A Full Circle Wedding Day | Ariana & Colin at Smith Farm Gardens, East Haddam, CT

Smith Farm Gardens wedding East Haddam, CT

Some weddings stay with you because they are beautiful.

Others stay with you because they mean something far deeper.

Ariana and Colin's spring wedding at Smith Farm Gardens in East Haddam, Connecticut was both - but what made it truly unforgettable for me had very little to do with the florals, the details, or even the setting.

Ariana was my postpartum nurse.

Being Cared For, Then Getting to Care Back

Between labor, delivery, and postpartum, I spent a full week in the hospital. Like so many first time parents, I was exhausted, sore, emotional, and unsure of what was normal and what wasn't. Postpartum is such a vulnerable season - your body feels unfamiliar, your emotions are close to the surface, and everything feels a little raw.

When Ariana walked into my room, the entire tone of my experience shifted.

She was gentle.

She was calm.

She was deeply kind in a way that never felt dismissive or clinical.

She didn't make me feel like a patient or a problem to solve. She made me feel like a mother who had just done something monumental and deserved to be cared for.

It was the first time, after days in the hospital, that I didn't feel like a chart or a task - I felt slightly more human again.

So, when Ariana reached out months later to ask if I would photograph her wedding, I was beyond elated. Not only because it was an honor, but because of what it represented.

She was there for me on one of the biggest days of my life.

And now I got to be there for her.

A full-circle moment, in the truest sense.

A Day That Felt Like Them

Ariana and Colin's wedding day was simple, refined, and deeply intentional. Nothing felt overdone or performative. Every part of the day reflected who they are and the life they're building together.

It was also incredibly windy - the kind of wind where you start half-joking that the tent might lift off the ground entirely. Hair flew, dresses moved, and instead of fighting it, they embraced it. And somehow, it made everything feel even more alive.

They chose to read private vows, tucked away from the noise and motion of the day. Those moments were tender and emotional and deeply honest - the kind that silences everything else around you. You could feel the strength of their connection so clearly.

They're each other's person. Bottom line.

Simple, Elegant, and Deeply Rooted

Smith Farm Gardens was the perfect setting for their celebration - lush, natural, and quietly elegant. Even with the wind moving through the property, the day felt grounded, mirroring the steadiness of their relationship.

Their love isn't loud.

It's strong.

It's safe.

The way they moved through the day together - checking in with one another, staying present, choosing connection over perfection - said everything.

An Honor I Will Always Hold Close

Photographing weddings is always meaninful to me. Being invited into one of the most important days of a couple's life is never something I take lightly.

But this day felt especially personal.

To stand beside Ariana on one of the most important days of her life, after she stood beside me on one of the most important days of mine, is something I will always carry with me.

I am endlessly grateful to have been trusted with their story. Grateful to have documented a day so full of love, resiliece, and quiet strength. Grateful for the way life sometimes weaves people together in the most unexpected and beautiful ways.

This was an honor - one I will never forget.