Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming, leaves are starting to burst forth from their buds and it signals the start of the 2023 wedding season. We begin this year with the wedding of Iris and Ben at Crystal Peak in Winstead, Connecticut. Crystal Peak is a great venue located in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. Owner and Chef John and his wife Jennifer take the extra care to make sure that everyone has a great wedding experience. They generally hold one wedding per day so you have the whole venue and property reserved for you to enjoy for your wedding day.
We started the wedding day off with a first look with Ben and Iris followed by portraits of Iris and Ben, the wedding party and family photos.
Spring weather can be a bit fickle. The weather forecast called for rain, then changed to cloudy and then while we were doing our portraits clouds started to gather and the rain started to fall. We had to shift our ceremony plans indoors and thankfully Crystal Peak had a whole large room available for the ceremony. So the staff on short notice prepared the cocktail hour room for a lovely ceremony location. Iris and Ben shared personal vows during their ceremony which made for great laughs and tender moments. Great job Iris and Ben on your vows. They added an element of the Jewish tradition to their ceremony with the breaking of the glass and ended their ceremony with a large group photo of everyone.
After the ceremony, we used the overhang outside for the bubble exit followed by family portraits and how can we forget the "sock" photos. When the groomsmen have socks with the groom's photos on them you have to get photos of that.
With the ceremony and portraits finished it was now time to start their reception celebration with detail photos, introductions, first dance with the Iris and Ben, a dual parent dance and toasts.
We continue the wedding reception with cake cutting and lots of great dancing. What a wonderful wedding celebration.