Weddings at Wood Acres Farm
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 – Timing makes all the difference
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!
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Wedding Venue or Guest List? Which comes first?
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.
The Covid Bride Guide. I’m Freaking Out about my wedding!
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.
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5 Things You Need to Do NOW If You’re Rescheduling
With Connecticut Re-opening it’s doors slowly but surely, we’ve seen restaurants, salons, gyms, and other businesses open their doors to a limited capacity. But in the events industry, we’re still waiting for the green light from Hartford to tell us when we can get back to hosting events. With this uncertainty overhead, we’ve been receiving emails nearly daily to re-schedule our events. We understand that you’ve taken so much time to research and create the perfect team for your day. It’s important that your team stays intact for your rescheduled event date. Here’s what we’re doing to help our clients to keep their team intact.
1. Contact your venue and get several date options when re-scheduling. This will help give you the best option for nailing down a date with all of your team.
2. Send a group email to all of your vendors with the dates that are available at your venue of choice so that they can check those dates against their future event schedule.
3. Don’t forget about Sundays and weekdays for your event. Often times, these non-conventional days offer big savings to you and double your chances of getting everything you need for the perfect celebration.
4. Follow up follow up follow up! Keeping lines of communication open with your creative team is essential. Especially now.
5. Once you and your team have chosen your new date, pop on social media and let your guests know about the date change so that they can begin making travel arrangements if needed.
Many couples don’t have the luxury of time when booking their DJ and in most cases do so between 8-12 months out. The pandemic is actually a blessing in disguise because you now have more options than ever to plan the event you’ve always wanted!