This gorgeous Woodstock Inn wedding has been sitting waiting patiently for me to blog it for almost three months now.  When I post weddings here, I like to select around 30 photos that best showcase the wedding day – it’s usually plenty to give a sense of the story, and to show off a little bit of the decor. Sometimes, though, I really want to show more, and I finally decided to show double the images from this very special wedding day.  I’m basically just following in the footsteps of bride Nellie who wore double the dresses …

Nellie’s family has been vacationing in Vermont since she was a wee girl, and they’ve owned an amazing property outside of Woodstock, VT for several years.  The house is bursting with history and quirky features, and was the perfect backdrop for her family and best friends to prepare for the day ahead.  We had a few hours together at the property, and with no first look on the agenda we spent some time out in the yard taking portraits of Nellie and her bridesmaids.  Then, Nellie changed into her grandmother’s incredible vintage wedding gown – Nellie was the seventh bride to wear it, and this amazing dress had also been worn by her mom, Mac.  She also wore her grandmother’s original wedding shoes and veil for the ceremony – it was pretty awesome being able to photograph such an important piece of family history.

The ceremony was held at the Plymouth Notch church.  Plymouth Notch is a historic village that is part of the Calvin Coolidge historic site near Woodstock, VT, and that day there was a civil war reenactment happening.  Genius wedding planner Sabrina Brown suggested that a few reenactors greet guests as they entered the church, and it was quite the sight!  The ceremony was short and sweet (thank goodness, because it was one of the hottest weekends of the summer, and the old church didn’t have AC!)  There were combined Christian and Jewish traditions, an increasingly common feature of many of the weddings I photograph.

We had time for a few portraits around Plymouth Notch before heading back to the Woodstock Inn for cocktail hour.  Thank you to my second shooter Earl Christie for many fantastic images, including the guys getting ready photos and  cocktail hour coverage.  While cocktail hour was buzzing on the front lawn of the Woodstock Inn, I photographed the beautiful reception details in the tent in the south garden.  Florist Ellen Snyder outdid herself yet again; her work is simply spectacular!

Some favorite reception moments: the hilarious (and occasionally emotion-filled) toasts; capturing Nellie’s dad photographing the first dance from across the room; awesome shenanigans to the sounds of band Downtown Fever; and late night ice cream treats.  Thank you to Chris, Nellie, and your wonderful families for welcoming us so warmly to Vermont, and to your beautiful celebration.  It has been an honor working with you all!  And if you’re looking for a photographer to document your own Woodstock Inn wedding, I hope you’ll consider me – I’d love to go back.