Old Lyme, CT Wedding at Camp Claire {Caitlin + Matt}

This wedding has been featured on Borrowed & Blue!

I am so excited to share Caitlin and Matt's gorgeous September wedding with you. Do you remember that epic motorcycle engagement session on the shoreline in Winthrop, MA? Well, that was them! They were so much fun to work with at their engagement session so I knew that their wedding day was going to be amazing as well. They are both incredibly friendly, down to earth and high energy at the same time. I have a feeling their friends' first descriptor of them would be tons of fun. Always. They even planned a karaoke night after their rehearsal dinner for all wedding guests arriving early to attend. And I've personally seen Caitlin run "Thrift Shop" full out so you know it was a blast. What a great way to start off their wedding weekend!

Caitlin and Matt planned the perfect wedding day in Old Lyme, CT starting with a beautiful ceremony at the Old Saybrook Congregational Church. The entire space was filled with gorgeous natural light from the unseasonably warm September day. And I don't think there was a dry eye in the place when the couple said their vows. The reception was held at Camp Claire, a summer camp for kids which brought back so much nostalgia for those who went to sleepaway camp every summer like Caitlin and Matt had. I was excited to see all of the charming characteristics from the kayaks and canoes by the lake to the bunk bed cabins. {Yes, guests were given the option to spend the night in the cabins!} Caitlin and Matt added a ton of DIY details that totally perfected the camp feeling from the quotable log mini disk place settings to the jug centerpieces with tree branches holding pictures of the couple with their friends and family. Their guests absolutely loved the two food trucks, Lobster Craft and La Bodega and I have to say they added such a fun element to the day. Caitlin and Matt rocked out on the dance floor for their perfectly choreographed first dance which was a total mix of grace, romance and full-on fun, and then with their parents for mother-son, father-daughter, and mother-daughter dances - the last one turning totally crazy with guests invited up to dance to Greece's We Go Together. Ah-mazing. The dance floor that night was off the hook with Darik and the Funbags providing exactly what their name states. Seeing Caitlin and Matt sing from on top of the speakers totally made my night. I absolutely loved being a part of their big day filled with a great balance of romance and fun and I am so excited to share these photographs with you.

Here's a huge shout out to all of the vendors that made this day possible!

Bride's Dress: Love Marley, Watters

Hair: Bella Capelli

Groom's Suit: Blank Label

Groomsmen's Suits: Ralph Lauren

Groomsmen's Shoes: Cole Haan

Ceremony Venue: Old Saybrook Congregational Church

Reception Venue: Camp Claire

Reception Bank: Darik and the Funbags

Catering Food Trucks: Lobster Craft and La Bodega

Guest Gifts: DIY - Deep River Snacks, Fowler's Chocolates

Photography: Tracy Rodriguez Photography with Michael Carmen Photography

If you're interested in booking a wedding package or would like more information, please contact me today.

At Home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 4 {Final} Update

Well January came and went! January to me is usually one of those months that lasts forever with so many slow days stuck inside from the cold, snowy weather. Not this January. This January felt more like late March and like March does, it flew by. Over the month I took part in a photo a day project called fun-a-day and while I can't say that I was actually able to get a capture every single day {traveling, sick days blah}, I loved what this project forced me to do - get behind my lens much more often than I usually do this month and think creatively about the objects and areas in my home that are important to me. I chose as my focus for this project to reflect on the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo because it truly changed my life. {I highly recommend reading it and going through the exercise.} At a high level, she has you hold each object in your home {yes, every single one} and determine if it brings you joy. The result? A ton of bags to go to charity and a huge appreciation for those which you hold on to and what they bring to your life. Here are some of mine.

l2r: A sculpture in front of a fashion sketch by my late grandmother, Liti (short for Abuelita)

A painting by my Liti - I noticed it in the background of a photograph of her with her art students. She dug it out of storage and refinished it for me about a year before she died. I love that it adds a harsh pop of color to our home. And I love that that is evident even here among the greys, whites and leafy greens.

Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

Another piece from my Liti, a framed article about her winning a case for women's rights

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

My little birdie on top of my favorite Lizzie Baker Designs piece to date, a green, white and gold marbled jewelry dish

My collection of first cameras - two Minolta film cameras, a Canon Rebel film camera {my first trip to B&H in NY to purchase it}, yes, there's a Polaroid in there, a DIY pinhole camera, and a silly point and shoot. And, I recently found a few rolls of film left unshot. It's time to get on that! 

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Vegetables in the sunlight

A few holiday cards from my 2015 Fall Family Mini Sessions

A few plant in our living room, shadowed by the intense afternoon light

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room, focused on a brush stroked printed bag I just loved from Anthropology

My dream catcher

A stool from my Nana

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

Agate coasters, a Christmas present from my husband that I just love to look at

A birdie hanging art piece from my husband's aunt and uncle who send us the most amazing care packages full of fun items like this one

Another shot of my favorite afternoon spot

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A close up of a placemat my husband got us for Christmas - I just love the woven texture

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

A mini gallery wall of yoga photographs from sessions held years back

A wooden rooster in our kitchen from our trip to Bali, Indonesia 

Plymouth, MA Wedding at the Plimoth Plantation {Alexandra + Peter}

Now that there is snow on the ground and my 2015 wedding season has come to a close, I am able to step back to this past fall, starting with Alexandra and Peter's gorgeous September wedding. You'll notice that my last wedding blogged was all the way back in August {Emily and Kate's Smolak Farm Wedding} but rest assured there was no lack of fall or winter weddings. In fact, it was my busiest season yet. I decided to put wedding blogging on hold after my summer weddings so that I could edit and deliver to all of my clients as quickly as possible. So get ready because over the next several weeks I'll be blogging all of those gorgeous weddings to share with you. Now, onto Lex and Peter's beautiful day at the Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

I'd be remiss if I didn't start this post with their almost tragic, turned amazing, wedding planning story. Just weeks before their big day, Lex and Peter got the update that no bride and groom wants to hear... the vendor that was contracted to provide both music services and videography had gone bankrupt and was unable to fulfill on its contracts, effective immediately. Lex and Peter quickly took to social media and Cover Story Entertainment  and City Point Films saved the day, providing these services free of charge. That's right. They stepped up big time. And, I have to say, they were such a pleasure to work with. {So here is my huge plug for Cover Story Entertainment  and Andrew at City Point Films should you need either DJ services or videography for your big day.}

Now back to Lex and Peter... Let me tell you, they are simply adorable together. I love how they would play off each others jokes and laugh together so easily. They'd be totally romantic {like in this first flowing veil shot} and then total goofballs the next minute and that combination made for great photography. They picked the beautiful Plimoth Plantation and it was such a pleasure to photograph in its serene garden for their ceremony and utilize the rustic barn doors for their portraits. From the wedding cake and florals to the bridesmaids' gowns and little flower girl poof dress, everything was a classy blush pink. The day itself was perfectly warm, not too hot, not to cold and the mood was just right. Take a look.

Here's a huge shout out to all of the vendors that made this day possible!

Bride's Dress: Manhattan Bridal

Bride's Jewelry: Family heirlooms

Bride's Hair: Christine Enwright

Bride's Makeup: Ashley Archer

Bridesmaids' Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids Boston

Groom's and Groomsmen's Suits: Men's Wearhouse

Venue: Plimoth Plantation

Ceremony Music: Nicole Anderson

Music: Cover Story Entertainment

Videography: Andrew from City Point Films

Cake: Sugar Plum Bakery 

Bouquets & Centerpieces: Joan Doyle

Photography: Tracy Rodriguez Photography with Michael Carmen Photography

If you're interested in booking a wedding package or would like more information, please contact me today.

Namaste Saturday at the MFA w/ Sara DiVello - Get the Link to View, Download, Print and Post your Photo!

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Just before a collective om from 100 yogis at the MFA

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Triangle pose from above as reflected in the staircase at the MFA

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Even from three stories high, the view is so expansive that to capture it all, I stitched together three separate photographs to create this composite image

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A few friends gather after the class to pose with the beautiful Chihuly sculpture

On January 9th, I had the unique pleasure of photographing a yoga class at one of the most zen places I have ever visited. That may sound pretty lofty, or even cliche, but I truly have always loved my dates to the MFA and specifically the Shapiro Family Courtyard. My switch from Corporate Marketing to Professional Photography in early 2014 brought me complete flexibility, including crafting my own schedule and sourcing my own inspiration. So while I have lived in Boston for over a decade, I found my annual trips to the MFA become monthly and my inspiration expand at each visit.  As you can imagine, I was thrilled when the MFA contacted me to photograph the first yoga class in their series Namaste Saturday, a monthly rotational yoga class held on the second Saturday of the month, January through June. They have an amazing line up of yoga teachers {Sara DiVello, Daniel Max, Shuli Burke, Ame Wren, Rachel Barringer and Dave Magone} and I am thrilled that I got to work with Sara DiVello, author of Where in the OM am I? for the kick off class. Sara is one of those people who instantly becomes your friend, the kind with the infectious smile and down to earth attitude that, from my perspective, is an absolute joy to photograph. She is a teacher who truly embodies the meaning of yoga; there's no ego, just a heart full of love and a strong class to lift everyone in the room.

The crowd was a mix of MFA members and nonmembers, all ages and experiences with yoga. At most yoga events that I photograph, I have met and usually photographed at least half of the participants. In this crowd of 100, I knew only one. And while I love my hugs and catch up time, I was actually really happy see yoga spread to so many new faces. I overheard participants talking about this being their first class and nonmembers talking about how they hadn't visited in the MFA in a long time. The fact that this event was able to spread yoga and museum appreciation at the same time, well that's pretty amazing if you ask me. And, back to that beautiful space ... the courtyard extends three stories tall with floor to ceiling glass window walls filled with gorgeous distilled light from the cloudy morning. The class was held before the museum opened so the only sounds were the curated music, Sarah's teachings, and the collective breath and movement. The area is bookmarked with two amazing sculptures including the tallest Chihuly glass piece I have ever seen. {Yes, it extends all three stories!} There was an energy in the space that was calm and joyful at the same time.

I highly recommend attending a future class at the MFA, visiting the museum's collections and exhibitions {specifically the Kenneth Paul Block fashion illustrations in charcoal and watercolor}, and grabbing a bite to eat at the New American Cafe or a coffee at the Taste Cafe. You very well might see me there.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few more previews from the day.

And, please enjoy the full collection of photographs from the first Namaste Saturday at the MFA with Sara DiVello.

From this link you can view nearly 100 images, download them to your smart phone or computer, post to social media, and even order prints from the event with at-cost pricing.

{Link: tracyrodriguezphotography.pass.us/2016-MFA}