Over the summer I had the opportunity to do a shoot I’ve never done before… I don’t get to say that very often! A portrait session with my former bride Rachel and her beautiful horse Hugo. The images were magical, something straight out of a fairytale and I’m so glad I got the chance to make this shoot happen for Rachel!! You might remember Rachel and her husband Jim from earlier this summer. Their gorgeous wedding at The Starting Gate at GreatHorse was perfection and featured on my blog back in July!

A Bride and her Beloved Horse

When Rachel and I talked about her wedding day, she mentioned she really wanted to have portraits taken of her and her beloved horse Hugo. Hugo has been there with Rachel for so many life milestones, her high school senior pictures, college graduation pictures and many other moments in between. She knew she wanted to keep the tradition going and have pictures taken on her wedding day. But after we went over the timeline and talked about the logistics, it just wasn’t going to be possible. So we opted to take the portraits on an evening after the wedding. In hindsight it worked out to everyone’s benefit, we weren’t pressed for time and Rachel didn’t care if she got her dress dirty trekking through the woods!

Hugo and Rachel have a bond that goes back as long as she’s known her husband Jim! Nearly 11 years ago, her parents surprised her with what most teenage girls would deem the best Christmas gift ever, an 8 year old Thoroughbred who had been retired from horse racing. Now 19, Hugo still has plenty of energy and lives at Grindstone Mountain Farm in Southampton, MA where Rachel sees him daily. It was only natural that we do the shoot at his home base! There were plenty of great locations on the grounds to get the shots we wanted. Photographing animals can be difficult because let’s face it, they’re animals! But we took our time and made sure Hugo was comfortable and the results were nothing short of magical!

Thank you for allowing me to capture these amazing images Rachel!

Dress: Pearl Bridal Boutique, Holyoke, MA

Hair & Makeup: Honey Hair & Beauty LLC, Westfield, MA

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