Kevin + Desiree
Fort Shantok || Uncasville, CT
I made the biggest mistake of my life while shooting this wedding!!
…….I decided to wear regular mascara instead of waterproof!! Kevin and Desiree had one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever seen! They kept it very small and intimate, which just added to the emotions of that day!
Desiree’s initial inquiry to me had explained that they would be exchanging of vows and a cultural tradition for Native Americans on Fort Shantok in Uncasville, CT. She gave me further details on the phone which all sounded so beautiful! I’ve never witnessed Native American traditions at a wedding before so I was pretty excited about this!!
I arrived early to the ceremony site to make sure I’d had enough time to get all the detail shots that Desiree had planned! She took a lot of time to draw up exactly where everything would go, and I wanted to make sure I could capture it all for her! All her details were so beautiful! All her hard work paid off! It didn’t hurt too that they had a gorgeous fall day too.
After guests started to arrive, I met Kevin and chatted with him for a little before the ceremony would start. After just a few minutes of talking, I knew I was in deep trouble….He made a comment saying he’s going to need to find tissues before the ceremony starts…As soon as he said that I knew, I MYSELF would need some tissues too. There’s a lot of things during a ceremony that brings me to tears…but there’s nothing like a groom getting emotional seeing his bride!! I completely melt EVERY SINGLE TIME! And Kevin and Desiree’s ceremony was filled with tears the entire time. Almost everyone was crying. It was incredibly beautiful! I wasn’t allowed to take photos during the portion that included the Native American traditions, but just witnessing it was something I’ll never forget!
The way I kept describing Desiree and Kevin over and over in my mind was, they are two beautiful and gentle souls. Both of them. So gentle and loving with one another. You can tell how much they want to protect, love, and care for one another. You can tell how they both can’t believe their strong love is even real. And you can tell they are going to do everything to keep that safe. Their simple and loving gestures to one another (like kissing each others hands and wiping one another tears away) is what made me melt into a puddle.
Kevin and Desiree, I am forever grateful you allowed me to capture and incredibly beautiful day!! Its one I’ll never forget!! I wish you both so much happiness!
xoxo Keeley
