If you had told her twenty years ago that she would marry him she probably would have made a face. He was the kid that used to slam her locker closed. He sat next to her in class and drove her crazy. To be fair, if you told him that girl would one day become his wife he would have thought you were crazy.
She went to another school for a few years and while he may not have noticed that she went, he definitely paid attention when she came back and ended up in high school together. Suddenly he was more interested in helping her carry her books to her locker than slamming it closed. He aimed to sit next to her in class hoping to catch her eye and cast himself in a new light. Of course she wasn't quick to return his affection at first. But he persevered, and pretty soon she agreed to go out with him. You can only imagine the smile he had on his face when she said yes. One step closer to making her his girlfriend. Neither of them probably knew that they had just made a date that would change their lives.
The morning of the wedding she had the same face on the entire day - pure happiness. Even while having her make-up applied she had a sweet smile on her face. And as soon as she had the dress on and was heading into the church she was absolutely beaming. Especially when she saw him standing at the end of the aisle. There he was with a smile so big it was probably the same one she had seen the day she agreed to go on that first date. Just steps away from making her his wife. This time they were fully aware that their lives were changing.
MARISA & DONALD
We were really excited to see Marisa and Donald again since we had such a great time with them on their engagement session in Litchfield last fall. Marisa greeted us with a big smile when we started the morning with her at the Crowne Plaza in Southbury. As usual, we jumped on the opportunity to get some shots of her beautiful lace Maggie Sottero gown. As beautiful as the dress was on the hanger, it was truly stunning once Marisa was actually wearing it - as was she.
We then headed over to St. Paul's Church in Woodbury - a classic New England white church that seemed to really fit in perfectly with the whole feel of the day. After a short and sweet ceremony, we made the trip over to St. Clement's Castle where we spent some quality time getting some portraits of Marisa & Donald on the grounds of the castle in some really amazing light. The reception was filled with tons of laughing and plenty of dancing thanks to Music in Motion.
Note: Just as a reminder, Kathleen writes the story (above) and Rob does the short narrating under each photo. We hope that both of our perspectives really help you get to know all of our wonderful couples just a little better. Also don't forget to pick your favorites! You can pick as many images as your favorites as you would like, you are not limited to just one. The photos with the most votes are updated in the FAVORITE PHOTOS section at the top of this site. All that being said, we really hope you enjoy Marisa & Donald's Wedding!
When we arrived at Marisa's hotel room in the morning her beautiful Maggie Sottero gown with gorgeous lace detail immediately caught our eye.
Marisa was just having her makeup finished up before getting her hair done. She was not even in her dress yet and already she looked beautiful.
When it was time for her to get her dress on we captured some of the details. The one on the left is Kathleen's and the one on the right is my view at the same moment.
Marisa came off the elevator into the hotel lobby where her dad got a first glimpse of her all dressed in her wedding gown. We really love this moment.
I grabbed Marisa before she got into the limo for a quick relaxed portrait.
Marisa & Donald's ceremony was at St. Paul's Church in Woodbury. It is a very quaint and very New England Church. The windows were all lined with sunflowers which is one of Marisa's favorite flowers.
The guys green ties complimented the girls brown dresses perfectly.
Kathleen captured this moment between Marisa and her Dad right before he walked her down the aisle.
As they walked into the church Kathleen captured this shot...
...while I got this one from down the aisle.
Don waited patiently as he watched his wife-to-be come down the aisle.
Finally, it was their turn to get married!!
During the ceremony, I jumped up to the balcony to join Sue for a couple of shots from above. The pews were very filled and there were not many empty places to sit. I liked the colors and the lines and thought it made for a fun photo.
We really loved how Marisa looked at Donald while their priest performed their wedding ceremony.
Marisa and Donald exchanged their vows...
...and then their rings.
The church with its simple details and soft lighting was a really wonderful place to photograph. We really loved the chandeliers!
There is something about a priest blessing a couple during a wedding that really gets me.
Marisa & Donald's first kiss as husband and wife!!
It is so fun to see everyone jump up at the end of the ceremony and try to both clap and take a photo at the same time. We always love the excitement at this moment!
Marisa and Donald planned a lot of time in between their ceremony and their reception which was really great for us because it gave us a lot of time to capture a TON of photos of the two of them.
Marisa was up for anything, we were so happy she was willing to sit on these steps. This is my shot...
...and this is Kathleen's view a moment later.
We headed over to St. Clement's Castle a little early to take advantage of the incredible grounds.
We really love this pergola area, there are so many fun textures and nice even lighting. It makes for a very romantic setting.
When their wedding party arrived we took a creative shot of them also in the pergola area.
Kathleen captured this gorgeous shot of them with the perfect blue sky behing. It was so nice out that day!
We really like Marisa's smile in the one on the right...
...and the look on her face in this one as she shows off her dress.
Marisa and Donald are so incredibly sweet and totally into each other.
We almost lost our minds when we saw this lighting. This one is my view...
...and this is Kathleen's.
Isn't it amazing how something as simple as walking togehter can be so emotional.
See, didn't we tell you that they are so into each other?!
Don picked up Marisa without her knowing, swung her around and gave her a huge kiss.
Of course we had to take advantage of the inside of St. Clements as well. The one on the left is mine and the one on the right is Kathleen's. The lighting and detail in this room is so much fun to play with.
A couple of their reception details.
Just like their church, the chandeliers at St. Clements are also pretty great!
We really love how they looked at each other during their first dance.
Marisa danced with her Dad and Don danced with his Mom right before...
...cutting their cake.
Don's dance move on top really make us laugh. All of their guests surrounded them during the last dance of the evening. These two are my shots...
...and this is Kathleen's shot at the same moment.
Marisa & Donald, thank you so much for inviting us to share in your amazing day. We'll definitely have to set up a time to come visit the boardwalk in Litchfield and grab some lunch again sometime soon. ~Rob & Kathleen~
Note: Kathleen (as always) write the stories (top) and Rob does the narrating under each photograph. Since we photograph all of our weddings and sessions together we find that it is very important to also blog together. It is especially important for us to point this out for this particular blog post. So without further ado, we hope you enjoy Amy & Tom's Anniversary Session Photos!
As a kid, he loved putting on shows. He would write a play, cast it with his younger brother and sister, enlist his older brother to help with the backstage dealings and then direct and act in it himself. He would invite all of their parent's guests to come and watch the show, conveniently staged in the garage. When the performance was over, there was nothing but big smiles and loud cheering filling the room. And there he was beaming in the center of it all - he had found what he was meant to do.
So it was no surprise to any of us when he went to college and spent more time in the theater than anywhere else, building and designing theater sets. It was there he met the woman that would become his wife. They were both part of a comedy improv group and if I had my guess, one of the first things that drew him to her (besides being gorgeous) was her sense of humor. She has a dry wit - when she comes out with something funny it catches you completely off guard and cracks you up. I would guess it was probably much the same for her, his sense of humor must have drew her in. He has a bit more of slap-stick physical humor, causing more than his fair share of spit takes. Together, they make the perfect team.
My parents have this saying that when you meet the person that you want to spend your life with you start to act like you did when you were the happiest as a child. So when it came time to propose, no one was surprised that he decided to put on a bit of a show. He had found the love of his life, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops and if that wouldn't be possible - the middle of NYC would have to do. He planned it all out - he would invite family and friends, travel into the city, row a boat out into the middle of Central Park and then ask her to marry him. In an ever romantic gesture, he rowed the boat right under the prettiest tree her could find, took out the ring and popped the question. Of course she said yes. When the proposal was over, there were nothing but big smiles and loud cheering coming from the nearby boats. And there he was beaming - he had found who he was meant to love.
AMY & TOM
I must say that I do happen to know a bit more about this couple since Tom happens to be my brother. [To clarify, I have three brothers - Bill, Tom, and Michael (who actually just got married this past weekend, stay tuned for that blog post soon).] Tom married Amy seven years ago, in a wedding ceremony totally fitting of the two of them. It took place in the very same black box theater where they met. Tom designed and built the theater set, they wrote the ceremony together. At the end of it all, they surprised us all when ribbons dropped down from the ceiling as they shared the first kiss as husband and wife. Hard to believe that was over seven years ago.
Since that day they have built an amazing life together and had the most adorable little girl, who just happened to have inherited a perfect blend of both of their sense of humor. How someone can have a bit of dry wit and a clear understanding of slap-stick humor at age two I couldn't tell you, but she quite definitely does. Her parents have taught her well. She will no doubt be putting on shows of her own someday soon.
Last week Tom and Amy dropped that adorable little girl with my parents for the day so they could sneak off to the city once again. This time Rob and I were there to capture it all - their anniversary session. We had a fantastic time with them both - we always love spending time with them and getting to combine that with photography was even better. When the session was over there was only one way to wrap up the day - with a Broadway show.
We started with Amy & Tom's session by strolling through one of our favorite parts of Central Park... The Mall. It is a beautiful, tree-lined walkway and has such a nice feel. This is my shot...
...and this is Kathleen's view a moment later. I really love how the trees look in black and white.
This part of the park has so many benches and places to go. We really love the emotion between Amy & Tom is this one.
There is often a saxophone player or some musician in The Mall area and that was true the day we were there as well. There is nothing like a little music in the park. Vicki, we posted this one just for you!! :)
The way that Amy & Tom smile when they look at each other is really wonderful.
The textures around the park are so awesome. This one is my view...
...and this is Kathleen's of the same moment.
I went to the top of the bridge so I could get some shots looking down at the stairs. Here is a nice wide view...
...and then one a little closer.
I shot through some of the architecture of the bridge. You can only imagine the weird looks I was getting from people passing by, they must have thought I was crazy.
Kathleen capture this photo from below while I was still up on the bridge. I love how the stairs look as they lead up to Tom & Amy.
Every time that Kathleen and I have ever tried to photograph underneath this bridge in this part of the park it has been under some kind of construction. We were overjoyed to find out that there was no construction that day. We spent a lot of time under there and probably could have spent even longer. The lighting, the architectural detail and of course Amy & Tom all made for some really wonderful photos.
We absolutely LOVE how Amy looks in this photo and how Tom is blurred out in the foreground.
Kathleen captured the one on the left and I captured the one on the right. Their smiles made us so happy.
We had them take a seat for a couple minutes so we could take in all of the surroundings.
Amy & Tom jumped up for a quick kiss.
The rows or arches and lighting under here makes this part of the park really one of our absolute favorite places to photograph.
Of course we had to take the opportunity to create a silhouette.
How perfect is this?! While we were in the middle of photographing Tom & Amy, a man with a cello setup and played some really wonderful music. The acoustics there were incredible.
I love love LOVE the emotion in this photo. This is my view...
...and this is Kathleen's view at the same moment.
Kathleen also captured this one.
Before heading out to the row boats I captured a quick and relaxed portrait of Amy & Tom.
The row boats were definitely an experience but totally worth it. Kathleen rowed the boat (how awesome is she!!) while I got some fun ones of Tom & Amy in front of us.
Tom lead us over to the exact spot that he proposed to Amy 9 years ago. While on our way we stopped to take a break and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
We did make it to the spot where they got engaged. It was really special to be there and we let Tom & Amy have a moment while we photographed them from a distance.
On our way back to the boathouse, Amy & Tom stopped for a kiss. We love all the buildings behind them.
Amy & Tom, we seriously had an incredible day with you two. It is always fun to photograph people as in love as the two of you but even more special to us that you are family. Thank you for bringing us to your engagement spot and of course for such an awesome day. We love you guys!! ~Rob & Kathleen~
If she was nervous that morning, you would never have known since she was telling jokes and cracking everyone up. Hours before the ceremony all of the girls were pretty much ready to go, relaxing and talking in the living room, while her mother stood off to one side waiting to give her special gift. She was led into another room and handed the trademark blue bag, her "something blue." She giggled with joy when she saw the bag come out and saw the bracelet she had been hoping for, and then she had tears in her eyes when her mother placed her grandmother's handkerchief to wrap around her bouquet. She was so touched by the moment, by the gesture by her mother. But as soon as she was back outside among her girls, she let herself embrace the joy of the day again - cracking everyone up yet again.
Moments before she walked down the aisle to meet him, she composed herself - breathed in deeply and took her father's arm. If she was nervous as she walked down, you would have never known since she was beaming and smiling the whole way down. He stood at the first of the church and couldn't believe his eyes - she was stunning. He couldn't wait to take her hand and be married. She laughed when the priest made a few jokes and once the vows began, the tears started to flow. She was so touched by the moment, to hear him say those words to her - to say the words to him. But as soon as they had sealed the ceremony with a kiss and headed outside, there she was again - embracing the joy and making him smile the whole rest of the day.
AMY & PHIL
We met Amy in the morning and couldn't stop talking about how beautiful a day it was - the sky was perfectly blue and there wasn't a cloud to be found. It was perfect for taking tons of shots of Amy & her girls, especially since her father had a vintage Corvette that he was willing to bring all around for pictures (which we were loving, of course). The ceremony was at St. Jude's Church in Monroe, which is filled with very cool architectural details that we just had to incorporate into the photos - and the emotion between Amy and Phil captivated everyone in attendance. Of course that continued at the reception at The Waterview, whenever Amy and Phil were in sight it was like you just couldn't keep your eyes off them - it was like the joy between the two of them was radiating throughout the room.
When we arrived at Amy's house we started with a couple simple detail shots of her elegant shoes and beautiful rose bouquet.
I captured this quick photo of Amy right before she got her dress on.
Amy's mom had an envelope with everything Amy needed for her wedding day! :)
All of Amy's girls and mom helped her get into her beautiful Enzoani gown.
Once she was all ready, Kathleen and I took Amy out to the yard (that her Dad did an incredible job getting ready for the day) for a couple relaxed bridals. These two are mine...
...and this one is Kathleen's at about the same moment. Amy was so happy and had such a wonderful smile.
Kathleen and I really loved laughing and having a great time with Amy and her girls.
Amy's light pink flowers went so nicely with the girls dark brown dresses and vibrant pink flowers.
I love the simplicity and perfect lighting in this shot of the girls that Kathleen captured.
Amy's Dad brought out his incredible 1962 Chevrolet Corvette which we LOVED using as a background for some more bridals of Amy.
We also loved shooting the car itself. :)
Both Amy & her Dad jumped into the car together where we captured this photo...
...as well as this one right before heading out to the church for the ceremony.
Amy & Phil's ceremony was at St. Jude's Church in Monroe where we were greeted with an absolutely beautiful blue sky.
Phil and his guys waited very patiently up front as Phil waited for his soon-to-be wife.
As Amy began her walk down the aisle escorted by her Dad she had such a huge smile on her face.
Both Amy and Phil's Moms shared the same happiness as they lit the candles at the beginning of the ceremony.
St. Jude's is such a great church filled with so many amazing architectural details and we absolutely loved capturing them.
Getting married!!
We love all the moments during a wedding ceremony. Every time we are capturing a wedding, we remember our own wedding day. We often look across at each other and just smile. :)
The way that Amy and Phil could not keep their eyes off each other was so perfect.
Their blessing and first kiss as husband and wife!
Again they were nothing but smiles as they headed down the aisle together.
As soon as we arrived at The Waterview we took this relaxed shot of their wedding party...
...and this one of Amy and Phil.
We love these two black and whites of Amy & Phil... classic!
Before heading in for their reception, we enjoyed walking around the grounds of The Waterview enjoying the incredibly beautiful weather.
Their cake was really nicely decorated with the same pink flowers that all of the girls bouquets were made of.
We thought this was a fun way to photograph their rings.
Amy and Phil were incredibly sweet during their first dance. These are my views...
...and this is Kathleen's view of the same moment.
Amy danced with her Dad and Phil danced with his Mom.
Cake cutting!!
During the last dance of the evening, all of their family and friends surrounded Amy and Phil in a huge circle, it was so wonderful.
Amy & Phil, your day was so much fun and we loved capturing it for you both. We can't wait to catch up with you soon! ~Rob & Kathleen~
Today is my brother's wedding day! Rob and I are down in New Jersey today for the wedding of Michael and his wonderful finace Maren. I must say that I have never seen my brother happier in my whole live and I could never have imagined a more perfect person for him than Maren.
Since I'll be in the wedding party, Rob & Sue will be covering all of the action of the day. But I'm making no promises that I won't pick up my camera from time to time! :)
Check back soon for photos from their day. In the meantime here's a photo from their engagement session last May.
As a writer, words have always been her outlet - her go-to when she was having trouble expressing herself. And that's definitely the place she found herself that morning, unable to fully say what she was feeling at any given moment. You could tell what she was feeling most of the time anyway, it was written all over her face. Like when she put her dress on - she teared up and looked around the room to her family and friends, unable to say a word. She knew in advance that's probably exactly how'd she feel when it came time to say her vows to him during the ceremony, which is precisely why she wrote down what she wanted to say. She fell back to what she had used every other time she couldn't seem to speak the words to describe what she was feeling. Under the huppah, staring into his eyes she reached for that piece of paper and was so grateful to see the words written there - they helped her to speak out loud what she had been feeling in her heart since the moment they had met.
Art has always been his outlet. He had found that painting, drawing or singing was usually the best way for him to express himself when he couldn't seem to get the words out. From the time they got together, he has filled their apartment with paintings - of places they have been together, special moments they've shared. His feelings for her are the ones he wished he could say the most, but could never really seem to sum it up in a way to do it justice. So when it came time to figure out his vows for the wedding, he immediately went to the place where he had found the best way to express himself - through music. He decided that words alone would not be enough to tell her how much he loved her, he would sing it to her. And he did. Under the huppah, staring into her eyes, he reached for a microphone and, in front of all of their family and friends, bared his soul to her in the best way he knew how, and finally he was able to fully let her know just how much he adores her.
LIZ & JAYSON
With our arrival at Liz & Jayson's apartment last weekend, it really hit Liz that her wedding day had finally arrived. "It's all so real now," she said as she gave us a hug hello. She may have wearing a tank top that said "Bridezilla," but she was far from one. She had a perpetual smile on her face and was always willing to help everyone else all morning. Once her hair and make-up was complete, she couldn't wait to get her dress on and see Jayson for the first time down in their apartment courtyard. Luckily for us, Liz had scheduled plenty of time for pictures, so we were able to spend quite a bit of time and get tons of great bridals of her - she may just have a back-up career as a model. When we told her it was time for her to see Jayson, she started to get a bit emotional, she was so excited. She was on the verge of tears even before he walked up behind her and touched her shoulder and as soon as she turned and saw him, the tears started to flow. He smiled sweetly at her and pulled her in for a hug.
From there we headed over to the The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, where their ceremony and reception would take place. The ceremony location was an enormous room filled with tons of texture and stunning details courtesy of Candice from Jubilee Events who planned Liz & Jayson's fabulous day. The centerpiece of the room was the huppah, filled with white flowers done by Elisabeth of Blush Floral Designs. It was an emotional ceremony, with Liz, Jayson and their parents all getting choked up - especially when Jayson sang "Grow Old Along with Me" to Liz as his vows to her. It wasn't the only time he would sing to her that night, though. Right after cake cutting at their reception, he sang to her once more. This time it was the Ben Fold's song, "The Luckiest" and it's safe to say that there was hardly a dry eye in the room this time as well. (Seriously, Jayson is an amazing singer - he totally has a back-up career too.) When he was done with the song, both Liz and Jayson rushed over to us to thank us for introducing them to that song. They had heard of it for the first time when they read about Gillian & Eric's wedding this past April. We were blown away that our blog was able to provide a small contribution to their wedding day. Such a great reminder that we’re so lucky to do what we do.
When we arrived at Liz & Jayson's apartment building Liz told us that she LOVES dress shots and to take it anywhere we would like and take lots of photos of it. Kathleen and I (and Sue) were incredibly excited. We started with it hanging in a tree in the middle of one of the building's courtyards...
...then we brought it in for a couple of shots hanging from a balcony with HUGE windows behind it.
The balcony provided such a fun perspective to show of the detail of her dress.
We really love the architecture of their apartment building so we thought it would be fun to also use one of the big factory windows as a backdrop for this shoe shot.
The apartments in the building are all lofts and have a balcony overlooking the living space where Liz just so happened to be getting her make-up done.
After her hair and make-up were done, and her dress was on she had her veil put on.
Liz (along with Candice) did such an amazing job scheduling a lot of time before the ceremony. Kathleen and I spent a bunch of time taking advantage of the incredible buildings and courtyards for some bridal portraits of Liz. Kathleen captured this amazing photo next to one of the many white birch trees in the courtyard. It is one of my personal favorites.
Liz really loved these archways so of course we had to take a photo of her underneath one of them.
We love how the trees and the building work together so nicely, it is such a beautiful spot to photograph!
In between the two courtyards there is this room that had bright white walls and just the right amount of light coming through the windows to create this photo.
Liz and Jayson opted to have a "First Look" when they were both ready. We really love "First Looks" because it is such an amazingly emotional moment, Liz could barely contain her self as she saw and embraced her soon-to-be husband.
Once the wedding party was all ready we had them join Liz & Jayson for few fun photos.
Right before we headed over to the Maritime Aquarium, I just had to take one of our relaxed portraits of Liz. Doesn't she look amazing?!
When we arrived at the The Maritime Aquarium we were in a sensory overload with all of the amazing details there were to shoot. We walked through all of the exhibits with Liz & Jayson where we took a bunch of photos of all of the ocean dwellers. Isn't that Jellyfish in the middle incredible!?
Kathleen and I absolutely loved this turtle. He was very hard to photograph because as soon as he saw you he would swim away. But we remained patient and let him know we weren't going to give up that easy. :)
The lighting in one of the exhibits was perfect. We shot this photo with only available lighting. The moodiness of it is so wonderful.
A quick kiss by the shark tank.
Liz & Jayson played at one of the exhibits and even gave each other a kiss while holding a horseshoe crab.
This is one of my personal favorites, a sweet silhouette in front of one of the jellyfish tanks.
We went outside behind the aquarium where Kathleen took this photo...
...and I captured this one a moment later.
After we spent a while with Liz & Jayson it was now time for the Ketubah Ceremony. This is such an emotional time. Kathleen captured this photo (that I absolutely love) of Liz & Jayson reading from the Rabbi's Manual.
Here is my wider view with their closest family and friends surrounding.
Their ceremony was in this incredible room filled with so many cool textures that worked so well together. We were very inspired and think something simple like the textures of a place is a detail that will help you remember your day that much better.
The flower girl was a little nervous coming down the aisle but we were manage to capture a shot or two before she went running! :)
Both Jayson and Liz were escorted down the aisle by their parents. We love how Liz's dad sweetly looked over at her. Such a wonderful moment.
Isn't this room an amazing place to get married, the exposed wooden beams and soft light coming through the windows made such a romantic setting.
Kathleen captured this shot as Liz recited her vows to Jayson...
...and then Jayson sang "Grow Old Along with Me" as part of his vows to Liz.
He did a perfect job breaking the glass.
Their first kiss as husband and wife!
Right after their ceremony we all headed to the room where their reception was being held in to capture some of the amazing details that Candice from Jubilee Events put together perfectly. Candice actually made by hand all of the paper details at their wedding, so incredible!!
Of course we had to capture a tablescape! :)
Liz and Jayson were introduced into the room by coming down this huge staircase which lead right into the middle of all of their family and friends. This is my view...
...and this is Kathleen's view from below as Liz & Jayson enterd the dance floor.
They couldn't be any sweeter as they danced their first dance together.
The hora is always something really fun for us to photograph. Kathleen took the photo on top of Liz and I took the photo on the bottom of Jayson.
After cake cutting Jayson sang the Ben Fold's song, "The Luckiest" to Liz and was really REALLY good, there was not a dry eye in the room.
Speaking of no dry eyes in the room, Liz could not contain her emotion as she danced with her dad...
...and neither could her mom. So many sweet moments!
Jayson also danced with his mom and did not stop smiling once.
Liz & Jayson - You wedding was truly amazing and the three of us had such a great time capturing it. We hope to catch up with you really soon. Congratulations again!! ~Rob & Kathleen~
