Robbie and Karen were planning their jewish wedding and chose Smith Barn at Brooskby Farm as their Boston wedding venue (just north of the city). The location is a working farm complete with a red barn, apple orchards, antique tractor, and lots of antique and kitschy details. I was really excited to be selected as their Boston wedding photographer because I grew up just a few miles from the farm. When I did a New York City engagement shoot for them just a month prior, I got to hear about all the details they had planned and I could tell it was a well-planned event, full of coordinating accessories. I had a blast working with them shooting around Brooklyn that afternoon, and knew their big day was going to be so fun. An old, red New England barn was going to be such a treat for their friends and family coming from far destinations such as Portland, Oregon.
With my background in photojournalism, I really enjoy the idea of bringing a documentary feel starting at the very beginning of the wedding day. Their day began with Robbie arriving a bit early, securing a custom sign into the ground in front of the barn. Karen arrived shortly after and got ready in this wonderful, historic, red house on the farm. Her sister/matron of honor helped her get into her wedding gown, and Karen took a moment to check that everything was perfect in the mirror. Rather than nervous, she looked ecstatic! We arranged a first look for Robbie and Karen which took place on the near their ceremony site, on the edge of the forest. After a few moments, we spent some time doing creative wedding photos at the barn with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Under a gazebo, the couple signed a purple, modern ketubah after listening to some wise words from their rabbi that came up from New Haven, Connecticut. Their wedding ceremony was under a chuppah handmade by a relative that depicted artful scenes of Jerusalem where the couple had met. The couple danced down the aisle with their friends and family before the wedding ritual of yichud. During their seclusion, I ran over to the barn to photograph their wedding day details. The scene inside their wedding reception venue was breathtaking. Elegance collided with country kitsch and colors of yellow, orange, and red echoed in so many details.
Smith Barn wedding facility has a similar layout to in two other barn wedding venues I have photographed in: the Red Lion inn & Barn in Cohasset, MA and the Barn at Gibbet Hill in Groton, MA because of the lofted balcony area. These elevated areas can be used for cocktail hour and additional dining space for larger weddings. Its also a great place to go to get a unique documentary perspective on horah dances and the newlyweds first dance.
The bride and groom enlisted Ari from Beat Train Productions as he is familiar with jewish wedding traditions and always gets the party going. I have never seen a more packed dance floor than at this wedding. I was lucky to have New York City based editorial photographer Mike Howard assist in some horah photos while Ari played the Hava Nagila. It is always exciting watching such a thrilling event and anticipating how the guests will entertain the bride and groom. The floor was packed shoulder to shoulder and I think both Mike and I both emerged pretty sweaty.
When finalizing the day’s time line and sequence of events, I asked Karen and Robbie if they would be interested in letting me steal them for five minutes during sunset and taking some fun wedding photos in the rolling hills around the barn. The weather was as perfect as one could imagine, and the lush gardens under the golden afternoon sun provided a backdrop like a scenic lanscape straight out of Tuscany. I used my Canon 85mm f/1.2 to capture the naturally saturated tones that afternoon. While the lens is hugely slow and costs more than one of my vespa scooters, it gives me the best wedding photos time and time again.
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Their Boston wedding vendors are below:
Ceremony venue: Woodland Gardens at Brooksby Farm
Reception Venue: Smith Barn at Brooksby Farm
Wedding Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Wedding DJ: Beat Train Productions
Cake: Lyndell’s Bakery
Florist: Celebrated Flower
Various Etsy sellers provided the following: wedding gown jeweled belt accent, hair accessory, wedding favor stickers, place cards, programs, wooden yellow & white custom wedding sign.
A word from my clients:
Hi Heather,
We checked your blog this afternoon and we are so excited to see your photos of our wedding posted. They are amazing. We love each and every one of them so much – we can’t wait to see the rest of them! We loved how you captured the mood/atmosphere/vibe we tried to create. It was just perfect. And your write-up of the wedding was so nice.Just wanted to tell you that you totally made our day!Love, Karen and Robbie
