I grew up down south, and although it was beautiful, I’ve always been in a full blown love affair with coastal New England. We spent our summers along the rocky shores where my family is originally from, and from the earliest of ages, I can remember thinking there is no place more magical. I moved myself up here the minute I could, and I’ve honestly never looked back. So seeing this gorgeous New England inspired shoot from Summer Street Photography, Deborah Zoe Photo and Whim Events at the beautiful The Misslewood Estate makes my heart sing. It’s everything I love about this beautiful area with a fresh take from these fabulous vendors, and it’s all waiting for you right here.
And there is even more pretty to see thanks to this behind the scenes film from Brighter Lights Media…
From Deborah Zoe Photography and Summer Street Photography…Being wedding photographers, we see a lot of beauty. From the real couples whose love stories we get to document to the industry of creative professionals who constantly reinvent the wheel, it’s an amazing job. After a discussion between the two of us, we realized that much of the wedding inspiration that is created by the industry focuses on clientele planning weddings outside of New England. Since we live and work in New England, and see dozens of couples choose to get married here every year – we wanted to capture the essence of why getting married in New England was so special. We wanted to create a wedding shoot with vendors who saw the unique character of the place we call home….unexpected weather and all.
We knew this idea needed a very strong team of vendors who understood our vision. We knew that although it wasn’t common, we needed to collaborate as two photographers on the project. We wanted to both pool our resources and share a common vision of not just *one* wedding photographer, but several who got to work with twice as many clients. We knew that a team of people sharing this vision would carry the project into something bigger and more meaningful. We weren’t going to draw the line at “pretty details” with a “pretty couple” and a “pretty setting”. We aimed to dig a bit deeper and explore why couples choose to get married in New England. Once we started talking, it became pretty obvious that the character of New England was timeless, historic yet fresh. We recalled our own personal wedding planning experiences and drew out elements of why we choose to have a wedding here.
What we eventually realized was that every vendor on the team had some pretty amazing advice to give to copules planning weddings in New England because they themselves were so passionate about their work. We brought Brighter Lights Media into the mix to create a video incorporating not only the beautiful couple, details and venue but also the work that goes on behind the scenes by a vendor team to make a couple’s wedding vision come to life.
What came of the shoot blew us away. Not only was it incredible seeing a talented team of professionals work together on the project, but we saw the character and heart that gets poured into a wedding day. By using a real married couple and not models, we were able to recall memories from their own wedding day and share stories together of how love, family and tradition are so beautifully weaved together in New England weddings.
From Whim Events…Being asked to design and style the New England shoot was really a dream for us. We love everything about New England- the fresh sea air, the historical charm, the mountains nearby, the city adventures and the beautifully changing seasons. In fact, these are the many reasons why we love New England weddings. Each couple can truly customize their day, location and season. And, what we love most about New England couples is their true appreciation of both the old and new, and their love for classic, understated elegance.
Our design was inspired by these things. We blended old, historical NE family history with fresh, new patterns of today. We chose a neutral yet elegant color scheme – white, black and gold with bright pops of coral.
Throughout the design, the rich family heritage/tradition can be seen in elements like the couples family crest (on the cigars favor and the table number for example) and in the paper (beautifully done by Hartford Prints). The “getaway” Rolls Royce, parasols and after dinner drinks scream classic NE charm. The table scape is lush and traditional while coral flowers pop and bold patterned fabric bring in the new and fresh traditions of today. We brought in Hartford Prints! for the stationery, because their deep rooted New England heritage and eye for design is unmatched in the paper industry.
It was a blast to style and design this shoot. We were able to collaborate with an amazing team of creative people to put this together, which is so important to have behind the scenes on your wedding day. We hope it inspires and excites many New England couples, and shows that mixing new and old can truly make a beautiful wedding day!
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Photography: Summer Street Photography | Photography: Deborah Zoe Photo | Venue: The Misslewood Estate | Videography: Brighter Lights Media | Planning and Florals: Whim Events | Invitation Suite/Paper Goods: Hartford Prints! | Hair Styling: Updos by Ann | Makeup: Makeovers by Ligia | Wardrobe Styling: The Stylish One | Car Rental: Sir Charles Limousine | Church: First Parish Church | Dress, Sashes, Veil: L’Elite | Gown Designer: Kenneth Pool | Accessories: Neiman Marcus, Natick and Ann Taylor | Rentals: Peterson Party Center