Elm City Wedding

The plan for Jen and Ryan's wedding called for bouncing back and forth between a bunch of New Haven locations, so it was amazing that we got a day with perfect weather for stretching our legs.

The day began at Rimage Salon, where Jen and her bridesmaids got their hair and makeup done, while the couple's pup Charlie kept everyone laughing.

Our next stop was the Omni Hotel, a perennial hot-spot for wedding stays. No joke, I've done three weddings in New Haven proper, and they all got ready in the same suite!

Before heading to the ceremony, the guys and the girls stopped in the lobby to do some cool group photos. I love the all-black look - very classy.

The intimate ceremony was held in St. Thomas More Chapel. Not only was it a beautiful service led by Rev. Karl Davis, but this is easily the most photo-friendly church I've worked in. Bright and beautiful!

It was a short walk from there to the Old Campus Courtyard for some posed photos. Walking through downtown is a good way to get lots of supportive honks and hollers! 

We also came across a squirrel sneaking off with a chicken tender, in case you thought Yale's campus was totally unlike all other universities.

One last short walk brought us to the Graduate Club, a beautiful, cozy venue where we would spend the rest of the night.

(Their first date was at a Wendy's, so they did a quick re-enactment!)

The live band was great, got everyone out on the dance floor, and they even backed Ryan as he sang a song for his new wife. He did great!

Before the end of the night, I got them outside for one last portrait, and borrowed their beautiful rings for a photo.

It was a totally amazing night with an amazing couple. Ryan and Jen looked stunning, and they, their friends, and family were so friendly and gracious!

Congratulations, Jen and Ryan!

Welcome to the Navy!

Emily and Trevor were a dream to work with - photogenic, friendly, and willing to be a little goofy. 

The whole day was spent at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, beginning with hair and makeup with Emily, her bridesmaids, and the mothers. Emily's look was stunning - simple and elegant.

Once she was ready, it was out to the beach where Trevor was waiting in his Navy service dress whites. He was all jokes until he got to see his future wife!

Before the ceremony, we took a bunch of posed photos-- mostly serious ones, but my favorites are more silly.

The ceremony was held on the beach, in front of an arbor decorated by Emily's mom. The day could not have been more perfect; a relief after a recent string of rainy weddings I've done.

Before they could enter the cocktail hour, it was time for a navy tradition - the sword arch.

The reception kicked off with their first dance and speeches from their parents.

Just before dinner, I pulled Emily and Trevor outside to take advantage of the sunset. The timing and the backdrop were perfect!

After dinner, it was time to cut the cake - easy enough when you're using a saber bigger than the cake itself.

Then it was time to get out on the dance floor. The band, Those Guys, did an amazing job getting everyone moving. Oh, and the navy men switched their formal uniforms for some pretty interesting hawaiian shirts.

Which brought us to the end of the night and the sparkler exit. Things got a little discombobulated, but it all worked out in the end!

Congratulations, Emily and Trevor!

It's Been Forever!

It's no exaggeration to say I've been looking forward to Skoobah and Nate's wedding for years - not only have I known them since college, but she had me hold the date three years in advance. 

I knew their wedding would be something really special. Photographing their engagement photos and Skoobah's bridal shower only made me more excited to see what wonderful touches they put on their wedding day. They didn't disappoint.

The whole day was at Camp Bournedale in Massachusetts, and kicked off with prep photos in their cabin. It was pretty funny watching Skoobah's sister do her hair and makeup. Less cheery small talk and more, "Hey, quit moving your head!"

Skoobah and Nate had their first look by the water, and while he didn't cry, it's fair to say Nate was pretty excited with Skoobah's look. I think the neighbors across the lake heard him "whoop"!

Once Ring Security had done a sweep of the area, the ceremony kicked off with a view of the lake as a beautiful backdrop. Thunderstorms were looming, but held off just long enough - besides, everyone agreed dark, brooding clouds fit the theme.

In a first for me, the recessional was amphibious - they kissed and then sailed off into the distance after a push from the best man. (RIP his shoes...)

Just as the celebrations had moved inside for the reception, the storm clouds broke and poured torrential rain. The building even lost power twice during the cocktail hour, but not only did the crowd not care, they greeted each outage with a cheer, and an even bigger one when it clicked back on!

First dance, speeches, a delicious surf and turf dinner, and cake cutting got the formal celebrations out of the way, clearing the night for lots of dancing and visits to the photobooth.

Late that evening, the rain quit and the clouds parted just enough to give us a beautiful sunset sky. I stole Nate and Skoobah away for a few quick portraits...

...and one silhouette photo I knew I just had to get.

For their final song, they broke out... Well, I'll admit I didn't recognize it, but it brought the house down.

An amazing night befitting an amazing couple. And that scale-mail armor is one of the coolest wedding details I've ever seen. 

Love you guys! Congratulations!

Yoga in the Park

I met Rita in a park near her home to do some portraits for her Yoga instruction. She teaches classes at Samadhi Yoga Studio and Breathe More Yoga. It was a somewhat humid but otherwise beautiful summer day.

As a special perk, it's a park I am quite familiar with, as I used to live right next to it. It was a lot of fun to revisit some stretches of familiar trails, and I found out they recently extended the trail network, so I will be back on a slightly cooler day in the future.

Nothing too fancy here - just looking for a simple, healthy, natural look to pair well with yoga, with a couple outfit changes to add some variety. Still, a really fun thing to do, and a bit of a break from the wedding season.

Beating the Rain

I woke up the morning of Megan and Chris's wedding to pouring rain. It wasn't the worst case scenario - the ceremony and reception were already inside, but it was going to put the kibosh on their first look, posed photos, and sparkler exit. It put a real damper on the prep, but then something amazing happened - against all weather forecasts, the rain stopped, and just... never started again.

We reverted the plan back to a first look at Hubbard Park, a beautiful setting for a really touching moment.

The rest of the day was held at the Aqua Turf Club, a sprawling, beautiful, busy venue. The ceremony was held in the gorgeous (and thankfully air conditioned) Chapel in the Pines.

After a few posed photos in a shady spot, Megan surprised Chris by changing into a second wedding dress before their introduction and beautifully choreographed first dance - dry-ice fog included!

The reception was a blast, with wonderful little moments interspersed in the energetic dancing.

Around 9:30, before too many guests made their exit, they held a "sparkler send-off" (though the party was nowhere near over), and it was one of the most photogenic I've ever seen.

While I had them outside, we took a couple night shots around the grounds.

Then they headed back inside to enjoy the rest of their night, and after a few final photos, I headed home.

One funny behind-the-scenes detail - we realized I had previously worked with the officiant, Mary Coburn, and the DJ, Geoff from Local Motion, before. Not the biggest surprise there. What was amazing is that we all had worked the same wedding, years ago, and now ended up together again on this totally unrelated wedding. What a coincidence!

Congratulations, Megan and Chris!

By the Lake

Jess and Matt's wedding began with them getting ready at the family lake-houses on a beautiful, sunny day. They also had an almost-first-look, holding hands around a corner as they exchanged letters.

The ceremony was held by the lake, with the bride arriving via the family pontoon boat.

While many of the guests set off for the reception, we did posed photos. Jess and Matt were great to work with in that they were clearly way too happy to remember there was a camera around.

Their wedding party was a lot of fun too.

The reception was held at the Nathan Hall Inn at UConn's Storrs campus. A trip down memory lane for me - I set up a photo-booth for an event there years ago.

The reception kicked off with their first dance, followed by some speeches and dinner.

The rest of the night was a blast - with music by DJ Nicki Nell, an amazing Dj I've worked with before. 

It was a really fun night, and a wonderful wedding!

Congratulations, Jess and Matt!

A Photographer Bride

A handful of people at Heather and Brian's wedding pulled me aside and said, "So, Heather's a wedding photographer too, is that weird for you?" Short answer: nope! 

Actually, it can be kind of nice, as Heather came in with a good idea of what photos she wanted, what spots at the venue made for good backdrops, and how to position and pose herself for the best photos. I wouldn't even be surprised if she picked her prep Air B&B because it was such a beautiful home.

Plus, I had previously worked with Brian, Heather, and her son Reed when I did their family engagement photos last year, and that went great.

The ceremony and reception were held at Berkshire Hall in New Hartford, a lovely little venue, and we had the most perfect weather for the outdoor ceremony.

For posed photos we went around the grounds a little bit. We also tried out a surprisingly tricky pose (below) that Heather suggested and tested out at one of her weddings a few weeks ago.

Much of the rest of the night moved inside the hall, a beautifully photogenic room. Introductions, first dance, and a tasty buffet dinner and amazing dessert spread.

Then lots and lots of dancing. 

Congratulations, Heather and Brian!

Throwback: The Reverend Gets Hitched

Reverend Jon and Greg's wedding was so much fun. I've photographed many church weddings, but few have been quite so overflowing with love from the church community as this one, where everyone turned out to celebrate their reverend.

The ceremony was great -  a friend of theirs performed the service.

The reception was fun and friendly, and I loved some of the details, like their beautiful cake.

Congratulations, Jon and Greg!