A Capital Day

Sara and Abhishek somehow managed to plan their wedding while planning and executing a second wedding in India! I’m having anxiety just thinking about that.

Their entire US wedding was held at the Marriott Hotel in Hartford, a surprisingly wonderful venue with access to some of the awesome elevated walkways downtown. The day began with prep for the guys and girls in neighboring rooms.

My second shooter, Jeff, also got some awesome, artsy photos with the guys in the top-floor pool.

The ceremony was held in part of the Capital Ballroom. Sara and Abhi wrote their own vows, and they were so sweet!

While the guests were in the lobby bar for cocktails, the wedding party and I used some of those elevated walkways for some really fun posed photos. As always, my favorite were the couples photos.

And some pictures of the beautiful bride, of course.

The reception was a ton of fun. It started with the usually dances and speeches.

The DJ set up some fun games and Abhi’s cousins especially kept the dance floor hopping all night.

Finally it was time for the night to end, with a great sparkler exit.

Congratulations, Sara and Abhi!

My New Brother

My wife and I recently went up to northern Massachusetts to welcome a new member of the family - my sister in law, Sarah, was getting married to Liam.

It was, like my and Heather’s wedding, a simple, intimate affair. Everyone got ready together before congregating at a local park for a ceremony in the gazebo, officiated by one of their closest friends.

They took advantage of the big open space to have their first dance, which they invited everyone to join them on.

Then we all moved to a local restaurant for a brunch buffet reception. I didn’t take a ton of photos of the meal, but I did make sure to borrow Sarah and Liam for some couple’s photos on the beautiful grounds.

A beautiful day and a perfect way to welcome Liam into the family. Congratulations you two!

Let it Pour

The only bad thing about Britt and Tom’s wedding was the rain - torrential, flooding rain. But you know what? Who cares.

The day started with hair and make-up for the girls, who were in such a good mood when I arrived I knew it would be a fun night right away.

The rest of the day was at Farmington Gardens, starting with the ceremony in their greenhouse. Technically it’s the “back-up location” but it’s simply stunning.

After a fun cocktail hour, it was time for introductions and their first dance.

Then lovely speeches from the Maid of Honor and Best Man.

Britt and Tom had a lot of fun with their cake cutting, and then kicked off the dancing - the high point of which was some amazing Irish step dancing from their cousins. So cool!

Lots more spirited dancing took us late into the night. What an amazingly fun wedding to kick off my spring season!

Congratulations, Britt and Tom!

A Work of Art

I’ve been friends with Cyndi since she looked like Wednesday Adams in the fifth grade. So needless to say I was very excited to help her celebrate her wedding to Alex.

The day began at the Ethan Allen Hotel for prep photos.

Then it was off to the Keeler Tavern Museum in Ridgefield for the ceremony and reception - a totally stunning venue and perfect for Cyndi and Alex’s intimate wedding. They both work in museums, and decided on a pop-art theme with so many amazing little touches in the decorations.

I especially loved the cake from A Little Imagination Cakes, the same baker who made my wedding cake.

Unfortunately weather forced the ceremony inside, but we could hardly complain - the garden house is a beautiful setting any day.

Mother nature gave us a nice reprieve for some posed photos outside. The Keeler’s gardens are beautiful, and only got better as the night went on.

Next came introductions, their first dance, and toasts.

During dinner I borrowed their rings for a quick photo. Gotta make use of that cake before they cut it!

To round out the big moments, after dinner Alex and Cyndi cut their cake and danced with their parents. Always a touching moment!

Then it was time to celebrate, and their friends and family did not disappoint on the dance floor.

And finally, I snuck them outside to make use of the beautifully lit garden one more time before they headed off to the after party.

Congratulations Cyndi and Alex! You guys are the best.

A Classic Second Shooting Gig

I photographed Aneil and Katarina as second photographer for Matt Noonan, a friend of a friend.

The ceremony was lovely, but for me most of the fun was the reception, held at the Ethan Allen Hotel (who knew there was such a thing?).

The decorations were amazing, and Aneil’s family’s traditional outfits were gorgeous!

And I can’t forget to mention the candy table… So much fun!

Congratulations Aneil and Katarina!

Throwback: Picture Perfect

I knew after I did Alli and Dan's engagement photos at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens that they were going to be an amazing couple to work with. Laid back, head over heels, and so fun.

The wedding day started at Alli's mom's house, where the girls (a tight knit group I got to work with again in Chicago) were joking around while Mean Girls played in the background.

Alli got dressed at the venue, St. Clement's Castle, while Dan put on the finishing touches at his parents' house.

The ceremony was held outdoors, at a beautiful spot overlooking the river. It was short but deeply personal and touching.

We did some quick posed photos - St. Clements has an amazing variety of beautiful spots for pictures, but this ivy-covored walkway is probably my favorite.

The reception was held in the nearby ballroom, a beautiful space, and it was a lovely evening with lots of dancing and wonderful speeches.

Congratulations, Alli and Dan!

Throwback: Backyard Blowout

In retrospect, it's possible that I got a lot of ideas for my own wedding from David and Brian's backyard tent wedding. Certainly the laid-back, intimate atmosphere is just what Heather and I were looking for. (I also just realized this was perhaps the first wedding I worked with Mary Pugh, who was also our Justice of the Peace!)

I also give a big thumbs up to their vest-and-bowtie look. Though unlike them I wimped out and got pre-tied bowties.

The ceremony itself was lovely, short and sweet on a perfect fall day.

The reception, held in a backyard tent, was a ton of fun with great food and lots of good times.

Congratulations Brian and David!

Classic Litchfield

On Friday I wrapped up editing on my last 2018 wedding. Saturday, I went to Litchfield to do my first one of 2019! Fiona and Brian’s wedding brought in the new year in fine style.

The day started with prep for the ladies at the Spa at Litchfield Hills and the Litchfield Inn (a wedding venue I’ve shot at before and a beautiful building). Their daughter was cracking us up the whole time.

Then it was off the St. Anthony of Padua for the ceremony. There was just time beforehand for a few photos of Brian. His suit jacket’s plaid is in honor of Fiona’s Irish family, a great touch!

The ceremony was great. Its my second wedding with Father Tucker, and he’s wonderful for weddings. Lots of great little moments, and he’s very photographer friendly, which I of course appreciate!

Then it was just a quick run through the rain (hey- it could have been snow!) to the Sanctum Club next door, a wonderful old building. Perfect atmosphere for Litchfield!

Speeches and cake cutting were the only major events at Fiona and Brian’s laid-back reception, but the afternoon was full of great food and conversation. A lot of Fiona’s family was in town from all over the world, and you could tell everyone was so excited to be together.

A wonderful start to the new year!