Can I just say one thing real quick?
My husband is insanely talented.

Holy crap! Patrycia and Marcin’s wedding pictures are ridiculous, insane, jaw dropping even –
Unfortunately, I was not shooting this wedding, and I have to say that I am completely jealous that I was not there to watch these portraits go down. Nothing is more inspiring than watching Eric execute his brilliant ideas on the spot at a wedding. I have never seen someone with such an infinite supply of fresh, original, gorgeous ideas combined with technical ability to nail it with a camera and some light. Unbelievable. Love that guy.

Also love that Nicole didn’t just settle for the pond reflection in this shot, but also went with the crazy angle that we tease her about…best ever.

I am so excited about Patrycia and Marcin’s wedding pictures, they have inspired a little 2011 unsolicited photography advice for future wedding couples that want to ensure their images are as insanely beautiful:
– Give adequate picture time on your wedding day (more time = more diverse images + money not wasted on your photographer)
– If you are even considering video please ask for a referral (obtrusive videographer = stressed photographers + a videographer or two in all of your pictures)
– Let go and trust us completely (micromanaged photographers = diminished creativity + money wasted on your photographer)

I digress, let’s get back to our awesome bride and groom.

Getting ready was pure eye candy everywhere at the Hotel Zero Degrees in Stamford, colors were popping, interesting angles and design, literally coulda hung out there all day. Then, Patrycia and Marcin rocked the city streets of Stamford, CT which always provides for dynamic, urban images and then wait until you see the insanely yummy pink in full force at The Water’s Edge in Darien, CT – I have never seen this venue look so rad. Shout out to the one and only Nicole Taylor for second shooting for us.

COME ON.

Details.
Makeup by Stacey Palancia of Blush Couture and hair by Tonya Valentin of Naomi’s Studio
Floral Design by Simple N Elegant
Gown from Majesty Bridal designed by Morgana
Shoes specially made in Brazil from the fabric of the dress
Videography by Thomas Morlock of Vantage Point Films
Music by DJ Ronnie Mazal of Musically Yours

Getting Ready, Stacey rocked it.

These two look like they are up to no good…or possibly just a little ring shot action?

So now…
can we all agree that Eric and Nicole completely killed this wedding? Patrycia and Marcin make it look easy, enjoy guys! xo

Mallory and Nick: check.
Awesome friends and family: check
Gorgeous weather: check
Uber talented hair and makeup: check

Obviously, a wedding day is an absolute whirlwind, but with a few key pieces in place we can guarantee that any wedding day will be a great one. Working with a great couple that is all about having fun with their friends and family, and do not take things too seriously is also a huge bonus, and we are so fortunate that we were able to be a part of Mallory and Nick’s amazing wedding at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT. The Aqua Turf is one of those venues that we have not photographed too many weddings at, so obviously we were siked to shoot there – we just love the challenge of bringing a fresh perspective to a popular wedding venue…so obviously, windmill shots were out of the question. Thanks to Mallory and Nick for being so fun to work with and of course a shout out to Joanne Vandal for 2nd shooting like a rockstar on your 40th birthday.

Let’s start with a few of our favorites.

Getting ready. Mallory’s glamorous hair was done by Lauren of Somer’s Day Spa & Salon, makeup by Naomi’s Studio & Salon, and her gown is designed by Maggie Sottero.

Following the intimate ceremony, it was time to get their pictures done in record time. Lucky for me, Mallory, Nick, and the entire bridal party was super cooperative and killed the portraits.

And of course there is nothing better than bouquet toss action.

It was also so great to see Alia and Sal at the wedding, one of our RAD couples from last year.

Thanks again guys and congratulations!
And JoJo, well…you are just the best. nuff said.

Kristen and Ben are rockstars! They had an epic wedding starting with a very sweet first look and portrait time at PepsiCo in Purchase, NY, then off to an outdoor golf course ceremony and MORE picture time at their venue, The Doral Arrowwood Hotel in Rye Brook, NY.

Here are a few of the many favorites from the day.

Details.
Ceremony and Reception location: The Doral Arrowwood Hotel in Rye Brook, NY
Bridal hair and makeup by Dana Bartone of Dana Bartone & Company in Cheshire, CT
Florals by Westchester Floral Decorators
Wedding gown designed by Rivini from The Plumed Serpent in Westport, CT and shoes by Kate Spade
Shout out to Nicole Taylor for second shooting with us.

Love these getting ready shots…Dana and Katie are working their magic!

First look and portrait time at PepsiCo in Purchase, NY.

Luckily, the weather held off for an outdoor wedding ceremony and some golf course shots at The Doral Arrowwood Hotel in Rye Brook, NY.

Eric and I had an absolute blast shooting Jenna & Tom’s wedding in Massachusetts. Jenna is a dancer, so get ready for some amazing dancing shots – and coverage of an insanely fun reception! We traveled to North to begin Jenna and Tom’s wedding day. While Eric covered the girls getting ready at Jenna’s parents house in Ludlow, MA, I snuck back across the CT border to cover the guys getting ready at Tom’s parents home in Enfield, CT.

One sign that we are doing our job well: The wedding planner at The Hampden Country Club pulled me aside and told me that she “has never seen a photographer take bride and groom portraits in the places that we took Jenna and Tom for pictures” – perfect!!

We HAD to take advantage of the green at the country club!!

Thanks guys and enjoy!

We have been extremely fortunate this year to shoot a couple amazing Eolia Mansion weddings at Harkness State Park in Waterford, CT. From our perspective, this venue offers so much character and diversity, we could shoot here all year and not take the same picture twice. Rachel and Elias were a blast to work with on their wedding day, after their first look we had time to explore the Eolia Mansion property at Harkness State Park for portraits.

And their RAD bridal party was completely on board with getting on the rocks for one of our favorite bridal party shots so far this year! Thanks a million to Joanne Vandal for an awesome job second shooting this wedding with us.

A handful of EPIC favs from Rachel & Elias’ amazing wedding day.

I absolutely love Rachel’s dress designed by Manuel Mota for Pronovias.

Now, starting from the top, getting ready shots with the guys and girls.

Some great candid moments captured by Joanne of the guys getting dressed.

The first look with Rachel and Elias, followed by some bridal portraits in the gardens at Harkness State Park.

Time to get married!! Love the next two awesome moments that Joanne grabbed before the ceremony began.

This shot Joanne took made me practically spit my drink out when I came across it. The back story is that after the ceremony Eric noticed Joanne looking a little lost trying to find him, so Eric decided to play Where’s Waldo, and blend into the crowd. This is how JoJo found him.

A few reception details.

And more insane bridal portraits shot at Harkness State Park.

Rachel & Elias rocked the tent for their reception at Eolia Mansion in Waterford, CT.

Thank you guys so much for letting us capture your day, you guys rocked and we hope you love your pictures!

A few, gorgeous favorites from Caitlyn & Johnny’s day. Huge thanks to Joanne Vandal for shooting with us!

Check out this lineup which includes some of our absolute favorite vendors – they just make our job super delightful.
Getting ready at The Mystic Mariott in Groton, CT.
Caitlyn’s hair and makeup by the Red Door Spa.
Caitlyn’s dress is designed by Priscilla of Boston from The White Dress by the Shore in Clinton, CT, and her shoes are from J.Crew.
Floral design by Yumiko Fletcher of Hana Floral Design in Mystic, CT.
Ceremony and Reception venue is Eolia Mansion at Harkness State Park in Waterford, CT.

We’re just going to go ahead with some favorites from the day, the Saltwater Farm has quickly become a favorite place to shoot. We could play in these stainless steel wine casks all day long! A huge thanks to Joanne Vandal (aka Jo Jo) for assisting at this wedding with Eric and myself, you are the best!

A few of the stunning details from Ali & Scott’s wedding day, Ali did such an awesome job coordinating the stationary and carrying her color scheme throughout…

Getting Ready: Mystic Marriott
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Saltwater Farm Vineyard
Ali’s Hair & Makeup: Dana Bartone & Company
Bridal Gown designed by Modern Trousseau from Wedding Atelier
Floral design: Bakes & Baldwin Floral Company
Video: Geoff Boka of The Light Mill

First look action at The Mystic Marriott.

The tented ceremony at the Saltwater Farm Vineyard.

Enjoy guys!

I know what you’re thinking….wait a minute…the wedding was at the Palace Theater AND the Waterview? Well, sort of. Here’s the thing: Andrea & Jeff booked the Waterview in Monroe, CT for their ceremony and reception for their 300 guests. They had also decided to do a first look to maximize their picture-time (which we love, of course) and picked the perfect downtown Waterbury location for it. The catch is that there was NO way we were going to be taking photos there if it rained. And…of course….it rained. Amber made some phone calls on the morning of Andrea & Jeff’s wedding and TOTALLY came through with an amazing alternative: the Palace Theater in downtown Waterbury. A HUGE thanks to the staff at the Palace Theater for accommodating Andrea, Jeff, their families, and their bridal party. We can’t thank them enough!!! PS – if you missed photos of our wedding last year in the current issue of Connecticut Bride, definitely check it out! *wink*wink*

Ok, so that’s the background history on the day….now let’s get to some yummy photos….what do you say? A huge thanks to Alicia Candelora for totally KILLING it with Amber and myself!! You rock!!

We’re just going to go ahead and drop the awesome bomb right from the start….sound good? Andrea & Jeff are the type of wedding couple any photographer would dream of….laid back, funny, and ridiculously in love.

So yeah…the Palace Theater is a pretty cool back-up plan, huh? Just check out the eye candy, come on!!!??

The only thing even remotely close to as cool as Andrea & Jeff is their bad-a** bridal party!

Come on….how gorgeous is Andrea?!

A total WIN from my homegirl Alicia!

Yeah Jeff!

Their first look was adorable! A little tag-team action with Alicia & myself

A little night-time Waterview action when the rain died down

Time to get everyone drooling over some details!
Andrea’s Dress: Maggie Sottero
Andrea’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Floral Design: the one and only Sofie Kirk from Hansen’s Flowers
Catering: the Waterview
Photo Location: Palace Theater
Make-up & Styling: Stacey Palancia of Blush Couture

Sofie Kirk from Hansen’s Flowers and Raw Photo go waaaay back – she’s the best of the best!

Alicia got some great shots of the guys getting ready

Shots of the Dads seeing their daughters for the first time in their dress always kill me!

Quick portrait of Andrea at her parent’s house before heading to the first look at the Palace Theater!

There was not a dry eye in the house during the ceremony at the Waterview

Alicia – killing it during the ceremony!

the party was out.of.control.period.

I’m not sure but I think this was during the song “Baby” by Justin Bieber. Jeff REALLY likes that song :)

You guys are the best – enjoy!!

Erica & Suraj have been such a pleasure to work with at every step of the way since the first day we met them. Everyone still emails us and comments on how gorgeous their daughter is from their rustic style engagement photos we shot in New Milford, CT. Their wedding at the Glen Island Harbor Club was an absolute blast and huge props goes to Nicole Taylor for 2nd shooting with me.

I’m sure there are LOTS of brides out there that can relate with me on this one….you know that nauseating feeling you get when you imagine all the things that can go wrong on your wedding day? Well….poor Erica & Suraj pretty much had most of those freak “things” actually happen on their day. I mean, half of the bridesmaids were in an accident on the way to the Glen Island Harbor Club!! (don’t worry, everyone was ok and totally not their fault) Good thing Nicole and I were driving by right after it happened and Nicole was able to fit everyone in her car! What amazed me about the whole day was how calm, cool, and collected both Erica and Suraj remained regardless of all the little bumps and bruises that occurred….they never lost sight of what was most important and it was such a pleasure to be a part of.

We love to start with some of our favorite portraits from the day!

Soooo happy that Erica & Suraj trusted me and agreed to hop up on the rock wall surrounding the Glen Island Harbor Club – totally worth it!!

How gorgeous did Erica look??!!

Suraj didn’t look half-bad himself!!

Erica & Suraj’s Wedding Details
Wedding Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Glen Island Harbor Club in Westchester, NY
Getting Ready Location: The Ritz Carlton Westchester in Westchester, NY
Erica’s dress was designed by Monique Lhuillier from Marcella’s La Boutique in Seattle, WA
Floral Design by Arcadia Floral in Mamaroneck, NY
Cinematography by Anthony Quintano from Quintano Media
Band: ETA Music

Love me some First Look action!!

It was sunny to say the least :) And probably the hottest day of the year – Erica and Suraj did such an amazing job hanging in there during portraits!

The ceremony was on-location at the Glen Island Harbor Club. The room overlooking Glen Island is an awesome location for a small ceremony.

Thanks again for everything guys and wish you all the best in your new life together!

Shooting a photographers wedding rocks. why? well, because they REALLY value their wedding pictures and are all about doing whatever it takes to get the shot – our dream come true, duh! Our photog bride is Suzanna of Suzanna March Photography, and Suzanna + her husband Joe completely killed it on their wedding day – enough said! Another huge shout-out to Nicole Taylor for shooting with us!

A few major faves:

Shooting in Grand Central Station in NYC is never a simple or easy task. There are people EVERYWHERE and security is less than accommodating to say the least (and yes, Suzanna had all the necessary paperwork & permissions). This day proved to be especially challenging because service on the New Haven line of Metro North Railroad was suspended for technical difficulties. What does that mean? Oh, just about 3 times more people than there usually is on a Saturday afternoon. We could have embraced the chaos and commotion like most people do for shots in Grand Central….but instead we busted out the off-camera flash….and got rid of all those sweaty, frustrated NYC travelers.

Always another go-to move to get rid of all the bystanders when shooting in Manhattan: Shoot from below!!

The details.
Wedding Reception Venue: The Yale Club of NYC
Ceremony Location: Blessed Sacrament Chruch
Bridal Makeup: Stacey Palancia of Blush Couture
Bridal Gown & Shoes: Suzanna’s dress designed by Melissa Sweet from Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City and she wore shoes by Regazza
Floral Design: Marian Kelly Fine Flowers of New York
Videography: Candun Productions
Band: Hank Lane

Get it done Stace!!!

We had such a blast shooting the details and the bridal party getting ready at the Yale Club in NYC – total eye candy everywhere!

Always a Nicole Taylor fave – way to rock it girl!

Definitely one of Eric’s most favorite bridal portraits to date! Simple, elegant, and timeless – can we just take photos of Suzanna everyday?

Don’t think you can get a more breathtaking ceremony shot – the Blessed Sacrament Church on the upper West Side of NYC was ridiculous!!

Naturally, we had to hit up Central Park for bridal party portraits…Joe is quite the gentleman :)

Gotta get us some street shot action on the way back to the Yale Club from Grand Central Station.

Suzanna had these amazing parasols for her bridal party – we couldn’t get enough of them! I think Eric actually wanted to take one home…

So….ummm….yeah….the Yale Club is pretty nice, huh?! :)

Oh, sorry….I’m not in your shot Mr. Videographer, am I? Ha ha…we had a blast shooting with Candon productions that night.

HUGE warning sign that we can’t get enough of our lovely couple…..bridal portraits after the reception in the Yale Club Library. Did you know there are people up around midnight studying their butts off in the middle of NYC? We didn’t know that either until a bunch of them got really uncomfortable of all the cameras and flashes and b-lined out of the library!

We LOVE you guys to death – enjoy!!!

We LOVE us some cultural flair, and that is just what Nichole and Andrew brought to their wedding at the Guilford Yacht Club in Guilford, CT. You see Andrew is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and these two had 35 guests in from Scotland…so naturally, all of the men were decked out in full Scottish dress. Something about kilts raises the bar at any party. Honestly, I felt a little left out and contemplated dropping my pants as soon as I realized I was quite possibly the only guy wearing pants at the Guilford Yacht Club that night.

A huge thanks to the one and only Jennifer Dougan for making the trek up to the Guilford Yacht Club and 2nd shooting with me! Alright, let’s get to it!

Nichole & Andrew wanted to have most of their photos taken at Jacobs Beach in Guilford which is right down Seaside Avenue on the way to the Guilford Yacht Club. Having shot weddings at GYC twice last year I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of this cool little beach before!

Reason #241 our couples are the coolest on the face of the planet: beach + knee socks = innovation

The details.
Wedding Reception Venue: The Guilford Yacht Club in Guilford, CT
Caterer: Jordan Caterers of Cheshire, CT
Ceremony Location: North Madison Congregational Church
Bridal Hair & Makeup: Vivid Salon in Madison, CT
Bridal Gown & Shoes: Nichole’s dress from Bella Sera Bridal was designed by Paloma Blanca
Floral Design: Guilford Greenery
Band: iPod

Such a great moment when Nichole’s dad saw her for the first time!

Nichole had just one photo request for the entire day. And this is it…. It was such an intense moment and we could all sense the anticipation each of them had right before the ceremony was about to start.

Nichole and Andrew incorporated a Scottish “binding of the hands” at their wedding ceremony where the minister binds the hands with a scrap of fabric of the groom’s tartan pattern and recites a prayer.

After some portraits at Jacobs Beach it was back to the Guilford Yacht Club for some intense partying….Scottish style.

We loved working with you guys and your families were a blast, enjoy your images!

Eileen & Hiram’s wedding at the The Branford House in Groton, CT will definitely go down as one of the MOST fun weddings of all time. Amber and Nicole could not have done a more exceptional job at capturing the day and to say I’m proud of the Raw team would be an understatement. Eileen & Hiram have been dating since high-school and to this day still have the same infatuation for each other they had when they first started dating. Alright, enough with the talking – let’s bring on the images!

The details.
Wedding Venue: The Branford House in Groton, CT
Bridal Hair and Makeup: Dana Bartone & Company
Floral Design: Morning Glories of Norwich, CT
Caterer: Cloud Nine Catering of Old Saybrook, CT
DJ: Fun Factory

Loooove this portrait Nicole got of Hiram on the left!

I’m obsessed with this series Amber got of the bridal party and Eileen & her dad making their way down toward the ceremony.

New venue for us, good times. we love something new and different…duh! Michelle and Mark are so cute, so adorable, we clearly loved our portrait time with them! Rock it out.

the good peeps that make this stuff extra delish:
michelle’s gown: Pronovias
michelle’s hair & makeup: Jennie Fresa
bridesmaids dresses: Bridal Trousseau On Main
florals: Lush Floral Designs
ceremony venue: St Theresa Parish in Trumbull, CT
reception venue: Great River Gold Club
wedding coordinator: Erin from Something Blue Special Events
music: Ronnie Mazal of Musically Yours

Our newest and favoritest and overall most radtastical DJ on the planet: Ronnie from Musically Yours. Pick him up and put him in your pocket. His DJ skillz were killer!

A great way to get on the fast track to Raw Photo Design’s “MVP List” is to allow a lot of time for portraits during your wedding day. Betty & Joe are quite possibly at the TOP of that list thanks to all the time they allotted for portraits during their awesome wedding at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station. Not only did we have all the time in the world but they planned their day around getting a whole bunch of photos taken at Gillette Castle in East Haddam, CT which honestly was our first time ever shooting there. Needless to say we fell in love with all the super-cool locations the park had to offer.

A really funny and completely random story about Betty and Joe’s wedding is after the ceremony we plugged the address to the Gillette Castle State Park into our GPS. As we cruise down a windy road toward the state park we heard the GPS instruct us… “In 1 mile, board ferry.” We obviously had the “Weddings Rock” playlist blasting on the iPod so we barely heard what it said but I definitely turned the music down and said to Amber, “Did the GPS just say to get on a ferry?” She wasn’t sure if she heard it correctly either and just then we rolled up to what looked like a draw bridge to get over the Connecticut River. BUT, low and behold…it was a ferry…and the people that looked like they worked on it were all waving for us to drive onto the boat. So….we drove onto the boat. Needless to say, it was one of the most unexpected things to happen on the way to shoot some bridal portraits and definitely took us by surprise. Five minutes later we were on the other side of the river and about 5 minutes away from the castle. It was absolutely hilarious and totally felt like we were in the middle of a Seinfeld episode!

Ok, enough talk…let’s see the images!

How cool is Gillette Castle?!

Betty was such a natural in front of the camera, we had such a blast working with her on her wedding day.

Joe was not too shabby himself!

Some yummy details to get you drooling!

I have to give Amber total props for not only coming up with this sick composition but for totally KILLING the lighting! It’s the little things in life….like off-camera flash on a shoe shot that makes a guy proud :)

All of these shots of Betty with her Dad are too much!

All of Betty & Joe’s details at the Riverhouse looked awesome!

So, there’s being excited about catching the bouquet and then there’s being EXCITED about catching the bouquet!

Enjoy guys, and thanks for being so amazingly awesome!!

Sara & Chris are famous for keeping the most still anyone has ever been during the heavily requested, “that photo at grand central with everyone moving in it but the couple isn’t…” :) Huge thanks to Nicole Taylor & Joanne Vandal for helping us out at this amazingly intimate and perfect wedding in South Salem, New York. Sara & Chris’ day was filled with family traditions, personal touches, and heart-warming moments that we could not have been more fortunate to be a part of. Even more awesome is the fact that Chris is an avid (and super talented!) photographer and we’re always especially grateful when one of our fellow photo-geeks invites us to cover one of the most important days of their lives. Congrats to both of you and hope you loved your honeymoon in Turkey!

This year we’ve been starting all of our wedding blog posts with our favorite portraits of the day – so here they are!!

How cool and amazing is it that Sara wore the SAME gown her grandmother wore on her wedding day?!

Nicole Taylor knocking Chris’ groom portraits out of the park!!

Big thanks to all the other vendors that made our day so amazing!
Venue & Catering: Le Chateau
Florist: Gary Z of Stamford
Make-up & Styling: Mercedes Hair Spa
Band: Bill’s Toupee

Huge benefit to having more than 1 photographer is all the different angles and perspectives of the same moment! Here are photos from Joanne, Nicole, and I during their first look!

Such a beautiful and intimate ceremony…

We propose that EVERY wedding we cover have a hora regardless of your cultural background – most favorite wedding dance ever!!!

Help me welcome our newest assistant!

Thanks again guys – hope you enjoy!

Meet Katie and Henry. Super cool, super chic. We had to have a heart to heart with Katie…you see, she saw this blog post about the timing on a wedding day and even though we do not want to make a habit of “hijacking” anyone’s wedding day timeline…we kind of had no choice in Katie & Henry’s case.

They were nervous, knowing that her ceremony and reception were at the same place with NO time in between. Katie and Henry opted for a first look at The Branford House in Groton, CT which left SO MUCH TIME for yummy pictures, a relaxing and intimate day, and plenty of time for the married couple to be together with their friends and family. We went from less than an hour for photos to two full hours. Pure Bliss ensued and we can’t thank them enough for being so open minded with their wedding day!

Let’s start things off with our most favoritest portraits from the whole day!

Can anyone guess where at the Branford House this wedding photo was taken?

I love, love, love these ones Amber took.

Katie & Henry’s bridal party was so cooperative during photos and we can’t thank them enough!!

First time I was able to head down to the water at the Branford House. It was ALL Katie’s idea…she just threw her shoes off, hiked up her dress, and started hopping across the rocks!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes – I’m not that coordinated without a wedding dress on!

Amber thinks guys are always way cooler with argyle socks

Yeaaaaah Henry!!!

Yeaaaaaah Katie!!!

Another awesome shot Amber set-up

The Branford House is seriously TOO much…huge green lawn, a beach, huge rocks, a lighthouse, & the most gorgeous architecture ever. You can’t lose!

Some important details from the day. Without these talented people we would not have been able to do our job!
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Branford House in Groton, CT
Caterer: A Thyme to Cook
Dress: Designed by Casablanca from April Rose Designs in Guilford, CT
Floral Design: Floral Affair
Videography: The Pros
Make-up: A Touch of Color
DJ/Musician: Tom Bruhl

Yaaaaay – most favoritest ring shot ever!!!!!

Cutest first-look ever!

Here’s a photo of Katie walking down the lawn to meet Henry for their ceremony. Love that they had a bag-piper leading the procession and the ceremony on the lawn of the Branford House was gorgeous!!!

You guys rock & thank you so much for inviting us to be a part of your special day!!

Marina and Paul are one of those couples that became fast friends. Their wedding is over, and Marina and I still email daily, discuss the recent shoots on our blog…make plans for Bloody Mary brunches. You know, we just clicked! And after 3 shoots (boudoir, engagement and wedding day) plus a year long of wedding planning it is kinda hard not to become friends. This is our favorite-est scenario, and I know that we will be photographing Marina and Paul as they start their family in the years to come. Did I mention we have the BEST job in the freaking world? Thank you to Nicole Taylor for shooting this one at the totally rad Society Room with us!

We always start with our absolute EPIC shot of the day….starting with this one which Eric has officially claimed his favorite photo of any bride of all time (so far anyways…)

Marina & Paul WORKING it on the streets of Hartford!

OBVIOUSLY we had to rock the ridiculously awesome front doors to the Society Room!

Coolest photo ever from our homegirl Nicole Taylor!!



How ridiculously gorgeous does Marina look??!! Dana Bartone Salon did such an amazing job with her hair & make-up.




***** WARNING *****

KILLER Bridal Party shot! Eric was a little kid in a candy store at this wedding and he busts out with this Rad-ness. Who can guess how many frames???



Taxidermy is pretty cool. Taxidermy on your wedding day is even cooler.

YUMMY details! I had to create a diversion while Eric put Marina’s gorgeous bouquet in the blender. :) Outstanding floral design by Pam Hargraves of Blooming Blossoms in Providence, Rhode Island.



While Eric and I covered the girls getting ready Nicole headed upstairs to cover the guys.

How adorable is this little one?!

Gotta love first looks baby!



Time to get married – love the look on all the guys’ faces when they saw Marina coming down the aisle.

The most adorable thing ever during the ceremony….Paul grabs a tissue for Marina, licks it, and helps clean her make-up while she was crying. Cutest thing ever!!

This was our first time shooting at the Society Room and we absolutely loved it! It’s so different than the usual wedding venue and Marina did such a great job with her details!



We’ve really been trying to kick it up a few notches with our ring shots….can anyone guess how we did this? No photoshop jedi tricks were used!



Umm…yeah…more Society Room action….can’t get enough!

DJs from Mike Connolly Sound Productions totally ROCKED this wedding inside out. Check out their amazing lighting throughout the Society Room – total eye candy everywhere!



Go Marina….it’s your birthday…..we’re gonna party like it’s your birthday…..

We love you guys to death and looking forward to hanging out soon – ENJOY!

Elizabeth & Dave are the epitome of pure radness and their wedding could not have been any more perfect if they tried. This was our first time shooting at Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, CT and we have to admit….it was love at first sight. The grounds at the vineyard were absolutely breathtaking, the staff was more than accommodating, and the constant eye candy had us begging for more! We are just going to stop talking and start posting the photos. They’ll do the wedding much better justice than any lengthy monologue could!

Here is Eric’s fave from the day taken in the vineyard:

And here is my favorite taken outside the Saltwater Farm venue:

Just look how ridiculous the venue at Saltwater Farms is on the INSIDE!

All the guys working it for the camera in the vineyard.

The ladies were not to be outdone!

A huge shout-out to all the amazing vendors that made our job a MILLION times easier:
Bridal Fashion – Beth & the amazing staff at The White Dress by the Shore
Floral Design – Yumiko of Hana Floral Design
Venue – Saltwater Farm Vineyard
Make-up & Hair – Antonio Design Group
Catering – Coastal Gourmet
DJ – Doug of Power Posse (love these guys!)

Beth Chapman from the White Dress by the Shore did such an amazing job styling Elizabeth and Yumiko’s flowers were breathtaking!

Elizabeth’s dad waiting to see her in her dress for the first time.

Dave wore his grandfather’s pocket watch that was passed down to him from his father.

Elizabeth & her dad waiting to enter the church to walk down the aisle – Eric’s favorite of mine from the whole day!

Seriously, Elizabeth & Dave were so stinkin’ cute together, just look at them greeting each other at the aisle…too much!

This bell ringer would give even Will Ferrell a run for his money.

More yummy details!

I SWEAR this was totally candid! Elizabeth & Dave never left each other’s side throughout the wedding (love that!) and here they are trying to get the attention of someone in the vineyard. Just look how gorgeous this place is!!!

Party time!

Love all the lighting set up by the Power Posse crew!

Wait…is that….can it be?? It is! It’s Jackie & Drew!! Can’t wait to see that baby!!

I believe this would be a “double worm” showdown.

Not sure if this is break-dancing or “I’m having so much fun, I’m just going to fall right here.”

I know that might look like some fancy off-camera flash but it’s actually flash from someone else’s camera!

Can’t thank you guys enough for everything – hope you love your photos!

We were so excited when our girl (and fellow photographer), Athena Blude, suggested that her good friend Brian contact us to photograph his Philadelphia wedding. Apparently Chrissy and Brian really trusted Athena, because our first time meeting them was at their engagement session in Manhattan!

Some vendor shout-outs:
Videographer: Rosemarie Viso
Florist: Petal Lane in Philadelphia
Dress: The Sample Rack in Philadelphia

Chrissy & Brian’s wedding at the Belle Voir Manor on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was super fun and we are so fortunate that we were able to be a part of it!

Here’s more of our favoritest yumminess from the whole day!

I love when the bridal party is totally NOT on board with Eric’s idea, you should have seen the reaction when he proposed getting in the tall grass for this shot…one of those times I wish I was shooting video. Brian & Chrissy were completely on board so that was all the support we needed. And this is why Eric needs to be trusted, the ridiculously rad bridal party shot!! Definitely one of Eric’s most favorite bridal party shots ever.

Thank goodness for night shots-a Raw Photo Design wedding staple.

One of Eric’s most favorite shot of mine taken that day.

We met Chrissy and her girls at a salon outside of Philly for Hair and Makeup, then off to her Dad’s house in Springfield, PA.

Yes…that would be a Derek Jeter signed baseball. Pretty awesome gift from Chrissy to Brian!

This is your ring. And this is your ring on………ICE! Not sure why the “this is your brain on drugs” commercial popped into my head for this one but oh well, we’ll go with it!

Eric and I headed over to the Crowne Plaza to shoot the Guy’s getting ready, they were very good listeners. When we arrived they were all sitting, hands folded in laps, wearing their pants and their white undershirts – very funny sight.

These twin flower girls were A-dor-able! Eric knows that he doesn’t have to take too many pictures of the little kids, because Nicole and I always shoot more than enough!

Chrissy’s Dad’s house where we shot the girls getting ready was full of antiques, heirlooms, and vintage-y goodness. I couldn’t resist including this old wedding portrait in the frame, while Eric was posing Chrissy in front of the window for her bridal portraits.

The ceremony was held at the same location as the reception, right on the Delaware River, and it was a stunning day for an outdoor ceremony.

We hope you enjoy your images guys, and thank you for the honor of letting us be a part of your wedding!

Martha and Mike just get it. Their wedding day was one like we would have if we were getting married today, all those very important things were there…the day was filled to the brim with family, friends, happy tears, laughter, personality, and ridiculous fun. We get those weddings sometimes where the details are magical, the bride is stunning, and every place we look we see total eye candy…Martha & Mike’s wedding at the Black Rock Yacht Club in Bridegeport, CT was no exception. To see their wedding featured on Style Me Pretty, click {here}. As always, we have to start with a few of our absolute favorites from the whole day!

Martha & Mike were looking for that {EPIC} wedding image. Ask and you shall receive…it just usually requires a willing couple, a lot of flash, and an unassuming location. Eric loves a challenge and when a couple is as excited about the images as we are…..we make art. (PS – want to know how to bring that beautiful blue sky back in your photos? Sign up for our lighting workshop! *wink*wink*)

Cuteness!!!

WE HAVE to give a shout out to those vendors that make our job so completely fun and amazing, taking our images and abilities to the next level {without even knowing it}, see below:

the dress: Judd Waddell from The White Dress by the Shore
makeup: Stacey Palancia of Blush Couture
floral design: Flowers and Company
venue: Black Rock Yacht Club
band: Marc Topaz Music

Our getting ready shots began at Martha’s parents amazing home in Bridgeport, CT. Stacey, did an out of this world job on Martha and the girl’s makeup, her talent continues to blow us away.

Beth from The White Dress by the Shore did an amazing job with Martha’s dress, styling, and accessories, they were a perfect fit for the wedding as well as Martha’s personality & style. The White Dress by the Shore never disappoints!

So, I have 3 favorite bridesmaids designers for the past 2 years: Melissa Sweet (mostly because they have pockets) and J.Crew, and Jenny Yoo. Martha’s rockin’ bridesmaids wore Navy Jenny Yoo gowns (with pockets!!!) that were completely Rad (especially with the added touch of those peacock feathers in the heels).

This ring picture was {TOP SECRET}. It is not usually great practice to let the couple know you put their spanking new rings, freshly back from the cleaner, in raw oyster slime. So we shot this in seclusion, they never had to know, and now they also get to have an {EPIC} ring shot. Good times.

We can’t resist a cool father of the bride (especially one that owns the iPad and has Macs all over the house, cries during his toast, rocks the photobooth, and sings Mack the Knife karaoke style at the reception} click here to see the YouTube video captured by a guest).

Tried to mix the “most requested groomsmen shot” up a little!

At the tail end of the reception Martha & Mike had these ridiculously-awesome-confetti-gun-looking-things fired into the crowd. So cool!!

We love you guys to death and would shoot your wedding every weekend if we could – enjoy!!!

Lori & Amphy’s wedding was pure fun, and we just knew that their wedding at the Waterview in Monroe, CT would be a blast! A huge thanks to Nicole Taylor for helping out with this wedding – you’re the best!! We’re not going to waste any time and get right to the awesomeness….here are a few of our favorites.

Stunning makeup and hair styling provided by the one and only Naomi Martinez and the crew from Naomi’s Salon, always an absolute pleasure to work with!

Both Lori & Amphy as well as their bridal party got ready at the Hilton in Shelton, CT.

We love us some first-look action – always such an amazing moment!

Lori & Amphy held their gorgeous ceremony at the Waterview as well.

And…..now introducing…….the most requested Raw Photo groomsmen shot……drum roll please…… :)

Yummy.

Hope you guys had an absolute blast on your honeymoon and we can’t thank you enough for letting us be part of your day!

Kristin & Tom have lived in two states since their engagement (neither of them being CT), so it was a little tricky for them to meet us before their wedding date. Kristin must really trust her parents, because she sent them to our studio in Danbury to see our work and albums and report back on her behalf. The good news is that the meeting went well and we had the opportunity to photograph and be a part of Kristin & Tom’s wedding (even sneaking in a 30-minute long E-shoot 2 days prior so we could meet them) at the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown.

This was our first time shooting at the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, and I really hope it is not our last. The food catered by Abigail Kirsch was unbelievable and the presentation was stunning.

Some details:
The Dress: Kleinfeld Manhattan
Bridesmaids Dresses: J. Crew Bridal
Florals: Forever in Bloom
Band: The JK Band

We always like to start out with our favorite photo from the wedding and here is Eric’s from the day – Kristin working it on the back lawn of the Tappan Hill Mansion!

And here’s my favorite from the day!

After getting her make-up done at Primadona Salon, Kristin and her bridesmaids headed back to Kristin’s parents’ home in Yorktown Heights, NY while the guys got ready at the Sheraton in Tarrytown, NY.

The ceremony was held at St. Patricks Catholic Church in Yorktown Heights, NY.

After the ceremony wrapped up we all headed straight to the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown NY to get some awesome sunset shots overlooking the lake.

There are a couple prerequisites to an amazing reception song:
1) Lots of hands in the air
2) Everyone yelling the lyrics
3) A groomsman tearing his clothes off
I think this song made the cut! :)

Thanks again for everything guys, it was an honor to be part of your day!