Naomi & Evan*
The Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill, Middletown, Connecticut
June 2nd, 2024
Creatively speaking, I think I may have my most fun as a wedding photographer when I get to work as a second shooter. There's just a certain level of freedom you get as a second photographer that you can't have when you have all the stress and pressure of getting everything right as a lead photographer and Naomi and Evan's wedding is a perfect example of why.
On a crazy warm day following one of the longest and hardest weddings I've shot all year, I walked into Naomi and Evan's wedding as a second shooter for Pretty Nerdy Photography with a sore body, a nonexistent voice and just hoped to get through the day.
Within moments of meeting the bride and groom, though, all those issues went away and I got to watch an absolutely beautiful celebration of love between a bride and groom with no worries about getting any one particular photo or capturing any one particular moment. Instead, I got to sit back and focus on capturing the energy of Naomi and Evan's wedding day.
And what a day it was.
* These photos were taken as part of my work as a second photographer for Pretty Nerdy Photography.
and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.
Naomi and Evan said “I do” back in June at the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill in Middletown, Connecticut and I knew within moments of arriving exactly what kind of day it would be as our first event on a long list of special moments was a first look between the soon-to-be newlyweds.
Having just met Evan moments before this first look, I had no idea what to expect between him and Naomi but the beautiful, tree-lined grounds at Wadsworth Mansion offered such lovely options for a first look that I knew I'd be able to shoot this moment for the bride and groom from a distance and let things play out naturally.
And I'm so glad we could because this was such a sweet and special first look where Naomi and Evan said everything that was in their hearts on this amazing day without saying a single word.
With their first look in the bag, I didn't have much that I needed to do specifically as I knew the amazingly-talented Becky MacDonald of Pretty Nerdy Photography had things covered and that gave me a level of freedom as a photographer that I really appreciated.
Rather than worrying about a family formal photo list or making sure to capture X number of poses, I stood in the background looking for special little moments between Naomi and Evan during their bride and groom portraits and helped in whatever other way I could to keep things running smooth and it yielded some of my favorite photos of the day without a doubt.
I loved the way Naomi and Evan looked at each other but I especially loved that we were capturing all of these interactions before the weight of their traditional Jewish wedding day — full of time-honored traditions passed down through centuries — potentially tuckered this bride and groom out. Traditional Jewish wedding days can be tough to get through, especially in the hot summer sun, so I'm so glad Naomi and Evan had some time to be themselves before the day's activities began.
You can see from the photos that they appreciated it, too.
The traditional Jewish portion of Naomi and Evan's wedding day began shortly after we completely our formal photos with a Kabbalat Panim, aka a Reception/greeting of guests as well as the Tisch and Ketubah signing.
As a person who was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school through high school, I always love getting to experience new religious customs when I shoot weddings and Naomi and Evan's was full of some really cool ones.
I loved these pre-marriage ceremony celebrations because EVERYONE I saw was smiling ear to ear and genuinely so happy to be in attendance.
I found the tisch and ketubah signing to be especially meaningful as Evan expressed some personal feelings on marriage that really showed how much he cared about this day and the serious vow he was getting ready to make.
What I especially loved about the way Naomi and Evan structured their day was things never got too serious or too lighthearted. There was always a beautiful balance between respect for the religious customs that clearly meant a lot to both the bride and groom but there was also a ton of joy and celebration.
This was especially true during the badeken as Evan and Naomi joyfully began their road down the aisle with song, dance and giant smiles as we prepared to head outside under the Huppah for their marriage ceremony.
Evan and Naomi couldn't have had a sunnier or more beautiful wedding day and I've got to be honest — For my first wedding at Wadsworth Mansion, this place was stunning.
I loved how beautiful the grounds at this venue were but especially loved the backdrop the mansion provided as Evan and Naomi each walked down the aisle.
It was gorgeous, timeless and stunning: three words that describe this ceremony perfectly.
While I haven't shot a ton of Jewish wedding ceremonies, I've shot enough to know that they are NOT easy to photograph.
There's a certain level of respect you need to exhibit as a photographer to not overstep the importance of what's taking place and, as such, you sometimes aren't privy to all the great angles and flexibility to move where you want the way you may have at other non religious ceremonies.
Thankfully, as a second photographer, all I needed to do was follow my lead photographer's cue and ask where she wanted me posted as I knew once I took a spot somewhere, I likely wouldn't be able to move.
That spot, it turned out, was down in the center aisle and it helped lead to a ton of great shots as the ceremony moved along … including getting the all-important first hug between Naomi and Evan that, I think, summed up this day perfectly.
Following an amazing song and dance down the aisle to conclude their wedding ceremony, Naomi and Evan's guests retreated inside the mansion to relax, eat some appetizers and await the start of their reception.
Thankfully, I had already captured some of the beautiful details Naomi and Evan used for their wedding day. I loved how elegant and classic Naomi and Evan's white and red theme looked in this mansion. It all came together quite nicely.
As does happen from time to time when I work as a second shooter, my contracted time came to an end before the bride and groom's entrance into the reception. As I got about halfway through packing my gear up, though, I could hear singing and had a feeling I might just need to stay a while and boy am I glad I did.
Naomi and Evan began their reception with a formal entrance and circle dancing and, man, what a moment.
The two started this beautiful celebration — one of my favorites at any Jewish wedding — in separate rooms before Naomi was brought onto a chair and lifted to the courtyard to join her husband.
This dance was crazy fun and larger than any similar Horah I had seen before and, man, I can't think of a better way for my coverage to have ended.
All in all, as my time covering Naomi and Evan's wedding came to an end, I couldn't help but smile as I made my way to my car. While I would've loved to see how much fun these two got up to when the secular dancing began, I really felt like I captured everything I wanted to and more before heading out.
More importantly, Naomi and Evan's wedding was a nice reminder of how much fun you can have as a second shooter when all you need to do is be present and look for the beauty of real life in the candid moments between two people who love each other and are committing to a lifetime together.
So thank you Naomi and Evan for including me in a small way on your beautiful wedding day and best of luck together in this next chapter of your lives. :)