Holly and Joshua: A Country Wedding
One of the great things about getting married in New England is the sheer diversity when it comes to venues and vibes. Holly and Joshua got married on a working farm in MA and the wedding was distinctively them… and awesome! Check out some photos from their wedding at historic Elm Hill Farm in Brookfield, MA.
Holly and Joshua might be two of the most easy-going and cooperative couples that I have worked with. They were always game to do something a little bit different and most of the time it was their idea to do so. On the day of their engagement session, there was this really intense fog and I was worried that it might be a little less rustic-country and a bit more horror movie than they wanted but they were game. I think by embracing the weather we were able to capture some awesome colors and set a vibe that really fit them well.
So, they’re adaptable. That was key because their wedding fell right, smackdab in the middle of the pandemic. They had to improvise quite a bit but in the end their wedding day was a huge success. It also seemed to be very much THEM.
The prep / ceremony took place at Elm Hill Farm in Brookfield, MA. This is a place that means something to them and that they spend a lot of time at. It is rustic and photogenic but also a working farm. One of the highlights of my walkthrough a couple days before the wedding was talking to the owner when somebody brought up the farm’s Facebook page.
“We have a Facebook page?!”
I love rustic stuff and historical places. I shoot at a lot of barns-turned-venues but you really can’t beat the real thing. Holly and Joshua got ready in an old farmhouse on the property that didn’t really look like it had been changed much over the last 100 or so years. It was really awesome to have this place as a backdrop. I also didn’t see any ghosts, which is always a plus.
Their wedding ceremony took place in front of a huge barn and we got to wander around taking photos afterwards. Their reception took place at their house underneath tents with a ton of food and space to dance with a roaring fire to keep everybody warm and happy after dinner.
Check out some of my favorites!
If you’re a horse person, check out Elm Hill Farm on Facebook by clicking here.
Getting married somewhere unique? I’d LOVE to hear from you!
Brianna and Zach: A wedding at the Allrose Farm
Life might have gotten all wonky over the past several months but love carries on. Relive the warmth of summer with some fun photos from Brianna and Zach’s rustic wedding at the Allrose Farm in Greenfield, NH.
It’s mid-November. The busy season is over and it’s time to reflect on what happened this past wedding season. The 2020 wedding season was, frankly, a s*#^ show. If nothing else, it is comforting to know that 2020 was pretty much the same for everyone. There’s comfort in numbers, right?
It did have it’s moments, though. For every wedding of mine that got canceled there was another wedding that adapted and overcame. Having to pare down guest lists and build events around health guidelines was a challenge for everyone in the industry, particularly brides and grooms. Brianna and Zach, chose to embrace the changes that had to happen and carry on. They were one of this year’s highlights.
I met Brianna and Zach through one of my first couples, Jane and Aline. It’s always a lot less stressful when you know a couple hires you based on liking your style and actually seeing you work previously. Their engagement session was at Hampton Beach.
Their wedding was at the Allrose Farm in Greenfield, NH. The Allrose is one of those rustic, quintessentially New England venues that I love photographing at. The grounds were expansive enough to give us a ton of options but also small enough to move from spot to spot without taking up too much time.
One of the things that I loved about this wedding was that everyone was really, really laid back. It was really fun watching everyone dance but I was pumped to hear the occasional pop-punk anthem add a little spice to the playlist- as somebody who stuck a little Piebald into my wedding playlist I can appreciate that. They also had one of those weddings where people were really free to do what they wanted. Guests meandered around the barn where most of the action was but also spent time getting some fresh air and watching the sunset or just taking in a New England evening.
This was definitely one of the bright spots in a really weird year.
Great weddings, and I would DEFINITELY rank this as a great wedding are team efforts. Click the links below to learn more about the vendors who helped make this wedding great.
Venue: Allrose Farm in Greenfield, NH
Event Coordinator: Angela Marie Weddings in Deerfield, NH
Catering and Bartending: B&M Catering in Pawtucket, RI
Make-up Artist: Katie Walsh at KW Salon in Portsmouth, NH
Hair: Kelsey Kozak at Kels10hair in Plainville, MA
Dress: Stella Grace Bridal in Salem, NH
Alterations: Pins and Needles in Danvers, MA
Rebecca and Jason: Love in the Time of Corona
The Corona virus pandemic has forced us to accommodate strict health guidelines in our lives- including our weddings. Just because our weddings are smaller, quieter, and, well, different doesn’t meant they aren’t full of love and celebration. Check out some photos from this socially distant wedding in Worcester, MA with a portrait session at Elm Park.
So much of the past few months has been about coping with the situation that we are all in. If I were to go back 6 months ago and tell my past self that the wedding season, spring portrait season, headshots, event photography and basically every other part of my business would be at a standstill for months, I wouldn’t have believed myself. To think of how much our lives have changed since spring is so utterly bizarre that I sometimes have trouble walking through everything that happened. Sure- life is different but love still calls us to get married. Weddings certainly look different but the meaning and the impact is still there- maybe more so. This was definitely true for Rebecca and Jason’s socially distanced wedding in Worcester.
Rebecca shot me an email a couple weeks before their wedding. Like many other couples, their big dream wedding was sidelined by the pandemic. They decided on an intimate church ceremony with just immediate family present. I feel for all of the couples who have seen their dream weddings necessarily altered, I really do, but Rebecca and Jason’s wedding is proof that you can have a wedding that is just as special without a ton of extras.
Rebecca and Jason’s wedding photographer canceled shortly before their wedding. They reached out to me and luckily I had the day free. This is really not a shocker- most of my days are free. I go on and on whenever given too much space to write about how I love the storytelling aspect of photography. Every wedding is a story but its not super often that I get to tell a wedding story that is on a level of intimacy that this level was on. Within a few minutes I knew pretty much everyone involved and I felt that I was able to spend at least tome time with everybody. It’s easier to see how people fit together when things are a bit simpler. It was also great to see their ceremony being live-streamed straight from the church.
Afterwards, we headed to Elm Park in Worcester where we grabbed some quintessential photos on the bridge (you know the bridge) and attracted a lot of attention.
Check out some of my favorites!
Cally and Cory: A Wedding at the Manor
Wedding photography at the Manor in West Boylston is probably a rite of passage for any wedding photographer in the area. Check out some wedding photos from Cally and Cory’s wedding with elements inspired by their love for Japanese culture.
The Manor in West Boylston is one of those places that has been around forever. It’s basically an institution in the surrounding towns. I grew up with people who owned it and have been in the wedding business for long enough that I should have shot there a few dozen times by now, at least. Somehow, this was my first time doing wedding photography at the Manor in West Boylston.
When I first met Cally and Cory they told me that Japanese culture had been a big part of their relationship and that they were hoping to include that love in their wedding. When I arrived I was greeted by these unique twists on basic wedding elements- paper cranes as seat markers, a bamboo plant that held the well-wishes of their guests, things like that. Cally had added Japanese-inspired elements to her dress and had fashioned “shrine” maiden dresses for some of her bridal party. One of the coolest things was a fan game that they played in the middle of the reception. The game is common enough- back to back the bride and groom rat each other out to questions like, “who is the better cook?” Instead of raising hands or pointing they had colored paper fans that added this pop of color.
All in all- it was a great night for a wedding at the Manor.
Check out weddings at the Manor by clicking here.
If you’re getting married with themed elements from a culture that means something to you or in full Halloween costumes then I want to hear from you.
Jessica and James: A Wedding at the Asa Waters Mansion
New England is full of historic homes- sometimes I get lucky enough to shoot a wedding at some of them. Jessica and James got married over the summer at the Asa Waters Mansion in Millbury, MA. Here are some of my favorite photos.
Jessica and James are, in a lot of ways, my favorite kind of people to work with. They were laid back and incredibly nice but also had this sense of humor that really appeals to me. I enjoyed photographing them and I enjoyed working with them through out the wedding process and their wedding at the Asa Waters Mansion in Millbury, MA was fantastic.
Our first engagement session was scrapped because it happened to fall on the same day as our only major snowstorm last winter and I felt awful. They had traveled all the way in from New York and we just couldn’t make it to Moore State Park for our session. I drive a PT Cruiser- not exactly known for its rugged abilities. When we finally had our session a few weeks later the weather was cold but wonderful. Jessica’s son and her sister Barb- also a photographer- came along. Barb let us use her heart shaped umbrella and it ruled. It was a lot of fun and a great way to get to know the people I would be spending a hot summer day with.
Here is my favorite shot from that session.
I was pumped on the day of their wedding. I had met up with Jessica a few days before and she gave me my own heart-shaped umbrella. I was really touched. I toured the lovely Asa Waters Mansion and had a really good idea about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to shoot. I was happy and ready to go. Then, as I was getting my cameras ready to get loaded into my camera bag I got an awful phone call letting me know that one of my cousins had been diagnosed with a real shitty form of Leukemia (not that they aren’t all shitty).
Jessica and James’ wedding taught me that weddings are not an aside from life. Every single person who is at a wedding- whether they are in the wedding or cherished guests (or bearded photographers) have their own massively complex story going on. Not all of it is happy but during a wedding you just have to accept and embrace that. Love is all about accepting a person’s entire story and weddings are all about love.
If I had a normal job I don’t know if I would have functioned properly. I don’t. I arrived at Jessica and James’ wedding having decided that I would paste on a smile and just exist in my camera. The thing is that it’s hard not to smile at a wedding and it’s even harder not to smile around people like Jessica and James. It was also helpful that they and their guests came to get down during the reception! I found that after an incredibly short amount of time my smile was genuine and there were times when I couldn’t help but laugh and feel appreciative for what I do and the people that I get to spend time with. Here are some of my favorite shots from Jessica and James’ wedding at the Asa Waters Mansion in Auburn, MA.
Jackie and Rehan: A Worcester Art Museum Wedding
Earlier this summer I photographed Jackie and Rehan's wedding at the Worcester Art Muesum. As a wedding venue, the museum was awesome. From a photography standpoint it was pretty much everything I dreamed about.
It was a ton of fun to photograph Jackie and Rehan’s wedding at the Worcester Art Museum. For one thing- the Worcester Art Museum rocks. I have shot there before and it’s almost hard to take a bad picture. Even if Jackie and Rehan weren’t super cool people I would have loved spending most of the night in the museum but Jackie and Rehan were awesome.
Jacke and Rehan were kind enough to let my wife SiEun help out as a second photographer. SiEun has quite a bit of experience in commercial and street photography and we had been talking about adding her into my business a second photographer. It made a lot of sense because she was experienced, we work well together, and we both kind-of like each-other. I wanted to give it a dry-run before we made it official and Jackie and Rehan allowed that to happen.
The Worcester Art Museum was a great place to take advantage of two wedding photographers. For one thing- it’s beautiful. There is too much to photograph for one person. Every where you turn there is some priceless painting or a suit of armor- all of it lit perfectly for a wedding. Another thing is that Jackie and Rehan’s wedding ceremony took place on the grand staircase in front of a classic moasic. SiEun was able to grab some awesome shots from above the action that really showed the big picture while I was on ground-level. This just wouldn’t have been possible with a solo photographer. Also, I had this preconception going in that a wedding at the Worcester Art Museum might be pretty subdued but I could not have been more wrong- the DJ was awesome and these people brought it all to the dance floor.
Check out some of my favorites from Jackie and Rehan’s wedding at the Worcester Art Museum!
Click the links to learn more about the vendors that made this wedding possible:
Venue: Worcester Art Museum
Hair: Shaylin Sidoti- Facebook / Instagram
Make-up: Beauty Lush by Sarah
Catering: Struck Catering (There are no food pics in this but the food was great)
Dessert: Bean Counter coming in for the win as usual.
As always- if you like what you see and want to talk about photography for your wedding, whether it is at an internationally renowned art museum or your favorite brewery, just shoot me a message.
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Pictures are worth a thousand words but check out what goes on behind the scenes during my sessions.