Wood Acres Farm is a hidden gem in Litchfield County. See why Wood Acres is one of our favorite places to host weddings!
Wedding Photography ideas are as trendy as tik tok dances. With so many creative ideas from funny poses and superimposed wildlife to the traditional bridal party shots, there’s no shortage of really cool photos to be taken. And as cool as that is, it’s very easy to lose track of time. One thing’s for sure. You’ve spent so much time, effort, and money to pull off the most amazing day in your life. And we don’t want you to miss a moment of it. Here’s a couple suggestions to maximize your time at the party and still get all the shots you want.
1. Spring for a 2nd photographer. By having a second shooter, you’re going to have so many more photos to choose from because essentially, the team is taking 2 times the amount of photos. A wedding could easily yield 5-8000 shots per photographer. And although that’s a ton of shots, each shot is part of a 3 shot technique to make sure everything that needs to be in the picture is and of the best quality. The other benefit is, by having a second shooter, they can also split up and capture some really amazing candid moments during your wedding ceremony, wedding reception and other formalities during the day. More shots means more options for the photographer to offer the best collection from your day following the editing process.
2. Do your formal shots BEFORE your ceremony so that you can enjoy cocktail hour too! Sure, this means you’re going to have to get up a little earlier and be on time to get out of the house and over to the wedding location but, it’ll be well worth it in the end. When you’re done posing for hundreds of pictures, you’re going to want to relax and mingle with friends. By giving yourself more time to mingle during cocktail hour, this gives you more opportunity to enjoy the meal that you paid for and your introductions will be on time and ready to go. If you’ve ever been a wedding guest, you know what it’s like to wait for the newlyweds to emerge from the bridal suite. If you need a few minutes to freshen up before your introductions to look your best, bustle your wedding dress, or just take a moment, getting your formals out of the way gives you more time.
3. Sunsets are amazing. Get your cake cutting done right after your first dance. Who doesn’t love a good sunset? The beauty of the sunkissed sky with so many colors and that deep blue off in the distance with the perfect couple enjoying each other on their special day. Ahhhhhmazing! Getting your cake cutting done before you sit down for toasts and a blessing does 1 of 2 things. First, it gives the caterer time to take the cake to the kitchen to be plated right after dinner service. Your guests will appreciate it because dessert will promptly be served following dinner. They’ll also love it because if you have a packed dancefloor, nothing kills the vibe and your packed dance floor better than shoving a formality smack dab in the middle of dancing and having your guests sit down. Also, if the cake is out of the way, you can run out really quick for those gorgeous sunset photos undetected and we can keep your party going until you come back!
4. Group shots during cocktail hour and also right before a slow song. Were you a part of a fraternity or sorority? Maybe you invited your highschool band to attend your wedding. Either way, group shots are a fun way to commemorate the life that you’ve shared with your guests over the years. And if they’re timed at the right place at the right time, you’ll get the shots you want without taking away from the rest of the reception. Cocktail hour is a great time for formal group shots with family, friends, and groups of people. Right before a slow song is an excellent opportunity to get that crazy frenzied group shot with all of your guests because they’ll already be on the floor.
5. Parents dances during dinner service. You’re the guest of honor. You will get served first. This mean’s you’ll finish first as well. Having your parents dances during the dinner service accomplishes a few things that people rarely think about. First, your guests will be seated during your parents dances because they’re eating. This is great because the likelyhood of having a hundred people with cell phones on the floor with you during that tender moment with mom or dad is minimal. You’ll have some great unobstructed shots of you and your parent. It also keeps us from having to sit everyone down during open dancing for a formality.
6. Feed your team before your guests. If you’re offering to feed your vendors (which is so appreciated because we’re working a 10+ hour day with zero breaks) please tell your caterer to feed them right after you are served. This will allow your photographer and other members of your wedding team to be ready to go when everyone is done with their meal to get back to work, back to dancing, and back to the party.
Please share with friend who’s getting married. You’ll thank us later when you’ve danced all night long, enjoyed your meal, and have the best shots imaginable!
To book with us, please click here to check your date!
With engagement season right around the corner following New Years Eve, many couples will begin the process of planning their wedding. And like many couples, this is their first wedding and knowing what item to check off the list first can be confusing. So which should come first? The wedding venue, or the guest list?
Depending on what your goals are for your wedding reception, that will tell you where you need to start. If you’re looking for one stop shopping, a venue is your best bet. When searching for venues, it’s important to find out first what their minimums and capacity limits are. From there, you can get down to pricing for catering, service and any other add ons that you might want for your special day. Once you clear indication of the wide range of prices and packages, determine which venue gives you everything that you are looking for and go from there. When you set your budget, now you can begin putting your guest list together. Start from your closest family and friends and branch out through your list. Don’t forget, most guests will be bringing a plus one so that will double your number.
But if you’re planning to have your wedding in a tent outside or in a non-traditional venue, the guest list might be able to be taken care of first. Of course you want to find out what it would cost for tent rental, table, chairs, linens, flatware and the rest. But the possibilities are endless. You also have to consider climate control, parking, catering and sanitation. With tented weddings, you could easily have 300 guests, or you can have an intimate affair of 25 in the backyard. Either way, its up to you.
But if we had to give our professional opinion, we’d choose the venue first. Don’t be discouraged. Not every wedding is massive, and not every wedding is tiny. Find the wedding venue, and budget that works best with your priorities to give you and your guests the wedding you’d always dreamt of.
Amidst the pandemic that we’ve all come to know and love are a plethora of challenges that come with events great and small. We’ve grown used to the idea that it will be quite some time before we see the all too familiar summer concerts, sold out pro sports events, and theatrical events. But within all of the restrictions there is a silver lining. Over the last 8 months, we’ve gone through a series of transitions from completely quarantining to being able to have 150 people inside and then back to 25. But with all of this back and forth, it’s nerve wracking. Especially for those covid brides planning their nuptials.
I prefer to look at the long term. Progress is slow and steady. You remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise won the race. We’ve been in the entertainment business for a quarter century. We’ve seen massive technological changes, the desires of our clients shift from traditional to outside the box and highly personalized service. This is no more than a transitional phase for us. We’ve been able to roll with the punches and keep growing during periods of uncertainty. This too shall pass. (hopefully sooner than later)
Here’s what we’re planning for in the 2021 wedding and events season. I suspect that during the holidays we will see restrictions increase to prevent the spread and lower the numbers of infection. But once that happens, some leniency should happen during the spring as it will be much easier to host events outdoors. The venues that prepare themselves for more of a mobile setup with catering, seating, and yes…. dance floors, are going to be in a much better position than the places that solely rely on the interior of their venue. As to the restrictions of social distancing, dancing, and foodservice, the wedding industry is taking their cues from the restaurant industry as they are the closest cousin to hosting events on a medium scale.
We anticipate that many couples may decide to privately hold their weddings on their property or in smaller locations that can comfortably accommodate a lean guest list. Think of it like private vs public school. The benefits to private education is smaller classrooms and more individualized attention. The same can be said for weddings. Having a smaller boutique affair will be able to give you the gusto you’re looking for but on a more manageable scale. Hiring a planner is paramount to make this happen. We recommend Nightingale Events & Pink Olive Events to our couples. Both teams are extraordinary at what they do and create magic every where they go.
When it comes time to dance, I’m reminded of a wedding that I hosted over the summer at Water’s Edge. The ceremony was held on the beautiful CT Shoreline Beach and the party was tented just outside the main ballroom on the patio with 75 guests. And even though, a formal dance floor was not present, guests danced between tables in their groups with the tables offering the social distancing required to keep guests and staff safe. Staff was required to wear masks through the duration of the reception and most guests adhered to the rule as well.
All in all, where there’s a will there’s a way. We’re in the business of fun. And that’s what we do.
To book our services, click the link below to check your date!
It’s been a long spring and summer with the pandemic lingering over head. Many of you have postponed your events until next year and for that, we thank you for not cancelling. But even with the moving of events comes the anxiety of not having any answers to tell our couples that did decide to hold out for their date this year. Many couples are holding off planning their wedding because they do not know when things will get back to normal.
A month ago, we joined the Events Industry Coalition of CT and had a virtual town hall meeting with Governor Lamont. During this call, hundreds upon hundreds of event professionals joined to hear what he had to say and to offer suggestions to the state on how we can re-open safely. We didn’t get all of the answers we had hoped for but we did get a few. Released today, were the new requirements for indoor and outdoor events. Those guidelines can be found here.
The short version is this.
Indoor events up to 25 people (STAFF INCLUDED)
Outdoor events up to 100 people (STAFF INCLUDED) **This number will increase barring there are no increases in COVID cases.
If a tent is used, only one side of the tent can be down. Guests must maintain a social distance of 6ft.
Passed hors devours are allowed but only if the staff passes it directly to the guest while wearing PPE (masks, gloves, etc)
Buffets are allowed but only if the staff serves the guests while wearing PPE (masks, gloves, etc)
During times of food service, guests must wear masks.
DANCING IS ALLOWED however a 6ft space must be maintained between guests that did not arrive together. (Couples are fine, but no large groups)
Audiovisual staff will disinfect shared use equipment such as microphones, stands, etc in between uses.
Your DJ must wear a mask at all times.
Vocalists are not permitted to sing indoors.
Today, July 22nd, 2020,
We have self certified with the State of Connecticut in accordance with the Re-Open CT regulations and standards during the pandemic. This means that we will be maintaining and following safe practices during our events to help slow or eliminate COVID19.
We are also reviewing the new guidelines for events on a daily basis to ensure that we are compliant and that the safety of your friends and family as well as our associates at our events comes first. Stay tuned for more updates.