For my first wedding on 2016 I headed off to Massachusetts to photograph my friend Kristen’s wedding at Bittersweet Farm in Westport.   Kristen and I have been friends ever since we ‘met’ on a Joe McIntyre BBS 15 years ago (we met in real life about a month or two after starting to chat on the BBS).   I have met some of my best friends through that message board and it’s really amazing how much that little internet home has impacted not only my life but others as well.  If it hadn’t been for that message board, I wouldn’t know Kristen and Kristen wouldn’t know another fan and friend we made through the board, Susan and Susan wouldn’t have introduced Kristen and her friend from college Nakia.  So all because of one little BBS that a New Kid created to promote his new CD, not only have people met and become life long friends but people have met their soul mates as well.  It’s pretty crazy and awesome when you think about it!!

I was so excited that I was able to capture Kristen and Nakia’s wedding day.  While there was no snow it was still a beautifully crisp winter day and the sun came out in bits and created a warm glow on the whole day.  They were married in a small ante room at Bittersweet Farms and it was one of my favorite ceremonies ever with all of the lovely touches they added to make the ceremony their own.  They continued on to the reception where they danced and laughed the night away.  In the 15 years I’ve known Kristen, I’ve never seen her smile so much or have so much light in her eyes.  Thank you, Nakia, for loving my dear friend so much and for being such a light in her life. Thank you both for trusting me with your wedding pictures.  I’m so glad that I was able to be there with you both!

Since I was also a guest I got a special treat with this awesome welcome bag that Kristen and Nakia gave their guests staying at the hotel!  I am now obsessed with the Mott’s Fruit Snacks BTW.  YUM!

The morning of the wedding was the usual chaos but everything worked out.  Here Kristen is getting her makeup done while her groomsman Eddie worked on trying to get her niece’s starter earrings out so she could wear the earrings that matched her flower girl dress.

After a few tears Kristen proved to have the magic touch and was able to get Nola’s earrings out without much fuss!

I’ve always found that these small things help ease the stress of the wedding day.  While Kristen was working on Nola’s ears, Nakia was in the other room taking her turn getting made up for the wedding day.

We all rode over to Bittersweet Farms and by that point the rain had stopped and the skies were a brilliant blue!  Right behind the Bittersweet Farm sign is where Kristen and Nakia got married!

Nakia first walked down the aisle in her gorgeous cream suit.

I love Nakia’s smile when she saw Kristen walking towards her!

Kristen and her Dad made their way slowly up the aisle and it was perfect.

Their ceremony was so lovely and heartfelt.

They are married!  YAY!

I think my favorite moment from the whole wedding ceremony may be their processional, which was set to the Cantina music from Star Wars.  While at this point I had not watched Star Wars (I watched it while editing their wedding) I even knew the music and it’s so happy and upbeat = PERFECT for a wedding processional!

Todd and Eddie skipped down the aisle in beat to the music and I am so happy that I captured them in mid air!

One thing that I really loved was that this bridal party wasn’t really a her side or her side thing.  Everyone is friends and everyone loves both Kristen and Nakia.

After some cajoling I got these two newlyweds outside for some portraits before they made their entrance.

This tree was lit up beautifully which gave the portraits some depth despite it being dark out – one of the downsides to an early January wedding.

Giggles are my favorite!

I’ve been helping Kristen with her wedding planning for what seems like years and it was so fun to see it all finally come together!!  I loved the pine centerpieces and how each one was just a bit different from the other table!  I also LOVED her table numbers!  How cute are they?

For their favors they had a sweet note at each seat with a baggie letting people know there was a table with treats they could take home.

Behold!  The treat table of amazing goodness!

Kristen’s sister and Matron of Honor made all of this!!

While I didn’t get a chance to try it all, the few things I did try were unbelievably amazing.  The pretzels were what I was able to nab and let me tell you, they were the best chocolate covered pretzels I’ve ever had.  YUM!

How perfect are these oreos?

Kristen’s sister is amazing, that is all.

It was finally time for the entrance which concluded with a huge group hug with the bridal party!

They then went into their first dance which was sweet and perfect.

Their song was a longer one which enabled me to capture everyone watching them, like Eddie and Todd in this picture.

It also gave me time to run upstairs and capture the scene from above.  I love how the Bittersweet Farm wedding venue has two levels which allows for photos like this!

During some downtime after their dinner (which was breakfast for dinner, YUM!) I played with their rings.  Thank you to Eddie for helping me with my light!

How fun is their wedding cake?  I loved that she combined the blue ombre with a cascade of snowflakes.  It fit their theme perfectly!

The cake cutting was perfect, thankfully there was no cake smash!

I may have made them kiss afterwards… like I do with all my couples.

One of my favorite things about Kristen’s wedding was how it really felt just like one big family/friends dinner with fancier clothes and a couple brides.  It wasn’t super formal and it really suited them.  Instead of having a formal toast before dinner, people just went up to toast the couple who felt like it at various points in the evening.  Todd was the first to raise a toast to the new couple.

A little bit later Susan, who introduced the couple (and I’ve known and adored for years) took the mic to talk about how these two met and bestow her best wishes for the happy couple.  There were a lot of laughs and a few tears.

The final toast from Nakia’s brother was lovely and perfect.

Kristen and her Dad dancing together made me realize it’s possible to shoot and be in focus despite tears streaming down your face.  These are always some of my favorite moments at a wedding and this was no different.

The rest of the night the dance floor was packed, everyone danced and laughed and it was a great day.

Much love and many congratulations to you both!