Cynthia Brown Weddings

Wedding at West Point Military Academy; Shelly and Steve

Cynthia Brown — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:04:07 +0000

I was super excited to shoot this wedding at West Point Military Academy. Steve graduated from here in May and his Father is also a West Point alumni. Steve and Shelly got married in Cadet Chapel which is an amazing example of Gothic Revival architecture. It is huge, almost castle like. Military weddings have a flavor all their own and the details are simply put, just too cool. I mean how often do you get to see all these handsome guys in military uniform celebrating? I watched as they practiced their Saber Arch before the ceremony and it really got to me. Of course, I’m the type who gets choked up at parades for Memorial Day and Veterans day, but for these guys this is real life. The next step for Steve is deployment and I was so honored to capture this event. The favors at this wedding were cards telling guests that a donation had been made to Disabled American Veterans and they even did a hat dance where people paid to dance with the bride and groom with the money also going to benefit our fallen hero’s. Congratulations Shelly and Steve!

The Saber swat on the behind, “Welcome to the Army”,

And Shelly’s priceless reaction.

Nothing like cutting a cake with a Saber!

Fourth of July Wedding at The Waterview

Cynthia Brown — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:49:53 +0000

The inspiration for Susan & Dustin’s July 4th wedding was red and white for Indiana University and of course they loved how the holidays color matched. This was the earliest morning wedding that I’ve ever shot yet Susan was absolutely all smiles, so excited that her wedding day was finally here. I arrived in time to catch some prep shots with Christine McKeown doing hair and makeup for the gang. Jennifer from Fleur De Lys created some gorgeous bouquets, table and floral arrangements and Music in Motion provided a String Trio for their ceremony, a Jazz Trio for their cocktail hour and live DJ Mike Ferrino for their reception. It was a gorgeous blue sky day that I was thrilled to be a part of. Special thanks to Aurora Photography for second shooting with me and our friend Geoff Boka and his wife Kate from The Light Mill on video duty. So fun to be working with my friends and you’ve got to know by now that I have a special relationship with the color red!

Susan had this smile on all day!

I just love the glance between Father and daughter here!

And Dustin waiting patiently for his bride.

Don’t ask me what happened between this picture and the next, you just had to be there!

I had to get some patriotic details. Red, flags and rings make a nice combo in my opinion!

The Newest Member of our Family!

Cynthia Brown — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:26:02 +0000

My son has been wanting a dog forever, while I think that my husband and I have never gotten over the loss of our Borzoi, “Cyrano” fifteen whole years ago. Now that my son is old enough to start learning some responsibility we decided to take the plunge. We’ve been looking at several different breeds for months and fell in love with a chocolate Labradoodle. We found our amazing breeder “Riverbend Labradoodles” in Ohio. They have been breeding champion English Style Labrador Retrievers for over 20 years, winning awards and even have attended the Westminster Kennel Club Show 2 years in a row. They started breeding Labradoodles in 2003 as the combination of these two great breeds produce a dog with high intelligence, a sweet disposition, willingness to please and make perfect family companions. I had a Standard Poodle as a child and can attest to their incredible intelligence. So we bought a second generation (75% Poodle-25% Labrador) chocolate Labradoodle and named him “Ellis”. It was love at first sight when we picked him up at the airport. We just had our vet check up yesterday and he’s doubled in size since he came home. I’m working on the potty training and frankly can’t wait to get through that stage. It seems that puppies have no real control over their bladders until 12-14 weeks old. Needless to say, every rug has been pulled up and I am either running outside or mopping constantly. As challenging as a new puppy is, I feel like we have a new baby in the house and we are all smitten! Welcome home “Ellis”!

We’ve been swimming in the River several times and it’s true that even small puppies know how to do the dog paddle!

Connecticut Wedding Photographer-Steamy Boudoir/Fashion Shoot

Cynthia Brown — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:04:25 +0000

Natalie and I have been friends for just over six months and she is returning home to Germany unexpectedly as her Father is ill. We’ve been wanting to shoot together for some time now but since she’s leaving in a week or so, we just made it happen. I can’t wait to share a full post on this shoot later as things did get heated up. We even shot in my cottage which I’ve been dying to do forever. Natalie is gorgeous-end of story! I’m really going to miss her but at least I can look forward to shooting her wedding in couple of years in Germany!

NYC Engagement Session

Cynthia Brown — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:15:37 +0000

I’m shooting Marissa and Vishesh’s wedding in Vegas this October. They flew in from Nashville for an all too quick engagement session with me. Marissa and “V” wanted to shoot in New York as they lived in the financial district for some time and totally heart NY. Vishesh proposed to Marissa on the balcony at The Ritz in Battery Park. We were hoping to shoot a reenactment, but when we arrived the entire floor had been rented out for another event and the sky was such pea soup that even lady liberty was invisible. So we headed to some of New York’s most iconic locations, The Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square. Trying to get a shot without masses of people and bikes on the bridge is nearly impossible so we just went for the crowd. In some cases we got really up close and personal with crowds and even managed a pose with The Naked Cowboy who had quite a large group of excited tourists lined up to get a shot with him. It was so great to finally meet my long distance couple for a super fun but quick day and I can’t wait to shoot this East meets West Wedding in the Fall. It’s going to be amazing!

Connecticut Wedding Photographer; Elizabeth Park Engagement Session

Cynthia Brown — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:57:54 +0000

I was so thrilled to finally see Elizabeth Park during peak rose season for Lillian & Michael’s engagement shoot. I love this park and found some great areas to shoot including a cool nook in the woods. Leave it to me to go to a stunning rose garden and to end up in the woods. I guess it reminds me of my own property where I’ll be doing some fun bridal sessions this Summer. Lilian and Michael’s adorable daughter Violet came along with Grandma Joan, so we actually had the opportunity of doing a bit of a family session as well. Violet has the biggest smile and such an easy going personality. She’s just filled with sunshine and is obviously so doted on by all. The park was quite busy but we even managed to shoot some HD video for a Fusion piece that I’ll be putting together. We spent the day running around rose arches, playing hide and seek and basically giggling a lot. I can’t wait for their September wedding!

Connecticut Wedding Photographer, Wedding at Waveny House

Cynthia Brown — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:21:53 +0000

I was thrilled to be back at Waveny House to shoot Jesse and Eric’s wedding. I got married at Waveny house and since it’s in my hometown, I’ve spent a lot of time hanging out there. Jesse and Eric wanted an elegant venue for their wedding celebration that was all about including family and friends and just plain having fun. These guys have a tradition of asking random strangers to take photos of them jumping in various parts of the world. Of course we had to incorporate that theme while they were dressed in wedding attire. Jesse’s Dad (who with an army of helpers), did all of the decorations and also printed up photographs of Jesse and Eric in all their travels jumping off of cliffs together. In fact they are headed to the Amalfi Coast where I’m sure they’ll find a suitable launching pad and a trustworthy stranger to capture the moment. This was truly a family affair and it was so clear that everyone in attendance had a great time. Jesse’s cousin acted as MC and he and Eric gave a fabulous cameo, a surprise performance remake of the song, “Grow Old With Me” from the movie “The Wedding Singer”. It was just perfect, everyone laughed and cried. I love a wedding that really includes a families special touch. By the way, I think that Jesse totally looks like a Grecian goddess in her gown.

Because It Makes Me Happy

Cynthia Brown — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:35:56 +0000

I’ve got a lot to share about soon but I can’t show you just yet. How’s that for being vague! We are still renovating and it is going to be completely awesome. I can’t wait to share those images but we still have quite a bit to do, including transforming some antique 1900s sconce mirror backs into real working sconces again. You’ve got to love eBay! Since my husband works full time and I’m in the middle of wedding season, the finishing details are taking longer than expected and I have to admit that I’m tired of living in a mess. I actually cleaned off my porch and had a few friends over to celebrate the abundance of peonies that I have this year. They are my favorite flower and they don’t last long. In fact I missed them completely during last years wedding season, so this year I’ve been cutting them like crazy before the rain beats them to the ground. Amidst the chaos of work and renovation projects this picture simply makes me happy. It feels quiet and somehow makes the mess livable. I know that it is finite and since I’m a “get it done” kind of gal, I have to remind myself of that to find some tranquility. I’m shooting a wedding at the venue where we got married tomorrow and I’m excited beyond belief. I’m hugely nostalgic that way. I guess that’s how I find myself living in this old house that I grew up in. So for now I’ll just linger on this simple lone flower and appreciate it’s beauty.

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!

Connecticut Wedding Photography-Fun Group Shots

Cynthia Brown — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:32:15 +0000

Danielle & Sean are a fun couple and since they wanted some cool group shots with all their friends, they scouted out this great yellow wall for us to use as our background. I don’t often post group formal shots but frankly, they hardly need to be formal. This session is anything but. All of these images are straight out of the camera and took us about 20 minutes while the limo driver waited to then take the group to their venue.