IRIS Photography -- The Blog

Kathryn and Oliver's Summer Solstice CT Tent Wedding

I love how every wedding is unique and Kathryn and Oliver's was no exception - it had an elegant country feel to everything and we definitely got some great and unique pictures (look for bride kissing her (frog) prince and the groom on a rope swing over the Farmington River!)

Kathryn got ready in her parents' home where the tent reception would be held:

The flower girl literally ran down the aisle!

After the ceremony, we went with the bridal party on a detour to shoot in a tobacco farm...
 

While we were taking photos, Mike was making the rounds at the cocktail party:

Leave it to Mike to strike up a conversation with www.petethebutcher.com and take a portrait of the pig for tthe pig roast!

Meanwhile, we made our way back to Kathryn's parents' home for the family photos and the party!

Every table had a barn board sign saying "solstice" in a different language. 

 
Dinner was delicious and included fresh cornbread.  It was catered by The Savory Palate in Manchester:

 
We were taking a few pics with Kathryn's girlfriends when a new man came into the picture...how many people kiss a frog on their wedding day!

We were going to do a small shoot down by the river and ended up having about 30 people go on the walk - it had a great feel and incredibly beautiful light.

Here is one of my favorite pics of the day...I just felt it captured this elegant country girl side of Kathryn...we'll see if she agrees!

Some more favs:

And here's Oliver, the groom .... yay!

The tables were decorated with seating tag-tied pears and little paper bag favors.  Inside the bags were little jars of local honey and maple syrup --- great idea!

OPM (Other People's Music) was the band and for late night dancing...the jukebox!

I'm so happy we were able to sneak away for our late night portrait session...I love the quirky, romantic, summer camp feel to these pics:

and a beautiful view as the party goes on...

Beth and Kevin's Wedding at The Bond Ballroom, Hartford, CT

I love how many traditions and cultures we have in America and that weddings are one of the places we really get to see them in action.  This was a fun, fun Irish wedding - we had a great time with Beth, Kevin and their friends and families.  Thank you guys!

Beth got ready at her home with the ladies:

   

Meanwhile, Kevin and the guys got ready at the Homewood Suites at The Bond.  I love these two shots from Mike:

The ceremony was at St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hartford.  Second-shooter Mike was actually baptized here as a baby...I guess things come full circle sometimes! 

While we waited out the rain, we took a few portraits in the church...

Then it was off to the Half Door Pub for the bridal party photos.  This was where Kevin and Beth first met.

And this is the table where they met:

 
Then it was on to The Bond.  Goza, a local Latin jazz band performed throughout the cocktail party ... they were great!   They also play regularly at some restaurants in Simsbury and Avon...I plan to go with Mike tthis summer!

 

If you are not Irish, you may not know the name of this song that Beth's friends performed but take a listen here...you've heard it before...it's called "Wild Rover":

 
 

AGWPJA Award from Katie and Michael's Wedding in Avon, CT

I submitted this image of Katie's bridesmaids for the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association Spring Contest and just found out it placed 12th for Getting Ready.  Yay! 

Judge's Comments:  1. A little surprise in the lower left corner takes this image beyond a "reflection" photo. Good seeing and sense of timing by the photographer. The soft tones and subtle vignette keep your eye focused on the right side of the frame until your eye is surprised by the face in the smaller mirror.

Agnella and Stephen's Wedding, Fairfield, CT

 .We loved Agnella and Stephen's wedding which was all about family and close friends and had such an intimate feel (which tent weddings are great for, by the way).  Agnella got ready in the house she grew up in with help from her sisters and her parents:

Stephen had his sisters stand up for him:

The moms:

We then went to Agnella's aunt's to shoot their portraits...what a beautiful location for pics:

There was some sacrifice for this image but it's one of my favorites!  Thanks guys!

Agnella and her sisters:

Yes, those are real sheep...

The reception was held in a tent at Agnella's parents' home...their gardens made a beautiful setting for the event:

We had sun, storms and rainbows....magic...thank you to the caterer who told me there was a rainbow outside the tent!:

This is the second wedding in a row with a dessert bar with their favorite desserts instead of a cake!  These are one of my favorite desserts ever and are available at the L'Estrada Bakery on Park Road in Hartford if anyone's mouths are watering...Portuguese Egg Custard Tarts!

Sisters: 

It was a night of great dancing! 

Mike did some long shutter speeds and I loved how everything went pink!

The band was Harbor Lights out of NYC.  They were excellent at reading the crowd and getting everyone involved in a very classy way...here's one of the leads giving Agnella the spotlight:

It was so beautiful when we walked away at the end of the night...

Agnella and Stephen, thank you again....it was great spending time with your families!  Thinking of you guys in Istanbul!!!  Congratulations!

Kim and John's Family Portrait

What fun shooting Kim and John's family with Mayalin at 3 years old and CJ at almost 7 months!  We did a little bit inside and a little outside at their home:

Kim, thank you so much for contacting me...it was so nice meeting your family and I hope I will see you guys around! 

Amy and Brendan - Hillstead Museum, Farmington, CT

What a lovely wedding this was at the Hillstead.  I had never shot there before and it was just so relaxed, classy and comfortable and Amy and Brendan added a lot of personal touches to make it truly unique.  Amy got ready at the Hillstead and I loved their bridal room for portraits and the fresh roses in Amy's hair:



 


The Maid of Honor:

Amy walked down the aisle to the guests all singing the Beatles, "All You Need is Love" - AWESOME!  Also, I think Amy laughed the entire wedding.


Amy and Brendan did a receiving line, then we took the family formals in the gardens.  My favorite shot of Mike's:


For Amy and Brendan's portraits, we took a walk around the house:



The reception was held in the barn/theatre adjacent to the house. 




I've now been to two weddings in a row with no wedding cake ... may be getting more popular (will blog the other wedding next week).  Instead, Amy and Brendan's family members each made the dessert they are know for and Amy had these beautiful cards printed up, telling the story of each.  It was such a great personal touch:




We ended on a little late night portrait session:



Thank you guys for beautiful night!

Max at 11 Months!

What fun to shoot little Max at 11 months old with his parents Julia and Mead!  We found so many great spots in and outside of their home!






Julia's mom, Parnell, joined us and I'm so glad she did!


She noticed Max trying to eat hostas and led us to this shot (and of course I also have some of him trying to eat them!):





Thank you guys!  What a beauty!