Toni & Jim's Wedding Day Teasers

Jess, Dave & I had quite the honor of photographing Toni & Jim's wedding last night at Salem's Cross Inn in W. Brookfield, MA. What a wonderful roller coaster of emotions - we laughed, we cried, we joked, we had fun, we got maple syrup! OK, so not a true emotion, but you would understand if you saw how excited my husband was to bring home maple syrup!

This post is a tear jerker...I would suggest you get a box of tissues before continuing...it's ok, I'll wait! :)

At our detail meeting, Toni, Jim & I joked that it would be awesome to somehow get a tractor into the wedding...well, the stars aligned and the tractor driver was awesome enough to let us get this shot!

Here's Toni getting readyI think this shot just sums up the wedding and Toni & Jim!


Toni really wanted the cows in the background! They cooperated for this shot! Thank you, cows!
I'm so glad I had the past year to get to know Jim & Toni - Jim is not one for the center of attention...but sometimes we just need to stick him there! Especially here, this wheelbarrow he made himself! I LOVE IT!!

remember when I asked you to get tissues? It's time to take them out.

Emotions were raw in the afternoon...Toni's father and her youngest brother were killed in a car accident over 10 years ago. Toni and her brother, Michael, and sister, Nicole, wanted to remember their father and brother without depressing the guests. They decided to release balloons privately in their honor.

Toni said a few words for them and the balloons were let go...we sobbed. It was probably the single most touching moment I have witnessed.I think this next shot is my favorite. So powerful, but that was the result of the moment.

You can put the tissues away for now... :)

This next one needs no introduction! :)

When I met Toni & Jim for their detail meeting, Toni told me that her mother met with a psychic before the wedding. She was told that Toni's grandfather will be at the wedding. That prompted Toni to visit a psychic after our meeting. I spoke with Toni's brother, Michael, about her visit and Michael told me that their father will be there as well and that they will know he's with them. Take a look at this next photo and tell me what you think...I'll tell you right now that it wasn't my flash (because I tried to recreate the shot - because of the diffuser I was using, my light was squared, not round), and there was no streetlights. The glow is in this photo and the next in the series (it's a smaller glow, almost like it's leaving the pic) only.

You decide....

I sooooo loved the centerpieces! Beautiful bursts of individually wrapped candy!
Jim makes maple syrup...so it was obvious what the favors were going to be! Dave was doing the happy dance all the way home!


Grab those tissues again...no narrative needed...the father/daughter dance was substituted with a brother/sister dance in honor of their father
Toni's next wedding gift was from her beloved Red Sox! they won!!!
Bridesmaid down! LOL! Seriously, she just wanted some air and decided to look at the world with a different perspective...I can appreciate that! ;)
Congratulations, Toni and Jim! And thanks for getting to us...you definitely win the award for getting us sobbing (I'm fessing up to 3 times...)!! :)