Let me tell you guys, Becky and Aaron are something else. Their story is one of crazy and amazing coincidence, and our connection was full of coincidence too. Let me start at the beginning. Last year, I had stepped up as organizer of a Meetup.com group, where I met this lovely girl Andrea. Andrea was friends with Becky and Aaron, and when they got engaged, she referred them to me. This January, my friend and I had started rock climbing and have since become obsessed, going several times a week. Becky and Aaron saw me post about it one day... and it turned out that they love to climb too! In fact, Aaron had originally met Andrea through climbing (I had no idea she climbed either)! And so it was, we had the most awesome first meeting ever... we all met up and went climbing! Even crazier, my best friend since 2nd grade's cousin is married to Becky's sister. All these random connections!

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Anyway, I instantly loved hanging out with Becky and Aaron. They're really fun, super sweet, and so obviously in love on so many levels. As Becky's sister Heidi said during her toast, "This is it, folks. The real thing". I couldn't agree more. It was at our first meeting that I heard the story of how they ended up together. I'll let Becky tell it ;)

"Aaron and I were both born in CT, both went to high school in the same town (different schools) and had some of the same friends, both went to the same college and had some of the same friends and each individually moved to Boston (but never met each other).

One of my best friends from college and bridesmaids, Leslie, grew up in CT with Aaron's sister, Ali. Ali and Leslie were best friends. Coincidentally, Leslie invited Ali, Aaron and me to her birthday party a couple of years ago. This is where I met Aaron! We went on our first date two days later. I knew I wanted to marry him almost instantly and the rest is history!"

I can't tell you how excited I am that these two amazing people have found each other and are now married! Here's the story of their day.

Becky and Aaron got married at the incredibly beautiful Tyrone Farm in Pomfret, CT. I was lucky enough to have my dear friend and talented photographer Lexi Mire come up from Florida to second shoot with me. There was no way this wedding wouldn't be one for the books. On our way down from Boston, though, it was very dark and down pouring. We were so worried that the whole day would be like that! Mother Nature was kind after all, and besides the day being very muggy and a bit of rain while the girls and guys were getting ready, the rain held off for the rest of the day.

The girls all helped each other get ready inside the cottage while the guys hung out by the pool grilling food. Becky was having her makeup and hair done by Kellyann Gelzinis from Teazd Salon. Becky's been going to Kellyann for a long time now, and it's obvious why.. she did a beautiful job! I especially love the way she did Becky's hair. It was perfect for the vibe of the wedding :)

Becky and Aaron's ceremony was originally supposed to be outdoors under this gorgeous rose covered pergola, but due to the high chance of rain, it was moved to the tent, which still overlooks an amazing view. Their ceremony was so sweet, and their vows were so heartfelt. It was beautiful.

After the ceremony we got the family together for formals and then got some fun shots with the bridal party! I love the colors they chose- blue and yellow are my favorites, and the flowers were so bright and beautiful!

After the formals, we took B&A aside for some photos of them alone together. Tyrone Farm is so beautiful, and there were so many great places for photos. We didn't even get to all of them! I always love taking the newly married couple aside for photographs. It's one of the rare moments they have to be (mostly) alone together, soaking in the day. I've already said this, but Becky and Aaron are just meant for each other. You can see it as clear as day. It was so much fun photographing them together :)

After we finished outside, it was time for the reception! The reception was held in the gorgeous barn, and everyone had a great time (of course!).

After the toasts by Becky's parents, Becky's sister, and Aaron's best friend, we snuck outside for a few more photos before it got all the way dark. The toasts had really summed up how special Becky and Aaron are, individually and together, and set the tone nicely for a few quiet, intimate photographs before heading back to the party.

We headed back in to join the party and cut the (beautiful!) cake. The dance floor featured some awesome little kids teaching the rest of us how it was really done ;)

All too soon, it was time for the last dance. But it was a perfect last dance. Silly and fun, with a sweet kiss at the end :)

Becky and Aaron, we had the best time photographing your wedding. Congratulations on beginning your own little fairy tale!! :)

Venue: Tyrone Farm, Pomfret, Connecticut

Photographer: Emily Tebbetts (second shooter: Lexi Mire)

Hair and Makeup: KellyAnn Gelzinis

Flowers: Lynn Epstein

Caterer: Amy from G Seven Catering

Cupcakes : Cakes By Sue

Videographer : Wedding Bug Studios

DJ: Pro-Sound Functions

Officiant: Nancy Gale

It's such a pleasure to be blogging Chong and Eric's wedding. Chong is a good friend of mine from work. She's an incredible person who has worked so hard to get where she is today. She recently graduated with her PhD, which is incredible! Chong and I have always had wonderful conversations about life, family, and love. I still remember when she first started telling me about Eric, and when I got to meet him. He is so clearly a great guy who deeply loves and cares for Chong (a sense I get from him by talking to him, but something I also know from the months and years of hearing about him from Chong). I still remember us talking about marriage, and if she thought Eric might propose, what their lives together might be like.. and thinking "ahh, I just KNOW these two need to hurry up and get hitched!!". Well, the day came that Eric did propose, and I was SO excited for them both. Similar excitement ensued when they asked me to be their wedding photographer! I knew it would be a special day, and I felt honored and lucky to be there documenting it.

The day came, and I drove down to Simsbury, CT for a 9am start! Chong is Korean and Eric is Chinese, so they incorporated some of that into their wedding. Aren't Chong's Korean shoes beautiful?

Chong and Eric's first look was beautiful to watch. I could tell they felt so good once they had seen each other, so reassured and filled with joy by each others presence. I love how they can go from sharing a really quiet, touching moment to sharing a laugh and joking around in a matter of seconds :) Seriously though, these two have such a special bond.

Chong's family is so important to her, as I learned long ago through our many conversations. They are all wonderful people. I love the relationship she has with them. I got to meet Eric's family as well, of course! It's no wonder these two are such great people--both sets of parents were clearly great examples for them. Here was a quick photo of Chong and her dad before the more formal family photos began.

Chong and Eric's wedding ceremony was so special and will always stick with me. Chong's boss, Bob, who she is very close with, was ordained in order to marry them. He did an incredible job. His words were so perfect and left a lasting impression on me. I wish I could better share that part of the ceremony with you, but photos will have to do. I loved hearing Chong and Eric's vows to one another. One of my favorite parts was when Eric, who had recently started learning Korean, vowed that he would continue to learn. I know this meant so much to Chong and her family.

Just a few photos from the reception! Chong and Eric's first dance started out traditional and then turned into them doing a bunch of funny dances together. I loved it! The father daughter dance went in a similar fashion ;) Look out, they may just be the next YouTube sensation ;)

The next set of photos came from what may have been my favorite part of the day. The reception ended around 4:30, but we wanted to meet back closer to sunset for bride and groom portraits, so we took a 2 hour break. I got some pizza for dinner at Little City Pizza after doing a quick search on Yelp and seeing a lot of rave reviews. And let me tell you guys, it was SO GOOD! Seriously, I come from NJ near NYC and I'm kind of a pizza snob, but this pizza was some of the best I've ever had. I've already spent too many hours trying to think of excuses to go back to Simsbury so I can eat there again, haha!

Anyway, after my delicious dinner, we met back up a little further up the street from the Riverview to take the bride and groom portraits on this beautiful flower bridge. I've never seen anything like it before!

My goal with wedding photos is to make sure that at some point during the day, the couple and I have some time alone to take bride and groom photos. I ask them to talk about things that are meaningful to them-- the things they love and admire most about each other, the struggles they've helped each other through, their favorite parts of their wedding day so far, how far they've come in their relationship, and imagining what the future holds for them. While they talk, I quietly document them together to capture these moments. Posed photos are great, and I love doing them! But 20 years from now, when the couple looks at a posed photo, they'll just remember "this is when our photographer told us to stand this way and kiss". I want to make sure the couple I'm photographing has photos that, when they look at them, remind them of all those things they were talking about... like "this is when I started laughing when you were recounting that ridiculous story from a couple years ago", or "this is when I started to cry as we talked about how far we've come and everything we've been through", or "this was the look on our faces as we talked about our future". During these bride and groom photos, this is what I tried to do for Chong and Eric.

Congratulations Chong and Eric!! I am so, so happy for both of you, and I am so honored that you chose me to photograph your day.

-Em