Every once in awhile there’s a wedding that especially stands out and 2nd photographing this Tokeneke Club wedding with Ashley Mac Photographs is one of them!  Wait until you see the details, I was in my glory photographing all the details!

The Bride’s look was simple, but stunning and elegant.

The Bride gave all of her bridesmaids these embroidered “No Ugly Crying” handkerchiefs. Such a cute idea, but would I think it’s too pretty to use and get makeup on it!

She also gave her bridesmaids these adorable monogramed floral toiletry bags.

After some time with Ashley, the Bride, and bridesmaids I went to be with the Groom and the groomsmen and photograph his details and him getting ready.

I love when a groom has accessories like a polka dot tie, or socks, a special watch, a fancy boutonnière, personalized cufflinks, or custom shoes. A girl gets to get all dressed up and have fun details, why shouldn’t the guy?

These monogramed overnight bags were a great gift for the groomsmen.

I feel like with almost every wedding I 2nd shoot there’s some sort of story with the groomsmen. lol At this wedding the Groom and his groomsmen all got ready at the Bride and Groom’s house, but they hadn’t planned how to get to the Bride and bridesmaids for the first look and portraits. I ended up packing 4 groomsmen in my car while the Groom and the rest of the groomsmen all packed in an suv. Thankfully Ben keeps our cars clean!

The Bride and bridesmaids all got ready at DeLaMar Southport so we met them there for the first look.

These two were too cute, I love that she’s fixing his tie.

Look at his face when he sees the back of her dress!

I loved all the white bridesmaid dresses with white bouquets and the navy groomsmen suits.

The Bride’s dress was simple and elegant on the front and then there was a big bow on back of the dress for a surprise. The Bride’s look and the bridesmaids simple white dresses and bouquets felt very Kate and Pippa Middleton.

I couldn’t get enough of the bow, can you tell? haha

The DeLaMar Southport was a great place for bridal party pictures.

I always love matching groomsmen socks, especially navy and white polka dot!

The front of the DeLaMar Southport was so classic looking with the white siding and columns and the black trim and wrought iron.

One of my favorite shots!

The Bride wore a single pearl on the top left of her bow in honor of her grandmother. And her gold ring was a ring that her and her sisters all had.

Check out the Groom’s jacket and style!

The Bride + Groom got married at the beautiful Trinity Episcopal Church in Southport, CT. The grandeur of this white church and its architecture, including the incredibly tall steeple is amazing and inspiring. The church has been in the community for over 150 years. According to the church’s website, “its buildings have been ravaged by British soldiers, wind, fire, tornado, and most recently, Hurricane Sandy.” But it stood beautifully that day.

There was a balcony that surrounded all three sides of the sanctuary which allowed for me to get a great bird’s-eye view.

Married!!

What a beautiful exit from the church!

ThTrinity Episcopal Church’s grounds were so quaint and in the spring made even more beautiful by the flowering trees!

Oh maybe I lied, this might be my favorite! I love a portrait with cherry blossoms! While I was holding the branches in the perfect spot for Ashley I noticed this angle and loved the layers it added to the picture.

I could have photographed this Bride all day long, she was so beautiful and just so natural in her pictures.

Are you ready for all the details? This just might be one of my top receptions that I’ve shot for details. The Bride went all out and this beach club in Darien, CT was totally transformed! To start the florals were mainly different types of greenery with different types of white flowers. (Including white Tulips which I love!)

And now the hanging greenery! 🙂 The glass ball lights were already there, but thanks to the help of her wedding planner and her team, and the florist, they ran clear strings across the top balcony that ran around the reception space and then hung greenery from that string. As you walked through the reception space it was like a curtain of greenery and was low enough that the tips would just hit the tops of people who were tall.

Like with the monogramed groomsmen overnight bags and monogramed bridesmaid floral toiletry bags, the napkins were also all monogramed with the couple’s new initials.

The Bride did this project with her dad. They bought small plastic animals and spray painted them gold. Then using a saw they cut halfway through the back of the animals to make gold animal place card holders! Such a cute idea that could be used for a wedding or even party at home. (Now I’m thinking of doing this to plastic reindeer as place card holders for Christmas!! Or bunnies for Easter or turkeys for Thanksgiving! It would also be cute to paint the bunnies pastel colors for Easter or even plain white.)

On top of all the greenery and florals lets’s talk about the blue tableware. It was incredible! The Bride actually rented the blue plates and glasses (which you’ll see further down) from a company in Texas! It is all antique so the plates and glasses were driven up by the company for the reception. The blue tableware added such an extra special touch to the style.

I love the, “Please don’t take my drink. I’m Dancing!” coaster that guests could put over their drinks so they weren’t taken away.

As favors they had blue straws made with their initials!

They also had a personalized watercolored crest created that they used in their invitation stationary as well as other areas throughout the day like their table numbers. As someone who’s interested in watercolor and learning about it, I was very impressed and really loved the idea!

The Tokeneke Club wedding reception was waterfront, right on the beach.

For about 15 minutes during the cocktail hour we took the Bride + Groom out along the water and onto the beach for some more portraits.

I just love beach portraits! The Bride + Groom really got a wide range of portraits during their Tokeneke Club wedding. Classic portraits at DeLaMar Southport, traditional portraits with blooming spring trees around the Trinity Episcopal Church and then more relaxed portraits on the beach with the water at the Tokeneke Club.  We didn’t take a long time at any of the 3 places, 15 minutes max at each place, but it really added up to quite the gallery of portraits for them.

And then the party started! I love how the hanging greenery is just at the tops of the reception images.

As a second photographer I love that I’m able to photograph from different angles than just straight on.

The Groom’s three brothers may have given one of the best speeches/roasts/toasts I’ve ever heard.

The Bride + Groom’s bare cake looked absolutely delicious! 6 tiers!I didn’t manage to get any behind the scenes pictures of Ashley, but I always love working with her! She has the perfect balance of easy going and letting the day flow naturally, but also making sure the couple is happy and everything that is important to them is captured.