Dustin & Susan are both wine enthusiasts and have traveled the Connecticut wine trail to visit many Winerys. I was happy to hear that they wanted to shoot their engagement session at Jonathan Edwards as I love North Stonington and had not yet been there myself. We had one of those amazing days with gorgeous blue skies and pillow puff clouds. You just can’t get better. We wandered the fields, vineyard and even got access to the wine distillery to take pictures amongst the various barrels. These guys just didn’t stop smiling all day, and that was even before a glass of wine. I’m really looking forward to their upcoming July wedding!

I had so much fun attending Justin & Mary’s “Walk Through a Wedding” workshop last Thursday.   It was a great experience to literally walk through the entire wedding process with the talent and brains behind the Marantz machine.  And… these guys truly must be superhuman.  They just returned from their nationwide “Spread the Love” tour, spoke at WPPI in Vegas and are remodeling their new home from the ground up.  Both Mary and Justin give back to the photography community on so many levels.   Did I mention that they also head our Pictage user group meetings monthly?  It was an awesome day networking and sharing with other photographers.  I learned a few things that will change how I approach my shoot days and can’t wait to start implementing my new tools!    Our models were one of Justin & Mary’s totally adorable couples getting married later this Summer as well as some fellow photographers who stepped up.  The reception part of our day was held at The Guilford Yacht Club.  I had never shot there and the view is lovely!

I’m a huge fan of The New Haven Lawn Club.  It’s an elegant venue from a by gone era and a lovely place to have a wedding reception.  It has recently undergone a renovation and the ballroom is even more lovely than I had remembered.  My friend Aurora Onorato hosted a workshop there recently and invited me to come along.   Aurora is a natural teacher and she talked about all different kinds of lighting situations while we had a beautifully styled shoot and many models in wedding attire.  Definitely my idea of an inspiring fun day.  Our host, Christine Perusse will take fantastic care of you if you plan your wedding at the club.  Many thanks to Aurora Photography for including me and sharing her knowledge with us,  The Wedding Embassy for providing our wardrobe, Stylish Blooms did all of our flowers, Brazen Betties for providing us with all of our accessories and our hair and makeup was done by Kimberly Bordeaux and Samantha and Erin of Shine Salon.  I could create an entire album from the days shoot , so this is just a taste.

Rachel & William’s beautiful wedding in a large church felt like someplace from the past.  There was an old familiarity and timeless quality about it.   They had ten bridesmaids, three flower girls and six groomsmen, so we were often shooting large groups of people.   That would include the whole congregation on the steps of the church afterward.  Probably the largest group shot that I’ve ever done.   After the service we went to The Rutgers Gardens to shoot portraits.  We had the most gorgeous afternoon light and the gardens are just stunning.  Congratulations William & Rachel.

Briana & Matt’s wedding day was one of the few really hot and sunny days that we’ve had this Summer.  Their ceremony took place in Woodbury, a town that my husband and I almost moved to.  It’s a beautiful town that’s quaint and loaded with lovely old colonial houses and churches.  Their reception at the nearby Heritage Hotel was warm and earthy with details to match.  Congratulations Briana & Matt!

I love the smile on Briana’s Dads face, he is just beaming with pride.