Romantic Estate Wedding in Vermont

Photographer’s Remarks: “During the speeches at Jessica and David’s reception, David received an Oscar for the best proposal ever. He flew her whole family down to New York City to be at their proposal at Housing Works Bookstore and Café. She had no idea that they were in town. He asked her to marry him and she looked down from the top floor and her whole family was there.

“Jessica works for Penguin Random House. Her whole life revolves around books. Since her siblings are older than her, they were out of the house long before she was and she was kept company by her books. All of this makes Housing Works the perfect place for their engagement and contributed to the idea of a book-themed wedding. The tables were named after favorite authors and the bride received a journal in which to put her “wedding stories”.

“She got ready in the main house and her mother and sisters helped her to get ready, which was perfect for her. Some people have all of their bridesmaids or just their mother helping them get into the dress, but this was a nice gesture for Jessica, as she was the last to get married in her immediate family. All four of her siblings were in the wedding party, and so were their eleven (between the four of them) children. Her dad was the financial advisor to the former prime minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, so he attended the wedding as well.

“They got married at The Ledges. It rained sideways for the whole day, so everything happened inside or on the porch, where the couple did their first look. Amy had to stand in the rain with an umbrella to get their photos, but it was completely worth it because the pictures really show the way David and Jessica love each other.

“Both Jessica and David are Jewish, so they had a traditional Jewish wedding. It was cool to photograph the ketubah and bedeken portions of the ceremony, which have beautiful meanings behind them in the Jewish faith, outlining a husband’s responsibilities to his wife and their continuance of life as individuals even after marriage, among other things.

“Jessica cried during the first look and the ceremony, alternating between laughter and tears for the whole day. People (especially brides) worry that this kind of emotional display will ruin their wedding photos, but it made photos of Jessica more authentic and beautiful. Happy crying is the prettiest crying.”