Real wedding · Monroe, Connecticut
Taria & Franklin
The Waterview
A family prayer at the altar and a staircase glowing gold at night
- Venue
- The Waterview
- Location
- Monroe, Connecticut
- Setting
- Waterfront
- Season
- Spring
- Photographs
- 25 selected
Right before the vows, the officiant called the kids up. Taria, Franklin and their children stood in a close line at the front of the room, heads bowed, the youngest in a white tulle dress and a fuzzy white sweater. That prayer is the frame I keep going back to from this day. The ceremony space had pale marble floors and pillar candles lining the aisle, and Taria came in on the arm of a man in a white dinner jacket.
Hours earlier, the bridal suite was all window light and lace. A little girl knelt to fasten the bow on Taria's shoe, the gown pooled around them both. Across the building, Franklin buttoned a patterned gray jacket and checked it in a gold-framed mirror. Their first look happened outside along the arched windows, and the grin it started held right through the walk past the stone fountain, where the first daffodil shoots were just coming up in the beds.
Inside, sparkler fountains fired on both sides of the dance floor as they walked in hand in hand, and guests lifted their phones. Cutting the cake turned into a shared laugh. Taria threw both arms up with her friends once the music took over. For the last frame, they came in out of the cold to the grand staircase, Franklin standing just behind her while the chandelier and the lobby lamps turned everything warm gold.
Getting ready
Tall arched windows in the suite meant nearly every morning frame ran on daylight alone.
Details
Ceremony
Candles along the aisle and a polished marble floor kept the indoor ceremony bright and warm.
Portraits
Early-season gardens were still waking up, so the evergreens and the fountain did most of the work outside.
Celebration
Planning a wedding like this?
When an early spring date brings a chill, an indoor ceremony with big windows still gives you daylight and a view of the water. Keep outdoor portraits short and focused on evergreen hedges and stonework, since flower beds may not be in bloom yet. Scout one warm interior spot, like a staircase or chandelier lobby, for a night portrait after dinner.
