Eolia Mansion Wedding
There’s nothing better than having the opportunity to shoot the wedding of someone who I’ve crossed paths with before. I first met Olivia when her oh-so-hip mom was working for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, CT. Although the reach and reputation of the festival extends around the globe, New Haven is a small city and locals claim it as their own when summer comes. It’s easy to make new friends during festival season. From her love of the arts, to her warm, down-to-earth vibe, to her love of the small city of New Haven, there was an immediate connection with Olivia.
Flash forward seven years later and I had the amazing chance to photograph Olivia and her fiancé, Will, on a gorgeous fall day strolling around Edgerton Park in new Haven for their engagement session. The tenderness and love between Olivia and Will was obvious from the second we started. The three of us shared a love for the late afternoon/early evening golden light I tend to look for. Being able to shoot their Eolia Mansion wedding in Waterford, CT a year later was such an honor. Having shot Olivia and Will’s engagement session, I was already familiar with their gentle connection. Photographing their wedding, I instantly recognized how the love between these two blossomed with devotion and the support of an incredible circle of family and friends.
Laughter? Check. Tears? Check.
Vintage car? YES. Smiles? Everywhere.
Olivia and Will are the kind of sweet people who make smiling contagious. Their Eolia Mansion wedding day was filled with quiet, moving moments. From Olivia getting ready with her sister and her mom, to Olivia and Will getting to enjoy having each other to themselves when their vintage car driver had to take a detour from the church to the mansion (I was lucky to witness this moment as the only person trailing behind them), to Olivia’s sister and Will’s two brothers standing together to toast to the bride and groom at the reception, the evening was filled with extraordinary expressions of love.
Eolia Mansion is a well known wedding venue in Connecticut for an excellent reason. Its vibrant gardens, rolling lawns, proximity to the beach, and the grand mansion offer an amazing diversity of backdrops for portraits. The day was exactly how Olivia and Will envisioned it with all their portraits being outside. Having worked with Olivia and Will beforehand to make sure they would have enough time to take the photographs they wanted, we were able to use both gardens and the lawn for portraits.
Here are some of the amazing images from their day:
