Wedding Day

Grove at Briar Barn Inn

Ceremony

Cocktail hour 

Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

It all started with a swipe right, or in Steve’s case, a click of a button (he was still figuring out how to use his new smart phone). We connected via OkCupid and met for our first date at Old School Bar and Grill in Windham, NH. Steve was unsettled when Lauren ordered her burger medium rare, but he was charmed by her stories of working on fishing vessels in the Bering Sea. She liked his sense of adventure and couldn’t stop looking into his blue eyes. Before the evening ended, we were already making plans for a second date.That second date began with breakfast burritos and ended more than 12 hours later as neither of us wanted to say goodbye.As we continued to date, Lauren provedherself to be valuable trivia teammate and Steve was a competent enough skier to keep up on the slopes. The COVID-19 pandemic led to cohabitation a bit sooner than either of us had planned, but we were such a good match that it was a seamless transition.Our love grew as we spent more time together, met each other’s friends/family, and shared in each other’s hobbies. Steve proposed on a cool April evening in Montreal and Lauren couldn’t have been more excited to say ‘yes.’

Our Story

Photos

We made a pact when we were 4, I was hers, now she’s mine 

Jordyn Moors 

10 years of friendship built on the backbone of chocolate cake, dumplings, and travel 

Jessica Dean 

Meghan Duffin

Another best friend of 10 years, never met a Chinese buffet or a home goods that we couldn’t conquer 

Jazmyn Ireland 

Claire Hamel

He climbs the really tall mountains with Steve so I don’t have to

Kyle O’Brien 

Tim LeFleur

Ryan Menner 

Charles Halloran

Can make you a blacksmithed bottle opener 

Nate Tobaygo

Honestly it was their idea and I couldn’t find a suitable argument against it.

Joe and Jack Duffin

Bea Hamel

Sadly will not be attending in person but will be there in the white fur that never leaves our clothing

Tucker 

Wedding Party

Q + A

For those who come by air…

Boston Logan is the largest New England Aiport, offering the most flights to fit every travelers schedule. Located 28 miles from Rowley, MA (venue town). Pros: usually cheaper flight prices, wide range of flights offered from across the country, many airline choices, several rent-a-car options at or near the airport that can be reached via airport shuttle. Cons: it is located in downtown Boston so traffic is a consideration

Boston Logan International Airport

Manchester regional airport is a much smaller airport option than Boston. Located 46 miles from Rowley, MA (venue town). Pros: much smaller airport where city traffic is not an issue, rental car services located on airport grounds, offers flights from across the country from several different airlines Cons: can be slightly more expensive that flying into Boston, less flights offered per day so slightly less flexibility when choosing flights

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport

For those that come by land…

There will be plenty of free available parking at the venue!

For those that come by sea…

That’s super cool… please share how you did it

Travel

Boston is rich in history and a great place to visit rain or shine. Take a stroll through the North End if you’re feeling like Italian food, visit Mikes pastry’s to pick up a cannoli (FYI, they are cash only), and walk part of the Freedom trail. Or visit a museum; Boston is home to the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, Museum of Science, and much more! Or if you’re feeling fishy, take a trip down to the waterfront and visit the New England Aquarium. A quick hop, skip, and a jump over from the aquarium is Faneuil Hall and Quincy market.

Boston

Newburyport is a quintessential New England coastal town. Here you'll find cute shops and great restaurants all with a view of the Newburport harbor. While our wedding is in March, the shops and restaurants are worth a trip to this cute town!

Newburyport 

Best things to do in New England in March

Portland, ME is about a 2 hour drive north from Rowley. Another waterfront town with lots of shops and great restaurants. Great place to go for some New England Sea food!

Portland, Maine

New Hampshire is a beautiful place to visit in the winter with lots to do outside. The White Mountain National Forest is about a 3 hour drive north of Rowley.

New Hampshire

Things to Do

Registry

Rooms at Briar Barn Inn

We have 20 rooms blocked for the Duffin + Hamel wedding onsite at the Briar Barn Inn. Please book rooms via https://www.briarbarninn.com using the code DUFHAM (yes, really….we didn’t have a say in the code). You can also call 978-653-5323 and give them the same code to book your stay!

Hotels Nearby

Holiday Inn Express

224 Winthrop Avenue, Lawrence, MA - Andover, MA 17 miles from venue, average 30min away.

Hampton Inn by Hilton

106 Bank Road, Haverhill, MA - Andover, MA 13 miles from venue, average 26 minutes away

Local AirBnBs

There are several options on airbnb.com for accommodations that are located in Rowley, MA and nearby Ipswich, MA.

Lauren & Stephen

Lauren & Stephen

Photos