I have had the pleasure of photographing nearly 200 weddings all around North America but I must say this wedding was a first. Eliza and Travis are hard core skiers. With friends in common and ski racing in their blood, I knew this was going to be fun. The day began with a good old fashioned "ski shooters' for the wedding party. As the rain stopped, just in time, the couple headed down to the dock. Travis took a few minutes to cast a few flies in the water and sure enough caught a little fish prior to the ceremony. I think that is good luck?
With the bride in one boat and the groom in another the wedding couple took off onto the lake. I was escorted on a separate boat where I got to cruise the lake taking Vermont wedding photos of the couple from boat to boat. They meet up half way for some truly unique bridal party photos.
Following a tour of the lake, they returned to the dock where they were married in front of their friends and family. This was such a fun way to come down the isle, unlike anything I have ever seen.
Eliza and Travis did an incredible job making this wedding feel like them. With a ton of DYI work from the couple, I was psyched to see so many fun ideas. There was a ski lift photo booth, ski shots, a food truck, home made kegs stand and an incredible band. I would have like to be a guest at this wedding but I want to thank Eliza and Travis for making Jenna, David and I feel so welcomed. This connection allowed us to get some wonderful photos and provided us with a wonderful experience that we will remember. We look forward to seeing you on the mountain as we fight over some fresh powder.
Unique Detail to Consider: This couple made a photobooth using a ski lift chair. This was unique to them and made sense for the couple. I would highly encourage my couples to create a photobooth that is fun, creative and tells a story.
Favorite Photography Moment: This has to be cruising the lake while capturing photos of the bride and groom. You never know where you will be as a Vermont wedding photographer, certainly didn’t know that was coming.
Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
A: The life we built together was our inspiration for our big day. We met while on the ski team in college and have been skiing together ever since. Vermont has been where we ski almost every weekend in the winter and wanted to have our wedding somewhere special. To make things even more special, we found a place on the water which is where both of us spent our summers with our families. I have always loved all colors but especially pink, so I chose a pink palette for my bridesmaids and bouquets with a lot of different colors mixed in. Then for the table centerpieces I just wanted what was in season to make the tent look more like a field of wild flowers
Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
A: Everything for the decor was DIY. We purchased flower and greenery buckets from the florist and made our own centerpieces with vases that I collected from thrift stores.. For the ground around the tent poles we had my cousins sap buckets that we used for taller wild flowers my mom picked around the house. We wanted our theme to be 'us' from the beer my husband made for the wedding (he also made the bar to go with it) to the photobooth we made. It included a chairlift my brother in law made us, that had a winter scene back drop. My parents also donated their antique Wood skis and ski poles for props! I loved the winter theme in summer time, it was so fun!! To go along with the skiing theme, my dad also made us a shot ski that was very popular with our guests. One part of the reception that was most important was that there was no sit down dinner, so we had a mix of high tops, farm tables and lounge seating that centered around the dance floor.
Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
A: All the flowers were from an organic farm a few towns over from the venue.. everything else I already mentioned in the last question 2.
Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
A: I would say that we tried to personalize every part of the wedding. We were married on July 7, 2017. My husband Travis brewed a special wedding day beer that ended up being 7.77% alcohol, which was a total accident! So, we named the Beer Triple 7's Double IPA. The Food truck was my brothers friend from home, Annie and Colin who also own my personal favorite restaurant from the town i grew up in. They served our favorite foods, mac and cheese balls, thai noodle salad and tacos! The band was also a personal favorite as it was my brothers best friend, Tory who has always been like a brother to me growing up. We had him play my personal favorite song he wrote for his wife during our ceremony, orange peels for shelter. It was that same song that his wife walked down the aisle at their wedding. Our DJ was Curtis Lush, Travis' brothers best friend from college. Our bartender is our favorite bar tender at the ski area we ski at, Killington. Katie is someone we see every weekend at the top lodge when we go in to warm up.
Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you choose your wedding day look? How did the groom? Describe both looks in detail.
A: Oh man...the wedding dress. My mom made my wedding dress which was incredibly special for me. We went to 7 different stores trying dresses on to narrow down the elements I wanted to include. Then we made a trip to NYC to find French Lace and Silk Chiffon for her to put together the simple but elegant dress for my big day. My dress had french lace on the bodice with thin straps the turned into four straps in the back. The back was low cut with the same lace that ended at the waist. I even think my mom added some of her wedding dress into my dress somewhere.. And my earrings were Travis' grandmothers on his Dad's side. My husband is very particular about how he dresses and wanted to find a suit that wasn't too formal but form fitting with a clean white shirt and no tie. We thought the no tie look tied in with the less formal feel we were going for. So he chose a blue suit with brown shoes and fun funky socks.
Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A: We met on the ski team at UMASS Amherst. I was a Junior and he was a freshman. The first time I met him, he introduced himself and I said to him that we were going to get married because I really didn't want to change my name so Hopkins would be an easy transition for me.We went to Australia last year to attend a friends wedding and stopped in Fiji for a few nights before we went to Australia. When we arrived we immediately went snorkeling off the beach where we were staying. I noticed Travis was treading water kind of weird so I popped up and asked if he was ok, and he popped his hand up out of the water with a ring and asked me to marry him! I guess it was awkward when he untied the ring from his bathing suit while treading water...
Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
A: The most special part of the whole day was the first look. It wasn't even the most anticipated part! For me, it was just me and Trav for those few moments, which you definitely don't feel like you have for the rest of the day. We have always been pretty private with our relationship so this was a very big day to show everyone how much we love each other.
Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
A: Wedding planning advice... splurge on that day of coordinator or even a wedding planner. It will save you and your family a lot of stress trying to remember all those little details you planned out. My advice for marriage? Communication. There is a reason texting and cell phones and email was invented.
Charleston Photographers Amy & David Bennett | 1559 Gemstone Dr, Mount Pleasant, SC
802.825.7505 | www.amybennettphoto.com | amybennettphoto@gmail.com