Cynthia Brown Weddings » Wedding venues

Connecticut Wedding Photographer; Festivities at The Meadowlands, Darien Ct

Cynthia Brown — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:13:54 +0000

Angela & Bryan got married at The Meadowlands in Darien, Connecticut. This beautiful venue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house has undergone a major renovation since I last shot there and is more gorgeous than ever. Angela & Bryan had both their ceremony and reception on site. Festivities Events coordinated and catered the affair on what was probably our last gorgeous weekend this Fall.

Wedding Coordinator/Catering: Festivities Events, Wedding Gown/Hairpiece: Sposa Bella Bridal Shop in Fairfield, Ct., Flowers: Liz DeFeo of Rudy’s Flower Shop, Wedding Cake: Kristen Vidoli of Fairfield, Ct.

Connecticut Wedding: Christina & Karl at The Eolia Mansion

Cynthia Brown — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:09:30 +0000

The Eolia mansion at Harkness State Memorial Park is such an elegant venue reminiscent of yesteryear that it is the stuff that little girls dream of for their fairytale weddings. I’m amazed at how I discover something new about it each time I shoot there. Christina & Karl had an intimate wedding celebration in September featuring some of my favorite vendors. Andrea Marano and her team did Christina’s makeup, Michael from Coastal Gourmet provided the event planning and gourmet food, Yumiko Fletcher of Hanna Floral Design created stunning floral arrangements and bouquets, David from Powerstation Events provided the music that kept the party hopping and the paper goods were designed by Kristine’s Paperie. I had the incredibly talented Anna Sawin second shooting with me and it was such a lovely day that it hardly felt like work. Everyone had a smile to share or a happy tear to shed. Congratulations Christina & Karl!

Anna captured the two above shots with stellar grace from her side vantage point.

Some of Karl’s coworkers found the perfect way to decorate their ride!

Wedding at The Carousel at Lighthouse Point, New Haven, CT

Cynthia Brown — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:51:21 +0000

The Carousel at Lighthouse Point is officially my new favorite venue! As Jennifer and Jonathan described the DIY details for their wedding to me, I’m certain that I felt butterflies of excitement. I mean what’s not to love about this venue. I’ve wanted to shoot here for a while, in fact the last time I had visited was just about the coldest day we had last Winter. The carousel was built in 1916 and is a rare and exquisite example of American folk art. Although there were more than 10,000 such carousels in operation in the 1920s, the Lighthouse Park Carousel is one of less than 100 in use today. This venue combines the chic elegance of a loft with a beachy (I want to go back to Summer camp) style. Any venue that has a lighthouse, a working vintage carousel and gorgeous views of the ocean is heaven in my book. What a fun night, I can’t wait to go back! Congratulations Jennifer & Jonathan!

The girls looked on to help with jewelry choices.

Ahhhh…approval!

How fun is this place card table for a beach wedding,

And flip flops to keep the ladies comfortable!

I love the scale of this image.

Raise your hand if you like cupcakes!

The carousel almost steals the show.

A gorgeous sunset backdrop.

Jonathan Edwards Winery Engagement Session-Susan & Dustin

Cynthia Brown — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:05:21 +0000

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!

Walk Through a Wedding With Justin & Mary

Cynthia Brown — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:11:14 +0000

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!

Illuminations Workshop at New Haven Lawn Club

Cynthia Brown — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:10:19 +0000

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 Wed

Cynthia Brown — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:53:35 +0000

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 Wed

Cynthia Brown — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:19:07 +0000

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.

The Big Chill!

Cynthia Brown — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:52:00 +0000

After yet another snowfall this past weekend, it looks like we have finally begun a relentless big chill here in the northeast. We are expecting sub zero temperatures by Friday. Wretch!!! I definitely hate the cold. However, there is no denying the beauty of a sunny day after an ice storm has hit. Waveny Park was the place to be on Sunday. Kids come from near and far to go sledding here. The hill is not the largest around but the tiered property makes for great jumps in the right weather conditions. Add in the expansive fields and trails for cross country skiing and even I get into it. I love this old house. Waveny House is where my husband and I got married. I’ve been hanging out there since I was in high school, so I am really nostalgic about the place. I shoot here often and my son plays Soccer on the fields from early Spring to late Fall.
I am loving my new Canon 5D Mark II!! I had to finally bite the bullet and upgrade to Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom 2, as the previous versions did not support my new cameras digital files. I have a lot of new technology to learn, and a good excuse to stay in when it’s bitter outside.

New Years Eve at The Bond Ballroom

Cynthia Brown — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:32:00 +0000

Happy New Year everyone. I spent my evening in Hartford at the Wadsworth Atheneum and The Bond Ballroom, second shooting with my friend Kim Bova. It was a snowy, bitterly cold day as it always seems to be on New Years Eve. I’m always amazed at the crowds that gather in Times Square in New York City to watch the ball drop. When I lived in the city, I could hear the crowd go wild at midnight even though my loft was many blocks away. I would always smile and be thankful for welcoming another year from the warmth of my home. I actually think that I had more fun shooting this New Years Eve than I would have just being a guest. This was the very elegant wedding of Ben and Rebecca. A black tie affair that guests traveled long distances for. I know that they were not disappointed. Ben and Rebecca decided to see each other before the ceremony so that they could take advantage of the museums’ beautiful spaces for portraits.

Then on to the service.

I had to run to get to The Bond Ballroom before the guests in order to get some room and detail shots. The view is gorgeous at night.

I loved this band,“Moonglow”! I would highly recommend them!

At midnight there was a beautiful fireworks display over Bushnell Park and the capital. The windows were steamed up from all the dancing, but it was a great way to end the night. Check out Kim’s blog for a slideshow of the day. Thanks Kim for including me. It was a nice way to end the 2008 season.