MEF Photography Blog! » San Francisco-Based Wedding, Family + Portrait Photography

You might remember Katie + Dustin from their engagement session, which, if you’ll recall, included another shorter and slightly cuter Molly. :)

Alas, the other Molly was not party to Katie + Dustin’s August 13th at The Waterview in Monroe, CT, but we survived.  That tragedy aside… Do me a quick favor and glance back at your August calendar.  Notice anything?  Like that August 13th was a Friday?  Since I’m here and intact with no broken bones, I’m confident in saying that it was most assuredly NOT an unlucky day.  In fact I wish more people would get married in Fridays — 13ths or otherwise.  Most venues and vendors offer discounts for Friday weddings, and, bonus, no one has to wake up to go to church in the morning.  AND I GET THE WHOLE WEEKEND OFF.  THINK ABOUT IT.

For this and many other reasons, these two are definitely another favorite couple of mine.  Their whole affair was simple and relaxed, plus their bridal party was hilarious and filled with good sports AND they did a First Sight (more on that in a minute).  But you don’t care about that.  You care about photos!  Okay, one more paragraph and we’ll get started.

The Waterview in Monroe has — prepare yourself — a lovely water view of Lake Zoar.  If you look closely at the base of the middle trees, you’ll see the corner of something black floating in the water.  See, another reception happening that same evening in The Waterview’s other ballroom was for the daughter of the family that owns a Connecticut fireworks company.  That black something in the water?  That’s the “boat” from which they launched the THIRTY MINUTE custom pyrotechnics show (there was also a land-based component).  Okay, maybe it wasn’t 30 full minutes, but it rivaled any 4th of July extravaganza I’ve ever seen.  I’m told displays like that run around $10k/minute and require explicit permission from every lakeside resident.  Lucky us. :)

The Waterview does not lack for nice chairs.

Just a few details.

I usually have a pretty keen sense of what type of dress each of my brides will choose before I ever see them, but Katie’s totally stumped me.  This was not the dress I expected, but it was lovely and absolutely perfect for her.

Love this detail of Katie’s bridesmaid holding her veil while her dress is laced.

Katie was lovely, if a little nervous. :)

Sidebar: Katie + Dustin were my first couple ever to opt for a First Sight and it. was. PERFECT.  For starters, both Katie + Dustin dispensed of ALL of their nerves beforehand, and enjoyed some quiet, private time together.  Second, we were able to get all of their bridal party portraits out of the way ahead of the ceremony, which meant that the bridesmaids and groomsmen could head up to enjoy cocktail hour right away, while the bride and groom had some much needed relaxation between the ceremony and the reception.  I cannot recommend a First Sight enough; it eases the flow of the day, it allows for more (and more relaxed!) portraits, and it truly calms the guests of honor.  And contrary to popular belief (as you’ll see in a moment), it does absolutely nothing to spoil the moment the groom sees his bride at the head of the aisle.

Speaking of…

Dustin couldn’t help but get the full view of his soon-to-be wife. :)

And then it was time for portraits!

I LOVE this photo of Katie.  Her look, her adorable dimples, her hand on Dustin’s arm.  BEAUTIFUL.

Could Dustin be any more handsome?  Seriously?  (P.S. I saw their Hawaiian honeymoon photos — Dustin is sporting some SERIOUS muscles under that tux.  Good job, Katie. ;)  Have I embarrassed you yet?)

I don’t normally post bridal party photos, but I really like this one (and the bridesmaids’ dresses were FABULOUS):

Onto the ceremony!  Katie + Dustin hired a guitarist / singer that they saw play at the Burger Bar in Norwalk (If you’ve never eaten there and you live nearby, go.  Go now.  Eat the sweet potato fries. You’re welcome.).  His performance was wonderful, and he was such a sweet guy — he moved to Austin the very next day to be with his long-term, long-distance girlfriend and to follow his musical dreams.  Adorable.

Remember what I said about a First Sight not ruining that “head of the aisle” moment?  I offer the following as proof:

The Waterview has two reception rooms, each with their own ceremony site.  Let me just throw my vote in for the smaller of the two (pictured below).  It is intimate, private and gorgeous, but the best part is that it’s completely shaded in the afternoon (the larger site on the other side of the building, which is visible from the parking lot, is in full sun until dusk) — your photographer, not to mention your guests, will appreciate this!

First kiss, followed by the most genuine “HOLY CRAP WE’RE MARRIED” faces I’ve captured yet:

Mr. + Mrs.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a few quick portraits of the happy couple in the warm sunset.

Love the one on the left.

Yet another beautiful cake I didn’t get to sample.  I work too hard. :)

The Waterview boasts an ENORMOUS dance floor, which was perfect for Katie + Dustin and their friends, who danced the night away.  (If you’ll recall, Katie and many of her friends are professional dancers.)  But it worked quite well for just the two of them, too.

And lastly, a quick parting shot at the end of the night.

To see the rest of my favorites from Katie + Dustin’s wedding, check out their slideshow (set to a lovely 1932 recording of “You, Just You” by Ray Noble + The New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, courtesy of the Internet Archive).

Katie + Dustin, you are wonderful. It was a joy working with you and a pleasure photographing your wedding day — I can’t wait to see you both again! Enjoy your photos!

Starting today, I’m trying something new with my posts.  See, the better I get at photography (which to my inner critic seems like never, but which is in truth every single day), the more images I love too much not to share.  And it doesn’t take but a skim through my previous posts to see that I am a bit, ahem, longwinded on the text side of things.  As such, I think my blog posts are getting just a liiittle too long.  And darn it, try as I might, I just can’t shut up. So!  In order to focus on what I do best (portraits) we’re going to try a mix of stills of my absolute favorites (impossibly hard to narrow down, by the way), and a slideshow of the rest.  What do you think?  I’d love your (yes, I’m talking to you, dear reader) feedback.

Let me introduce you to our first guinea pigs: Caroline + Jeff.

Caroline + Jeff were married August 7th under a gorgeous oak tree at Manchester Country Club.  I had only met Caroline once before, when she booked me almost a year ago — which she did almost immediately, because we really clicked.  I knew we got along swimmingly, so I shouldn’t have been nervous while I waited for her in the hotel lobby, but as always, I totally was.  At least until she walked in and I saw her smiling face.  Suddenly, all my nerves were gone, and, just like always, all my attentions turned to making Caroline’s day as easy as possible for her (and Jeff!).

That Caroline + Jeff chose to wed under an oak tree made my heart smile, because that was one of my only requirements for selecting my own ceremony site for next year.  Another neat aspect to their day?  They didn’t have their guests sit far from them in traditional fashion.  Instead, they asked those in attendance to remain standing for the short and sweet ceremony, and the officiant lovingly requested that they all gather closely around.  It made for a very intimate and romantic atmosphere, and was a nice change of pace.

But can I tell you my favorite part of this wedding?  I promise, it’s not what you’re expecting.  Caroline’s entire family is French Canadian, which means they speak — waaaait for it — French!  You may not know this about me, but I’ve been studying French since I was 12; I have a Bachelor’s degree in it, in fact.  I even lived in France while I was in college — I returned home five years ago last month (HOLY FAST PASSAGE OF TIME, BATMAN).  It’s something that got deep down in my bones; I thought in French, dreamed in French, sometimes even maybe perhaps talked to myself while I was alone in French.  But aside from little bits here and there, over the last five years I haven’t had much contact with the language, and I miss it.  I miss it often.  I try to satiate myself with music and the occasional podcast, but it doesn’t fit the bill.  So you can imagine what a treat this wedding was for me. :)

But enough about what I thought.  Shall we?

I loved Caroline’s something old and something blue — her grandmother’s costume jewelry, center:

What do you do when you’re limited on space and time and you need a fun place to photograph (lovely!) shoes?  How about the fridge?  (This was very entertaining to the bridesmaids, by the way.)

Caroline chose an absolutely stunning dress.

And I love her little hands poking out of the top of it!

Caroline.  Beautiful.

Jeff.  Handsome.

His handsomeness didn’t stop him from feeling a bit anxious before the start of the ceremony, however.

His groomsmen, on the other hand, were not feeling the pressure.  In fact, they were teaching each other card tricks to pass the time.

GORGEOUS!

Jeff’s mom and dad, during the ceremony.  :)

First kiss, and first smile after the first kiss. :)

Jeff had the perfect look on his face just after the recessional.  P.S.  That’s their oak tree there on the left.

And now the best part: portraits!

Laughter!  My favorite thing in the world!

I think this is my favorite photo from the day.  The light, the colors and their expressions.  I just love it.

Of course, we needed a few shots under the tree itself.

How about a few very lovely details to round out the day?

Caroline’s shoes look even better on.  And I love that you can see one of her Grandmother’s pins tucked away inside her dress.

I don’t know what the heck this is, but it was great for the ring shot.

Caroline’s flowers were simple and beautiful.  And I’ve had those things on the right explained to me, but I still don’t know what the heck they’re for.  Golfy applications, certainly.

Jeff’s boutonniere, and the luscious bridesmaids bouquets.  Love the little green berries.

Just one shot from the reception.  This was basically the whole room’s reaction to Caroline’s sisters’ tandem toast.  I was wiping away some tears, myself, and this face was too perfect not to capture.

And lastly, the happy couple.

To see the rest of Caroline + Jeff’s favorites from their day, please watch their slideshow. (Set to — surprise! — French music.)

Caroline + Jeff, thank you so much for letting me be a party to your day.  Thank you for letting me revel in a beloved language lost to me.  Thank you for being such kind people.  Congratulations to you both.  Enjoy your photos!

[Quick side note for anyone reading this via RSS: A few days ago I accidentally hit “publish” instead of “save draft” before this entry was finished (Go, me!).  And even though I IMMEDIATELY took it down, my feed reader still caught it and published it — thanks, Google. I was only about halfway done with my comments, which are VERY IMPORTANT AND SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.  So, this is me pleading with you to read it again!  On with the show!]

Fair warning: You are about to hear me (over)use two phrases during this post.  1) “How freaking beautiful is ____?!” (Mostly, this will be in reference to Marta, but in all fairness, you’ll soon see why I can’t help that), and 2) “FAVORITE!!!!” (Or some variation thereof.)  Are you excited yet?

Marta + Gwaki.  I love saying their names.  It may be because I’ve spent so much time with the two of them as a couple, but I just think their names fit together well; they blend into one another.  MartaGwaki.  They roll off the tongue together.  Marrrrrta + Gwaki.  (She’s Portuguese; roll that R.)

Marta + Gwaki.  I loved photographing their wedding.  They were married on July 11th at Amarante’s Sea Cliff in New Haven on an absolutely stunning day.  The main element of their wedding that sticks in my mind?  Laughter.  From beginning to end, so much laughter.  (I’ll prove it to you in a minute.)

Oh, and love — I can’t forget love.  But hey, it was a wedding, right?  Of course there was love.  Except this wedding was different from any others I’ve photographed, and I can’t quite put my finger on any one thing to explain it to you.  The best example I’ll give is that, by the close of the night as I was packing away my stuff to make the drive home, Marta turned to me with a huge smile on her face and said, “It was like you were just another friend at our wedding.”  My heart melted.

I know it’s poor form to have favorites (moreover to publicly announce them!), and that having a favorite by definition means that something else is less — less liked, less cherished.  But when have I ever been anything but a woman of poor form?  Because I have no shame in admitting that these two?  These two are my favorites.

Here, let me show you why.

Good afternoon, Long Island Sound.

Amarante’s Sea Cliff is perched on a pretty small piece of land, but what they lack in square acreage, they make up for in views and flowering gardens.  And as you’ll see in a minute, the Bride’s prep room has some of the most gorgeous light you ever did see.

Sometimes the most plain environment best allows a dress to speak for itself.  [Funny story: Before I edited any of these photos, I went out to try on dresses for my own wedding.  We found several nice options, but there was one dress in particular that everyone loved.  Like, L-O-V-E kind of loved.  Imagine my surprise when I sat down to work on this wedding and realized that IT WAS MARTA’S DRESS.  I now know for certain that I could have given Marta a good punch to the midsection and she wouldn’t have felt a thing, because the boning in that dress was not messing around.  Not that I would engage in fisticuffs with any of my brides, mind you.  I’m just saying.  I really liked Marta’s dress. :)]

And the view behind the dress wasn’t too shabby, either.  (Check out the tip top of that cloud behind the window shade.  Love it.) :)

Marta was the first bride I’ve had to mix it up with her shoes and I have to praise her for it.  Ladies, there is no law that says your shoes have to be white.  In fact, I’d be willing to use all my years of Mock Trial experience to argue that there should be a law AGAINST it.  (Yes.  Mock Trial.  I was in Mock Trial, alright?)

This is their Flower Girl (whose name, I’m embarrassed to admit, is escaping me).  How freaking beautiful is this child!?  And she was an absolute sweetheart, to boot.  Later, during the ceremony, Gwaki was getting a little teary, so she walked up to him to offer up the handkerchief she was carrying.  SERIOUSLY?  Precious.

The gorgeous light I was talking about:

And how freaking beautiful is Marta?!  I loved how relaxed she was all day.

Alright, so I’m probably going to get in trouble for posting the one on the left, but COME ON!  That might be my FAVORITE “putting on the dress” photo to date!  Makes me grin every time I see it.

Marta wanted a small orchid for her hair.  Apparently that message was not properly conveyed to her florist, but golly, what she got sure was beautiful.  Happy accident.

Refrain: How freaking beautiful is Marta?!  Right?

Ceremony, here we come!

The ceremony was not too short, not too long.  And it alternated between unbearably touching (yeah, I cried behind my camera), and this:

What a perfect day.  The clouds, the clouds!

Gonna just go ahead and say it: FAVORITE photo of an officiant TO DATE.

Remember the laughing I mentioned before?  I wasn’t kidding.

First kiss. :)

If I had to sum the two of them up using one photo only, I might use this one:

Hello, beautiful bridal party!

I showed Marta this picture right after I took it, and her response was, “I KNEW this was the kind of sunshine you liked!”  Why yes, Marta.  Yes it is.  :)

Okay, probably nobody cares about this but me, but.. see that photo on the left?  Before everyone was introduced at the reception, they forced them all to stand in this teeny tiny hallway to wait for something (I think there was an issue setting up the sound system).  Both sets of parents and the bridal party were all crammed together behind this drape and when I looked at it from inside the hall, something about it just struck me.  In other news, how freaking adorable (and beautiful!) are Marta’s parents?

Okay, I take it back.  I might sum up Marta + Gwaki using these photos:

I think this is my favorite first dance photo of all time.  FAVORITE!

I heard tell their cake was delicious (I’ll spare Marta + Gwaki the photos of them shoveling it into their mouths).  I’m sorry I missed trying a piece!  But it was pretty to look at. :)

They did such a sweet favor for their guests.  The two of them love peanut butter and chocolate (big points here), so they concocted a custom granola recipe (including two big scoops of love!).  They included a sample of their delicacy with the recipe printed on an attached card.  They even made sure I got one!  Mmm.

Yet another photo I might get in trouble for, but this is a story I have to tell.  Marta’s father gave a very sweet speech about appreciating your new spouse’s differences.  But before he found his groove, he said something along the lines of, “Cherish the differences in your personalities, in your strengths, and even in your genders — in fact those differences are something you should really appreciate quite often!”  I haven’t done this ANY justice, but let’s just say Marta’s dad is a very unassuming sort of man, and the reactions on their faces in the following photo pretty clearly illustrate how much they were NOT expecting this sort of advice.

So much were they not expecting it that the laughter continued in waves for a good couple of minutes.  I had a pretty hard time keeping my camera steady through my own giggles.

That’s Gwaki’s dad on the right.  He was a great story teller.

After a lovely dinner, I stole the bridal party back outside for a few more portraits.  Sunset, I love you.  I especially love you because you help Marta’s beauty shine.

REFRAIN: How freaking beautiful is Marta?!

Marta + Gwaki’s engagement photos required me to create a new triptych collage for the blog.  So it’s not too surprising that their wedding necessitated yet another new collage.  Except, what the heck do I call this?  “Quadtych” isn’t a word, but should we go with it?  How about “4-up?”  WHATEVER!

This is Gwaki and his brothers.  This series is what happened when I asked Gwaki and his brothers to look smooth.  This is NOT how one goes about looking smooth.  But it IS how one goes about making me laugh.

Eventually, they figured it out.  And boy oh boy did they get it right:

REFRAIN, PEOPLE.  This is my favorite from the day.

That sunshine is killing me a little bit.  But, killing me in a good way.

Uhm, this might also be a favorite.  HOT.

Back inside for BABIES!  I wanted to follow this little one around all night.

And this guy partied himself out:

Last but not least, a departing shot of Amarante’s Sea Cliff from below.

I know I’m not supposed to have favorites.  I know it.  But this was my most favorite wedding to date.  Not a single minute of it felt like work and I’ve never had so much fun with a bridal party.  This wedding set my expectations HIGH!  Brides and grooms, take note!

Marta + Gwaki, thanks for treating me like a friend.  Thanks for letting me enjoy myself while I worked.  And thanks for reminding me why I love to do what I do.  You’re a formidable couple with an enviable attitude toward life, and gosh darn it, I LIKE YOU!  Enjoy your photos. :)