Jennifer + Aaron
cocktail party and getting ready venue: The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm, VT
ceremony location: Rollins Chapel, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
flowers: Birds of a Flower, Woodstock, VT
hair and make-up: Meghan Potvin of Blushing Brides
catering: Maple Street Catering, White River Junction, VT
reception: Private Residence
main photographer: Sally Carpenter
second photographer: Gael Cantlin
Jennifer and Aaron had an intimate family wedding in various locations around the Upper Valley, NH and VT. The party started the Friday before with cocktails and dinner at the Quechee Inn, Marshland Farms, Quechee, VT.
In my wedding and portrait photography here in Vermont and New Hampshire I just love all the natural outdoor areas available to photograph in. The Quechee Inn was no different with locations from the barns to the lake and I scouted the area a few days before the wedding for some ideas on their wedding day. The evening of the cocktail party was beautiful, a typical Vermont evening with the dramatic light and we did a quick photo session of Jennifer and Aaron around the immediate hotel. We did not go over to the barn or lake as I had plans to use those locations as well as the amazing pasture land and tree line the next day since they were planning a pre-wedding photo session of the two of them before the ceremony.
I often use both black and white and color images in my wedding photography blogs and portfolios, but my wedding and portrait couples always receive their high resolution JPGS both in color and black and white. It really is a matter of taste and I understand not everyone sees photography the way I do, so I have found it is much easier to give my couples both.
The day of the wedding Jennifer got ready in The Lt. Governor's Suite.
Here are a few more pre-wedding getting ready photos and some detail photographs I captured in the suite.
Since Aaron is a classical piano player I thought it would be fun to go down to the bar area of The Quechee Inn and get a pre-wedding photograph of the two of them by the grand piano.
I also went outside and tried to get a photograph of the two of them though the window. This works better at night. To do it properly I needed to light them from the inside with an off camera flash and then shoot them from the outside...unfortunately the reflections were just too strong as it was day light, but I still thought the image was "interesting and fun".
Then the bridal party flowers arrived from Birds of a Flower, Woodstock, Vermont and I was extremely impressed! A romantic mixture of local Vermont flowers with lilacs, pale mauve roses, peonies and jonquils just to name a few. Here is a photograph of the bridal bouquet and also the flowers at Rollins Chapel where every window had a different arrangement of flowers.
The silver bracelets for the mothers of the bride was a wonderful touch as it is something they will be able to cherish long after the flowers have wilted away.
Then it was time to go outside for the pre-wedding romance photographs of Jennifer and Aaron, unfortunately the rains came and we were unable to shoot by the barn, lake or any of the spectacular locations I had scouted out days before. We did get a few photos in the gardens while it was just "misting" though.
Since it was raining fairly heavily we decided to go over to Rollins Chapel and take some more pre-wedding photographs before the short ceremony began. As it was very dark and cloudy outside, it was also very dark inside the chapel with the only natural light coming through the stained glass windows and sky lights in the main chapel area. I decided to go with the natural dramatic light for these first pre-wedding photographs. To light them with too much artificial light would have ruined the ambience of the chapel.
As there was not time to get any getting ready photos or portraits of Aaron at The Quechee Inn, this seemed like a good time to photograph him in the chapel. The natural side light is great for photos of the grooms and Aaron was the perfect "GQ" model!
Then the guests and violinists arrived and the short ceremony began.
After the wedding ceremony there was the usual hugging, congratulating and very important signing of the marriage license.
After the wedding license was signed we had some time for a few more wedding photographs of Jennifer and Aaron as well as some group photos of their friends and family at Rollins Chapel before heading over to their reception.
The wedding reception was held at Kerry and Tom's beautiful home in White River Junction, Vermont and catered by Maple Street Caterers also in White River Junction. Jennifer and Aaron had lawn games planned as well as an outdoor cocktail hour in the lush gardens but unfortunately the rains prevailed and the reception was moved inside.
Then Kerry and Tom presented Jennifer and Aaron with the most wonderful wedding present! It was a hand embroidered Dartmouth College pillow which was an actual map of the campus.
Soon it was time for the champagne toast and a little fun with the guests. I must say this was such a fun wedding to photograph and everyone made us feel right at home. Small weddings and elopements here in Vermont and New Hampshire are something I will be moving towards more in 2019. I will only be booking one large wedding a month and saving the other weekends for these small celebrations.
If you are interested in booking a 2018 weekday elopement or small wedding here in Vermont or New Hampshire please contact me. I am fully booked for weekends but also booking large and small weddings for 2019.
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