The B Family

I had the pleasure of spending a beautiful Fall afternoon with the B Family. They were great subjects to photograph and baby G has a smile that lights up a room!



I can't wait for their next family portrait!

The P Family

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is nearing an end, I finally have time to update my blog...which is sadly very overdue!

Now these 3 kiddos are full of energy and simply adorable! They kept me on my toes but I was able to capture their beautiful smiles individually.











Who doesn't love to play in leaves!




Love this one...after this shot, no one wanted to keep their tongues in their mouths!

Sunny Day Wedding

This was a day made for a wedding. Not a could in the sky and the bride couldn't have been happier that Mother Nature was playing nice on her special day.




As guests arrived they were escorted to the Great Lawn for the cermeony. Pink Gerber daisies hung from alternating chairs that lined the center aisle. As guests took in the view of Long Island Sound, their eyes met a beautiful cermony awning where the couple would exchange their vows. The ceremony included a beautiful ritual which involved the Bride and Groom each pouring sand into a vase to signify the joining of two lives into one.

As the ceremony concluded guests were greeted with butlered hors d'oeuvres and trays carrying peach bellini's, yum :) Under the cocktail tent guests had their choice of feasting off the delicious tuscan table, sushi station, or raw bar complete with a custom created sailboat ice carving by the very talented Bill Covitz of Ice Matters.

In the Main Ballroom, celadon green linens drapped the tables and purple orchid centerpieces decoratd the tabletops. Bakes & Baldwin created beautiful arrangement adorned with pink and purple flowers. The vibrant array of hues in the floral arangements dressed up the neutral colors of the Guilford Yacht Club.

This truly was a great day for a wedding, complete with great weather, great eats & drink and guests ready to have a good time. What more could you ask for?

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Wedding

The sun was shining, no cloud in site...a Bride couldn't ask for a more perfect day to get married. With the backdrop of the Guilford Yacht Club, these two fellow CHS Alumni tied the knot. My favorite detail of their day was how they included their adorable dog into the wedding ceremony...super cute! Jordan Caterers waitstaff greeted guests with trays of prickly pear margaritas and iced pink lemonade with lime slices, the perfect pink drinks to start the evening off right.



to view more images from this wedding visit Steve Depino's Photography Blog.

The Bride choose soft blues and bright pinks to compliment the shoreline venue. Stafish table numbers invited guests to their designated tables and the favors were a very thoughtful donation to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and The Connecticut Humane Society.

It was great to see the Bride and Groom so happy and see all their guests, including many CHS alumni having such a good time, on such a beautiful day. After all, that's what a wedding day is all about.

Preppy / Nautical Wedding - Guilford Yacht Club, CT

During the summer weekends the Guilford Yacht Club is like a second home to me, I'm pretty much there all the time setting up and working events for Jordan Caterers-Design-Event Planners I love to see what new and different ideas the Brides for that weekend will come up with. Now the yacht club speaks for itself, come on it is beautiful there, the building is almost new, the view is incredible but the themes and colors that the brides are working with make the place that much more interesting to look at. And this wedding was no exception, the Bride had some fantastic new details I hadn't seen yet. This wedding was a nice balance between a preppy and a nautical theme. The mix of pinks and navy blue made for a wonderful choice for a wedding at a yacht club.



Now this was a bride who was very creative and crafty and had the details all thought out. Definitely my kind of bride! The colors were super coordinated even down to the favors; navy blue flip flops with thank you tags hanging from delicate pink polka dot ribbons. She even creatively named the tubs holding the flip flops "Gulls" and "Buoys" for girls and boys. How cute is that? The centerpieces were alternating between simple silver lanterns and square glass vases filled with pink peonies, roses and hydrangea, gorgeous. The cake was adorable, adorned with starfish, pink hydrangea, even little Adirondack chairs.

The nautical theme played out during cocktail hour, with steal drums playing in the background. Waitstaff passed delicious key lime martini's and shrimp cocktail delicately placed in a mini martini glass of their own.

This was a super cute wedding and very well done...props to the organized and crafy Bride!

Tented Wedding - Family Farm in West Suffield, CT

As I promised I would start posting some images of the weddings I work pretty much every weekend. So here is my first post from this summer, many more to follow...




This wedding was on an absolutely beautiful family farm in West Suffield. For those of you who don't know where West Suffield is located, think Massachusetts. As I drove to this almost remote residence, I saw some of the most scenic and beautiful landscapes along the route. I wish I had my professional camera equipment with me, I would have pulled over on the side of the road, jumped out of my car and started shooting the sights probably over a half a dozen times during the drive up there. But no time for that, I needed to get there and start setting up.

When I arrived at the homestead I took in the beautiful location and started popping up tables, and draping linens as quickly as I could. Thankfully the weather decided to cooperate all day and the event went on without a drop of rain in sight. I love it when Mother Nature is on our side at an outdoor tented wedding.

The decor was simple, yet elegant and truly captured the comfortable feeling of being "at home" on the farm. Custom designed wine labels decorated their special homemade wine. Delicate touches of pink and green flowers, with a hint of navy blue ribbon in the centerpieces popped against the crisp white pintuck linens. Green Cybidium Orchids, a crisp green satin ribbon and swiss dots complimented the simple design on the white buttercream frosted cake.

A fun station style menu lent itself to a trip around the world of food. One corner invited guests to the Asian station that included, of course an array of sushi garnished with wasabi and ginger, Chicken Satay with a peanut sauce drizzle, beggers purses, and monogramed take out containers filled with colorful chinese noodles and vegetables. Another corner of the tent housed the delicious kebab station which was a hit. Colorful towers of beef, chicken and vegetable skewers flew onto the plates of the guests. And no station dinner would be complete without filling your tastebuds with a little mexican flavor. Chicken and cheese quesadillas couldn't be made fast enough, and the mini taquitos were definitely a favorite among this crowd. All the food was prepared by the wonderul Jordan Caterers.

As for the bride and groom, they were easy going, exuded happiness and appeared relaxed all day. Just the way your wedding day should be. This was a wedding to remember, the beauty of the location was breathtaking and the couple couldn't have been sweeter or more in love :) This was definitely a fun wedding to work.

"Art in Good Taste" at Ives Farm

The morning brought plenty of rain as myself and other artists carried our artwork from our cars to our designated areas under the working greenhouse. Bails of hay helped shape our space and soon my little area was filled with many of my framed photographs, not too shabby.





As the evening neared to a start the rain finally stopped, and the heat & humidity stayed away long enough for the event to be a success. "Art in Good Taste" was a night hosted by the Cheshire Land Trust to celebrate their 40th Anniversary at the historic Ives Farm. This was a great night for local artists and art lovers alike. There was a nice variety of wine to taste, yummy food and an array of artistic talent flowing throughout the greenhouse.
I hope that this will continue as a one of Cheshire's annual traditions, I would love to be part of this again. Thanks to all who came out and supported a wonderful, local cause.

My talented brother-in law, Tim brought along some of his beautiful one of a kind pottery pieces. He's pictured here with my sister, Kristy (owner of Cheshire Frame & Art Gallery in Cheshire, CT) who helped organize the event and lended her helping hand to all the artists who needed asistance hanging their pieces and preparing their booths. Thank you Kristy!

Here's a little information on the true importance of the event...
"When Betty Ives died in 2006, she turned the property over to the Cheshire Land Trust to preserve and manage. For 40 years, the farm has been operational and, after Ives died, long time farmer Tim Casey continued to manage the daily operations at Ives Farm. The event is being used as a fundraiser for the Land Trust, which operates as a non-profit organization. The money raised from the event will specifically go to help restore a dilapidated old barn on the property."


(To read more about this event please visit: http://www.cheshireherald.com/node/1294)

I've been slacking :(

I'm sad to say that I've been slacking on updating the blog lately. I am so busy now that I'm back working as an Assistant Event Planner at Jordan Caterers (http://www.jordancaterers.com) on the weekends, during what used to be my free time.
The nice thing about being back part-time in the crazy, high stress environment of weddings is seeing all the new and different ideas Brides have for decor and details. While some of their inspiration might come from magazines many of the Brides-to-be have been planning their "special day" in some capacity since they were old enough to talk, so they have a pretty clear idea of what they want. I will start posting some of the creative details I've seen so far this wedding season. I love when Brides pick personal and unique ideas to incorporate into their wedding, it makes the day that much more special and memorable and separates one wedding from the next.
So stay tuned for some of my pics/posts about these weddings . . .

Magic Wings Butterfly Garden

Okay, I love this place! I could spend hours just hanging out there snapping shots of all the pretty butterflies. Here are just a few of the photos I took, can't wait to go back...it was so pretty and peaceful.

Courtney & Dominic - Engagement

I've finally had a moment to breathe and post the engagment photos of Courtney & Dominic. These two are great, and I am so happy they've chosen me to document their wedding next June, I can't wait. I've know both of these guys for ever and they are too cute and so in love. I had a blast photographing these two, it was super easy to get a smile out of them because they are already so happy :)






For the second part of the photo shoot we headed down to the Cheshire Firehouse. Which was a great idea, thanks Dom. The guys at the station were peaking around the side of the truck to catch a glimpse of these two posing and to also do a little heckling. But Dom hung in there and tried to pretend that they weren't there and just kept smiling. Thanks for being a good sport Dom, you got some great shots because of it.







The wedding countdown is on...less than 1 year left to go, woohoo!!!

Memorial Day Weekend in New Hampshire & Maine

It was time for a MUCH needed vacation for me and my boyfriend. So we headed to New Hampshire for a long weekend away from the hustle and bustle of Connecticut and work.


The sunsets were amazing. This particualr sunset was captured by a marsh on our way home from shopping at the outlets in Kittery, ME.

As we were taking a leisurely stroll along the rocky beach, we found several rock sculptures...which of course I had to take a picture of.


The scenery was beautiful and everywhere I looked my camera was soon to capture the image so I can always remember the sights.






It was a wonderful weekend getaway. I can't wait until our next vacation :)

Kristy & Tim - Engagement Photos - April 19, 2009 - Brooksvale Park, Cheshire, CT

Now this was a fun photo shoot to do... My sister Kristy and her wonderful fiance, Tim are so much fun to be around.

I had a hard time getting these two to sit still to take "serious" poses, so instead I did it their way and I think the pictures came out so natural and beautifully captured the relationship between these two love birds.

The wedding is June 27th, and I can't wait to see how those pictures come out.

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I couldn't be more excited for my big sister to start another chapter of her life with such a wonderful guy, someone I'll be proud and very happy to call my brother-in-law.
Love you guys!

Natalie & Ryan - April 3, 2009 - Mahan's Lakeview - Wolcott, CT

Congratulations to a wonderful couple!

It's taken a little while for me to write this post. But I couldn't be happier for these two, they were such a pleasure to work with and I'm so very happy for them both.

The weather that day did not want to cooperate. Despite the dark rain clouds that loomed over us while the girls were getting ready, fixing their hair and make-up it didn't phase the Bride-to-be one bit. The perma smile did not come off Natalie's face the entire day. You can actually feel the love between Natalie and Ryan just by being in the same room with them. I know they will have many, many wonderful years together and I can't wait for the day they call me to take baby Biondi pictures :)