Photographing weddings at The Villa at Ridder Country Club is always a dream for me because the Saphire Event Group Staff members are so incredibly professional and efficient. Regardless of the hiccups in the day, the staff do their best to get everyone and everything back on track. Hence, the guests and celebrants have a great time, and the vendors can perform at their best.
Kendy and Esperancia were married amid the 2020 COVID pandemic. At the time of their wedding, Massachusetts's state limited wedding guests to just 50 vendors per open-air event (not including the staff). The large celebration that this couple wanted had to be restructured. The coordinating team at the Villa made it happen.
Instead of having the laster wedding with hundreds of guests like they’d planned, Kendy and Esperancia worked with the venue to hold two mini-50 person events in one day. In the early afternoon, the older guests arrived early and celebrated with the couple for four hours. Later on in the evening, the second round of guests came in - again, 50 strong, this time their younger friends, and that the couple could party the night away.
The staff coordinated with the vendors and guests to hold a ceremony during the first part of the day, set up for a reception, break down the room and set it back up again for the second round of festivities. Everything was done so efficiently and quickly. No one sat around hungry or thirsty, and the needs of the couple were met at every turn by a waiting attendant. This venue aims to make you feel like a million bucks regardless of the type of event you throw.
I’ve been very fortunate to photograph a wedding at the Villa once every wedding season since 2017. I am looking forward to photographing many more.