Unique and totally "YOU" Save the Dates!

Here's a confession: I love paper. Beautiful paper, different textures, matching envelopes ... there's something really neat about it. Unfortunately, my handwriting is atrocious (more than one person thought my name was actually "Quatrin" after receiving a personal note from me) but that hasn't stopped me from stockpiling boxes of paper.

In any case, I stumbled across Save the Date Originals on one of my wedding boards (yes, vendors have wedding boards as well ;-) and was completely smitten with her designs.

Being old enough to still remember vinyl long players and singles, I love this design in particular.

Vinyl Save the Dates:



Arrrrrr .... Pirate Save the Dates:



Poker Chip Save the Dates:



Boarding Pass Save the Dates:



So, there's no excuse to NOT make your wedding your own, from your save-the-dates to your decor.

Kat
Kingdom Wedding Photography

Shoes, shoes, shoes

Having a themed wedding?
Want to have a keepsake forever?
Can’t find the right shoes for your wedding?

Well, I just stumbled across this unique store on a wedding forum for vendors and NoraKaren graciously granted me permission to post photos of her hand painted wedding shoes. I love, love, love them.









Now I ran scenarios through my head that would allow me to justify the purchase of a really GORGEOUS pair of shoes for a change but then I thought about my life … I’m on my feet all day long on weekends shooting weddings so that’s out. During the week, I’m either hiking with my dogs, editing files, meeting with clients or sanding drywall trying to get our expanded living room ready for the holidays.
Darn, I don’t have a lifestyle that supports glamorous shoes. Maybe if I bought them it would come???

In any case, whether or not you want your shoes and/or clutch to match your wedding colors or if you want to have shoes that are uniquely designed just for you, check out this nifty store.

Happy wedding shoe shopping.

Kat
Kingdom Wedding Photography

Vendor Spotlight: Santa Barbara Preserves Co.

I'm always on the lookout for interesting vendors and found Meghan from Santa Barbara Preserves Co. on one of my favorite message boards for industry professionals and was totally in awe by how much effort she puts into creating personalized wedding favors. As a photographer with a serious sweet tooth, it doesn't get much better than this.




Not only can you choose from multiple jar styles & sizes, flavors, colors and decorations but Meghan will match your wedding theme perfectly. No cookie cutter favors here. Yummy!







Kat
Kingdom Wedding Photography

Vermont Wedding Venues III: The Webster Barn at Sterling Meadows Farm, Hyde Park, Vermont

The Webster Barn at Sterling Meadows Farm is another one of my favorite Vermont Wedding Venues. It is conveniently close to all the amenities of Hyde Park (Dunkin' Donuts - you'll appreciate it once you get here, it's one of the few in the area) and yet, once you're on the property, you are surrounded by open fields, woods in the distance and our spectacular mountains. Just fantastic for pictures.

The only downside from a photographer's standpoint is that the ceremony site provides absolutely no shade. Direct sunlight is incredibly harsh, especially around noon when the sun is at its highest point. A late afternoon ceremony at this property is incredibly stunning whereas having your ceremony at "high noon" is not something I would recommend.

I suggest that you check out this cool website - This handy
Vermont Sunset Sunrise Calender gives you the times of sunrise/sunset for a fairly good selection of Vermont towns for the entire year.
The "golden hour" at The Webstern Barn is unsurpassed for gorgeous portraits - note that the couple's portraits below all were taken at that magic hour.

Now on to the reception site. It is rustic and will provide the "quintessential Vermont" backdrop for your Vermont Country Wedding.

The barn is perfect for receptions. Plenty of space for tables, a band, a buffet, cake buffet (!) and dancing.





Included in the site rental is the use of the farm house. The upstairs is perfect for a bridal party of 4-5 to get ready:



The ceremony site:



Yeah! We pulled it off:



The open fields and mountains provide fantastic wedding portrait opportunities:









Can't get enough? See more wedding photos here.

Vermont Wedding Venues II: Sleepy Hollow Inn, Huntington, Vermont

I adore the Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington. The location is super private and stunningly gorgeous. Apart from the lovely Inn, the property features a beautiful wedding barn, lake, sauna, wedding gazebo as well as a pavilion right next to the wedding barn.


Gorgeous round barn:



View from the barn across the lake:



The barn is equally stunning from the inside and is a photographer's dream. It has an upper level which makes it possible to take stunning photos from "above".

Inside the wedding barn:



Wedding Ceremony right at the lake:



Large groups of people can be very difficult to photograph as even with staggering people and tiering to make the people towards the back not be covered by those standing in front of them, you can end up being a long way back to fit everyone in (provided there is enough space to back up). Thankfully, the wedding barn's patio takes care of this issue. In the photo below I remained on the balcony while the group posed below me in front of the lake.

Group photo at the lake:



The property also has plenty of gorgeous locations for couple portraits:





A huge thank you to Chris & Lacey and their families for this wonderful day! Photographing your wedding felt like spending a day with friends.

Find more wedding galleries here.

Vermont Wedding Venues - Pigeon Hill Farm, East Berkshire, Vermont

I am lucky enough to visit some of Vermont's most beautiful wedding venues every single year. So I've decided to feature my favorite properties from a wedding photographer's standpoint. The properties featured in this ongoing series are local B&Bs and wedding barns that capture the spirit of Vermont, are stunningly beautiful and wonderful to photograph. They are also properties with wonderful owners/hosts that I'm all too happy to recommend. Disclaimer: I do not have any partnership agreements or financial ties with any of them and simply feature them because I love to work there.

First up is Pigeon Hill Farm in East Berkshire, Vermont. The B&B is an elegant Victorian Inn, surrounded by beautiful gardens that offer fantastic opportunities for portraits.

Inside one of the guest rooms:





The sitting/living room:



Pigeon Hill's gardens are simply spectacular. Michael & Jeffrey have created a secluded English Cottage Garden with various different varieties of lilacs, tulips, roses ... perfectly manicured and super charming. Gorgeous for formal family portraits as well as couple portraits and candid photos:





You will also find a chicken coop with different breeds on the property:



The smaller barn features many more props and opportunities for stunning wedding portraits:







Pigeon Hill Farm's Wedding Barn is a century old post and beam construction, very warm and rustic, complete with antique furnishings.

The bar inside "The Stables" - the wedding barn:


Michael and Jeffrey also have a hand for flowers and decorations and their care and great attention to detail really shows:



Thank you to Jen & Matt for having me as your wedding photographer, it was a pleasure spending your wedding day with you. And thank you Michael and Jeffrey for your hospitality.

Visit my website for more photo galleries, rates and helpful information.

You can have your cake and eat it, too!

My second favorite wedding topic: Cake! I love a good cake. Your cake takes center stage at the reception and should be a reflection of who you are. It can match your décor, your dress/flowers, it can take any shape or form – from the traditional multi-tier cake to a cake that looks like your dog or the place you met (think Ace of Cakes). Other than the price, there really are no limitations.

From a photographer’s standpoint, you want to consider one thing: an all white wedding cake doesn’t photography all that well. While white icing on a white cake looks stunning in person, it normally doesn’t stand out a lot in photos. I’ve selected a few of my favorite cake photos and will explain why this particular cake photographed so well.

This first photo shows a very elegant white cake with chocolate accents. It is very simple, yet stunning. What makes this a great photo is the fantastic contrast this cake provides.



This cake matched the theme of the wedding (spring/butterflies) perfectly. Again, we have a white, multi-tiered cake but the decorations provide a splash of color, texture as well as contrast. A beautiful cake.



This is a super-fun, colorful and somewhat non-traditional cake. It adds visual interest and photographed insanely well.



As somebody who never had a wedding cake on their wedding day (we got married in Vegas, had four guests and temperatures of 114 degrees at night), I’m excited that we will finally have a “proper” wedding cake this year for our 7-year anniversary. Ms. Tiffany Osowiecki will make our cake; I had the pleasure of tasting as well as photographing one of her cakes and it was simply divine. Imagine a White Chocolate, Grand-Marnier Cake with raspberries. Yummy. In case you want to get in touch with her (which I highly recommend), you can reach her at (802) 326-3131.

Click here to see more photos of different wedding receptions and wedding cakes.