Rainy Fall Hammond Castle Museum Elopement
Table of Contents:
Elopement Planning
"My fiancé and I had an elopement planned in Hawaii for May 9th 2020.. we planned that trip for 2 years and if was canceled because of the pandemic. Brendan and I met when we were 17 and have been together for 13 years. We don’t want to keep postponing our Elopement. October 28th is our anniversary and we would like to keep the date[...]". That's what Amanda wrote in her inquiry message to me on my contact form.
Initially Amanda was excited to elope on the beach in Hawaii, but with the change of plans expressed that they'd like to go somewhere adventurous with a beautiful view of the mountains in New Hampshire. But once we dug more into planning, she found the Hammond Castle Museum and never looked back!! It's awesome to see the versatility in elopement options and what they ultimately decided on. With every elopement I provide couples with a questionnaire to help them dig into their interests and their true desires for the day. Sometimes the result is something completely unexpected! Once their venue was chosen, the rest of the planning was a breeze. They wanted to elope just the two of them, with a mutual friend officiating.
Related Blog: Winter Wedding Timeline
The Hammond Castle Museum
The Hammond Castle Museum is in Gloucester and is a gorgeous Castle right on the rocky Atlantic coast. It was constructed as a home and laboratory to Mr. Hammond in the 1920s who actually invented the remote control, among other things. It's now a museum to showcase medieval architecture and artifacts.
There are tons of unique rooms available, of which we used the Courtyard for the ceremony then the Great Hall and Library for photos. Then of course outdoors we used the drawbridge in front of the castle as well as the gorgeous archways both overlooking the Atlantic Ocean as well as the other gorgeous architecture throughout the property.
A+ B Elopement Day
Amanda and Brendan are some of the most down to Earth, chill people I have ever met. Not only were their original dream plans derailed, but it rained on their elopement day. Fortunately, we planned to have their elopement inside in the courtyard from the get-go. Afterwards I learned that when the planner at the Hammond Castle asked Amanda if they'd want to do the ceremony outside, Amanda said "Nah, it'll probably rain. We'll do it inside". WHELP. Good thing she was prepared hah. After their short and sweet ceremony we took some photos around the historic interior of the castle before deciding to go outside and embrace the weather. It was rainy, it was cold, and it was SO FUN. Her dress and Brendan's jacket were absolutely soaked but their smiles warmed up the day (wow - that was cheesy AF). The cloud cover and rain really brought out the fall colors and made for a one of a kind elopement day. Their friend and officiant, Mike, stayed with us throughout the photos and held an umbrella over me to keep me dry. I wish I had some behind the scenes photos of the day because it looked like he was my body guard since he was suited up hahaha. It definitely helped A + B to have real smiles while looking at me!! I absolutely adore these two and cannot wait to hang out with them again!!
Amanda's Review:
"When I reached out to Tammy we had no plan. We knew we wanted to get married with only 2 months notice. Our original elopement was canceled because of the pandemic and I felt defeated. Tammy was so nice and helpful throughout the entire process. She sent me a ton of information to help us think about what kind of day we wanted to have for our elopement. She had a ton of recommendations for locations too. She also really took the time to get to know us and help us figure out what details we wanted to capture. We were so lucky to find such an amazing, talented and down to earth photographer. Our elopement was just us and our officiant so it was important to find a photographer that fit. I am so happy we found Tammy, we spent the day laughing and having fun in the rain. She really made the day memorable and fun. You will not regret choosing her to be apart of your big day no matter how many guest you have. The photos she captured for us are more than I imagined, we have gotten so many compliments on them. I can not wait to hire Tammy again in the future". - Amanda's Review on Google
Vendor Team
Venue: Hammond Castle Museum
Photographer: Tamara Merri Photography
Hair and Makeup: Unwind Vegan Luxury Beauty
Florist: Audrey's Flower Shop
Amanda, on when she knew she loved Brendan:
"The day I knew I really loved him was the day he surprised me at one of my volleyball games. I never had anyone at my games to support me. When I saw him in the stands I started crying during the game lol. [...] Brendan also wasn’t scared away by my crazy family. Brendan has always had a “I don’t care what others think” attitude and I love that about him."
Brendan, on what he loves most about Amanda:
"She lights the room up with her smile."
Are you interested in eloping? Not sure where to start, or have it all figured out and just need a photographer? I'm here to help in whatever capacity you need! Contact me today!
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