On a chilly, then steamy, slightly damp, yet amazingly sunny September day in Branford we watched two amazing human beings seal the deal on a life together. We witnessed hours of planning come together to create a fairytale wedding day of sparkles, royal purples, and donuts. 😉 Amanda’s dress was nothing short of spectacular… for real for real… I think I would have chosen this one for myself. Her bridesmaids surrounded her with support and smiles while hairspray was flying around the house. I think my hair was a bit stiffer when I left to head to see Rob and the groomsmen. heehee. They were just as snazzy over there stuffing in pocket squares and adjusting suspenders to get ready for their modeling debuts. After some wedding day gifts, with a few tears on the brides side, and some pretty large smiles from the groom we all packed up our gear, lipgloss, and flipflops to head to the church.

P.S…that moment right there (insert hand emoji pointing up)….is in my books as an all time fave. When dad sees his baby girl in all her princess glory. When they hug, and then hug a little more…holding onto this special moment for a little longer. I can never hear the whispers exchanged, sometimes I’m not even there. Kay was in the hallway for this moment…but without a mic on these two you know exactly what they’re saying, exactly how proud of Amanda he is. And you can see exactly how much she loves her daddy.

We revisited the beautiful St Mary’s church in Branford. Its window light is what any photographer would ask for…but the message was what really strikes us every time. And I will gladly go back wedding after wedding to hear the words…sometimes its hard, but you have each other to get through it. Love can move mountains. ‘Til death do us part. Sometimes, she won’t wash the dishes…but you have two hands…. Jk. He did not say that…but I am waiting for the priest that does say that so I can record it. 🙂

Arriving at Woodwinds in Branford we were welcomed with sunshine beaming down on us and the slightly soggy ground. Luckily no one sunk to their knees, but even if they had…I believe there still would have been epic smiles from each and every one of the bridal party. I mean look at this crew below. Just gorgeous…and super fun to hang with all day!

We finally relieved the bridal party from their smiling duties for a bit to walk around with Amanda and Rob. The bride and groom naturally fell into the greatest of poses…because they were (and are) deeply in love with each other. Honestly, the bridal portraits are the perfect point of the day for them to steal away some alone time. I always wish the greatest of memories on our couples at this part. I want them to remember the warm breeze as it wrapped around her shoulders as tightly as Rob did, and I want Amanda to remember how the sun kissed her forehead as gently as he did. When they look through these photos I can only pray she remembers what it felt like to see his smile spread across his face when he looked at her in her Cinderella gown. These are the in between moments no one but us sees on the wedding day. These are the photos that capture the pure joy of him and her agreeing that this love is forever.

Once all the bride and groom glam photos were taken we headed inside where the party was ready to go off!

Tyler (our brother, Photo Booth Extraordinaire) set up our photo booth and had all the props ready to roll for this little guy to literally wear as many as he could! hahaha. Rob took a liking to the sparkling orange hat I brought for him…because we mutually share that as our fave color. heehee. Then the dancing began… an epic first dance well practiced by the bride and groom where her Cinderella dress twirled so effortlessly. An anniversary dance to celebrate the grandparents of the brides 65th anniversary on this very same day! And of course all the in between shenanigans of the guests that happen throughout the dance floor.

I know I mentioned donuts in the first paragraph…and this is why…the donut towers of sweet glazed goodness. I am a strong supporter of every bride and groom having donut towers…with to go containers…please and thank you.

The only thing greater than glazed donuts…is diamond rings. Glittering in the sunshine.

At the end of the afternoon, as things were winding down, we looked across the dance floor to see this special moment between the new Mr. and Mrs. A quiet dance to the dinner music, not posed for us, not choreographed for the guests, just Amanda and Rob in each others arms loving every second they had together.

These are the moments we live for. These are the timeless moments that are passed down between generations. These are the in between that we love so much.

Congratulations Amanda and Rob! And thank you for the opportunity to photograph this beautiful day…and the donuts. 😉

Amy (and Kay)

 

VENDOR SHOUTOUT: To all those amazing people that made this day happen!

Reception venue: Woodwinds Banquet facility   @thewoodwinds

Ceremony venue: St Mary’s Church/St John Bosco Parish

DJ:Bill at  Local Motion Entertainment   @localmotionent

Florist: Barbara Brewer

Bakery: JCakes @jcakesct

Bridal Shop: Bliss Bridal @blissbridalct

Hair and makeup: Simply Gorgeous by Erin @simplygorgeousbyerin