A Stone Acres Farm wedding gives you a few different rooms to move through in a single afternoon. There is the manor house, where everyone gets ready. There is the cutting garden, hedged in and quiet, where the first look happened. And there is the lawn beside the lily pond, where Joey and Alex stood in front of their people on a warm day in June. I photograph in a way that lets a place like this do its work, so I want to walk through how the day actually went.
Why Stone Acres Farm works for a wedding
Stone Acres Farm is a working farm in Stonington, Connecticut, with a historic manor, gardens, and open lawns. The manor and the grounds are the part couples use for the wedding itself. What I like about it, photographing there, is that you are never short on places to be. A single property can carry the whole day without anyone needing to load into cars.
Two of my favorite spots were the cutting garden and the ceremony English garden. The cutting garden is a landscaped section of the yard with a hedge around it and rows of flowers. And the English garden, with the lawn beside it where the ceremony was set.
Getting ready at the manor house
Everyone got ready inside the manor. The interiors have a classical timeless aesthetic, including stunning wallpaper (which was so fun to have in the background of the photos). The getting-ready images here do not feel like they could have come from any hotel room anywhere. I tend to hang back in this part of the morning. I find the frame, set the feeling, and let people get on with the actual getting ready.
The first look in the cutting garden
We did the first look in the cutting garden, just the two of them, hedges on every side. They read their private vows after, and once that started I went around to the far side of the garden and gave them the space and privacy.
An outdoor ceremony in the garden
The ceremony was outdoors, right next to the flower garden, with hedges around it and the pond just there. Alex’s uncles walked her down the aisle, in place of her father, who has passed. For Alex, a hummingbird is a reminder of him. Her sister had folded origami hummingbirds and set them out in a basket before the ceremony for guests to take before the ceremony. It was so special because during the first look and the ceremony, a hummingbird flew by. It was such a special connection that Alex had with her father, and now she was able to share that with all of her loved ones.
The reception and special song tribute
A lovely part of the day came during the reception, when two family friends played two songs that were special to her and her dad. Music runs deep in her family, so this such a heart warming part of the day.
After that the evening opened up to drinks, food, the people they love, all in one place. They told me beforehand they wanted their guests to feel wrapped up and welcome, and that is what the room felt like.
Photographing the day they actually had
When Joey and Alex told me what they were hoping for, the word they kept returning to was present. They wanted to stay close to each other all day while still giving real attention to everyone who came. That lines up exactly with how I work. I am not pulling a couple away for two hours of portraits that look like a separate shoot. I find the frame before the moment happens and I wait for it to come to me, so the day they remember and the day in the photographs are the same day.
If you are getting married at Stone Acres Farm, or somewhere in Connecticut or the wider New England coast that means something to you, that is the kind of work I am here for. You can see more about how I photograph weddings on my about page.
Joey and Alex, thank you for letting me be the one to capture this day. Will forever think of you two, and Alex’s dad when I see hummingbird. How special it is to carry that memory.
Stone Acres Farm Wedding Vendors
Photographer | Madison Van Wylen
Venue | Stone Acres Farm
Florist | KLW Designs
Makeup Artist | Eleni Ouzounidis
Hair Stylist | Simply Gorgeous by Erin
DJ / Entertainment | Total Events
Catering and Cake | A Thyme to Cook
Dress | A Little Something White
