SARAH AND DANIEL'S WEDDING

Heritage Hotel, Southbury, Connecticut

I do a lot of full coverage photography packages with my clients.  This type of package allows for getting ready photos of both the bride and groom and allows time for a "first look" and time for various locations and or portrait sessions throughout the wedding day rather then trying to squeeze everything into the cocktail hour.  Dan didn't want to have the traditional "getting ready" photos in the hotel room, but instead wanted to do photos outside with the guys all ready.  So instead we used the "getting ready" hour with the groom and groomsmen for portraits all around the venue.  This made for so many great photos of the guys at various locations throughout the venue and freed up the cocktail hour for them to enjoy with their guests and bridal party.  It is a wonderful option for either the groom or bride to spend their "getting ready" time this way on their wedding day. 

With the guys portraits complete, I went inside the hotel to start the "getting ready" photos of Sarah. 

After the "getting ready" photos of Sarah and her bridesmaids we went outside for portraits on the grounds at the Heritage Hotel.  Adding the portraits outside before the ceremony meant I had all the portraits completed before the ceremony so they could enjoy the second half of the cocktail hour. I was able to get a lot of great photos of Sarah and her bridesmaids in a variety of locations.  By staggering the groom and bride photos I was able to keep Sarah and Dan from seeing each other as they wanted to reserve that moment for their ceremony. 

Next came their outdoor ceremony in the Rock Garden at the Heritage Hotel.  They had two priests officiate their ceremony bringing a religious influence.  Sarah and Dan also wrote their own personal vows and read them during the ceremony which was very moving.  This created a nice balance of the religious influence as well as making their ceremony more personal as well.  

We finished up the portraits of Sarah and Dan together and the whole bridal party together.  I also did the family photos at this time. While taking photos of Sarah and Dan a rainbow came out to look over their wedding day.  That was awesome.  Because we did the portraits before the ceremony, everybody could go and enjoy the rest of the cocktail hour.

Their reception took place in the Timber Room.  It has a rustic feel with all the wood and beams and vaulted ceilings making for a beautiful wedding reception. The standard first dance, toasts, parent dances and cake cutting were done as well as a bouquet and garter toss.  It was a fantastic wedding reception.