Elegant, romantic Lucien’s Manor La Grande wedding….

Alessia was looking for quality and style in a photographer, someone who could offer an eclectic mix of creative, artful photos that captured emotion, flattering posed portraits and details throughout the day.  I offer personalized coverage and kept this in mind throughout Alessia & Tim’s wedding day.
When I arrived on the morning of Alessia & Tim’s wedding I met Alessia and her family in the hotel’s conference room where the hairstylists and make-up artists were all busily working.  It may seem a little counter-intuitive to prepare in a conference room, but it was naturally lit, spacious, cool  and alleviated a lot of the stress that comes from being in close quarters.   A good tip for any brides reading 🙂
I photographed all of the wedding details first– the bouquets, rings and dress, this way I would be able to give my full attention to all of the portraits, emotion and action as the day went on.   Alessia chose her favorite color, mint green, paired with gold for their wedding colors.  The result was this soft, romantic bouquet.  The beautiful florals throughout the day were by Flowers by Dena.
Alessia loves heels and her sister even joked in her speech that Alessia was known to wear heels to the grocery store, saying “Why not? they are comfortable!”  I had imagined her changing into flip flops after the ceremony myself, but she did wear these five inch platforms all day!

Alessia’s dress was elegant and intricately beaded– covered in lace and had both silver and gold detailing.  It was completely original, unique and Alessia.  Sometimes a creative angle makes all the difference, I love that you can see all of the attentive hands and a bit of the detail but the dress itself is a mystery for now…

Alessia’s friends and sisters were amazing all day as they assisted he with her wedding gown and cathedral length veil.  Her bridesmaids were her sisters, Daniela & Rossella and her girlfriends Emily & Kelly.  Here two of her attendants straighten her dress and veil.

What a beautiful bride and bridesmaids!!!

Her parent’s smiles: Alessia shared that her parents are two of the very best role models a girl could ask for, they would do anything for her and her sisters and she has the utmost respect for both of them.  She said she can only hope to embody everything that they have taught her throughout her life.
Even though her parents are incredibly loving, they show their love through dedication and hard work and don’t show their emotions often.  For this reason Alessia shared with me that it was very important to capture a portrait of her with her parents where they are both smiling.  A photo like this is incredibly rare, but would mean so much to hear on her wedding day– here is that photo:

As much as Alessia is spontaneous, bubbly and sunny with her radiant smile, Tim is a strong, steady man of few words and a true gentleman.  You can read more about Alessia & Tim in their engagement blog.
Here Tim is with the important men in his life who have stood beside him and supported him throughout his life.  His brother, friends and his father.  Tim has all the attention in this first photo, while the second shows all of the men together.

Alessia & Tim were married at St. Joan of Arc Parish, the same church where Tim was baptized as an infant and has been a member of ever since (I told you he was  steady!).  While Tim is strong, his love runs deep.
He said that watching Alessia walk down the aisle towards him was completely surreal, when he looked at her he saw his soul mate and the most gorgeous woman, his tears of joy started rolling.  🙂  I have several photos of this, but my favorite is this, when he smiles as he wipes away his tears:

Watching these two throughout the ceremony was absolutely adorable.  They would smile at each other, laugh and held hands throughout much of the mass.     They were pleased with how personalized the mass was and how much it reflected them as a couple and the journey that brought them to this point.

Orbs: Now this was pretty cool and a real “ceremony first” for me.  Sunlight streamed through the skylight into the sanctuary as Tim and Alessia made their vows, and rainbow colored circles of light surrounded the church, couple and priest.  Wow!

When I asked Alessia and Tim how they were feeling here, they said they were overjoyed and proud and I think both of those emotions really come across in this image.  I also like that there is a full view of the church as well and friends and family surrounding them.

Man & Wife: Following the reception, Alessia & Tim gave rosepetals to family and friends to throw in celebration.  I have several versions of this image showing the whole crowd, but I think this is my favorite photo, just the two of them with the petals fluttering down in the background and foreground.

The Rolls Royce: Alessia & Tim were very excited to enjoy their ride in the Rolls together.  They kept saying to each other that they were married, just trying to take it all in during the quiet car ride to the reception.

One of the reasons that Alessia & Tim chose Lucien’s Manor was because of their beautiful outdoor space with waterfall, fountains, plants and flowers.  Here you can see many of those features as well as a happy and truly overjoyed couple:

Alessia appreciated, the soft, romantic look of my portraits and I love this image of her and Tim.  I especially like the soft waterfall droplets in the background as they catch the sunlight.

A little preparation for their first dance…

Lucien’s Manor La Granda, this is the real deal.  This estate has been family owned and operated since the late 1800’s and their service is outstanding.  They can even seat up to 500 guests!
Alessia and Tim were also drawn to Lucien’s gardens, amazing food and the ballroom with it’s massive crystal chandeliers.  The mint and gold theme also carried well as there was much gold detailing throughout the Manor.  I like this image in dramatic black and white, I love how the chandeliers and tableware pops!

Their first dance– you can see the gold detailing and up-lighting that Alessia liked so much.  It actually changed colors throughout the night which you will see below in other photos.  There was also a staircase and loft that gave me a birds-eye view of the dancefloor, which was a real treat!

The dance floor was absolutely packed by the team of Bob Morgan Entertainment.  You can even see the custom monogram they created on the indoor waterfall feature for the evening.

Tim confidently twirls the garter before he gives it a toss…

The ladies were super enthusiastic about catching the bouquet.  Ironically Tim’s cousin and her boyfriend caught the garter and bouquet, so perfect!

Italian circle dances were of course part of the festivities!

At the end of the night, Alessia and Tim were truly grateful for their wedding day.  They were so happy that they were able to enjoy each other and all of the amazing family and friends in attendance.  It was the most amazing, peaceful  feeling to end the day as husband and wife.  I tried to capture that here:


Alessia & Tim, thank you for choosing to spend your wedding day with me at your side.  This is only the beginning for you two and your journey together.  These are also just a few of my favorite images from your day, you have literally hundreds more coming your way.  I wish you both all the very best  and am excited to hear what you think of these photographs!