Real wedding · Connecticut
Ashley & Darren
Church ceremony and ballroom reception
A song on her lips, a waterfall at dusk, and fog on the floor
- Venue
- Church ceremony and ballroom reception
- Location
- Connecticut
- Setting
- City & chapel
- Season
- Spring
- Photographs
- 21 selected
Ashley sang her way to the altar. The doors opened, and she came down the aisle mouthing every word of a slow, emotional song to Darren, one hand lifted toward him, a cascade of white orchids and roses in the other. The whole church stood. At the front, Darren waited beside an officiant in a mitre and blue and gold vestments under a high wooden ceiling, and he didn't manage to keep his composure for long. Watching his face as she got closer was the reason to be standing where I was.
The morning had been calmer. Her royal blue heels sat on top of a full ballgown skirt, and her makeup went on at a small desk by the window. Darren waited on a garden bench outside in a black tuxedo before joining his groomsman. During the service, family bowed their heads around Ashley in prayer, the officiant held their hands together, and after the kiss they came down the altar steps to open applause.
Portraits took them to a white footbridge, then to a grassy point between a dam spillway and a stone bridge, with a white steeple just visible through bare branches. A gust caught her veil and wrapped it around them both. The reception had a monogram projected on the wall with the date, 04.13.19, and low fog rolling across the floor for the first dance. Later, Ashley changed into a silver fringe dress to cut the cake.
Getting ready
Ceremony
The warm wood ceiling and big side windows kept the church evenly lit from the aisle to the altar.
Portraits
Moving water and bare early spring branches gave the portraits texture and a little drama.
Celebration
Floor fog and pink uplighting turned the first dance into its own scene.
Planning a wedding like this?
Early spring in New England often means bare trees and a gray sky, so look for portrait spots with their own movement and texture, like moving water, stone bridges or painted railings. Plan portraits for the last hour of light and bring a wrap, since April evenings cool quickly near water. If you want floor fog for the first dance, schedule it first thing after entrances so the room is still clear of guests.
