Happy holidays from Jane, Mike, Sebbie and Jude…thanks for a great year!

Here’s to the UConn Women’s Basketball Team for setting a record for consecutive wins!!  Here is Maya Moore from our Connecticut Magazine shoot this summer in Storrs.

I think women look beautiful when they are pregnant and Megan is no exception!  Great seeing Megan again to shoot her maternity photos…hope you can tell from the pics that we had some fun!

View more photos…

Katie and Brian had a warm (for December!) and wonderful West Hartford wedding last Saturday, with their ceremony at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and reception at the Pond House restaurant at Elizabeth Park.  We love Elizabeth Park, and have been meaning to eat at the Pond House, which wins praise for its food and is a cool and different space with a mid-century vibe that works well at Christmas—for example, they used miniature silver tinsel xmas trees on the hors d’oeuvre trays.

It’s so welcoming to have a couple’s personal photos on display at the reception.  In addition to table photos of Katie and Brian’s special places, they had their relatives’ striking sepia wedding photos from the early 20th century along with family photos on display in the foyer and hall.  It’s also real special when a couple speaks at the reception, and the touching words Katie and Brian offered one another were as meaningful as their actual vows in the church.

Katie and Brian, thanks for having us photograph your wedding!! Enjoy Hawaii…have a Mai Tai or two for us : }

To see more photos, click on Click to View More Photos… below in pink.  Happy Holidays!

View more photos…

Gotta love holiday weddings–that warm homecoming feeling really suits a wedding celebration.  Last Saturday, Katie and Brian had a beautiful day for their festive affair in West Hartford, with their reception at the the Mid-Century Pond House whose halls were decked beautifully for the season.

Here’s a sneak peek of the photos….congratulations Katie and Brian…and Happy Holidays!!  More photos to come soon…

As promised…here are some more photos of UConn’s superstar Maya Moore from this past summer.   To see more pics, click on the Click to View More Photos... at the end of this post.  Go Huskies!!

View more photos…

Maya Moore this past Sunday became the highest scoring women’s basketball player in UConn history–congrats Maya..and go Huskies!!  Coinciding with this…our photoshoot of Maya for December’s Connecticut Magazine hit the news stands as well.  We visited Storrs last summer for the shoot where NYC photographer Brian Finke also photographed Maya for Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 College Women of 2010.  Here’s the article below…we’ll post more pics from the shoot soon.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s a good time to stop and count your blessings and to support people who need a hand with the basics of life–food, clothing and shelter.  That’s precisely the mission at Gifts of Love in Avon (if you have that old crib in your basement, give them a call).  Last weekend we photographed A Night Out in Style, their fundraiser night at the Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury CT.  Our friend and uber-planner Adria organized the event along with lots of other friends on the committee–nice to see them all!!

They held a silent auction and live auction and a fashion show, the last one M.C.’d by the very funny Damon Scott of WTIC.  Walking the catwalk and channeling their inner Zoolander were local celebs, GOL folks, ESPN execs and other fashionable people.  The celebs included Fox 61 anchors Sarah French, Logan Byrnes, and Laurie Perez; Mary Glassman, First Selectman of Simsbury and MaryEllen Fillo of the Hartford Courant’s Java column.  A very uninhibited bunch–lots of fun!  Nice meeting some new folks such as Mark Mitchell of Mitchell Auto Group who parked his pristine antique Chrysler and MG outside next to the red carpet.

Great job Adria and the Gifts of Love team!!  To see more photos, click “View more photos” below.

To order photos, enter the gallery with the password “hop” on our client access page.

View more photos…

Relaxed and beautifully lit…that’s what Kathleen and Alec’s really nice October wedding in Westport was all about.  Alec grew up in Westport—he and his dad are fans of Mario’s Place Restaurant where I (Mike) used to go as a kid–and the Westport Town Hall where they got married was his grade school back in the day.  The Town Hall features a colorful New Deal-era mural like you find in some post offices around CT.

Kathleen looked awesome in her dress and fur stole…especially as she climbed into Alec’s F250 4×4 en route to the reception at The Dressing Room! The Dressing Room is Michel Nischan’s restaurant that’s adjacent to the Westport Country Playhouse, famously supported by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.  Been meaning to check out the WCP and now we’ve got to come back to The Dressing Room as well…great food and wine…and they even have Koelsch on draft (here’s a review).  The seasonal details–caramel apples, pumpkins, and giant sunflowers–looked great against the textured barn board and old framed playbills.  And the cool 60/70s soundtrack that Alec picked out, including “Don’t Worry Baby” and “Love’s Theme”, complemented their classic choice for wedding cakes: two Fudgie the Whales from Carvel!  Love that Tom Carvel!

Kathleen and Alec–hope you had a great time in Ireland…thanks so much for having us document your day!!

To see more photos, click on “Click to view more photos”

View more photos…

Can’t get enough of Essex CT!  We were back there in October for a fun engagement shoot with a wonderful couple, Chelsea and Matt, who love Essex as well.  Chelsea just exudes positive energy and Matt is really warm and engaging (no pun intended).  Lots of fun…we’re looking forward to their wedding next July!

We’ve got to get back to Essex for some Gris action…to hear either the Shiny Lapel Trio or the banjo band soon.  For you Mad Men fans out there, check this out…a reference to the Griswold Inn on the show.

Enjoy your engagement Chelsea and Matt and Happy Thanksgiving too!!

View more photos…