Pond House Cafe, West Hartford, Connecticut (Ceremony & Reception)
April 13th, 2025
Whenever I'm working with clients who are uncomfortable in front of the camera — and, trust me, this happens a lot —I'm constantly experimenting with what to say or what poses to do to get them to relax and be themselves. As someone who used to be shy myself, I totally get being rigid or robotic in posing and that's why when I see a couple finally take a breath and feel like their authentic selves, I stop everything we're doing and hone in on what worked.
That's why back in April during Jennifer and Eric's bride and groom portraits at the Pond House Cafe in West Hartford, Connecticut, the moment I saw the newlyweds let out a real laugh while I was testing my settings, I knew we finally broke through and the rest, as they say, was magic.
Jennifer and Eric said “I do” on a gloomy April afternoon that turned into a beautiful spring day and their wedding was, without question, one of the most intimate and personal I've seen this year. With a small guest list and the most casual vibes I've had in 2025, Jennifer and Eric had their day, their way and I was just glad to spend a Sunday morning getting to document it all for them to cherish for a lifetime.
I could tell from the moment I arrived to the Pond House Cafe for Jennifer and Eric's wedding that this wedding was going to be much different than most I shoot. For one thing, it was a Sunday morning wedding and everything was set to be over with by the time I'm typically getting started on a bride and groom's big day.
More importantly, though, this bride and groom were so laid back that they asked me not to even bother with basic bride or groom prep photos because they didn't care about documenting those moments at all. Instead, I was tasked with beginning my coverage with their first look and, when the two arrived, I totally got it as they showed up with no fanfare and no big splashy celebrations.
Their first look was super casual, super relaxed and we rolled right into some easygoing and chill portrait of the soon-to-be newlyweds with no stress and no fuss and I loved that for them.
What I liked the most about these pre-wedding ceremony portraits for Jennifer and Eric was how relaxed the vibes were. The two were incredibly causal with where they wanted their photos taken and we just strolled around the park near the Pond House Cafe for a few minutes stopping when we wanted to stop and not overthinking things.
In fact, the most direction any of us gave one another were little things like “Hey, those pink flowers look cool” and “I think we're going to pass by that bridge area I guess.”
As I've said countless times on this blog, I love when couples are themselves on their wedding day and if Jennifer and Eric weren't feeling the need to be flashy and performative for these portraits — which I truly believe came out beautiful by the way — I certainly wasn't about to interfere with how they were experiencing their special day. Go with the flow is my mantra after all.
My one and only regret about Jennifer and Eric's wedding day was the weather early on as it forced us to have their ceremony indoors but, even then, the bride and groom were so unconcerned about WHERE they were getting married that it didn't matter. Outside, inside, upside, downside? As long as Jennifer and Eric were pledging their love to one another, I genuinely don't think they would have cared where the celebration was taking place.
It helps, of course, that the Pond House Cafe has a nice, big and spacious ballroom area that can easily hold a wedding ceremony so while some couples would be disappointed getting married indoors when there's a beautiful water background 90 feet away, I could tell looking at Eric watch Jennifer walk down the aisle that there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
