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!

Under the Sea

Crystal works with my wife, so I was already excited to photograph her and Jared's wedding, but I got a million times more excited when she told me the wedding was at Mystic Aquarium.

It was a beautiful day, only diminished a little by falling in the middle of an oppressive heat wave. The setting, though, more than made up for it. The ceremony was held outside, in front of the beluga tank. Juno oversaw the ceremony, providing a one of a kind backdrop.

Following the ceremony, we were able to do group photos in the same spot and a handful of couples photos around the grounds. 

I also grabbed a quick photo of the locals.

The reception was held inside the main gallery, a challenging room for photos but an amazing place for a party. The room was beautifully set up and surrounded by stunning displays.

It was a fabulous night and a ton of fun, especially so for me because my wife and many of her friends were guests. 

Congratulations, Crystal and Jared!

P-Town

I've been out to Cape Cod for weddings before, but I've never been all out to the very tip - Provincetown. So I was very excited when Ryan and Grant asked me to come out for their waterfront wedding - and even more excited when it worked out that my wife and I could make a trip out of it.

The wedding day began with a beach ceremony at Far Land on the Beach - it was a perfect day for it. My favorite bit - they had a sand ceremony unlike any others I've see, from a company called Unity in Glass. The ceremony is pretty similar to any other, but the sand is then sent to be mixed into a glass vase or sculpture by an experienced glass blower. Check out the site - the end results are beautiful.

The whole ceremony was really touching with hardly a dry eye.

We did posed photos with their guests and of the couple with the ocean providing an excellent backdrop.

The celebration moved up to the snack shack, where there was catered food, tables, and some sweaters and blankets to cut the rising wind.

After dinner, it was time to cut the cake.

Since the sun was sliding beautifully to the horizon, I pulled Ryan and Grant away from the food for a few minutes to do some more photos.

When we got back, their guests had gotten the bonfire going, and one of the kids had made some commemorative sand art.

A really beautiful event and a beautiful day.

As an aside, Provincetown was a ton of fun - beautiful, fun, amazing food, lots to do. So if anyone else is getting married up that way, drop me a line. I'd like the excuse to visit again!

Married at the Mansion

I caught up with Rachel and Robert at Tarrywile Mansion where they were getting dressed in the beautiful bridal suites. Tarrywile is one of the most unusual venues I've worked with, but also one of my favorites. It looked great decked out with cuban-inspired decorations to honor Rachel's heritage.

They had their first look on the main staircase, and then we went and did a bunch of couples and family photos.

Their ceremony was held on the wide porch, with a beautiful view of the grounds behind.

The party then moved inside for cocktail hour. The caterer's Cubano sandwiches were so good! Though I will admit I am a sucker for any food in bite-size pieces delivered by waiters.

They had their first dance on Tarrywile's unusual dance floor - essentially the main hallway. Robert joked that it was his first time dancing ever. At least, I think he was joking...

After a toast, dinner, and the cake cutting...

...it was time to open the dance floor. It took a little while to get going - not uncommon with a smaller crowd - but DJ Ian dialed in the music and people packed the dance floor.

I made sure we snuck out for a few more quick couples photos - Tarrywile has some excellent spots for nighttime portraits.

I stayed to the end of the night. It might have been the wonderful atmosphere, the wonderful company, or maybe that the waitstaff kept handing me desserts... But I just was in no hurry to head out, even as the crowd dwindled to their closest friends and family.

Congratulations, Rachel and Robert!