples, and their June wedding at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH covered all the above, and I’ve been so excited to share more of their day.

There were so many layers to this wedding that I don’t even know where to start, so let’s start at the beginning. I cry at least a little at most of my weddings (a poorly concealed softie) but rarely do I start the day in tears. One of the really fun aspects of this wedding day was a surprise piano performance of a Smashing Pumpkins song, played by Michie, for Dave, to kick off the reception. When Brittney and I got to Jimmy’s that day and heard her practicing with her maid-of-honor by her side, filling the space with emotional incredibleness, all bets were off. From that moment on, EVERYTHING made me cry: seeing Michie’s spectacular wedding dress, seeing Michie looking spectacular in her wedding dress, her first look with her dad, every toast, and ultimately, even the perfect rooftop sunset we got that evening welled me up a little.

Michie and Dave’s ceremony was held at the iconic Music Hall in downtown Portsmouth, followed by cocktail hour at the New Museum of American Art at Jimmy’s, and dinner and dancing upstairs. Every detail, from the candle-lit table settings, to the florals, to little rock-n-roll mementos like matchboxes and playing cards, had vision behind them. As her dad Mike said in his toast, Michie had been planning this day since she was six years old and if it was up to him, that day would be perfect. And perfect it was. As guests danced the evening away, we snuck the couple up to the roof just in time for a pleasantly warm, amber sunset, and that’s where the magic really happened. We wanted to make sure we also captured the buzzy downtown summer energy of the city too, so we ended with a few shots under the Chestnut Street Arch, a Portsmouth landmark installed in honor of Michie’s grandfather. Though it was time for us to head out shortly after, it was clear by the look of things back at Jimmy’s that the party was far from over.