Wadsworth Photo Shoot

My favorite place to visit is the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, CT. I have been working weddings there for the past EIGHT years! Wow...I took a moment and thought about my first wedding down there. I remember going on a tour with the (then) event coordinator - I felt almost intimidated by this huge, beautiful mansion. I ended up becoming friends with the ladies that work down there - and I have enjoyed meeting the new staff and being a part of the family!

And they have become a part of our family too! My kids love going to the mansion to visit - they're quite partial to Deborah's puppy, but they love Deborah & Kristy too! A few years ago, Alexandra thought Deborah lived at the mansion - I tried to explain to them that she only works there and it just couldn't translate to a 3 year old's mind...so Deborah became the Queen of the Mansion (a name that stuck!), Kristy is the princess, Riley is the royal dog, and there is Tyler the new Duke? We'll have to give him a title! ;)

So the mansion is coming out with their new brochure book for potential brides. And I have ideas...boy, do I have ideas! Here are some highlights from yesterday's shoot of ideas...I'm leaving some photos out because I want the "wow" factor of people seeing them only in the books!!

We could not have done any of this without the help of these amazing vendors:

Site - Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, Middletown, CT
Hair & Makeup - Nora Lawrence, Providence, RI
Cake - ToriaDolce Fine Desserts and Cakes, Ashaway, RI
Dress - ESTOccasions, Storrs, CT
Birdcage Veil - Jessica McBee, Avon, CT
DJ - After Hours DJ Entertainment, Enfield, CT
Flowers - Datura Florist, Middletown, CT

Vicky did an amazing job with the cake - her inspiration was my babbling! :) I told her damask was my new obsession and then the night before the shoot, I was upset that I didn't have Casablanca on DVD (I was looking to that for inspiration)...mentioned it on Facebook (ok, whined about it...) and this is the gorgeous cake Vicky came up with. I am speechless that she got this from "damask" and "Casablanca" - can you imagine what she can do for your wedding? WOW!!

This is one of my favorite shots - I love the nooks in the mansion!

We had a few wedding {vendors} crashers! LOL! Kia & Vicky wanted to dance too! Thanks to Peter for providing the tunes!

Keep an eye out for this shot - it will be on the walls of After Hours' new office! (Yes, Bert, I got the hint...you're getting it framed!) :)
I'm obsessed with shooting THROUGH things...thankfully Pete gets me when I tell him to do weird things! I love this next shot!

Sometime you need to leave the photography to the pros - right, Kia!??

Another one of my favs - I love simple shots
The more I look at this shot, the more I LOVE it...

We really had a good time shooting - I walked away for a second and I have no clue what happened! LOL! Poor bride is so upset her cake fell... :)
Thanks everyone for a really fun shoot!!