The Bride and Groom

After we saw each other for the first time back at the inn, we (Daria, Andy, Wes, Mr. Onion and I) piled into Daria's car and headed over to UVM to take some photos of just the bride and groom before our wedding party photos. The campus is beautiful -- there is some great old architecture and a lovely fountain. We had a really nice backdrop for our photos.



Can't you just see how much we love each other?!


Here is the great angle I was talking about. Andy was actually on his stomach on the grass while Daria was off to the right shooting away. I love the texture of the building and the depth of field (the blur of the grass in the foreground).


Another great detail photo -- I love that you can see my shoes and my short skirt.


This is the "newspaper announcement" photo. Every couple needs a proper portrait.



Then we did a little bit of walking to the center of campus.


I love the composition and the energy of this photo -- Mr. Onion looking at me...me looking at Daria.


Great composition again with the fountain blurred in the foreground.


I was thrilled Daria caught this expression -- this is my "man I love you" look that I give Mr. Onion. I knew I did it but I never saw myself -- she caught me "in the act" as it were.


This is a nice portrait -- great shot of the earrings my grandma gave me and her pin I wore in my hair too.


One of the few times Daria got Wes Jones in action


This is actually the only picture of us hugging all day. It was so nice to just take a deep breath and hang onto each other for a moment.


A gem -- I am 5'3/4" and Mr. Onion is 5'11" -- I was wearing 3 inch heels and I STILL had to stand on a fountain!


Great "in motion" photo. I still can't believe I just hopped off that fountain in my heels. But Mr. Onion caught me safely.


And before we headed back to the inn to take our wedding party and family photos Daria got a great photo of my beautiful bouquet.

Photos: Daria Bishop Photography
Videographer: Wes Jones
My Bouquet: Fresh Floral Design Studio
Location: University of Vermont campus
Dress: Romona Keveza from Mark Ingram's Bridal Atelier
My Veil: Two tier elbow length from Rose's Bridal, NYC
Mr. Onion's suit: Alan David Custom

At First Sight...

Mr. Onion and I decided to see each other before the ceremony for pictures. I posted about this a while back and asked what your plans were -- to see each other or to wait for the walk down the isle. I was fascinated to learn that out of almost 550 votes it was almost 50/50. For us, seeing each other first was the right decision. We got to spend time with our friends and family at our cocktail hour and -- one of the highlights of the entire day -- we got to lead everyone from the church to the reception on foot! Plus we got our portraits while we were fresh and the light was great.


Mr. Onion and one of my bridesmaids walk down the stairs at the inn to wait for my big entrance!


Mr. Onion patiently waits for me. Poor guy was dressed and ready for almost an hour already.


Mr. Onion gives my mom a big hug before he sees me. They are really close -- it makes me really happy.


It's my turn down the stairs...


Our photographer asked Mr. Onion to turn around so he didn't see me coming...but there I am!


Mr. Onion's first reaction to his bride! He was totally speechless. I smiled and said "Hi honey -- what do you think?!," as if it were any other day. I don't know why on earth I was so casual -- maybe I thought it would put Mr. Onion at ease.


He was still a bit overwhellmed.


And finally he said "you look ready to marry me," and twirled me around. I said "I feel ready to marry you!"


I love this shot of our shoes and the beautiful floor at the inn.


Did I mention we had an audience?? They were all supposed to be getting dressed, but they wanted to share this moment with us.


Here our best friend's wife has a teary moment with one of my bridesmaids.


A sweet moment. I loved the light in this room and the door frame behind us.


Great angle -- I loved that Andy was always looking for a different perspective. Later, when we went to UVM he was on his stomach shooting through the tall grass.


Our bridesmaid puts Mr. Onion's boutonniere on for him.


A stunning photo of my bouquet -- seriously magazine quality if you ask me.


Our photographer caught a nice moment when we were waiting for her husband to pull the car around so we could go play around the University of Vermont campus to take some portraits. It was really nice to have this "play time" before the big moment.

All photos: Daria Bishop Photography
Flowers: Fresh Floral Design Studio
Accomodation: Willard Street Inn
Dress: Romona Keveza from Mark Ingram's Bridal Atelier
Shoes: Cynthia Rowley's Trilogy
Mr. Onion's Suit: Custom from Alan David Custom

The Bride Gets Dressed

After I gave my girls their gifties it was really time to get dressed! In fact, our photographer's husband popped by my room to see how we were doing to discover a bride NOT dressed and that Mr. Onion was dressed and ready for me. Great things come to those who wait, right? For most of the week the weather forecast had called for rain on our wedding day. I brought cute pink galoshes and hoped for the best. Imagine my surprise when I saw the forecast that morning.


Mostly Cloudy - High of 82 degrees!



I got my dress ready in a quiet moment. With me in my room -- my mom, my three bridesmaids, my photographer Daria Bishop, and my videogrpher, Wes Jones. It was quite a "full house" but we made it work.




My Cynthia Rowley Trilogy shoes were waiting for me! These were a gift from Mr. Onion's best friend/GM's wife. We are all quite close -- this was a really thoughtful gift.


When I heard that Dana from Fresh Floral Design Studio had delivered our flowers I asked one of my bridesmaids to run downstairs and bring my bouquet up -- I just couldn't wait any longer. Here is where I saw it for the first time -- It was love at first sight. I almost cried it was so perfect for me! I am half dressed here in my long line bra from Bra Tenders in NYC.


When I started to put my dress on I realized the strap tabs that hang the dress needed to be cut out. The last thing you want is a strap sticking out of your dress driving you nuts and ruining your photos! Note: Keep them and safety pin them on later so you can hang your dress back up.





My mom was so excited and just wanted to be helpful but I just needed calm support from my bridesmaids. One of them saw this on my face and jumped right in to get my dressed.


My veil was two tiers and elbow length so we thought we'd give the blusher a try. I had decided earlier that I didn't know how I felt about this so I would go with my gut on the morning of the wedding.


We decided better to have the veil be a nice accent than to cover my face.




A last minute lipstick touch up, a moment with my girls and I was ready to see Mr. Onion. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I was so calm it was almost strange. I'm not saying I wasn't excited to see Mr. Onion, but I was just enjoying each part of the process and I don't think the magnitude of the day had hit me yet.

As always - click to enlarge any of the images.

All Photos: Daria Bishop Photography
Bouquet: Fresh Floral Design Studio
Accommodations: Willard Street Inn

Butterfly = My Grandma

OK -- so that sounds crazy. My maternal grandmother was a major presence in my life. In an earlier post about our ceremony music I wrote a bit about how I was lucky enough to discover some family music when she passed away. But the story I haven't told is very personal and you might think I'm nuts.



My maternal grandmother is the only grandparent I ever knew -- the rest had passed before I was born. She moved to our town when my older brother was born and we saw her pretty much every day growing up. Anyway, loosing her was very difficult for me. At her funeral I sang a hymn and while I was singing a monarch butterfly flew around me three times (try singing and crying -- it was really overwhelming), then flew over to her coffin, hung out for a few noticeable moments and then flew straight up over the tree. My mom and I tease that she was taking a head count to see who showed up!

Since then, I've seen a monarch butterfly on a few occasions, all meaningful. On my first trip to Vermont with Mr. Onion when we began dating, while shopping for a dress for my mom to wear to the wedding and at my bridal shower. So I was really hoping that I'd "see her" on my wedding day. I had her with me in a few ways -- I wore a broach of hers in my hair and my "something blue" was earrings that were a gift from her.




But I never saw her. One of my bridesmaids knew the story of my grandma and the monarch butterfly and the day after the wedding, when I mentioned I was a little sad I never saw a monarch on our wedding day, she said, "She was there." She told me that our photographer Daria's husband Andy had seen a monarch in the garden at the inn earlier. Upon hearing the story Daria ran to tell Andy and sure enough -- when we got our proofs back there she was!

Anyone else get a special sign on their wedding day that a loved one who had passed away was with them in spirit? Or did you carry them with you somehow - a locket, a piece of their jewelry, a handkerchief?

All Photos: Daria Bishop Photography