Posted by: ROB & KATHLEEN View More: PERSONAL As 2009 comes to an close we have been doing a lot of thinking about just what this year has meant to us and to our business. We have accomplished many of goals for this year - changing our business name and launching our new blog, photographing over 40 amazing weddings, creating our photographer's networking group C.L.A.S.S. and being published and featured in magazines and national wedding sites. We have much more in store for 2010, some of which we will announce soon. We don't take for granted that we wouldn't have been able to do any of that without all of you - our couples, loyal blog readers, industry peers, family and friends that encourage us every step along the way. To all of our couples that invite us to your most special day, we thank you for welcoming us like old friends and allowing us to share and capture your joy and love. We are honored to count you among our friends and to have gotten to know you over the course of this year. To our 2010 couples - we have loved meeting you and can't wait for all of the incredible weddings we have scheduled! To our blog readers and fellow wedding peers, you have helped us find our way in this fun and challenging field. We have really enjoyed getting to know so many of you even better, and to meet so many new friends this year. We look forward to reading comments, chatting at meetings and catching up over dinner. For those of you that are out of state, we hope to catch up with you during the coming conference season. To our family and friends, we can honestly say that without you we know we wouldn't be where we are today. You are the ones that have supported us and saw the potential in us even when we may have doubted ourselves. Thank you for listening when we talk about our business 80% (okay, maybe 90%) of the time. Thank you for understanding our unusual schedules. But most of all, thank you for being the backbone of all that we do. So we'll be ringing in the New Year like we have the last couple of years, a low key night in with some movies and a bottle of champagne. We’ll be toasting to the amazing year we’ve had and looking forward to what 2010 has in store. Can’t wait to share the journey with all of you. Our wishes for a very Happy, Safe & Healthy New Year! Rob & Kathleen

Posted by: ROB & KATHLEEN View More: WEDDINGS In the midst of the morning preparation - after she had her hair styled, make-up applied and had stepped into a dress fitted just for her - she was calm. Years of being on the stage had taught her well, she was able to be completely excited and centered as she set off for the ceremony. Any nerves he may have had were undetectable, a performer turned medical professional and volunteer firefighter, he is a pro himself at keeping his cool whether under hot stage lights, medical emergencies or fighting a fire. As the ceremony began and he saw her walk down the aisle to him, his face lit up as they locked eyes and she smiled back at him. They were ready to begin. It wasn't something unfamiliar to them, being the center of attention with the eyes of the friends and family on them as they recited words and walked off with roaring applause. They had met performing together and he had even proposed to her on stage, but this day was different. These words were much more meaningful. There was no performance here, just pure emotion and love laid bare for the world to see. And when they walked down the aisle hand-in-hand to the sounds of applause and cheers they would be more than just the friends as they started out as years ago, they would finally be husband and wife. LEANNE & JASON We started the morning bright and early with Leanne and her girls at the Hilton Garden Inn in Shelton. They had already had their hair and make-up done over at PJ & Company Salon in Shelton. All that was left to do was admire the flowers that has just been delivered and put on their dresses. Her bridesmaids surrounded Leanne as they helped button up the back of her ivory strapless gown and did the finishing touches on her make-up with a final glimpse in the mirror before heading over to the Waterview in Monroe. It was the perfect fall day - bright blue sky, crisp air, colorful leaves - an ideal backdrop for their outdoor ceremony overlooking Lake Zoar. When we greeted Jason before the ceremony we could tell that he was excited and ready for the ceremony to begin. After years of being together through college and starting careers, they were both elated to start the next chapter of their life together. It was a beautiful, emotional ceremony with a special performance of Josh Groban's "When You Say You Love Me" sang by a fellow Sacred Heart Alumni and mutual friend of Leanne & Jason's. Being fellow alums ourselves, we were pleasantly surprised to see several familiar faces among the wedding party and guests. Even more, we were so happy to see the wedding of another couple that met in the same place that we did. The reception kicked off with some very sweet toasts from Leanne's childhood best friend and Jason's little brother. It's always nice to hear all of the amazing things said about the bride and groom, especially when they're such humble and sweet people like Leanne & Jason. Once the dance floor opened Todd from Powerstation Events kept the party going strong till the very last dance when the happy couple held each other close and stared into each other's eyes like they were the only two people in the room. For that moment, they might as well have been - that's all anybody else could look at as well.

As we like to do, we started with some shots of Leanne's details, first up her shoes. While I was getting the shot on the left, Kathleen was getting the shot on the right.

Her bouquet was simple and beautiful. She had one single pink rose placed into the bouquet in remembrance of her grandmother. Her grandmother used to call Leanne her pink rose so this was especially significant. We thought that was such a nice touch.

Leanne's bridesmaids carried bouquets filled with bright colored flowers which really popped against their deep blue gowns.

When it was finally her time to get into her dress, Leanne's bridesmaids helped her get all buttoned in.

Right before we all left the hotel to head over to the Waterview, Leanne put a few finishing touches to her makeup.

When we arrived at the Waterview, Kathleen and I spent some time hanging out with the guys as they relaxed before the ceremony.

Leanne arrived shortly after we did and we captured these portraits of both Leanne and Jason while keeping them from seeing each other before their ceremony.

We also got to spend some more time with the girls, grab some of their details and just have a good time as they laughed and talked with each other. It was such a fun time!

Despite the fact that their wedding was in November, Leanne and Jason decided to take a chance and have an outdoor ceremony. It was a little cold but overall a really beautiful autumn day in Connecticut. At the beginning of the ceremony, I was up front where I captured the two flower girls making their way down the aisle.

As I was up front, Kathleen captured Leanne waiting with her Father, both with the same excited smiles on their faces.

Kathleen got the shot on the left at the same moment that I captured the shot on the right as Leanne was walked down the aisle by her Father.

The ceremony location overlooking Lake Zoar was really beautiful.

Especially during a ceremony Kathleen and I like to capture many different angles and moments to really tell the story of our couples. I really love the smile on Leanne's face as she looks at her almost husband.

This side of the Waterview is really wonderful because of how it is situated. We were able to go above to get this shot showing the whole scene and the lake behind.

The blue sky and the little wispy clouds provided the exact backdrop that Leanne & Jason wanted for their autumn wedding. It was really beautiful.

I love the simpleness of this photo, I think it shows that this is all about them and it brings you right into their moment.

As their priest was almost ready to pronounce them as husband and wife, Jason let out a huge smile which didn't go away for the rest of the day.

Ok so for a couple of shout-outs. Leanne and Jason had one of their groomsmen, Joe, sing during their ceremony. He sang a perfect rendition of Josh Groban's "When You Say You Love Me". The really great thing is that Joe was one of my roommates during my senior year of collage. He has always had a great singing voice and that was certainly no exception as he sang during Leanne and Jason's ceremony.

Just because we couldn't decide which photo we liked better, we included this one as well and we figured Joe would appreciate it! :)

Another couple of our friends were also in the wedding party, Leanne and Stephanie. It was really great to catch up with so many wonderful people that we haven't seen in such a long time!

Leanne & Jason's first kiss as husband and wife!!

Right as they walked up the aisle together, the sun really began to come out and shine quite brightly.

RIght after the ceremony we headed out to get some portraits of the two of them.

I love the shadows on the pergola in this image.

We got to enjoy the beautiful grounds and even more we got to enjoy the beautiful day.

Leanne and Jason were so into each other and are such a down-to-earth, sweet couple.

We just had to show of how gorgeous her dress was in the photo on the left.

We rounded up their full wedding party for a couple of shots before heading into the reception.

On the way in we just had to take advantage of the gorgeous sky.

As we were getting some shots of their reception details we thought it would be fitting to use some leaves for this ring shot. I really like the feel of it in black and white.

They incorporated the same color blue as the bridesmaid's dresses into all of their details.

Their cake was simple and timeless.

As their wedding party was being introduced everyone did something fun but this just happened to be our favorite moment during introductions. This bridesmaid was certainly brave!

Leanne and Jason were more than excited as they were introduced. This is Kathleen's shot...

...and this is mine as they made their way on to the dance floor.

I love the happiness all over Leanne's face as she danced her first dance with her husband.

We really love the smiles on their faces in this one as well! :)

The emotion that hands portray is one of my favorite things. You don't even need to see their faces to know how they are feeling in this moment.

Jason had a smile on his face the whole time that...

...his younger brother and best man was giving his toast.

A nice wide view to show off the room.

After Jason's brother gave his toast, Leanne's best friend and maid of honor gave her toast.

Cake cutting!

I love looking around during cake cutting. Of course you can see Kathleen getting her shots here but I think the reaction on that guest's face in the front is priceless!

We love these moments as Leanne danced with her Dad.

Jason also danced with his Mom.

Leanne & Jason, thank you so much for choosing us to capture your relationship - from your proposal to your engagement session and now your beautiful wedding. We hope that you had a wonderful time on your Mediterranean Cruise honeymoon and can't wait to see you guys again soon!

Posted by: ROB View More: PREVIEWS In the middle of ordering a ton of holiday cards and fulfilling print orders we figured we would share with you a little peek from Leanne & Jason's wedding which we are working on for a little later today. Leanne and Jason got married in November at the Waterview in Monroe. They decided that despite the fact that there wedding was in November they were going to take a chance and have their ceremony outside overlooking the lake. It certainly paid off because it turned out to be a beautiful day. We are hoping to have their full wedding story on our blog later today or tonight so be sure to be on the lookout. In the meantime we hope you are all having a wonderful day and getting your holiday shopping done. Not to put any pressure on but counting today there are only 9 shopping days left until Christmas! For us we are trying to get our cards in the mail, that is also another HUGE priority for today. Happy Wednesday Everyone! :)

Posted by: ROB View More: PREVIEWS We hope this post finds you all warm and dry on this cool and wet Connecticut day! It is definetely one of those days where all I want to do is throw a sweatshirt on and relax on the couch. That is most likely exactly what we will be doing once I share this little preview. Yesterday we photographed our last wedding of the year. Although a little cold, it was a really beautiful day. We spent the day with our couple Allison & Eric. They got married in Glastonbury and then we headed over to the Hartford City Hall for photos of the two of them and of their wedding party. They knew it was going to be quite cold out so wanted to make sure they had a great indoor location for photos. For anyone who has been to Hartford City Hall, you know that this is really an amazing place to photograph. It has beautiful architecture, sweeping staircases and overall acts as such a great backdrop. As I was uploading and backing up the images that we captured yesterday, I wanted to share this image of Allison and Eric. We hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Posted by: KATHLEEN View More: WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENTS Today Rob, Sue & I will be bundled up and braving the cold to photograph the wedding of Allison & Eric. It's our last wedding of the year and we couldn't think of a better way to wrap up our wedding season. Allison is a big fan of the Christmastime (Eric even proposed in December at the Festival of Lights in New Haven because he knew how much she loves it), so it's fitting that they will get married among all the lights and decorations. We'll be taking advantage of the gorgeous decorating job they do in Hartford - hitting up City Hall for some shots in between the ceremony & reception. The party will commence at the Riverview in Simsbury. If their engagement session was any indication, Allison & Eric will be lighting up the day even more than any set of lights - just look at the two of them - beaming with happiness. Check back soon for pictures from their wedding. In the meantime, here is one our favorites from their New Haven engagement session. We hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday! Don't forget that there are only 12 shopping days until Christmas! :)