Every detail of their celebration at Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Mystic, Connecticut was crafted with so much love (and talent). Now seems like a great time to mention that Amanda made every single one of the wooden flower arrangements you will see below. The vibrant pops of color and beautiful display of both of their personalities was evident throughout.
The guest book? A custom globe. Escort cards and guest gift? Gorgeous colorful luggage tags. Have I mentioned just how much I really love guest gifts with a purpose that are sure to be used and serve as a reminder for years to come? Every table “number” had the beautiful cityscape of Paris engraved on the wooden base of a city name - a great spin on finding a place to sit. From their Destination Engagement Session in Portsmouth in New Hampshire I knew I was going to want lots of time and beautiful ways to style Amanda’s ring. My favorite is that Amanda loves details as much as I do, so I arrived to an entire box of extra florals, an Eiffel Tower heirloom souvenir and several macaroons from Sift Bake Shop in Mystic (and knowing their love for macarons and the significant roll they played in their engagement, these were well utilized!). Amanda and I had been chatting throughout their planning process about the fabric choices, food decisions, etc. and I walked into this wedding knowing a lot about their day and being prepared for helping to craft a visual narrative reflective of their incredible relationship and that really makes all the difference.
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Much like so many other couples who had planned their original wedding and full celebration for 2020, Alyssa & Alex were faced with planning and adjusting in the middle of a global pandemic. They had decided last year to be married with an intimate backyard gathering surrounded only by a few people, and they delayed their larger gathering another year and waited to really celebrate at the Burr Homestead in Fairfield, Connecticut. As I had the privilege of photographing both unique celebrations, you can checkout their 2020 intimate backyard wedding here.
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Despite the many speed bumps and hurdles these two faced while planning, they crafted a day that focused on the safety of their loved ones, amidst a global pandemic, and a day that was representative of their relationship. They chose to have a First Look under a willow tree that provided for gorgeous soft light and a romantic aesthetic with the addition of Charlotte’s plush bouquet with pops of maroon and plum, followed by portraits around the gardens. Their “I Do’s” were exchanged at the most stunning ceremony site where the sun shone through the orchard trees and incorporated incredible architecture and florals. The cocktail hour was the perfect prelude to the rest of the evening full of celebrations. Guests had the opportunity to mingle and move about and explore the different elements which had been carefully designed with hightop tables, several elegant and cozy seating areas, and various games to encourage social distancing - all while eating from individual charcuterie cones (their Catering team, A Thyme to Cook, really knocked it out of the park along with so many other vendors).
Charlotte and Rob are two of the most thoughtful and genuinely sweet and caring people I’ve ever met. They incorporated countless details in their plans emphasizing their concern for both the safety and overall experience of their guests. Even their loved ones who were no longer able to celebrate in person with them due to COVID-19 were a focal point, with an honored place live streaming at their ceremony - they may have even had a better view of their vows and first kiss than the guests in attendance! Speaking of all things thoughtful, they had previously sent out a toast for everyone to enjoy with them at home. Capturing them say hello to everyone celebrating remotely after the ceremony was one of my favorite moments.
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Working with Kelly and Stephen to document this day amidst a global pandemic had it’s ups and downs in planning, but I think after everything we can say that their wedding plans worked out exactly as they were supposed to.
We held to their original plan of a church ceremony in Branford, but the reception that followed took place at Kelly’s childhood home. Now, her home is not in just any neighborhood - it’s one of those neighborhoods they make shows about. All the kids grew up together, the parents are all friends, it seems the neighbors collectively raised each other’s children (giving a whole new meaning and depth to the phrase “it takes a village”), the group even had their favorite song that brought everyone out on the dance floor at once. I don’t know all of the details of the many years of friendships that have developed in this neighborhood, but I do know from experiencing the level of community on display for just one night, this is they type of community and we should all be fighting for these days. It was so beautiful to watch Kelly and Stephen have all of their closest people celebrating with them in a place with such history for them.
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And then Courtney began to walk towards Ryan and the sun came out. I could hear gasps of excitement from their guests, it was that noticeable. An undeniable sparkle and warmth from a sun we hadn’t seen all day. I’m telling you, I’m crying as I’m writing this, because it was one of the most redemptive moments of 2020 so far and I was there with a front row seat to witness.
Congratulations, Courtney and Ryan! I can’t thank you enough for trusting me in this season and allowing me to capture some of your most precious memories.
Possibly my favorite moment from their day were the two separate moments (both captured with photos you can see below) where shortly after they had exchanged rings, shared a kiss, both Courtney and Ryan looked down at their hands with the sweetest expressions, visibly realizing that the hand they were holding was now, without question, there’s to hold forever.
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Joe & Tori’s wedding plans, along with so many other of my couples this year, were affected by the global pandemic. They moved their original wedding date from June to August and ultimately had to push their larger celebration until 2021. But that didn’t stop these two from saying “I Do.”
In fact they didn’t just face a pandemic, in addition to COVID-19 they also had a tornado touch down in their town the night before their ceremony (yes, we are still talking about Connecticut). The neighborhood where they were married was greatly impacted, so much so that Joe spent the morning cutting and clearing trees from the place where they were to officially tie the knot. I honestly couldn’t believe the destruction from the tornado when I was driving in to photograph their wedding. A date change, canceled rehearsal dinner, a downed cell tower that resulted in communication with their loved ones being difficult, a broken wedding dress strap (from Tori sharing a tight hug her dad at the end of the aisle - the best possible reason for a slight wardrobe malfunction) and a power outage - these two truly faced just about all of the obstacles in their wedding planning.
But on a Friday afternoon in August these two spoke words of truth, standing back to back, as they read their vows in a quiet moment before the ceremony. They tied the knot with their closest friends and family there to witness and they kept one another grounded in the things that they know to be true.
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Whitney and Dylan are two people who love intentionally. Everything they do is done with such care for those around them. Every detail of this day of celebration in Mystic, Connecticut at The Stonington Meadows came together beautifully. Whitney’s dress was absolutely breathtaking, the weather was glorious, the florals were stunning, the ceremony was meaningful, and the party was epic. It was a beautiful day and I could not think of two more deserving people to have their plans finally fall into place.
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Leia and Dave are both lovers of the outdoors. They are two people who light up in each other’s presence and their calm demeanor and steadfast devotion to each other is admirable. Not to mention they both have the best sense of humor and watching their genuine and carefree interactions throughout the day was such a fun front row seat to have.
The were married at the Chapel at Camp Fowler, a stunning and peaceful woodsy building with pine features, followed by some portraits by the water and surrounding buildings, beach, and canoes and then an intimate and fun backyard gathering. This gathering was uniquely and exquisitely styled and arranged much in part and thanks to their amazing families, including their sister-in-law, Jess, who owns Different Blend Bakery in Schenectady, New York. Be sure to checkout the amazing cake, s’mores station, custom napkins, and many other carefully attended to details that made this celebration so clearly crafted in love.
We ended the evening with canoeing around the lake and letting the newlyweds enjoy a grand adventure together - their first canoe trip as Mr. and Mrs. captured forever. The day wouldn’t have been complete without running down the dock together hand-in-hand and a jump in the lake. Admittedly, I asked them to do this twice because it was just too much fun.
This wedding day had all the intentionality behind it I wish for all of my couples. If an adventure inspired intimate wedding in the Adirondacks doesn’t speak to your soul, that’s ok. But these two celebrated in a way that was true to them and their relationship and I hope that every couple feels empowered to choose the things that are most important to them on their wedding day. It truly doesn’t matter if you call it an elopement, micro-wedding, destination wedding, intimate wedding - for Leia and Dave the celebration was no-fuss in all the ways they intended. They will forever have this day etched in their minds and can always look back and know that they chose love, they chose each other, and they chose to declare their union and be affirmed in it by their families who will continue to stand by their sides for years to come as they watch Leia and Dave, undoubtedly, embark on many more adventures together.
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The added twist to this styled shoot was that our models were a real couple I connected with on social media and they exchanged vows and were legally married during the shoot! They traveled in from Ohio and it was quite the destination elopement weekend (be sure to check out their Engagement Session and cozy morning of wedding shoot if you haven’t already).
Where a typical styled shoot might be called off due to rain, because we were holding an actual ceremony we obviously went ahead with the plans and we think the rain and dark sky add an element of realness and romance to this styled-shoot-turned-real-wedding. So many amazing vendors and talented creatives came together to make this possible and their entire intimate wedding day was a complete surprise from start to finish! So cool.
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The first time Courtney and I chatted on the phone we connected over so many things - among them, the similarities shared by our significant others (right down to them sharing the same birthday). During their initial inquiry call we talked at length about the plans they envisioned for their wedding day, but even more importantly, I had the opportunity to get to know them and hear about their love story up until their engagement. These two have been together for about 10 years, and from the bits and pieces I’ve picked up from conversation, as well as their live-life-to-the-fullest personalities, I would say that those 10 years were filled with more epic adventures and life experiences together than some have the opportunity to have in a lifetime.
When they were officially engaged, in conversation with Courtney’s 98 year old Grandmother (affectionately known as Grma), she asked that they get married in Connecticut so that she could dance at their wedding. A Connecticut wedding wasn’t necessarily a given because Courtney and Jeff have lived in Connecticut, Hawai’i, and Colorado, but they decided to plan for a New England wedding to make Gram’s wish come true.
Fast forward to a meeting over Christmas week to tour Guilford Yacht Club together, followed by a global pandemic (COVID-19 plot twist), added state guidelines, gathering mandates, travel restrictions and a change of venue. At the end of it all? A happy ending for two of the most deserving people I know. A stunning wedding with their family in attendance on Chaffinch Island in Guilford, Connecticut where they frequented together in the early days of their relationship. Gram was in fact able to dance at their intimate outdoor wedding reception, and the joy that lit up that backyard made several months of stressful wedding planning and adjusting worth it.
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