As we near the end of the year don’t forget to slow down and enjoy the little moments. My newest goal for life…which I will also bring with me into the new year…is to Simplify It. To clear out the clutter of my life to make room for margin (anyone heard of Emily Ley before…shoutout to her words full of truth.) Margin to sit still and embrace the giggles of my daughters, room to breathe in the fresh air that fills our lungs each day, and space- space to cuddle, space to laugh, and space to love.

*Amy what the heck…why are you getting all personal on this wedding blog post…* Because…this wedding wrapped up all the above ideas into one day. I was overwhelmed with emotion on November 17th. We only spent one other day with Jenna and Ben during their engagement shoot. And I only skyped with them one other time… but this day gave me all the feels. This day began with family, and ended with family. And everything in between was sweeter then Mom’s finest baked sugar cookies at Christmas. And if you know me at all, you know I love sugar cookies.

Jenna was fully surrounded by sisters (much like my own) caring for her every need, filling the space with love and laughter, friends sharing stories, and nieces with silly giggles echoing through the halls. Every moment shown below was that genuine don’t wanna miss a thing, pure joy. We didn’t ask them to smile, we didn’t ask them to laugh…all this happiness just found its way into our cameras because this day was just so naturally exciting for them. And therefore, a very exciting day for us as well.

 

Ben’s morning was no different. After we finally wrangled all the men into the same room to get ready, the story of their friendships began to unfold for me. His brother stood ready to straighten the suspenders, and affix his beautifully custom bow tie. His buddies made the whole room hum as they threw out jokes, jabs, and their plans for the dance floor later that night. His younger cousin beamed at his side as he looked on with an unmasked brotherly love.

And the parents. Oh how proud their parents were of them. The amount of smiles and kisses that went around the room couldn’t be counted in one day. In Jenna’s house nothing was greater then the face her father made as she walked down the stairs that morning. There’s a pretty popular saying out there… “Pride cometh before the fall.” I hereby change that statement to “Pride cometh before the tears.” Solely because a proud daddy on his daughters wedding day has nothing falling except tears of joy.

All this love and laughter continued throughout the night. Le Chateau was the perfect venue to host such a gorgeous family. Following the beautiful ceremony at St Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield, CT we drove through the hills following Jenna and Ben in their snazzy ’66 Chevy. We arrived at this grand estate coated in a soft blanket of snow. This snow was not planned, but some of the most beautiful things in life aren’t planned. It created a tranquil backdrop for their portraits, and made the warm glow of firelight even sweeter when we made our way back inside.

This night was filled with amazing food, some pretty hilarious dance moves, (an amazing live band- shoutout to Live Wire for keeping the songs going allll night!), and of course…the most amazing family moments we’ve seen in a long time. When I say it began and ended with family i meant it. To cap off this evening everyone belted out the lyrics to “American Pie” their family song. The memories this song holds must be spectacular, because the way their faces lit up at the first few notes was astonishing! It brought this wonderful day of love, laughter, and happily ever after to a close so perfectly.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this fun day Jenna and Ben! Congratulations and please, please continue to make room in your lives for smiles, family anthems, and sprinkle covered cake pops. You won’t regret it.

Amy (and Kay)

<3

 

Oh….those vendors…
Do you want your wedding to be just as epic? Just click on these links below to find out how to make that happen.

Church: St Thomas Aquinas, Fairfield, CT

Reception Venue: Le Chateau

Hair: Janette

Makeup: Tiffany Hall 

Band: Live Wire