On a beautiful Spring day in Connecticut- Marianne and Matt got married surrounded by their family, friends and lots and lots of adorable children! While it is an honor to be chosen to photograph any wedding, this wedding was a record breaker for us! Greg and I have had the honor of photographing 3 of Marianne’s siblings’ weddings!! Marianne and Matt’s marking the 4th! That is the most we have ever photographed from one family. When I received an email from Marianne asking us if we still traveled back to the East coast for weddings we were more than happy to hop on an airplane! We adore this family and we knew that Matt’s family would be just as lovely. The day was magical and it was an added bonus catching up with everyone!
Marianne got her stunning dress at the one and only Kleinfelds in New York!
The Lodge at Maneeley’s is perfect for those looking to have a more rustic feel to their wedding. I love the warmth created by the wooden walls and the playfulness of the hanging paper lanterns hung by MJ Decorations. Lanterns sitting on top of wooden rings adorned each table and of course the candle inside was LED. Matt being a Fire Department Chief certainly would not have a wedding that might be a fire hazard!
The children’s place setting was perfection! Each child had a coloring book, a toy and the most adorable cup to drink out of with a pinwheel straw!
Gotta sweet tooth? No problem! Not only did this wedding have 2 cakes but a table in the back hosting so much candy that it looked like a candy store!
What a fun idea for showing your guests their tables!! Each person came and found a picture of themselves and on the back it displayed what table they were sitting at!
Tucked away, the guys were getting ready. We all know it doesn’t take long for guys and quickly they moved on to something more fun, like their cool groomsmen gift! A Bottle Breacher! A Bottle Breacher is a handcrafted 50 caliber bottle opener made by Military Veterans. This company is really amazing- you can read about them here! With personalized engraving it’s such a great gift and also a wonderful way to support our veterans.
Before we head on to Marianne getting ready- feast your eyes on some CAKEEEEEE! No, I mean CAKESSSSS! Why have just one? These cakes made me smile- even the main cake that was so elegant created by the Modern Pastry Shop had some fun at the top with the hysterical cake topper!
And well, Marianne loves fun details as we have seen from the rest of the wedding decor, so an amazing grooms cake for Matt had to be created! I love the back of the truck with the cans and the Just Married sign!
Matt and his Mom admire the cake so skillfully created from Cakes By Lilly.
Tucked away in the bridal room, Marianne was getting into her dress with her Mom and her sister Kathryn.
These moments right before the ceremony are filled with so much emotion! Lots of fun but some nervous energy as well. It’s an exciting time and Marianne looked so beautiful! Her hair and make up were done by KShea & Company.
Of course the little kiddos were not feeling any nerves- they were having the time of their lives all dressed up with their cousins!
These little sweeties are not cousins but became fast friends on the wedding day. The little one in white is Matt’s niece and the little one in navy is Marianne’s niece!
The stage was beautifully set and excitement filled the air!
Matt’s brother walked their Grandma down the aisle, followed by Matt’s mother and her husband and then Marianne’s Mom escorted by Marianne’s brother.
The handsome groom!
Followed by his groomsmen.
Ready for some sweetness? The parade of children had everyone smiling and hearts swelling with emotions!
Kathryn, Marianne’s Matron of Honor.
And before the bride- the sound of bagpipes filled the air!
Marianne was escorted down the aisle by her father.
The handoff! Such an amazing moment! That’s one happy groom!
Marianne’s Aunt read a poem.
Oh those adorable children! They were so good sitting there being so quiet! Even this one whose little brother kept pulling on her hair! She didn’t say a peep and was trying so hard not to take her eyes off the wedding!!!
All tuckered out after his big job was completed!
In the back tending the babies were Eileen and Matt, Marianne’s brother and sister in law. Eileen had the lollipops ready for the kids!
The vows were spoken and rings were exchanged….
…and the newlyweds beamed as they walked up the aisle!
Look at this group!!!!! How do you get 12 kids and 5 adults to all look at the camera- well I had Greg do silly things with my hair to make the kids all laugh! My hair was a mess afterwards but totally worth it!
The grown ups- they were a little easier to get to smile at the camera!
The children were rewarded for all their hard work and cooperation with yummy lollipops!
We didn’t have long for portraits but with smiles this bright and pretty backdrops close by, we were able to get lots of pretty pictures!
Across the street from the Lodge is an old barn that perfectly added to the rustic feel of the wedding.
On that barn just happened to be a blue heart which added a little sweetness to some pictures and no I did not put it there!
Back at the Lodge I was photographing the stunning bouquet created by Sharon Elizabeth’s when I noticed I could not focus on it as it was moving…. one of the little ones was sweetly swinging it! Too cute to ask him to stop!
So sweet!!!
There was time between dinner and dancing so I dragged each of my past brides and grooms outside to take some pictures!!! The first McCabe wedding was Eileen and Kevin- they now have 3 little ones!
The 2nd McCabe wedding was Kathryn and Matt and they also have 3 little ones. At this time their baby was with Matt’s Mom back at the hotel.
The 3rd McCabe wedding was Jackie and Tim and they have one little guy!
The eldest McCabe brother got married before I started photographing weddings…. but his adorable children have been at each of the weddings and it has been fun watching them grow up!
It was time to celebrate!
Marianne and Matt shared a first dance and then were joined by family and friends on the dance floor!
This wedding had pretty details everywhere!
Matt’s best man gave a wonderful and heartfelt toast.
Marianne then joined her father on the dance floor.
Followed by Matt dancing with his mother!
Can you believe that cake got cut?! Haha, sometimes I think they are too beautiful to be eaten but who wants to waste good cake?!
The children eagerly looked on with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
The dancing broke out and did not stop for the rest of the evening!
Matt’s grandmother!
Awww, big hugs!
One of my favorite parts of photographing weddings is observing all the interactions between family members. Weddings are such an incredible time, not only for the bride and groom but for the family too as they often double as reunions!
Busy coloring her wedding coloring book!
Look at those cheeks!!!
The anniversary dance was won by Marianne’s aunt and uncle!
Matt’s Mom dancing with her granddaughter!
I love this picture- so much happiness!!
The DJ from After Hours DJ Entertainment did a wonderful job of getting everyone out onto the dance floor!
Marianne’s mom dancing away with Matt’s grandmother!
It was that time, the night came to an end and Marianne and Matt left the Lodge with a colorful send off!
Thank you Marianne and Matt for allowing us the honor to document your wedding day!!!
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