Birthday celebrations after going through a global pandemic feel a little bit different. We’ve always had good reason to surround ourselves by those closest to us - our village - but after over a year of staying away from family and friends for the safety of all, coming together just feels a little bit sweeter, am I right?

When Becky and I first talked, I immediately got a sense for her beautiful and fun personality. You know when you meet someone and you leave the conversation thinking DANG, this person is just so full of light, I feel a little bit brighter? That’s Becky through-and-through. She’s genuine, kind, and loves her people. Throughout the pandemic, living in the urban area of Stamford, Connecticut, she would purchase a ticket frequently to sail on one of the Public Schooner Sails and hit the water leaving the city and building and confinement behind just for a couple of hours. Everything she told me indicated that the water is her place for calm and she joked that she thinks she’ll own a boat before she owns a house. And I love that, #priorities. Her dream was to gather her friends and family for a sail together to celebrate her 30th birthday. Having grown up sailing, I appreciated knowing that Becky feels a calling to the water and I couldn’t wait to help her celebrate and capture so many amazing memories after such a long year.

Mystic, Connecticut Summer Engagement Photos

If you’re one of my couples you know that during our inquiry call I spend quite a bit of precious time chatting about your Engagement Session and the importance of this time that we spend together. I have a whole list of reasons for this that I will share in another cohesive blog post, but can I just say that I love when my couples get excited about this and make the Engagement Session a priority?!

Fun fact! Courtney & Ryan will be getting married NEXT month. The photos they receive in their gallery won’t be used in the “typical” Save-the-Date fashion, as they’d already had that taken care of (although they did end up using a few to be in touch with their guests with some COVID-19 updates and information). But that doesn’t change the significance of this evening of exploring around Downtown Mystic, Connecticut along with one of my favorite local beaches. I loved having the opportunity to get to know them both better before their wedding day and it added an extra level of uniqueness because their wedding is so close and all of the details are falling into place. I know that the time we spent together in will make them immeasurably more comfortable in front of the camera on their wedding day and a huge bonus is that they also have some cute couples photos to hang around their home where they aren’t in wedding attire.

Lighthouse Point Park New Haven, Connecticut Engagement Session | Kelly & Stephen

We had to reschedule this session…. two times? Maybe? I felt bad every time we touched base and made the decision to call it and hold out for better weather. I mean, it’s New England and we’ve got to roll with Mother Nature’s punches, but I was crossing my fingers the day we ended up getting together that the stars would align and give these two the best weather. And align they did.

Kelly and Stephen, you guys are awesome. An absolute blast to be around and the smiles you bring out in one another are making me smiling just writing this.

Looking forward to your 2020 wedding! Thanks for asking me tell your story.

Coastal Vineyard Wedding | Mikaela & Russ

Coastal Fairytale Wedding | Mystic, Connecticut

This styled shoot features a married couple madly in love at the unique venue The Meadows, tucked away like the Secret Garden in Mystic, Connecticut. The shoot was centered around the theme of my wedding packages: “Your Love is My Lighthouse.” Styling for the shoot, including design of the invitation suite and fabric accents were created by myself and a local designer.

Everything about this couple’s wedding day is focused around the belief that love doesn’t have to be extravagant, it just has to be enduring, simple and true. In a place woven with history of sea merchants and sailors tales, a modern day coastal wedding means embracing the history of the past with nautical ropes, handcrafted rose gold jewelry, and starfish on your wedding cake. Where rainy days don’t exclude you from wedding portraits on the beach, and embracing nautical doesn’t mean your dress can’t have countless layers of tulle.

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