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| New Haven Lawn Club: New Haven, CT: Jennifer & Joe's Wedding Story |
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 |
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A couple of years ago Jen saw a scene in a movie that really touched her. Sitting there on the couch watching "Shall We Dance?" she heard one of the characters say something that resonated with her in a way nothing had done before. It talked about marriage. Not just about a wedding day and all that entails, but about what happens after that day and all the days that follow. In the movie, one character asked another what is the point of getting married. It was the answer to that question that touched Jen so deeply. The response was, "We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'."
Those lines touched Jen so deeply, in fact, that she thought about it pretty often, especially when she was with Joe. She had know she wanted to marry him almost right away. They were young when they met and it didn't take long before they absolutely crazy about one another. But Jen is a unique mix - a hopeless romantic who also happens to bring a thoughtful approach to everything she does. She knows that marriage is about more than just being in love, it's also about being there for one another through it all - the good times and the bad. In Joe, she found someone that would do just that. And that made her love him even more.
Years later, while working on the wedding vows she would read to Joe her mind kept wondering back to that night on the couch, and to that movie. She could think of no better way to express not only how she felt about Joe that day, but how she planned on loving him every day into the future. So she wrote from the heart, keeping that quote from the movie in mind all the while. And when she walked down the aisle in Edgerton Park in New Haven last month and she met his eyes for the first time that day, she was completely prepared to read those vows to him. She vowed that she would be there during each and every moment, by his side each and every day. He did the same, saying that through the ups and downs of life, he would be there to hold her hand through it all. Each of their individual lives would mean that much more because they would know it wouldn't go unnoticed. They vowed to be each other's witness.
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When we arrived in the morning to capture the getting ready time with Jen and her girls we were greeted with cheers. We were yet another reminder that the day had finally arrived. Jen was busy having her hair and make-up done by Gina Rioux Gabriel, so we took the chance to get some shots of her David's Bridal gown, her Badgley Mischka shoes, her jewelry and her bridesmaid's chunky necklaces that she got from the same place their dresses were from, Ann Taylor. Shortly after we were done with all those details, the bouquets were delivered from Fleur de Lys in New Haven - greeted with the same round of cheers from the girls. Jen gushed over her beautiful hydrangea and white orchid bouquet, a reaction only outdone by the arrival of a gift from Joe which arrived just before we all headed out to Edgerton Park in New Haven for the ceremony.
Edgerton Park is beautiful on it's own, but with the work of Fleur de Lys who created a row of flower petals and floral buckets on the edges of the seats and the staff at the New Haven Lawn Club who were coordinating it all including the lemonade stand they had set up for guests to enjoy as they arrived. It was a great idea, especially considering just how warm it was that day. After guests enjoyed several lemonades and the views of the park, the ceremony began. It was a moving ceremony, with Jen and Joe each reading their own vows pledging to be the witness in each other's lives. There was barely a dry eye in the when the first kiss as husband and wife came around but cheers followed as they walked back down the aisle together hand in hand.
We spent a bit of time with Jen, Joe and their bridal party, taking advantage of some of the plentiful beautiful backdrops around the park. From there we headed over to the New Haven Lawn Club for the reception. The room looked amazing, with blue uplighting and navy blue and silver touches throughout. Of course, it looked even better once Jen & Joe took to the center of the dance floor for their first dance to David Gray's "Be Mine." Once the dance floor opened up, Todd from Powerstation Events had the guests on their feet the rest of the night, dancing the night away and celebrating with Jen and Joe. It was a day no one would soon forget, a day where they had all served as witnesses to the beginning of Jen and Joe's life together as husband and wife.
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| Jen was incredibly excited when we arrived because it meant the day had finally come and because it meant soon she would be "the girl on our blog." She's a loyal blog reader, so that meant a lot to us. We told her she'd look amazing on the blog, especially since she looked gorgeous even before Gina Rioux Gabriel finished her make-up that morning. |
Jen had a ton of accessories that we had a lot of fun photographing - the simple pearl necklace she would wear with her dress, her awesome five-inch Badgley Mischka shoes, her vows she had printed onto a special card, and the bridesmaids fabulous
Ann Taylor necklaces. |
| Jen's David's Bridal gown fit was the perfect fit for her and really showed off her up-do accented with a white orchid. |
| Jen's actually a bit allergic to orchids, but she loves them so much she would suffer through it just to have them in her bouquet and throughout the decor of the day. Fleur de Lys did a great job with all of the flowers. |
| One final toast with mimosas before Jen puts on her dress. |
| Jen was full of expressions all day long, my personal favorite was this face when she opened up the gift Joe had sent over that morning. It was a pearl bracelet to match the necklace she would be wearing that day. |
| You can see the face continued when she saw the bracelet on her wrist. |
| Gina Rioux Gabriel did a few final touches on Jen before we headed out to get some shots of her. |
| One of the best things about Jen is that she's just as sweet as she is beautiful. |
| Also, she has these big beautiful eyes that are awesome to photograph. |
| Since the park is so close to the New Haven Lawn Club, the staff came over to oversee the ceremony and set-up a lemonade stand for the guests to enjoy. |
| The flowers of the day were a mix of pure white, light blue and green - all put together by Fleur de Lys. |
| At the end of every aisle there were small cones with confetti which showered Jen and Joe as they walked by down the aisle at the end of ceremony. |
| Jen and Joe both seemed to have the same sweet smile on their faces as the ceremony began. |
| This is my angle as Jen walked down the aisle to meet Joe. |
| And this is Rob's view of the same moment. |
| This was an incredibly moving moment, when Joe reached out and took Jen's hand and led her to the front of the aisle. |
| Something about the setting for the ceremony in Edgerton Park reminded me of a scene straight out of a fairy tale, with the big house in the background and the huge tree overhead. |
| These are some more of the variety of angles Rob and I cover as we shoot the ceremony. We've been working together for so long now we don't even have to communicate at all during the ceremony, we can predict the other one's next move. It really helps us to get all the angles. |
| This is a classic Rob shot, he loves getting the wide shots that really set the scene. |
| This is one of mine, I tend to get the closer shots and get the expressions while the couple looks at one another during the ceremony. This was Jen's reaction when the officiant announced their were husband and wife. She couldn't help but clap with happiness. |
| And this is Rob's shot from just a minute later, their first kiss and husband and wife. |
| It was a very hot day, but the bridal party were very patient with us while we got some shots of them in a shady part of the park. (Thank you guys!!) |
| Jen's little cousin is clearly a budding photographer - not only did he take a lot of shots all day, he was happy to show them off to any one who would look at the back of the camera. It was adorable. |
| After bridal party and family shots were done, we headed off into the park again with just Jen and Joe. |
| This field of blue hydrangea were just behind the place where the ceremony took place. We spotted them when we arrived and knew we wanted to head their for some shots. |
| One of their first moments catching up after the ceremony, Jen and Joe had a lot to say to one another. |
| And some time for some smooches too. (That's right, I'm bringing back smooches. Just cause I like it.) |
| After wandering through the park a bit, we spotted this bench and thought it would be nice to give Jen a break from her five-inch heels. |
| It also gave them a chance for some more snuggling. Always a bonus. |
| Jen and Joe have a playful nature about them that's totally contagious. They just make you smile. |
| We always enjoy working at the New Haven Lawn Club, not only because it's a gorgeous building (inside and out) but because the staff is really attentive. |
| In rooms with tall ceilings like these, we always recommend uplighting to emphasize the unique features of the space and to bring some warmth as well. |
| We totally love the chandeliers at the Lawn Club, they really enhance the room's art deco vibe. |
| Jen had thought of so many great details for the day - from the cards where guests to provide words of wisdom to the custom chair backs for her and Joe and the incredible white orchid centerpieces for the tables. It all created a very elegant look. |
| Before introductions we grabbed Jen and Joe for a few more shots, this time in front of the Lawn Club. |
| Jen and Joe's first dance song was David Gray's "Be Mine." We'd never heard it before but downloaded it as soon as we got home, it's a great song. |
| They couldn't tear their eyes off one another throughout the entire song. |
| Joe's best friend since he was a kid was the first to offer up a toast, making Joe laugh before he got a bit more sentimental. Then, Jen's sister took her turn, also providing some laughs and tears from Jen. |
| The last toast was from Jen's friend Amanda who reminisced about the first time she met Joe and how crazy Jen was about him even then. |
| Then a blessing was read before dinner got started. |
| Joe's a Marine, so the cake was cut in true Marine fashion - with a saber. |
| Then it was time for Joe to dance with the first woman in his life, his mother. |
| Jen definitely got some distance on her bouquet toss, no small feat considering the size of the Lawn Club dance floor. |
| Another great expressive face from Jen when she realized her friend Amanda had caught the bouquet. |
| Of course, Joe had his own technique when it came time to do the garter toss. |
At the end of the night, guests where treated to a candy bar filled with tons of sweets to keep them on a sugar high all the way home. A fitting ending to a an amazing wedding with a very sweet couple.
Jen & Joe, we have really loved getting to know you both and very much enjoyed being a part of your day. We hope you had an amazing time on your honeymoon in the Carribean! |

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