Free for NYE: Filming New Year's Eve Weddings in Western Massachusetts

So, what do people do when they’re not filming a New Year’s Eve wedding? I’ve spent a bunch of New Year’s Eves shooting elegant weddings at indoor venues across Western Massachusetts, but this year neither my wife or I will be working; we need to take advantage of this rare scheduling opportunity and go out! 

One of my first, and favorite, New Year’s weddings I ever shot was for two friends, Lindsey and Pete, who got married at the Sheraton at Monarch Place in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Back then, the hotel had a multi-tiered, glass platform where the wedding party, the bride and groom stood for the ceremony. This made lighting tricky (isn’t lighting always tricky?), but the production came out beautifully. 

There are a lot of wonderful venues in the Pioneer Valley for winter weddings, but when there’s snow, I like to head up to the Berkshires for shoots. Berkshire County’s mountains and rolling fields, thick forests and frozen lakes blanketed in pristine snow are a great environment for a winter wedding.  

New Year's Eve is a popular date to get married; if you're planning for a NYE wedding, start locking vendors down now. Also, know ahead of time that some vendors charge additional NYE fees. It makes sense, though. They need to cover the increased cost of throwing simultaneous NYE and wedding parties. 

​All right, I’ve got New Year’s plans to make. Happy holidays, everyone. See you next year!
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