If you’re dreaming of getting married in a fairytale-like place with scenic gardens, lush green areas, and the charm of a museum & art gallery all rolled into one, then the Hill-Stead Museum wedding venue might be for you.
As a Connecticut photographer, I get to explore many beautiful venues, but Hill-Stead truly stole my heart.
In this post, I take you on a journey through Maggie and Emily’s love story, show you around this beautiful venue, and give you a little inside scoop into their special day. Ready to get started? Let’s dive in!
About Hillstead Museum Wedding Venue
This Hill-Stead Museum wedding venue isn’t just a breathtaking place to get married; it’s also about what it represents.
When I had my discovery call with Maggie, she was beyond excited about one particular detail: Hill-Stead was designed by female architect Theodate Pope Riddle in 1947.
As a lesbian couple, these two felt a special connection to this unique fact, and were even more eager to support this incredible venue.
To share a bit of history – Theodate, the architect, was feeling a bit lost in her career until her father suggested she try architecture. Inspired by her travels in Europe, she designed this colonial-style museum for her parents and their art collections.
Today, Hill-Stead is still home to stunning impressionist art by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, James M. Whistler, and Mary Cassatt, along with many works on paper and Japanese woodblock prints.
The best part? This museum was Theodate’s very first architectural project, and she even hosted her own wedding here as one of the first events.
So, if you’re a couple who loves a good true story and appreciates powerhouse women – -creators, Hill-Stead Museum should definitely be your choice for a wedding venue.
How Maggie and Emily made this their most special day
For their wedding, they decided to honor their love as a lesbian couple by saying their ‘I do’ in June, during Pride Month. The ceremony was in the beautiful gardens of the Hill-Stead Museum in Connecticut on a rainy, windy, and lovely June day.
What I loved most was seeing how so many seemingly random elements came together to create a magical celebration.
Despite some things going slightly wrong – like the sudden downpour as soon as the reception started – the day was still vibrant and filled with romance.
Maggie called it ‘the most special day.’ And, here’s how they made it so one-of-a-kind. Feel free to use the following as an inspiration for your wedding too:
It all started with a detailed plan
As their wedding photographer, I loved being part of the planning process and getting to know the beautiful stories behind each little detail. After a couple of our back and forth planning calls and crafting a detailed shot list, these two continued with the following:
Vows & personalized letters
Maggie and Emily wrote the sweetest, most heartfelt vows, but they didn’t stop there! They also made love letters for each other. It was these letters that brought tears to their eyes and filled them with emotion.
I found going this little bit extra for your loved one will truly make the wedding even more special. If you’re both romantics at heart, writing personalized letters might work as a great element for your wedding too.
First looks with their bridal parties & parents
Want to know what made their getting ready photos super unique? Maggie and Emily decided to do their first looks with their bridal parties and parents first, but not with each other.
I met them in the Hill-Stead Museum wedding venue ‘getting ready suite’, and we shot a few fun and artsy photos in the mirror and more… The getting ready suite had a nice & cozy cottage lodge feel.
More of the first few photos were the bride and bridesmaids still very relaxed in their comfy tan-colored loungewear.
Next, both brides did their first looks with their parents separately in the garden, and we captured more gorgeous photos to savor these precious moments forever.
I loved how they kept the aesthetic of their wedding so down-to-earth. Their outfits were simple, natural, and truly beautiful, allowing specific pieces like shoes and jewelry to shine.
The thoughtful intention behind the outfits
The wedding was so simple and pretty, allowing the thoughtfully selected pieces, like their wedding dresses, to be highlighted too. As you can see in the pictures, both the wedding dresses and the bridesmaids’ dresses were absolutely gorgeous.
And a of course… ‘Something borrowed, something blue ’ couldn’t miss!
As modern as this wedding was, Emily and Maggie still embraced a few traditions, including the classic ‘something blue, something borrowed.’
For this one, Emily’s students gave her something for her ‘something borrowed’, and you can see this in the picture above with the piano with all kinds of things on it like the Rubik’s Cube, Queen of Hearts card, the Pride flag pins and magnet.
Lastly, they chose a film vibe for their wedding photography
Maggie and Emily wanted their Hillstead Museum wedding photos to tell a story and capture true emotions. They wished to come back to that special moment and relive it again and again. Their vision was photography with the artistic touch of a film scene.
As a wedding photographer who loves adding that extra touch, I was beyond excited to create a film-inspired photo album for them that brought them – exactly that.
I added a bit of that grain effect to the photos, and they couldn’t have been happier. They loved the film effect, especially once they saw it printed in their wedding album.
Now, even two years later, thanks to the incredible photo perspective and the nostalgic feelings captured in the images, they still feel transported back to their special day.
Helping people relive every little emotion and feeling of their wedding day forever is my absolute favorite.
I believe the film photo effect adds a special touch to these memories.
PS: If you’re looking to capture the moments of your wedding in a story-based, nostalgic style… I’d be honored to be there for you and create timeless photos for you too!
And it all came together into a beautiful celebration
It was what you’d call a ‘perfectly imperfect’ wedding. While there were a few things that didn’t go according to the plan (like the random weather throughout the day)…This is what made it so vibrant, unique and even more romantic.
Because in the end, it all worked out great and the celebration was full of great vibes and special tiny moments.
With a dreamy reception outdoors
Luckily even with the rain, the Hill-Stead museum wedding venue helped to arrange a beautiful spacious tent for everyone to sit inside and celebrate this amazing couple.
The whole reception felt like being taken away from a fairytale with all the little touches – a thoughtfully designed garden, little lights around the tent, and everyone just looking like their most beautiful happy selves.
Final thoughts on Hill-Stead Museum Venue – Farmington, CT, and this lovely wedding
The Hillstead Museum wedding venue is in my opinion one of the dreamiest and most picturesque places in Connecticut to host your wedding.
As someone who’s attended many weddings, I wanted to share this one specifically as I feel all these little elements Maggie and Emily implemented might be a great inspiration for you too.
If you’re hoping to make your wedding more personal, and heartfelt, and bring even more love into this special event, try adding one of the elements above.
If you’d also like someone to capture your special day in the most authentic way and tell your true story through photos… I’d be beyond excited to be there for you. Feel free to get in touch with me here and let’s talk more about your vision!
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