It is my pleasure to share this photoshoot, which expresses the many faces of the amazingly talented young traditional Irish band, The Ivy Leaf, and begins my posts about my own wedding planning.
I’ve only hinted on the blog that this wedding photographer is planning her own intimate farm wedding this coming August. My fiancee and I have hired The Ivy Leaf, and we set up a barter–photos for music. In exchange for their talent on my wedding day, I offered the band a comprehensive shoot–individual portraits, group portraits, environmental group photos, candid photos of them playing–you name it, we did it!
Finding–and bartering with–The Ivy Leaf felt like a big victory in securing the vision for our wedding. Although we have a large community of friends that we deeply love, Rachel and I decided to have an immediate-family-only wedding with just 16 guests. Our vision for our ceremony is a sacred space in which every mind and heart can focus on marriage and family.
We will have no aisle, but instead a family circle–creating a space in which each person is an equal part, instead of a performers/audience feel. As with every wedding, some members of our family will be up for anything, and for others, we worry a bit that something different feels “odd” to them. For that reason, we know that setting the scene for the wedding ceremony will be important, and music, is the best mood-setter of all.
When our guests arrive at The Herb Lyceum (a small herb farm in Groton, MA), they will see our hand-made wedding arch of branches and ivy, a small circle of chairs, an 1850's barn, greenhouses, a lavender garden with stone walls and benches, and they will be offered a home brewed herbal ice tea–all while hearing the uplifting tones of traditional Irish music. The music will complete and enhance our vision, signaling how special the day is.
The music will then play a key part is starting the ceremony. When the music switches from lively jigs to sacred flute music, we will take our places for the ceremony. Before any words are spoken, the music will speak–it is time for a sacred event.
Finally, the moment the ceremony ends the band will be ready to join in with a burst of joyous music as we dance and champagne is passed around. The Ivy Leaf will be essential in creating the varied moods of our day. To any brides and grooms out there considering live music for your ceremony or cocktail hour you must check out The Ivy Leaf. They are so talented, as well as kind and easy to work with, which is very important in the wedding planning process!
If you’re curious about how a wedding industry insider plans her own wedding, stay tuned–each week throughout the summer I’ll be sharing our priorities and process leading up to the big day: August 25th!
Topics I will cover include: the 10-10-10 rule, budget, location, ceremony, food, accommodations, decor, presence, our honeymoon registry, and of course–photography!
Maureen Cotton earned a self-designed degree in Visual Communication from Emerson College in the heart of Boston. She loves teaching yoga, and volunteering as a Big Sister. She sees the best in everyone and loves reflecting that back to them through photography. 
