becky + steve wedding at the hartford club

My last wedding of the 2007 season wrapped up November 10th with Becky & Steve's ceremony in Wethersfield and the reception at The Hartford Club in downtown Hartford. With a stop at one of my favorite places to shoot portraits, Hartford's opulent City Hall. It's funny because I have shot there a bunch of times and there was this brightly colored canvas that I sort of noticed (actually wished it was not there, to be honest!) but never really focused on as part of anything I shot. Until Becky & Steve's shoot. The funniest part about that is that Becky is an art teacher so it fit perfectly! Not only is it a really cool painting it tied in with the whole wedding & love & art theme so nicely. It's one of my favorite shots of 2007, for sure!
Another image I really liked from this wedding is Becky & Steve hugging on the stairs. Now when they called me for their wedding I was very hesitant to take the job- mostly because it is so late in the year that any natural light would be gone by the time it was time to shoot their formals and I am a natural light kind of gal. In meeting with Becky one of the first things she said was that she and Steve were planning on seeing each other before for portraits and family shots. I can't stress how wonderful this is for many many reasons!
First, the moment. Seeing each other for the first time, alone, is so powerful and special and wonderful and makes for some great pictures. It was only Becky seeing Steve when she walked down the stairs, and I was there off to the side doing my thing, quietly, taking it all in. They both were so overwhelmed with emotion they just clung to each other for a long time, there, on the stairs of her childhood home.

Second it's great because we shot all of the family stuff at the house and then they were done! That's right. DONE, as in no chasing people down for a picture during the craziness of cocktail hour! Now for that reason alone it makes sense, right?

Third, we had plenty of time for our formals at City Hall- we shot Becky & Steve and their bridal party first on the steps of the Old State House, got some outdoors stuff and then went inside to warm up at City Hall, relax, laugh and shoot.

Fourth- we were able to utilize natural light for our shoot. May not seem like a big deal but think about it- when you are checking out photographer's sites, think about which images draw you? I can guarantee that the majority of them are naturally lit! Just something to think about when planning your day!

Now Becky & Steve were the sweetest couple, I don't think I ever had a bride laugh so much! Becky cracked me up the whole day, her family brought me to tears several times just watching them watching her and Steve. It was wonderful!! Their flowers were by A Victorian Garden and were awesome!! Just had to give them a shout out... :)

I can't wait to put together my Best of 2007 slide show....it should be fun!!!

dawn + mike wedding at the branford house in groton

What a surprise- me on the ground!! The image above this one is what I was actually shooting!


The 21st of this month brought me my first reception double-header ever- I had the distinct pleasure of shooting at the Branford House in Groton both days- and were they gorgeous!! It was my first time shooting there and all I heard about it before was how dark it was to shoot in. I visited a few months back and the doors were locked so we couldn't get in to browse around the Alexi Von Shlipe Gallery upstairs (come on, that name is SO funny!) let alone see the space. So when i got there for Dawn & Mike's day I was blown away by how ornate the walls are! That's right- I said WALLS! So detailed and intricate and beautiful- there are so many nooks and crannies in that place paired up with the awesome view and very spacious grounds, this place is awesome! Dawn had such beautiful details I was practically drooling over them all- her cake, done by the super talented Toria Dolce, is so pretty, and it tasted even better than it looked, if you can imagine! Her flowers were also pretty ridiculously beautiful- done by Bakes and Baldwin Floral Co., I love how they had the lime slices lining the interior of the vases- was a fresh way to add a splash of green in the arrangements! Their table numbers were pictures of their dog with numbers, so cute!
Dawn was so excited to see me when i showed up she had her makeup artist stop doing her makeup so she could squeal and jump and give me the biggest hug ever! What a way to be welcomed in!! It totally set the tone for this amazing, emotional day. Dawn & Mike are both so funny, laid back and sweet and were up for anything I suggested! Dawn kept saying 'I totally trust you, you are the professional and you have the vision!' Which is so nice to hear over and over and I didn't have to sell them on any idea, they just went with it. This blog has been truly amazing in that my clients and potential clients actually read it and check it regulary! They know I am typically on the ground at least three times during a wedding, or that I climb on things, or that I like feet pictures! I love it! I feel like I got some really amazing images from them and hope they will check my blog again from their honeymoon so they can see them!! Hi guys!! Have a nice cold one on the beach for me!;)

Also, a big shout out to Jean my second shooter in training! She has been capturing some really kick ass shots, 2 of which are on this post- Jean can you tell me which ones?? Awesome job, sister!!!

kristie + shawn wedding at the publik house sturbridge ma

On the 23rd I shot Shawn & Kristie's wedding in Sturbridge, MA at the Publik House (Jon Table is the world's BEST Wedding Coordinator- so into helping everyone and doing his job 150%!!)- and man was it amazing! We hit the ground running from the second we got to the hotel and even helped Kristie get dressed, we are totally full service here! ;) I was frantically trying to get the details, which you all know I love shooting, especially the shoes! We were in this totally toile room that just worked. We scrambled ahead of the horse and buggy, got to the church, which is so beautiful and well lit to work with the nicest lady ever, who took the time to show me all kinds of nooks I had access to (which is a breath of fresh air since usually I am only handed a list of no-no's) We then followed the horse and buggy for a while, got out to take some pictures in and around Sturbridge and revisited some nooks from our super fun engagement shoot a few months back! Kristie and Shawn were so into my ideas and kept telling me how much they trusted my vision. You have no idea how important that is to hear! It made us all relax, laugh and get some really awesome stuff! Now, Shawn is one of the funniest guys- he is so dry and hilarious I can't keep from laughing whenever I am with them! I had the hardest time editing their engagement shoot because I would constantly keep laughing remembering our day and all of the funny things we talked about! Their florist, Green Thumb Florist and Gardens was amazing, btw!

meeting of the minds I

To celebrate the first day of summer, among other reasons, Sandra Downie, Make Up Artist extraordinare and I coordinated a bridal fashion shoot in Hartford's Elizabeth Park, when all of the roses were in super full amazing bloom! We could not have done it without the help of so many talented and wonderful people: Christina on hair, Emily & Kim- our amazing talent; Stevedepino.com my right arm shooter and comic relief; Stephanie Nelson & Amanda Harris as assistants to the stars; Pamela from Philip David Jewelers in West Hartford Center; Sandy from A Special Place in West Hartford for the to die for flowers and Brides to Be, a Dress Consignment Shop in Glastonbury and the amazing Geoff Boka form The Light Mill Studios who was filming the whole experience! We all had so much fun running around, setting things up and working together to achieve some of the most amazing images. We were almost done shooting when it looked like an extremely threatening storm was headed right for us! Luckily for us there happened to be a HUGE while tent set up smack in the middle of the park where we were able to relocate and shoot what we thought was the final shot of the day. The rain was CRAZY- we had to cover Emily with a table cloth to keep her and the dress dry and work super fast. So we shoot, we celebrate and then Geoff shouts- 'turn around!' I turned to see the most amazing gift of light bursting through the clouds- Steve and I started flailing trying to get Emily into her dress, grab a veil, grab a bouquet and R-U-N! for the crazy light! Emily was such a sport, she ran through the park while we shot like nuts, only to look up and see a rainbow to finish off the day! Come on, right? What a killer way to end a long day of working hard by everyone.

A special shout-out to my boy RE PhotoDesign for hooking me up this afternoon with his non-action action work on some of my images. Mad skillz! And Jaq, you are SO an art director waiting to bloom, sister!

melina + zak wedding at the villge at boulder ridge barkhamsted ct

Yesterday was a crazy rainy morning that yielded a beautiful overcast day for Melina & Zak to be married on! Even though it was pouring when I got to the salon, Melina was so super relaxed, thanks to her early morning pre-salon massage! She highly suggests other brides do this, it kept her super calm and relaxed ALL day. Zak & Melina are the cutest couple and both have such incredibly welcoming families, I was truly honored to be a part of such an emotional and special day! Their venue, The Village at Boulder Ridge in Barkhampsted was THE ABSOLUTE BEST, hands down, in how they treated me and my staff. Everyone was so accommodating and helpful and went out of their way to make up feel at home and part of a team in working to make Zak & Melina's day be the best it could be! Thanks Kevin and staff!The flowers, which were amazing, were done by TK Floral Designs in Rocky Hill. Here are a few of my favorites from yesterday that I couldn't wait to share! The slideshow will be up soon!!