Two-Day Mansion Wedding For A Couple Who Love to Celebrate
Despite the couple’s differing backgrounds, they found a way to bring their cultures together to create something new. Through two days of wedding events celebrating their love, the couple was intentional about making these experiences special for them. Everything about their wedding was so lovely that I completely enjoyed photographing this entire lake to mansion wedding!
Wedding Event Planning: Knowing Where to Start
Liya and Andrew’s wedding event timeline began one day prior to the mansion wedding. This pre-wedding event was called “The Lake Day.” The day acted as a precursor to the main event that got the family and wedding party together.
The time was spent at a lake house owned by Andrew’s grandmother. This is where he had spent much of his childhood with his three brothers. The home is in a town in Connecticut where the couple also lives now. It was a fun, relaxed, and casual affair that relived some of Andrew’s favorite activities when he was growing up.
Time on land was spent dunking baskets with the dogs running around. Additionally, a scavenger hunt of the groom’s creation and getting henna tattoos (even for some of the men!). Water play included canoeing and flipping competitions into the lake between the four brothers.
It was such an honor to capture two sessions with the couple. We did an engagement photoshoot and these pre-wedding photos at the lake. My advice is to always go for engagement photos. This gives us all a chance to get comfortable working together so that we will already know each other well by the wedding day!
As this couple summarized, “our engagement photos were truly magical and captured everything we wanted to embody at our wedding: romance, color, light, love, and the outdoors.”
Another bonus was spending a day early working alongside the couple’s wedding videographer. It’s always tough meeting complete strangers as a creative since we have different ways we approach doing our work. Having that time getting to know Tanner Castro Films in a more relaxed environment was really great.
Mansion Wedding Venue: A Space For Moments Both Big & Small
The couple’s desired flow of the day was feeling a sense of ease, harmony, joy, and excitement. They envisioned a whimsical, romantic, and colorful midsummer garden party. The couple’s chosen Connecticut mansion wedding venue is what made the look and feel of their summer wedding theme possible.
Gwyn Careg Inn of Pomfret Center, Connecticut provides all of the getting ready, wedding portrait, ceremony, and reception spaces needed. It is a colonial revival mansion sitting on 14 acres enclosed by stone walls and a large pond. The couple shared what initially drew them to the venue:
“The outdoor spaces, particularly the walled gardens! We like the feel of almost being somewhere in the European countryside. We also like the idea of being outside, especially amongst flowers and gardens that aren’t overly manicured, but rather more wild that give the feeling of walking through an enchanted forest.”
Since the wedding was entirely outdoors, we photographed unique spaces at different times to avoid the summer heat. The ceremony was placed in the lawn outside of the European-styled stone walls. Inside the open air garden was where the reception took place. Cocktail hour occurred on the patio just outside of the mansion. At night, it turned into a dance floor under string lights.
It’s overwhelming (in a good way) how many amazing photography options are available when taking advantage of the property’s vastness!
Spreading Out a Day Over A Vast Venue Space
Every portion of the couple’s wedding photography timeline occurred along the property. This started with both parties getting ready in different suites on site. There was a letter exchange that was followed by their first look. The bride had family members assist in putting on her wedding accessories. She then had friends serving as her hair and makeup artists. After fully getting ready, she surprised her bridesmaids with a wedding dress reveal followed by a first look with her parents.
The first look took place close to the reception area with Andrew’s brothers (all three of them the “best men”) looking onward from closeby. Andrew’s mom even caught a first look with him by chance when he was on his way to see his bride! For sunset couples portraits we walked around the pond, under the archways, and beside the various stonework.
The options are endless for spots to be utilized at this mansion wedding venue from its Spanish-styled garden to the Italian-style greens and pond. A single Gwyn Careg Inn wedding is hosted at a time so couples have exclusive access to the grounds (this wedding hosted 83 guests). Catering and bar service are included with a tent available as a rain option.
Creating the Look & Feel of A Culturally Blended Wedding
A day spent mixing Liya’s Hindu heritage alongside Andrew’s lakeside roots meant blending together their cultures through outfits, colors, details, decor, lights, and traditions like henna. I was obsessed with all the details of Liya’s traditional Indian wedding dress! I also thought it was great that she changed into a short white wedding reception dress which allowed her to move more easily for dancing.
The couple explained how their friends are very outgoing and fun so they had to be prepared to tear it up with them on the dance floor! Another beautiful touch was the bride embracing her natural hair texture incorporating her curls into an easy wedding hairstyle.
Liya described how they chose their color palette based on “the super vibrant colors of the sky at sunset in the summer at Andrew’s grandmother’s lake house. We love the rich vibrancy of the pinks and fuschias contrasted with the cool blues, and threw in some orange, creams, and greens to represent the gardens of late summer.”
The florals and colors brought many textures together smoothly while adorning the long reception tables. I also just LOVED the seating chart! The table numbers were hand painted by Liya’s dad, each one done a little differently. It was one of many well-executed DIY wedding ideas including the wedding favors and other signage.
A Big Mansion Wedding Day All About the Small Moments
Most important to Liya and Andrew in capturing their mansion wedding were the moments both big and small. That meant the first look, ceremony entrance, speeches, cake cutting, and dancing, but, it also included the quiet and more intimate moments with each other. As the couple described, it is “taking a break away from the party atmosphere and just being able to have a few moments to be with each other.”
The first look and ceremony reactions were made only more genuine by being able to spend such sweet time together the day before. I can’t recommend enough having first looks, private moments together, and pre-wedding events (like this couple’s lake day) or simply doing pre-wedding photography.
Having everyone more comfortable together including your wedding vendors sets the stage for a more easily captured documentary-style day requiring very little wedding photo pose guidance. Coordinating the day also ran smoothly because of the amazing planning done by Irene Katzias of Irene + Co Events who was always present and on top of every detail.
Nothing could describe this day better than the text of the white and blue ribbons incorporated into Liya’s wedding outfit: “to be seen is to be loved” recognizing this marriage truly of different backgrounds together creating something new.
Find More Multicultural Wedding Inspiration
- Washington, DC Indian Multicultural Wedding
- German Wedding Reception Theme
- Hindu & Jewish Intercultural Marriage
- Traditional Jewish Wedding
Wedding Vendors
Venue, Catering, Bar, & Getting Ready | Gwyn Careg Inn
Planner | Irene & Co Events
Photographer | Shelly Pate Photography
Videographer | Tanner Castro Films
Florist | Maple and Mum Floral Designs
Hair & Makeup | Simply Gorgeous by Erin
DJ | Sonic Entertainment
Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Musicians | Glass Artists
Linens | BBJ Latavola
Lighting & Rentals | WT Wedding Rentals
Escort Wall | Powerstation Events
Cake | Bloom Bake Shop
Dress | Anita Dongre
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