Moody Wedding Styled Shoot at Mine Hill Distillery

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Columbus Day weekend - I know I did! John and I ventured up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire this weekend to spend some time with his family. John is originally from New York but his parents moved to New Hampshire a couple years back. I absolutely love northern New Hampshire and grew up vacationing in Tamworth, near North Conway when I was younger. It is SO beautiful up there in early fall when the foliage is at its peak. The cooler temperatures and crisp air truly felt like a perfect New England fall day. It was so great to spend some time with family enjoying delicious food, playing golf and checking out a local winery. I love working from a home office but I am also guilty of not knowing when to check out of work mode. I need these little mini getaways to truly be able to check out and take time off. It leaves me feeling rested and recharged and ready for a new week!

So that brings me to today's blog post which is all about a recent styled shoot I did at one of Connecticut's newest distilleries and event venues, Mine Hill Distillery in Roxbury, CT. I am beyond happy with how this shoot turned out. I really wanted to showcase my creativity here for something darker and moodier than I typically do. Creating an overall mood for the shoot and then establishing a team of vendors to bring this look to life were paramount to the success of this shoot. So without further ado, here is the backstory behind this shoot and a few of my favorite images (for more images from the shoot, head on over to my Portfolio tab)

Kathleen Telesco of Parenthesis Photography and I met for coffee this past winter to talk weddings, our styles and business in general. I had just started my business and was super eager to network with everyone in the Connecticut wedding industry. Kathleen has a very unique photography style and she was different than many of the other photographers’ I had seen. She has a darker, moodier look and a cinematic approach to photography – I loved it right away!

I was also excited to start getting to know all the different venues in the area so I could make the best possible recommendations to all of my couples. I saw Mine Hill Distillery in Roxbury, CT was brand new and I reached out right away to make an appointment to see the space. I immediately fell in love with the place and how they were able to blend old and new elements to create such a unique space filled with so much character. The aesthetics here were absolutely perfect for a darker shoot using lots of blacks and coppers. This darker, edgier look was something I was really excited to play with as it takes a very specific couple to choose this color palette, and there’s a chance I may never get the opportunity to do it in real life – so why not make a styled shoot out of it?! Once I put my vision board together, I knew there was only one photographer that I wanted to shoot this and it was Kathleen. Thankfully she said yes or this shoot may not have ever happened!

Design-wise, I really wanted to ensure we played off of the elements already in the distillery with the copper pots, reclaimed wood floors, and the super unique birch wall. There are so many amazing nooks and crannies on this property that I decided to create two different looks for the day so we would be able to capture them all. We created a Moody Distillery Wedding look to photograph the indoor space and the outer architecture of the building and then a French countryside, bistro inspired look to capture the outdoor space (which is amazing! They literally have their own waterfall on the property!).

This black and white photo with the doorway in the middle of the woods is hands down my favorite from the entire shoot. The owner, Elliot Davis, let his daughter design this for the venue! It’s very Narnia-esque and I literally feel like stepping through that door will transport you to another place and time.

I want to thank the entire team of creatives that worked on this shoot with me. Everyone put their creative spin on things and the outcome was amazing. I love styled shoots for this reason – everyone gets to work together on a creative project with really no pressure. It's the perfect platform to try something new and step outside of your comfort zone to really create some magic. So thank you to all of you – this was a team of rock stars and I am so proud to have worked alongside you all!

Vendor Team:

Venue: Mine Hill Distillery - @mine_hill_distillery

Planner & Design Concept: Alyssa Jean Signature Events - @alyssajeanevents

Photographer: Parenthesis Photography - @parenthesisphotography

Florals: The Gardenist - @the_gardenist

Models: Nicole Morley - @nicoleincolour

Olga Karayanidi - @littlethingsolga

Yavuz Usluca - @the_yavuzusluca

Cake: Storeybook Cakes - @storeybookcakes

Rentals: PEAK Event Services - @peakeventservices

Lady Slipper Events - @ladyslipperevents

Dress: Julie Allen Bridals - @julieallenbridals