Deb and Bill || Hawthorne Hotel || Salem, MA

I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season and is ready to get pounded with snow this weekend! Luckily, the snow held off for Deb and Bill's wedding a few weeks ago.






This is one of my new favorite pictures....





The ceremony was at Holy Armenian Apostolic Church the same church where Bill's parents got married, it was really beautiful, even in on a cold day with no leaves on the trees!



Married!!






We did a few pictures on the common, even though it was cold & dark!  I love the giant stone gazebo there.





Heading back into the hotel - isn't this just a classic picture?  I feel like it could be from 100 years ago.  Although, maybe there weren't tiny string lights 100 years ago, but you get the idea.

Christine Turner from The Hawthorne Hotel made sure everything looked perfect.


Cake from Montillio's.








I decided to hang out with Deb & Bill while they were waiting to be introduced since they were being so cute. Did I mention how smitten with each other they are? It's adorable, and also makes it really easy to take great pictures. Here they are practicing their first dance moves.

























I know it's hard to imagine what with the pretty chandelier and high ceilings....but the song playing here was The Search is Over by Survivor.  Apparently it got vetoed as their first dance song, but I think it's adorable and they clearly enjoyed dancing to it at the end of the night.


I would also like to give a big shout out to Lynne Valeri from Video Design. I don't have any pictures of her here because she is super-stealth and totally respectful when I'm shooting. Love that.

Welcome back from Hawaii Deb & Bill, can't wait to show you the rest!!!

Anna and Matt || Peabody Essex Museum || Salem, Massachusetts

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to finally share some images from Anna & Matt's very elegant, but supremely fun at the same time wedding day in Salem. The ceremony and reception were at the Peabody Essex Museum. We started at the hotel as everyone was getting final touches....
I was having total hair envy....her hair looked amazing...





We did all of their pictures before hand in the courtyard behind the museum, so pretty. Flowers by Fino Fresh.

I just love all the old buildings in the background.

Anna and Matt didn't want any distractions during the ceremony, so we kept a super low-profile.  They said they didn't notice us once!  

Apparently, Anna is obsessed with dessert (girl after my own heart).  On the menu, it said "Cake!".   Here it is, before slicing looking lovely, compliments of Icing on the Cake. Yummy food by Vinwood Caterers.

I hope Matt isn't mad at me for posting this, but I absolutely LOVE this picture!  Dancing is hard....








Found this book in the museum...get it?  Anna and Matt?

I am loving the twirly dresses this year.







Paul Natale kept the dance floor hopping, even played Sea Legs by the Shins during cocktail hour, sweet! (and theme appropriate in the East Marine Hall)

OK, so these folks asked if I would take their picture.  They called it the "time of your life" picture.  You face away from the camera, and then at the last second turn around and hey!  you're having the time of your life!  Now, my dad did the same thing at a cookout this summer, he said someone had heard about it in California.  Could someone please tell me where this originated?  I'm dying to know.  $10 itunes gift card to the first person who can tell me.

And the bride got Rick Roll'd! I TOLD you this wedding was supremely fun!




Congratulations you two! I hope your honeymoon was awesome!


**update**

I'm STILL waiting to hear about the "time of your life" picture!!!

Hillary and John || Misselwood at Endicott College || Beverly, MA

I know that Hillary and John are wrapping up their awesome honeymoon in Hawaii, so I wanted to try and get this on the blog before they got back! (Although, I can see you've been on Facebook you crazy girl!! Get back on the beach!)

So, it rained pretty much the entire day - shocking, I know. They really didn't let it dampen their day a bit, as you'll see from the pictures. We started out at Hillary & John's house with John getting ready.



I then went around the corner to Hillary's mom house, and checked in on the dress which was hanging in the attic - how cool.


Gorgeous flowers by A Whole Bunch.


Hillary is a nurse, and one of her patients gave her a six-pence for the wedding day.


Hillary's two sister helping her get dressed....




Seeing mom & dad...

OK, so Hillary complains that she is not photogenic.  Oh, we should all be so unphotogenic, Hillary...
















I rode in the limo with the wedding party - and I have to give credit to Tim, one of their groomsmen for this picture.  He stole my camera for a few minutes and had some fun.  


The rain let up a bit, so we did some pictures outside at Misselwood at Endicott College.






LOVE the boots!
















Cake by Konditormeister.

Favors were tree seedlings, very green!



I can't pass up the opportunity to photograph a wee little one - I think she was only 8 weeks old, she has 3 older brothers.  Do you think she'll be able to date before she's 21?






Hillary and John splurged on the band, Beantown.     I saw them in July at Jess & Andrew's wedding, and they totally rocked the party again!




We had a total blast - congratulations you guys!!!

moving pictures

Hello all!
I know I probably have a few blog stalkers out there waiting for Hillary and John's pictures, and they're coming soon! In the meantime, I thought I would post a link that I just got from Lynne Valeri. She was the videographer for Kristie and Kent's wedding at the Nonantum Resort.



You can see more at her site. She's very easy for me to work with, and it was great to see some of the end result. Thanks Lynne!

Erin and David || Cape Cod, Massachusetts

In between all of the weddings this season, I had a chance to squeeze in an engagement session. I've been doing more and more of these it seems, and I really enjoy them for a lot of reasons. First of all, it gives me a chance to get to know my clients a little better, and also to see what works for them. Chronic blinker? Hate how you look from your left side? An engagement shoot is a great time to figure all of this out.
Also, I think it's nice to have some great pictures of the two of you looking how you look most of the time. Of course you're going to look fabulous on your wedding day, but chances are you don't walk around in a white dress and tux most weekends. It just captures a little more of your personality.

I met Erin and David down on the cape, which is where Erin grew up. Imagine having this right around the corner as a kid? Awesome. Her dad came along to as chief dog-sitter, so we could get some shots of them with Murphy, their ADORABLE lab puppy, and a some without.




Erin and David were good sports about the wind, it was pretty crazy!



Erin said this beach is usually pretty calm, it was the intense wind that was whipping up the ocean.  Makes for a pretty background though, don't you think??







This is David cracking up after getting an entire mouthful of sand blown into his mouth!







I had a blast with you guys - looking forward to your big day next year!

Sara and Ed || Chase House at Mill Falls || Meredith, NH

I love seeing past clients at weddings, it definitely means I'm doing something right! I shot Meghan and Sam's wedding in 2004, and Meghan played matchmaker with her friend Sara and Sam's brother Ed. They put me in touch with Sara, and we worked everything out over the phone, so I didn't even meet her until the wedding day. She knew she was in good hands, and we had a great time!

We started out at the Chase House at Mill Falls.




It was a pretty overcast day that shifted into downpours, but such nice soft light here before the ceremony.

Sara and her sister - don't they have gorgeous eyes?


Sara, girl after my own heart, had a bowl of m&m's on hand for some last minute snacking before a few quick formals before the ceremony.





The ceremony was at First Congregational Church of Meredith.The minister printed out this little map for everyone so they would know how to line up - adorable, no?










Still not raining after the ceremony, so we went down to the lake (that's Lake Winnipesaukee) for some pictures.  






I love this one that I took because of the reflection....


and this one that Kelly took because of the ducks!  The line of the ducks leads your eye right to Sara and Ed.





.......and we're done!!  We just finished up and it started to rain.

The place settings had pictures of them at the same ages when they were little.  They were so cute and great conversation pieces.



Kelly on the spot again with the Shout wipes!

Oh yeah, it's my rainbow umbrella again!









I had only just met Sara, and she was pretty quiet while getting ready and even the formals, but I swear the dance floor was open for about 2 minutes and she was a crazy person out on the dance floor!!

Maureen and Luke || Commandant's House || Charlestown, Massachusetts

What a gorgeous day Maureen and Luke had for their wedding! Which, was no small feat given the weather we've had. I didn't even take out my rainbow umbrella! They had the reception at the lovely Commandant's House in Charlestown. Maureen got ready there, and there were plenty of places to shoot.

She got her dress at Allegria Bridal.




I like this one of her & her dress!


Maureen and Luke took dance lessons on the sly, and she didn't want anyone to see that her shoes were scuffed up from practicing.  She didn't think that they would be good for a shoe picture, but I think they did just fine.....



I love how excited and happy she looks in this picture.






I couldn't stop shooting!  How cool is this place?



Luke grinning ear to ear as Maureen comes down the aisle with her dad.




The ceremony was held at St. Mary's Church in Charlestown, and it was just stunning.

After the ceremony, we walked down to City Square for a few pictures - bring on the sun!




It was great to see Tes from Trolleys by Tes again. She was at Catherine and Kevin's wedding in July. We zipped back to the Navy Yard.


While the bridal party joined the reception, Jenna from the Commandant's House brought us over to the U.S.S. Constitution for a few pictures of Maureen & Luke. Nothing like cutting to the front of the line and feeling like a rock star!


Just a few more pictures...here's Kelly's...


and here's mine...don't they look like Mr. & Mrs. Boston?





Bunker Hill Florist did the flowers...




In lieu of favors, they made a donation to the Boston Celtics (Maureen's employer - how cool!) Shamrock Foundation.


Morin's Catering took care of all of the food and the cake. Not only was everything gorgeous, but it was delicious, too!




So, Luke & Maureen totally wow-ed everyone with their first dance, but I just love how excited/relieved Luke was when it was all over - check out this series -


With the first dance out of the way, Maureen's sister made her toast. She said that she looked lovely enough to be on the cover of a magazine - but wait! she's already been on the cover of a magazine!


Here's Maureen on the cover of National Geographic's World magazine - awesome.






Congratulations!!! Many more to come!

Nick and Stephanie || The Tirrell Room || Quincy, Massachusetts

Before starting his own business, my husband was an instructor for the carpentry program at North Bennet Street School in the North End. When he stopped teaching, he hired one of his former students, Nick, to come work with him. Nick is working for himself now, and we were so happy for him & Steph when they got engaged. We wanted to attend the wedding as guests (what a concept!), so Meghann and Kelly did all the shooting for this one.

Stephanie got ready at Nick's mother's house just a few blocks from the church, so she walked there led by bagpipers!

I was having a hard time just sitting and watching the ceremony without a camera.  I love when the bride and groom lean in to have a little private chat during the ceremony, and I was so glad when I saw Meghann catch it.




I tried to stay out of the way while they were shooting the formals, and they had a great time shooting the bridal party in this yummy light on the grounds of theTirrell Room.











I have never seen a male guest, or any guest for that matter this determined to get a centerpiece!

As you know, I loooove having my picture taken...here's one of me & Stephen

Flower girl & ring bearer sharing a dance - adorable!

The cake was delicious - I actually got to eat some!!!!

Kelly was very excited because I never let her shoot the rings, and now she finally got them all to herself.

They were doing Irish step dancing - look how perfectly in sync they are!  Their toes are the exact same distance from the floor.

As favors, they gave bulbs to plant.  I better remember to plant mine before it snows!


Gary Titus was the DJ, and kept everyone on the dance floor happy.








Congratulations you guys!  Stephen and I are so happy for you.

Melissa and Chris || Chatham Bars Inn || Chatham, Massachusetts

Ok - part three! I just had to share a few pictures from Chris and Melissa's "Bon Voyage Brunch". They had it at the lovely Chatham Bars Inn. This place is near & dear to me, because it is where I met my husband. He was a bartender....I was a waitress....the classic American love story. Not a bad place to work when you are killing time between college and the real world. And by the way - today is our 7 year wedding anniversary!





Check out all the cuties!!




I love how Melissa had the perfect white dress for each day!

Melissa and Chris || Wequassett Inn || Chatham, Massachusetts

Ok, here we are with part two!

Melissa got ready at the Wequassett Inn before the ceremony. l loved her shoes, hair, dress....everything!






Her dress is a Vera Wang, her favorite part (and mine) was the back, which you'll see later....



Do my eyes deceive me???? Really?? A blue sky? The ceremony was at the beautiful St. George Greek Orthodox Church.


We were early to the ceremony, and so we decided to do a few more pictures of the girls on the church grounds.


Of course, before we were done, Chris arrived. So, even though it was sunny, my rainbow umbrella got a little play hiding Melissa from Chris as she snuck back in the limo.



I swear I did not do this, although I thought about it!




So, the three little flower girls were absolute angels all weekend long, it was amazing. Quiet, adorable, not whining, which, as the mother of a three year old I can assure you is no small feat. So, it was especially amusing during the ceremony when they got a little over ambitious with the spreading out of flower petals. Flower girls gone wild!


Little angel.






After the ceremony we headed back to Wequassett Inn for more pictures and of course the amazing reception.







Melissa bought parasols for her bridesmaids....Kelly took this image and I just love it.


I had them spin them and I dragged the shutter a bit to capture the motion.




Kalson Pang was on hand to make sure everything was perfect, which of course it was. The tables looked beautiful with flowers from Patrice Milley.







This picture just cracks me up. Not intentionally posed.


Melissa and Chris had the best of both worlds for their reception - Sultans of Swing for dinner music and dancing, and John Loakimidis from
Salonica Boys for all of the Greek Music.






Could this little boy BE any cuter? Seriously.








The back of her dress - isn't it lovely? I shot this without any flash while they were listening to a toast from Chris' mom. She wrapped up the toast saying "Life is Good!", which is coincidentally who Melissa works for.



Congratulations you two!!! And a few more on the way for part three!

Melissa and Chris || Chatham Wayside Inn || Chatham, Massachusetts

So, this is part one of three of Melissa & Chris' three-day celebration on Cape Cod. Chris' family is from Greece, and they had a lot of people who came over for the wedding, so they wanted to be sure that they captured every moment of the weekend! They started with a clambake style rehearsal dinner at Chatham Wayside Inn.







For bridesmaid gifts, Melissa bought each one a unique vintage purse.


Not only that, she filled them all with goodies from Anthropologie and other stores....mini-perfume, sparkly hair things and more!


Melissa with her three nieces who were the flower girls - adorable.




Much more to come!!

Liz and Martin || Moraine Farms || Beverly, Massachusetts

Hello friends and fans, thanks for your patience!  These last few weeks have been packed, and keeping up with the blog is an ongoing pleasure and challenge.  I finally have a few moments to share some more images from Liz and Martin's unique and lovely day.

Let's start with the flowers by Flowers by Darlene.


Liz looked amazing - hair, dress, everything. She was so pleased her hairdresser from Charlestown came all the way up to Marblehead to do her hair. She was going for a vintage look and feel for the day, and I think did a fabulous job.





Her mother is a big fan of antiques, so we utilized some of the furniture (perfectly matched!) to do some interesting bridesmaid pictures.

Then we stepped out into the gardens...cue the breeze.....lovely.






I love this shot of the two of them on the trolley, they just look so happy & relaxed.  It started raining on our way over to Moraine Farm, you know, like it has practically EVERY DAY this month, but no big deal!  


Once we got there, Linnea Tangorra was on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly. We started with a few relaxed portraits in the parlor.



Doesn't this one look timeless?  Although Martin's hip glasses kind of give it away that it's 2008 and not 1914.

Liz had little details like this men's room sign all through out the reception.  It even has their monogram on it!

I love the centerpieces.....

The rain lightened up a bit (didn't stop), so I talked them into a little walk over to the tea house gardens.  Elizabeth's dress was already soaked from the trolley ride over, so she had no problem with it!

It was STILL raining when we took this, so they just threw the umbrella into the bushes for a quick second while I shot it.  Looks nice, no?






Their friend Glenn from Sweet Tooth made the cake, so we had to get a shot of him with his handiwork.

Ok, so the rain finally did stop for a little bit, so we were able to get a few more shots outside, isn't this place amazing?







Cotton candy, anyone?  Totally ate one on the way home.

And by the way, you people are killing me with the candy bars!  I only have so much willpower, you know.








Martin with their super awesome band, Night Shift.




Congrats!!!

sneak peek!

So, like I said, I'm a bit behind on the blog, but I just wanted to post one from a couple of weeks ago before the bride and groom head off on their honeymoon! These two were total good sports about the rain.

Carrie and Rob || Charter Oak Country Club || Hudson, Massachusetts

Ok, so I'm a bit behind on the blog, but definitely catching up! I had a great Saturday with Carrie and Rob and their families.

I loved this Marriage Certificate that was hanging up in Carrie's mom's room. My family has a similar one for my great-grandparents.

We did a few quick portraits of Carrie's on the staircase.  The light coming in from the front door was gorgeous.



Carrie's mom & grandmother were so happy for her!  They couldn't stop smiling or looking at her.


I can't remember what was so funny here, but I think we were teasing Carrie about being a bridezilla.  (Which she totally wasn't.....)



Rob and his brother before the ceremony.  Rob's brother called this the "locker room shot".


The ceremony was at the Northborough First Parish Unitarian Church. It is a beautiful church with lots of light.






After the ceremony we headed to Charter Oak. Did it rain a little? Of course it did!! Four out of the five times I have shot there it has rained!! Thankfully it didn't last, so we were still able to do pictures outside.




With Carrie's sister & husband who were just married last year, now they are all hitched!!








Floral Elegance did the flowers, and the ballroom looked beautiful. Christine Mazri from Charter Oak was there making sure everything ran super-smooth, and of course it did!


Instead of traditional favors, the bride and groom made a donation to Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts.


The cake by Enchanted Wedding Cakes looked gorgeous by the windows.


Ok seriously - do these two ever stop laughing & smiling?


Enjoying their first dance on Charter Oak's shiny new dance floor.






Rob's brother made the funniest toast with a story about how their dad used to squirrel away pastries from continental breakfast buffets when they traveled. As you can see, everyone was in stitches....




....and wrapped it up with a presentation of pastries from their parents' hotel that morning.




Dancing to Rob's theme song - It Takes Two by Rob Base. Love it.




And chocolate pretzels for the ride home!



**Update - Carrie and Rob's pictures are now online! Click here to view. Password is Rob's last name, all lower-case.

to view!

Hayley and Jarod || Granite Links Golf Club || Quincy, Massachusetts

Hayley and Jarod had a beautiful sunny day for their wedding & reception, both held at Granite Links in Quincy. I had never shot there before, and was wowed by the cool view of the city! Here's Hayley arriving, do you think she's excited much? Nancy Antoine did her make-up and it looked great.





Loved the detail on the bridesmaid dresses...


Hayley's mom was so cute all day - Hayley's the youngest with three older brothers....so you can imagine how excited her mom was for her little girl's big day..


I was loving this crazy light coming through the windows...


Jarod and Hayley seeing each other for the first time.













Again with the crazy light!


They had a interfaith ceremony right there at Granite Links. I especially liked this reading which was from Song of Solomon 2:10-13. Jarod was in charge of picking out the readings. It's nice to hear something besides "Love is patient, love is kind..." once in awhile. (I'm not knockin' it - I had it at my wedding!!) Anyway, here's an excerpt:

"Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave."

I love this one of them under the chuppah.



Jarod and Hayley took a few minutes to practice dancing before the guests came in.



Pretty light coming in on the gorgeous centerpieces by Fino.





Who doesn't love a good hora?


The hora got a bit crazy, and Hayley's bussle ripped, but a quick pit stop into the bridal suite and she was back in the game. No bridezilla here!


Yummy green cake by Icing on the Cake.


Hayley's mom making her toast....she talked about Hayley's last night in her room as a single girl. Whenever I hear this stuff, I swear I'm going to blink and I'm going to be at Lee's wedding before I know it.




One of the toasts mentioned that Jarod was perfect for Hayley, because if he was patient enough to be a Cubs fan, he was patient enough for her!


The band was Radiance, and they were super energetic and had everyone on the dance floor. They even played Jesse's Girl, so they get high marks in my book!


Mark Willand's crew was there doing video, they worked really well with us, and I'm sure their video will be great!


In lieu of traditional favors, the bride and groom made a donation to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.


Congratulations you two!!! Feel free to leave them your best wishes!

Meg and Rich || Camp Cheneo || Athol, Massachusetts

No wedding party, no bridesmaid dresses, no programs, no boutonnieres, no aisle runner, no limo, and no wedding cake.

So, what did Meg and Rich have?

Just a Grammy-nominated band, a ceremony on (almost in!) the water, fireworks, lobster, smores, and a ton of fun.

Meg and Rich live in New Jersey, but had their wedding ceremony at the lakehouse her great-grandfather built where she has been vacationing with her family her whole life. I was so glad to be included!

Meg's sister did her hair...


Rich doing some last-minute prep.




Meg's mom's one request was a shot of her on the swing in front of the house.




The ceremony was held at the end of the dock - they had guests on boats and docks surrounding them, and overlooking them from the house. Here's Rich making his entrance -












Cooling off after the ceremony....



Probably quickest formals of bride and groom yet.......here's the first one at 4:37











and by 4:41 we're done!


Everyone was boated across the lake to a tented reception at Camp Cheneo. I'd include a link, but I don't think there is one! Anyway, from across the lake, you could hear the band, and you knew you this party was going to seriously rock. It was a Zydeco/Cajun band Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie.
They were
so.
much.
fun.







Hellooooooo.....lobstah!


New England Clambakes Company took care of dinner and it was delicious!




Meg's dad told a story about how when she and her brother and sister were young, they thought it took ten minutes to drive from New Jersey to the lakehouse because they fell asleep in the car when they left, and woke up in Massachusetts! As the kids got older, they realized that the drive was pretty long, so to break up the trip, they would always stop at Randall's Farm & Greenhouse for Strawberry Shortcake. So, in honor of that tradition, they had them come and make a shortcake for each table!





I couldn't resist this light and took another 30 seconds for a few more pictures....




Meg and her dad danced to "Dancing on Daddy's Feet" - adorable.




Meg's sister asked the band if she could play the rubboard for a song...








Meg & her siblings...


I was in love with this little guy all day...





Hope you guys are having a great honeymoon! Feel free to leave a comment for Meg and Rich below.......

Kristie and Kent || Nonantum Resort Hotel || Kennebunkport, Maine

Last Saturday we travelled up to Maine for a great outdoor wedding right on the water. Kristie's family always vacationed in Maine, so even though they live in DC now, they thought it would be the perfect place for their wedding. I think they were right! The reception was at the Nonantum Resort, and the staff was so friendly and accommodating.





I love reflection self-portraits, and I think this one is pretty funny! I'm on top of the bed (as I usually am at this point of the day) while Kristie is getting buttoned into her dress. You can see Lynne Valeri up there with me. She did a great job filming, super friendly and never in your face with the camera or a big light.


Kristie got her dress from Allegria Bridal. I keep hearing great things about that place!


I absolutely love the look on Kristie's face here!


They had their ceremony at St. Ann's church in Kennebunkport, which incidentally is where President Bush goes on Sunday when he is in Maine.








Kristie and Kent surprised their wedding party with a cruise on a Lobster Boat to arrive at the reception. It was pretty hot, so they had them go out to the ocean and turn around so everyone could cool off. I was lucky enough to be on the boat, too! Here's what the reception looked like from the water...







For their guest book, they had Adirondack chairs - how fantastic is that?


Everything had a brown and blue theme, from the bridesmaid dresses to the invitations to the cake!




I love the shadow the huge tree outside the tent cast...


Kristie's dad was so emotional during their first dance that I even started to tear up! It didn't help that they were playing "I Saw Her First", which, since having kids also gets to me! (I'm a sap, I know....)


So, after the parent dances, they invited everyone on the dance floor, and I have NEVER seen so many lovey-dovey couples! Look at them all!! I took all of these images in a span of about 45 seconds.









So, as if all of the cute couples wasn't enough, there were babies everywhere! One bridesmaid had a 7 week old, another had a 3 week old! The best part is that they had people who were staying with them in the hotel, so they were close by, but the parents could still have some fun!









I love this shot, you can already see the moon.









Congratulations! I hope you are having a fabulous honeymoon!

Catherine & Kevin || Willowbend Country Club || North Falmouth, MA

Catherine and Kevin had a great day for their wedding on the Cape, even if there were a FEW raindrops.....

Catherine's mother's friend custom made her gown that fit her like a glove...



I love this series of her mom helping her with her veil - definitely the classic "wow, this is really happening!" moment...









Flowers by Art of Flowers...




Kevin getting a look at his bride for the first time -






So, I was trying to get a shot of the groomsmen's shoes because I thought they were interesting, and then a few troublemakers started hiking up their pants!



The bride's family gives a number to each new member, and Kevin was lucky number #99. They made team pins for everyone! (Thanks to Kathryn, a 2006 client of mine, for being my model!)



We went down to the beach for a few pictures, who need sun??







The bridal party had a trolley to take them to reception, driven by Tes of Trolleys by Tes. She was very accomodating, allowing us some extra time to make our stops. Thanks Tes!



We make it to the beautiful Willowbend Country Club, and it starts to rain!! It was definitely disappointing because they have some amazing grounds, but it did give me a chance to whip out my new rainbow umbrella!



The guests were perfectly happy inside the gorgeous ballroom.



Catherine did what I had planned on doing for my wedding but never got around to it....beaches for table names.


This is how the bridal party made their entrance - love it!








I walked into the ballroom and saw a friend of mine from junior high playing the saxophone - so random!




The groomsmen's ties were Vineyard Vines. It took me awhile to clue in that they were covered in tiny Cape Cods!



Ok, this guy was Trouble. (get it, with a capital T?)



The crew from Bentley...





The Marsels got everyone on the dance floor all night.



I mostly took this picture because I thought it looked like a really cool present!




Congratulations Catherine and Kevin!!!

anne & gordon - lyman estate, waltham, massachusetts

I spent a very hot, VERY fun saturday with Anne and Gordon and their families.....Everything took place at the beautiful Lyman Estate in Waltham.







Anne and Gordon chose to see each other before the ceremony to have a little time to themselves, and get all of the family pictures done so they could enjoy their cocktail hour. Here's Gordon waiting for Anne at the bottom of the stairs -







Gordon's niece made a lovely flower girl....


Gordon & the boys..


Anne with her mom & sister...


So, Anne and Gordon totally indulged me and climbed through these tall grasses to get some cool pictures in the middle of these trees. I'm just glad no one got any tick bites!! (you didn't, right??)





How amazing is this place?


So, as I mentioned before, it was HOT, so there was lemonade and iced tea for the guests during the cermony.



I love this look Anne is giving her sister during the ceremony -


Making it official....


Ok, so I got a little carried away photographing the food, but it was all so beautiful! I didn't have any of these, but they looked beautiful. Tables of Content took care of all the treats.







After the cake-cutting, they presented both grandfathers with oreos & green Jell-O. I never did get the whole story behind it, but it was a big hit.



I love seeing past clients at weddings! The groom's mother is friends with Barbara, who was my most super laid-back mother of the bride ever last August at Castle Hill, and also Richie Vanderwarker, married to Peter who I worked for right after I graduated from NESOP.





The groom's mother Susan is a potter, and made all of the centerpieces. Lucky guests got to take them home and plant the flowers in their gardens and keep the pottery.



Their first dance was to 8 Days a Week - adorable.










Anne & Gordon made their departure in Gordon's dad's MG....





Congratulations!!!!

happy father's day!!!

happy father's day to all you dads out there! we'll be having some family q-t here, but I thought I would post a couple nice dad moments from the last two shoots. much more to come from both of them soon!!!

caroline and eric - lighthouse inn, west dennis, ma

So, Caroline and Eric did not exactly have the most cooperative weather for their wedding day, but it certainly didn't make it any less joyful or special, and I'm really not just saying that...
Everything took place at the Lighthouse Inn in Dennis.




Her mom seeing her in her dress for the first time....




Caroline & her dad..


Caroline and Eric saw each other before the ceremony to take some pictures - no peeking!










Making their way over to the ceremony!


Caroline and the sweetie that she nannies...


Who incidentally smudged her dress, but no worries! Kelly was Johnny-on-the-spot (ha! literally!) with the Tide stick she had bought the day before.


Ta da!






It's like a movie kiss.....










Serenading the guests...




Nice snap back from a dip!




Lobster, anyone?










Congratulations....can't wait for you to see the rest!!!

jessica + andrew in boston

Last Thursday I got to hang out with Jessica and Andrew at the Public Garden. We did a few engagement pictures as a nice warm-up for their wedding coming up quickly in July! They will be getting married at the Royal Sonesta right on the Charles, so it was fun to be able to do some pictures downtown!!





















How could we leave out Storrow???


Jessica decided to do her trial make-up run with Nancy Antoine and she looked fabulous.





Thanks for a fun night, you two! And, as always, an excuse to come into the city and bring home burritos from Ana's!!!

See you in a few weeks!!

which would you rather?

Your wedding is approaching, and everyone wants to get you the perfect gift! Chances are, you're not 21 and moving out of your parent's house for the first time. So, you probably already have a toaster, some wine glasses, and maybe even a panini maker! Instead of registering for something like this....



wouldn't you rather register for something fabulous like these?













We are now offering a registry service for our clients. Your guests can visit the clients section of our site and look up your registry and purchase a credit in the denomination of your choosing. For my 2008 clients, I have already set up accounts for you, just send me an email and I'll let you know what your password is.

Happy shopping!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - post your comments now!

Hello everyone!
I just posted the last entry for the fabulous/not-so fabulous contest. Heather (fab/not-fab story #11) was the first lucky winner of a fine art gallery wrap from her wedding pictures. The next winner will be the person whose post has the most comments. All comments must be posted by midnight, MARCH 21st.
Good luck and thanks again for all of the stories!!!
Cheers!
Nancy

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #21

And the last entry is from Val, who got married in February of 2006!

"We loved that we chose to get married near Valentine’s Day – it really worked out great for everyone! For our guests, it was a fun and special evening out during a time when their schedules weren’t jam-packed with other weddings. For us, all of our first choices for vendors were available because it wasn’t “busy season” and they made all the difference in the world! Our live band, Java Jive, brought an incredible dynamic to the evening and are three of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. Lynne Valeri of Video Design created the most amazing video and Nancy Gould, as you know, is quite simply the best! It was absolutely worth it to invest in such talented professionals and we still receive rave reviews from friends and family to this day!

I loved our flowers – tall arrangements of mixed whites and greens with flowing orchids that lined the aisle of the church. We chose to get married at St. John’s Church in Cambridge where both my parents and grandparents were married. The church had never looked more beautiful! I’ll always remember how special and excited I felt as I walked towards AJ – we were about to get MARRIED!


The experience of finding and choosing my wedding gown was incredible and so much fun! I fell in love with an a-line allecon lace gown with scalloped hem at Allegria Bridal in Belmont on my first day shopping with my Mom. I just knew that the way I looked and felt in that dress was exactly how I wanted to feel on our wedding day – it was simple and elegant, and I knew that AJ would love it. Allegria Bridal was more than accommodating, extremely kind, and meeting the designer, Judd Waddell, when I purchased my gown was a moment that I’ll never forget!

People always ask – do you have your “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?” For me, this all came together perfectly! I wore my “new” wedding gown, an “old” pearl necklace that my Godmother gave me for my 16th birthday, and I carried a white handkerchief embroidered with blue trim with my maiden initials and wedding date engraved on it. The handkerchief was a tradition that began when I bought it for one of my best friends from college. Subsequently, over the next two years each time the next of our best friends got married (there were 4 of us), we would engrave the next Bride’s maiden initials and wedding date and present it to her on the night of their rehearsal dinner. We all loved knowing that each of us shared this meaningful, personalized “something borrowed, something blue” on our special day.




Lastly, in the “not-so-fabulous” category, I can honestly say, the only thing that we would have done differently is not have a head table. We chose to have a sweetheart table on a riser with a semi-circle table in front of us for our wedding party. Not only did we hate the way it was set-up but none of us really spent much time up there. In reflection, we should have just had a sweetheart table and sat our wedding party with their dates. Luckily, we promised each other to not think twice about anything that wasn’t perfect and rather just enjoy the day, so we had a blast and enjoyed our reception, and each other, to the fullest!"



Doesn't it look like she was having a fabulous time???
Thanks Val!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #20

Next up is Megan, another 2004 bride! I'm looking forward to seeing her again this fall at Sam's brother's wedding!


"So...about the wedding reflections. I think that our wedding planning was unique in that my sister Katelin and her husband were married 7 weeks before our wedding day. They were married in early September and we were October 30th, 2004. Both weddings definitely reflected the personal styles of each couple which was great. All of our parents were fantastic, supportive and really embraced this unique situation. It worked out so well because we were all in full-on "wedding mode" for about 11 months.

Highlights:

-Working with vendors we trusted and then backing off to let them do their thing. Whether it be the baker, DJ, photographer, florist, videographer, bagpiper, we ultimately hired artists who brought their experience, talent and insight to the day. They are the professionals who do this all the time, so we shared an outline of what we wanted and then it go. We ultimately LOVED the end result of everything.



-Given that my husband and I share a love of golf, our reception facility Charter Oak Country Club, was a perfect setting for our day. The meal was fabulous as well and my husband and I made it a priority to really enjoy our first meal together at a sweetheart table. We chose our favorite meal, a traditional Thanksgiving meal with butternut squash soup and all the fixings and we loved it! It was so nice to just sit together and take in the surroundings and all of the people who were there to help us celebrate our marriage.



-My husband and I are pretty laid back, but we did have a major concern regarding our wedding. Remember back in '04 when the Red Sox were battling for the World Series title? We had heard stories about how people were not showing up to weddings, or bringing little TVs into reception places in order to be loyal Sox fans. Game 6 was supposed to take place on our wedding night--but Thank God they pulled out the win in 4 games straight! The DJ incorporated some favorite Sox tunes and their win definitely added to the excitement of the day.

Lowlights: We didn't have any. The day was just perfect exactly as it was. We were so grateful to be marrying each other, that minor details couldn't have tarnished our wedding day.

Just a note: Sam's best man, his brother Ed, met Sara at my sister's wedding in September. They talked all night and continued to hit it off at our wedding, and will be getting married themselves this September! They will be using Nancy as their photographer as well and we couldn't be more delighted for them! Nancy was such a FABULOUS photographer and was so easy to work with. Her calm demeanor puts you at ease, and she and her assistant were always there to capture each moment. We continue to love her work!"

Thanks Megan!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #19

Next up is Jennifer - you may recognize some of her pictures from my sample album. She a bunch of things to share!

"When I think back to my wedding day, there really isn't much I would change, mostly because I've basically been planning my wedding since I was in grammar school. My Priscilla of Boston dress was the first dress I tried on. I searched for many dresses after that, but I kept thinking the first one was "The One". Then it came time for the veil. I had a harder time looking for the veil I wanted at the price I could afford than for anything else. After MONTHS of looking for a veil, I finally had to get one custom made at Vera Wang. It was so beautiful so I closed my eyes to ignore the price tag, but I loved it. My only regret is not being able to wear it the entire night. At least it's getting a second use out of it, one of my friends is using it as her "something borrowed" this coming May.

Then my shoes....I knew no one would see my shoes, nor will I ever wear white shoes again, so I figured I'd look for a cheap comfortable pair I could get away with for one day. I mentioned it to my husband and he looked at me and started to laugh. He said he couldn't believe that someone who wears designer shoes every day was looking for a cheap shoe to wear on her wedding day. But come on, more money wasted for one day?? Then I read somewhere that Manolo Blahnik made a white satin dyeable, so I took a trip to NYC to buy them. What a better way to get my money's worth than to dye them another color after the wedding? Which is what I did, they are now black and I wear them to every dressy event!




I remember going downstairs to get ready to walk into the ceremony. I was super conscious about my husband and I not seeing each other before. I remember my father and I arm in arm getting ready to walk down the aisle. Right before they opened the doors for me, my father said "don't forget! Step with the right foot first." His way of still being the leading man in my life one last time. And then he stepped with his left. And I smiled to myself as the doors opened.



Picture taking was also a blur. I remember walking out to Copley Square, and it's probably one of the only times I remember seeing Nancy and Kelly all night. They were AWESOME. I don't know how they keep the masses on track in the chaos. I also remember Nancy on the ground in Copley Square taking one of our favorite photos with the Hancock. Did I mention Nancy was five months along with Jonah at the time? I remember telling her to get off the dirty ground!!


We had a black tie Boston-themed wedding. Almost all our guests travelled from all over the country and all over the world to come to it. I took care of every detail. The hotel gift bags had Boston-based goodies in them. We had done a little "travel guide" of Boston listing all our favorites eateries, things to do, secret public bathrooms along the freedom trail, etc. I had gotten some discount coupons from local businesses and museums. I wanted our guests to enjoy the city I live in.


Our menu cards were designed by a local artist and they were a watercolor scene of the Public Garden. All of our stationery was done by Arlene from Invitations & Company, and she was amazing. I will always use for any stationery needs, she was super nice and gave me beautiful products within my budgets. Our centerpieces were made by my husband. He took photographs of places we've been (which were the table names) and made them into hurricane candles that he dipped and molded himself. Since each one is a work of art of his, each table had a Boston-trivia game on it and the winner of the game got to take home the centerpiece. We see them in people's homes still.


One of the things we had a lot of guests comment on was that every placesetting had a list of each guest and his/her relationship to me or my husband. People really enjoyed reading through it, and they said it made each of them feel special in some way, like they were truly part of our new combined lives and families.


Our signature drink was the chocolate martini (my favorite with a specific recipe). I am famous for drinking them. The Fairmont accomodated my recipe and they were served with the cake. That is where my guests said they fell off the wagon, they were so good.


Our band, Studio C, was wonderful. They had taken the time to learn songs that were special to us and even change the tempo to what we needed. My father and I waltzed for our dance and the band slowed down the tempo of the song we wanted so we could use it. They even surprised me by singing our last song live (they had learned it in a week) when I was fully happy to have it play on CD. That was really special to me and I thanked the bandleader profusely for it.


The most memorable part of our wedding was that we had a live artist paint it. I found him in Starbucks, he speaks little English, but he understood what I wanted. He had never done it before and was very excited for the project. I said I wanted him to capture the essence of our wedding in an impressionist oil painting and that the only scene I did not want was the ceremony. I wanted something else. We could not have asked for anything better. He chose to paint our first dance. The scene is beautiful, the Oval Room at the hotel makes a perfect backdrop and he captured the scene perfectly. Many of our guests say they can pick themselves out in the painting based on where they were standing during the dance. And it was also the first time my husband showed of his moves from our dance lessons, boy were our friends surprised! We getting the painting printed up on notecards and used them as our thank you cards. People still have the card displayed in their homes today. "




Hope this gives some people some ideas - I know SO many people have commented on their custom painting. And I had no idea that those Manolos were dyeable - fabulous!!!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #18

Next up is Adrianne, she had a super-fun day with absolutely amazing weather.

"Top 10 Fabulous Things about Adrianne & Jeremy's wedding day:

10. A 75 degree, sunny beautiful August Saturday! I had fears of 95 degrees.

9. Not speaking to each other the morning of our wedding. It made the moment of seeing each other at the church all the more special.

8. Having our families and friends involved and around us to celebrate our marriage. There's nothing better than that.

7. Having a wedding day that had our stamp on it- from the Red Sox jerseys, to our first dance to Jimmy Buffett, and our last to Motley Crue. The day had "Adrianne & Jeremy" written all over it.


6. Taking a boat to our reception! We were definitely rockstars.


5. Having the greatest DJ ever! The ceiling on the first floor of the restaurant was shaking all night long.


4. Having each part of our day- the ceremony and the reception- happen in our respective hometowns. The ceremony was in mine & the reception in Jeremy's.

3. Having the best photographer we could imagine!!!

2. Our "moment" as we left the church- the piece of advice to take a moment to ourselves was one of the best we received among all that advice.


1. The end of the evening & knowing that it was really just the beginning."


Thanks Adrianne! They had Greg Hodges as their DJ and he was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #17

The next entry if from Becka, a 2004 bride.

"Almost 4 years after we were married, and still the only thing I wish I had done differently during my wedding was to look at Tom as I walked down the aisle. I was so afraid I would lose it (which I did during the ceremony) that I didn't look at him until I was right in front of him. Thankfully, you captured the moment when he first saw me, so I was eventually able to see it, but if you hadn't, I'd have never known how excited/nervous/happy he was during my walk with my dad.



One thing I was happy that we did was we only had a sweetheart table (I think that's what it's called) - no head table. It was nice to be able to talk with each other candidly and not feel like we were ignoring tablemates. "


Thanks Becka, that' great advice!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #16

Next up is from Jen, she got married in October of last year.......



"What I Should Have Had In My Emergency Day Of Kit!

Everyone thinks to include touch up makeup and a few extra bobby pins in their purse for the reception but I really wish I had asked my makeup artist for a little squeeze packet of eyelash glue! Needless to say, I was teary eyed for most of the day -- so toward the end of the reception the false eyelashes on my right eye began to come up! (Thankfully you can't see it in the photos!)

Also, a Tide pen/Shout wipe saved my dress! We returned to our sweetheart table after cutting the cake and Andy decided it would be cute to continue to feed me our chocolate peanut buttercake by hand. The cake was moist and the peanut butter was gooey - it was perfection... until it landed on my dress. Being the dutiful husband he is, Andy sprang into action and began trying to wipe it off my dress which, of course, only made the brown spot larger as he rubbed the chocolate into the lace. After some mild panic, Andy remembered the Shout wipes in the bathroom baskets. Voila! It worked like a charm.



Mission: Picture Perfect

Since we lived together before we got married, it was important for us not see each other the morning of the wedding. If there is ever a morning you don't want to have to fight for sink space - then it's your wedding day. But honestly, we wanted the "grand reveal" of seeing each other from opposite ends of the church aisle -- and all of the anticipation that comes with it. At the same time, we really liked the look of photos taken before the ceremony with the entire bridal party. Mainly, we liked that the photos are all taken at the same place. So we compromised. We decided that we would have our photos taken at the same location before the ceremony but at different times. It sounds easy now, but it had to be carefully orchestrated. It required down-to-the-minute Team Bride/Team Groom timelines, explicit instructions and directions (with maps!) for our limo driver and a lot of wishing and hoping that we would not run into each other! And did I mention we decided to do the photos outside? Unbeknownst to me, this whole plan caused my Mom many sleepless nights (she admitted this to me just yesterday). In the end, all the planning paid off and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day or more beautiful photos! Our pre-ceremony photos are exactly what we were after: there is a cohesiveness to Andy's photos and mine. Even though we weren't there at the same time, the look and feel of the photos is as if we were. "








That was tricky, Jen! But thankfully everyone was very prompt which made it easy!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #15

Well, I knew that Jennifer would have some good comments.....turns out she already has them posted on HER blog! (just scroll down about a page for the wedding stuff)

Here are a couple of my favorite entries......(I'm partial to Vows, because that's where I got my dress, too!


"So you became engaged, and you don't have anything to wear? That's what I said. At first I thought I would try to have my mother's gown altered to fit me since I grew up admiring my mother's beautiful bridal portait on the wall of our house. It's a beautiful dress, but as design would have it, I felt it looked better in the box than on me. A friend of mine told me about a place called Vows, a bridal outlet store located in Newton, Massachusetts that specializes in sophisticated designer wedding gowns for much much less.

Fortunately, unlike most of the other shops I had visited, I was able to fill my dressing room with many gowns that not only were beautiful, but were also within my budget. This shop had a very homey and relaxed atmosphere, with wonderful assistance. Vows been written up in the Best of Boston by Boston Magazine as the best place to go for your wedding gown for the past 5 years. I also used their searchable website to virtually pick out gowns before I visited to try them on.

As a result, I found a gorgeous ivory silk Ulla Maja gown that had a very simple a-line cut, and gorgeous cascading train in the back. My good friend Pamela Berberich let me borrow her beautiful veil that fortunately was the same hue of white. With shoes Ron had helped me find at Filene's ($19!!!), and flowers for my hair taken from a vase in our dining room, I was prepared to walk down the aisle in my finest. Hey, I clean up alright, don't I?



Here is a perfect recipe for place card holders: Chocolate boxes!! This allowed us to make a wedding favor, place card, and food-choice indicator all in one:

We used nice little white boxes I got out of one of my jewelry supply catalogs (100 of them for about $24), we filled them with chocolate coins (for good luck wishes) and then tied them shut with smart li'l black bows. To each box we tied the person's name using none other than the luxe papers from Paper Source - and each tag was color coded:

• Pink for salmon
• Checkered blue for chicken
• Sage green for vegetarian

Hope this helps you if you are looking for place card ideas."


Love all your ideas Jen! Has it really been two and a half years.........wow....

Fabulous/not-so fabulous - #14

Next up is a sad, sad story from Allison.........

"I was reading a magazine when I saw this picture of Eva Longoria with these fabulous wedding flip flops on! They were white and had a big fake diamond ring in between the toes. They were so cute and might I say expensive, but I had to have them and you only get married once (maybe)

So on my wedding day, we had them displayed for a photo memory of their fabulousness. They looked so cute sitting on top of my mother's bed all posed.

The day went on, church, limo and finally the reception, the place where I could show off my purchase, until, "Oh No" where are they? I looked in my special wedding bag and they were no where to be seen!!! Where were they?, "I know" sitting perched on top of my mother's bed, lonely!! So sad, oh well at least I have the pictures to remember them by!"





When we found out, I offered her my Reefs I had in the car.....but it's just not the same. Maybe you can lend them to a friend getting married soon??

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #12

Next up is a story from Sue. She says that she's not comfortable speaking in public, but I had no idea! She made a great speech about her dad with the cutest story of the two of them doing a paper route together.

"For my father/daughter dance, I had known for years that we would dance to "Unforgettable" by Nat and Natalie Cole. The song meant something to me and I had a story to go with it that i wanted to share with my family and friends at the wedding, just before our dance. Days before the wedding, things were of course hectic and I thought about skipping the speech. I had enough on my plate and really didn't like getting up in front of crowds to talk. I kept going back and forth about writing the speech. Finally, 2 days before my wedding, I put it together. I practiced, printed it on note cards, the whole nine yards. I didn't tell anyone about the speech because I wanted it to be a surprise for my dad but also if I chickened out no one would know. I can't tell you how happy I am now that I made that speech. I think almost everyone there came up to me and told me what a wonderful speech it was and how they had tears in their eyes. The speech was really about my father and how lucky I was
to have him as my dad. It meant a lot for me to have him hear this. You know, life's too short to worry about the little things. My wedding day was the one day where I could do whatever I wanted and every single person in that room was someone special to me and my husband. I got over my fear of public speaking (for that moment!) and I am so happy. I have that speech on video and I have my family's reaction to it. I am just so happy I didn't pass up this great opportunity!"








Thanks Sue!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #11

Next entry is from Heather, a 2005 bride. I remember her ceremony being very well-done and entertaining, as well! Sometimes having a friend or family member perform the ceremony can be a bit of a disaster, but not in this situation!

"I still glow when I think about what a phenomenal experience our wedding was. There were so many fabulous moments - many of them beautifully captured by Nancy! - but here are some come to mind immediately:

Our ceremony was awesome. Because we were a Catholic + Jewish marriage, we decided to have a ceremony that recognized symbols from both religions but without being overly religious. Since we didn't want a priest and/or rabbi, we asked my husband's two uncles to perform the ceremony. It was the most personal, poignant and comical ceremony. (It helps that my husband's uncles are award-winning Hollywood writers and directors and they excel at putting on a show!) I don't think that many people can say their guests were laughing out loud during the ceremony. In fact, I will never forget hearing my father's chuckling coming from the front row. The ceremony certainly had its more serious moments, but never seriously somber like some ceremonies can be. It was incredibly meaningful to have officiants who knew us well. I get the greatest pleasure from friends who still tell us that our wedding ceremony is the best ceremony they've ever been too. What a compliment!


Another cool moment was when my parents, husband and I were escorted into the Ritz ballroom. (It is now the Taj ballroom, but it will always be the original Ritz to me!) All of the guests were still in the cocktail hour and the wedding planner pulled us aside to "present" the ballroom to us. We didn't expect a private viewing. Where we had been under the chuppah just an hour before had been magically transformed into our glamorous reception! It was a wonderful moment, it gave us a few minutes of down time to just enjoy what was happening...and it totally thrilled my parents!


Finally, another fabulous moment was the hora. I had never experienced the honor of being raised up in the chair. Neither had my 65 year old, Catholic-schooled father! He made 'the sign of the cross' as he was being raised up in the chair. Not sure that's ever been done before!


Not so fabulous - There was one seating error at the reception- oops! There was a bit of a fiasco with the tux vests in the 1-2 hours leading up to pictures. The tux rental shop didn't get all the sizes right so the Groom and Best Man were running up and down Newbury Street to the store trying to get the right ones. Lesson learned: make sure the Father of the Bride tries on the vest the day before the wedding! "


Thanks Heather!!

Heather is also the winner of the first gallery wrap - congratulations!!!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #10

Here's the next entry from Lori! Her cake was so beautiful, what a shame they didn't get to eat it!!

"There are definitely a few things that I loved about my wedding as well as a few things that I wish we had done a little differently.

Things I loved (there were so many great things, I don’t know where to start):
Having the sweetheart table – it was the only time that Mike and I had a chance to sit and talk to each other for a few minutes

Taking pictures on the waterfront – they came out beautiful

Wearing a dress that was comfortable
Staying over in the hotel that night…..because we could keep the party going at least for a few more hours
Having a reception line at the church – gave us more time for dancing during the reception

Things I wish we had done differently:
I wish we had a chance to eat the cake!! We never even got to taste it

I wish we made an announcement that the cake was available, I felt like most people missed it as well as the cappuccino bar"


Thanks Lori!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #9

Next up are some tips from Meredith and Chris who definitely had a relaxed, fun day. I absolutely loved her nephew who had a green lollypop in his hand coming down the aisle. He didn't wear his fancy shoes, but in the end, it doesn't really matter!!

"There honestly isn’t much we would have changed about our wedding day! Fortunately, we both had a “whatever” attitude about the small things that did go wrong (note to future bride and grooms – things will go wrong – so just plan to go with it!)

Here are some of our favorite moments:

We were so glad my sister carried our not so thrilled ring bearer down the aisle. It was so important to us to have him be a part of the day. Now we have funny memories of him not wanting to put on the shiny shoes he was so excited about the day before… and of course him munching on a bag of marshmallows during the ceremony. What else would you expect from a 2 ½ year old!!


We absolutely LOVE the photo of all of our wedding guests that was taken at the end of our processional. It was a fun way to ensure that we have a photo of all of our guests, even the camera shy ones!


We wanted to do something slightly different for our centerpieces – and since I really don’t like the table numbers that you so often see popping out of the vases – we decided to have words to identify the tables. Each word was related to love and marriage - for example our table was “amore”, others were honesty, patience, devotion. And the simple arrangement the florist (A Whole Bunch in Burlington) put together went perfectly with the idea!


We were very happy with all of our vendors… from Nancy and her assistant (of course!!), to our DJ Shannon (Red Hot Entertainment), as well as, Lucille and the caterers from Vinwoods. Our goal was to have a fun, relaxed reception and these people helped to make that happen! We loved the beautiful ceremony given to us by Reverend Elizabeth King. We were very fortunate to have found her. The tone was perfect for us – everything was very personal and relaxed.

My favorite moment of the day was during our first dance. Feeling everyone’s love and happiness for us in the room was really amazing. We were just looking at all of the smiling faces looking back at us – it was a really beautiful moment. All of the planning and bits of stress along the way were well worth it for that feeling!


Our advice to future brides and grooms is to try to relax and to take a step back – a moment at some point during the day to stop and look around to take it all in. Chris and I keep saying we wish we could have another wedding because not only does the day go by so quickly (like everyone warned us it would), but it was also so much fun! I mean really, really fun!

-Meredith and Chris"

Thanks Meredith and Chris!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #8

The next installment is from Lisa - some of you might recognize her pictures (even though her wedding was before I was keeping a blog!) because I have been using images from their wedding in a slideshow that I show clients when they come to meet with me. My favorite one of these stories is the one involving Peter laying down in the backseat with a belly full of cake after a "tasting"........



"First, I will begin with the good... I truly believe one of our best decisions was to have our 'formal' photos taken before the ceremony. Since we had a fall wedding, it allowed us to take our photos outdoors while the sun was bright and shining. We also wanted to spend every possible moment of our reception with our guests. More importantly, I am a worrier! I spent most of the morning in a ball of nerves stressing about the zillion little things that could go wrong. However, the moment that I met my husband at the park where we were taking photos all of my worries vanished. I truly realized that I could not care less if the cake was not perfect or the trolley was late or the kids wouldn't walk down the aisle.... because I was marrying this amazing man TODAY! From that point forward, the day was nothing short of relaxed and wonderful!



I would highly recommend having some version of a 'receiving line' after the ceremony. My husband and I greeted everyone as they left the church. Since it was only the two of us (my mom and dad are talkers so we sent them over to the side...) it moved quickly, however, it provided us with the opportunity to greet every guest and thank them for attending our wedding. This freed up the reception for us to enjoy the party on the dance floor with our guests rather than spending hours going table-to-table welcoming everyone.


I would also highly recommend not just setting a budget first and foremost, but discussing what both of your priorities are for the wedding. For us, excellent food and beverage, music, and photos were our top priorities. We realized we were willing to 'skimp' on other things but we had to find the best cater, band/DJ, and photographer that we could. After all...if our guest didn't have a fabulous time and we didn't have photos to remember our day by we would have been disappointed. Everyone's priorities differ but it is important to not skimp on something and realize later that it was incredibly important to you!

Now, on to the things that we could have done better... We decided to have our wedding in October in Salem, MA. After booking our venue and date, I worried for months about the logistics of holding a wedding in the midst of a major tourist season. We could not block hotel rooms for our guest and I panicked about parking availability and traffic. I wish I had spent more time prior to booking our date thinking about what it would mean to have a wedding during a 'high season' in a small city. In the end, it all worked out beautifully, however I put many hours into trying to 'control' the logistics which were completely out of my control.


Remind your husband-to-be that it is a cake TASTING! We met with two bakers in one day. At the first bakery he decided it would be 'rude' not to finish the entire piece. They gave us eight pieces of cake...and he finished them all! He proceeded to lay in the back seat of the car the entire way to the second bakery because he felt so ill and inform me that he would not have any more cake. Fortunately, at the next bakery he rose to the challenge and managed to finish the 4 additional pieces of cake.

If you are not 'crafty' and do not have a lot of spare time and extra hands to help...skip the 'do it yourself' projects. Most people will not notice if you have individually created seating cards and hand-created decorations...but you will remember the hours you put into them and the money spent on these projects adds up!

Lastly, I could rave about all of my vendors...I was truly fortunate and had a very good experience with all."


Lisa had all of the wedding vendor rockstars.....Vinwood Caterers, Gina Joubert and Kimberly Fosher, Allegria Bridal, and Paul Natale.

Thanks for the stories Lisa!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #7

Next entry is from Sarah - they had such a fun day last June up at the Gloucester Elks at Bass Rocks........ (I love her comment about Pringles and M&M's......what could be bad about those? I am also guilty of paying about $8 for 10 Pringles from a mini-bar and loving each and every one....)

"After months of planning and jittery nerves for weeks, when the doors opened to the church and I saw my soon to be husband everything fell into place. Standing up there and promising our lives to one another was thrilling, we kept just smiling and giggling at each other.


The dance lessons were the best investment we ever made! We took dance lessons on Saturdays for a few months before the wedding. We had so much fun spending time together before the wedding learning our dance---laughing, practicing and thinking about the big day. I never thought our guests would love the dance so much or that it would be one of the highlights of our reception. I'll always remember the huge smile on my husbands face while showing off his moves on the dance floor.


The caterers forgot to give us our prepared food plates so when we arrived at hotel at 1AM we were starving. I ate here and there at the reception but the hunger hit us both when we took our shoes off to relax. We wanted a nice sampler of all the wonderful food our guests ate. Instead we ate the entire mini-bar at the hotel! I would have enjoyed the mini-crab cakes or sirloin but Pringles and M&M’s did the trick!

The early bird catches the worm and this applies on the absolute best day of your life. Start getting ready early for the wedding. Make any hair or make-up appointments earlier than you think. I never felt rushed and really enjoyed spending quality time with the bridesmaids before the wedding. Once the flowers arrive the day takes off and never slows down. If you get ready early you have more time for pictures, nobody is stressed and then the rest of the day runs smoothly. Nobody wants to feel rushed on their wedding day or not have time to take a few extra pictures with their husband because they are needed someplace else.


I didn't know much about what I wanted for my wedding, but I knew I wanted a chocolate cake! Each tier of the periwinkle and brown confection featured a different flavor: chocolate raspberry, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, and (for nonchocoholics), yellow cake. I’m so glad I went with chocolate icing on my cake. I received so many compliments on how incredibly beautiful it was. If you don’t like white icing don’t put it on your wedding cake because the bridal magazines tell you it looks prettier. I walked by the news stand the other day and on the cover was a huge wedding cake, with chocolate icing---apparently chocolate icing is now “in” because it’s different. It’s always been my favorite!


I wish I had not spent so much money on my veil. I wore it for the ceremony, a few pictures and it was off. It was beautiful but kind of a pain and I wore it for maybe a total of 45 minutes. I could have done something cheaper. Perhaps I’ll open up a used veil shop!

For some reason I thought ALL DJ’s were cheesy or bad – mainly just because all the ones growing up were! We listened to all sorts of CD’s and DVD’s from popular bands. We went through all of their play-lists. We made lists of pros and cons of each band; it started to get real complicated. We didn’t really have time to start scheduling appointments to see different bands and my fiancé was insisting that most bands (that cost thousands of dollars) sounded like, “cheesy garage cover-bands” and I was fed up. I almost forgot I was planning a wedding since in my free time I had become a band consultant. After a few months and my fiancé saying, “That doesn’t sound like the original song” I realized maybe DJ’s were popular for a reason. I can look back and laugh because our DJ did a great job the night of and the dance floor was packed the entire night. Even before the dance floor “opened” people were up there dancing, he was awesome. And he just really wanted to make us happy. A good thing I learned, just because you don’t get the most talked about/recommended vendor doesn’t mean that you won’t get a fantastic one anyway. Trust your instincts; not getting a band was the right decision for us!


I am in the television industry so having the perfect videographer was important to me. I’m really happy with the results, but I have watched the video 5 times. I look at our beautiful wedding pictures around our apartment every day! They are truly works of art. It was the best investment we could have made in our wedding. Sometimes I got consumed with the wedding details—bands, linens, place cards, programs...the list could go on forever. At the end of the night the details are all gone and the pictures last forever. "

Ok - please don't feel like you have to say how much you love your pictures in these stories, but I'm so glad you do!!!!!

Also, Katrina Hess, her make-up artist is running a spring makeover special right now! Now through the end of May you can get a consultation and application in her Newbury Street studio for $50! I'm tempted to do it myself! :)

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #6

Next entry is from Sue who had one of those "no way to prepare for it" moments the day of her weddding...........


"I got married on May 19, 2006-the day of a methane truck rollover on the Mass turnpike in Hopkinton-where I live!. No traffic was allowed on the Pike from 10am-7pm-the day of my wedding!!! It all started with a call from a bridesmaid saying she couldn't get to the hair salon because traffic wasn't bad-it was completely at a standstill!!! We called the State Police and they told us what had happened....

I had my cell phone in one ear trying to re-route people and the curling iron in the other ear-while at the hair salon.
As if your nerves aren't frenzied enough the day of your wedding!!! ...

The flowers miraculously arrived on time to my house .....My wonderful photographer was there because she lived the next town over. My parents who live 20 minutes away and usually take Route 135 decided to take the MASS PIKE! They completely missed the pre-photographs at our house.
When I walked into the church-it was practically empty. My very best friend from upstate NY never made it to do the reading- so we had someone stand in...

It took us hours to get to the reception in Concord. Miraculously....everyone made it...albeit late. People spent all day in the car driving to the reception. They had to forego the ceremony because it was impossible to get there."

Here's Sue & Shawn in good spirits despite it all before, during, and after the ceremony!! You just can't let the challenges get you down......





"The best thing I can say to brides to be is bring a pair of comfortable white slippers so you can boogie down at the reception after the heels come off! I'm still in wedded bliss almost 2 years later-with a 1 year old baby boy too!"

OK - this is becoming a theme!!


and just for kicks......here's the cutie-pie!!!





Thanks Sue!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #5

Here is the next entry from Monica & Chuck, they had a shorter engagement, so did everything on a more abbreviated time frame:
"Things we loved/the best things we did:

* The best thing: getting married!

* We got engaged on Memorial Day in May and were married in October. The planning could only take up about 4.5 months, which were wonderful (and hectic), but we’re really happy to be already married now.

* Three of my very good girlfriends from college, in from out of town, stayed with me for the 2-3 days leading up to the wedding. We had a wonderful little mini reunion... They kept me entertained and relaxed and it was a wonderful way to end single-hood, among close friends.

* Allegria Bridal, in Belmont, was a great place to get a dress and bridesmaids dresses. I recommend them very highly.

* The seamstress who did my dress (Rosa, at Rosa’s Customized Tailoring, Watertown, MA) not only did a fabulous job on my dress, but she also did an impromptu last-minute fix on one of my bridesmaid’s dress. My friend had asked her seamstress (out of town, in a rural area) to put in bust-cups, but the seamstress didn’t have any, so she had cut what we think (we’re really not sure) were shoulder pads in half, and then tacked these in as a pseudo bust-cup. They didn’t quite look right, leaving a sort of horizontal shelf across the dress and my friend was understandably a bit stressed about it. Rosa took a look at the job, tut-tutted a bit about the other seamstress, and then fixed everything there on the spot with new materials, all 2 days before the wedding.

* I had a fabulous florist (Jess Wrobel, in Ipswich) who listened to what general colors and look I wanted, and then who did absolutely everything else on her own. I loved not having someone keep asking me what specific types of flowers I wanted.


* We got married at a site that only does functions, so we won’t be able to go back there easily in the future. A friend who had her reception at the Colonial Inn in Concord mentioned that one thing she loved about it was that it “would always be there” and they’ve been able to go back for their 5- and 10-year anniversaries...

* We took a “mini-moon” for 2 nights after our October wedding, on Cape Cod. That gave us a getaway for ourselves together, but made it really easy to pack for it, and it was a wonderful relaxing 2 days. One of the best parts was waking up at 3 a.m. after the wedding and talking about all the wonderful things that had happened and about how happy we were with everything. And looking at each other and saying “you married me! Wow!”. We were also still able to catch up with some friends in from overseas when we got back. We took our real honeymoon to Hawaii three months later, and had a wonderful time.


Things maybe we should have done differently?
* We probably shouldn’t have left printing the wedding day programs to 4 pm on the day before the wedding, using my home printer. It jammed on the thick paper, and then some small black plastic piece broke off of something inside. A quick trip to the local Staples, handing over the printing job to them, helped to solve the problem, but we were left without time to pick up the printed copies that night, since we were off at the rehearsal dinner. Thankfully, my husband’s best man was able to jump in the next morning to head back in to Staples to pick up the printed programs when Staples opened at 10 am on Sunday morning, and other friends pitched in for a rapid folding session at the reception site before most guests arrived for the 11:30 ceremony.


Things we still don’t understand:
* Men get to rent shoes to go with their tuxes. And they fit! Women would never rent shoes (and they’d never fit!) and women have to spend all this time going around to find exactly the right shoe and right shade, when their shoes will only be under a long gown. What’s up with that?


I hope that this helps. Chuck says to add in “the very overwhelmed groom was very happy to hand off planning to his bride-to-be”.


Thanks Monica! Many of my brides have a great experience at Allegria Bridal, I'd love to stop by there someday.

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #4

So, the next tip is from Karen & Todd who had their wedding at the Emerson Inn by the Sea in Rockport. Karen & Todd had a more non-traditional day and they paid for everything themselves, so they could pretty much do whatever they wanted!


"I'm so glad that we had the cocktail hour before our ceremony. Obviously, the wedding was a bit non-traditional (but, I like to think, still tastefully done). This unusual element helped foster a relaxed atmosphere. It took the edge off everyone - from the bride and groom to the guests. It allowed those who travelled a distance to have a cocktail & hors d'oeuvres immediately upon arriving and to relax during our ceremony with no hunger pangs! People still rave to us, almost three years later, how much they liked our wedding and how fun it was."





Todd & Karen's event was definitely fun & relaxed from beginning to end..........

Thanks Karen!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #3

here are some short & sweet tips from Kathy:

#1. Pack a pair of super comfy flip flops for later in the reception. I wore the J. Crew ones with an elastic strap. They were a life saver!

#2. If you're in the Rhode Island area, I loved my florist, Jay at Golden Gate Studios.



#3. Pack one big bag with what you think you'll need- then put someone in your wedding party in charge of it.


#4. A popular decoration at our reception was wedding photos of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and siblings.

#5. If possible, get all of the the little stuff done two weeks before your wedding day so that you can enjoy the week leading up to it. My mom assembled a bunch of her friends, and we put all of the favors, welcome bags, bathroom baskets, and programs together two weeks before, and it was so nice not to have to worry about that stuff when people were arriving and I just wanted to spend time with them.



Thanks Kathy!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #2

The next entry is from Kelly - she has a LOT of great things to share, some do's and don'ts!

"I was hell-bent on wearing a strapless gown on my wedding day! I love my dress and would buy it again. During my fittings however, I decided not to wear a bra underneath. The dress fit me perfectly and held everything in place. Plus, I had been restrained for so many years… I didn’t need to wear a bra?! Well, the one thing they don’t have you do during your fitting is sit down. I had to sit down in the limo on the way to the church, during the ceremony at church (a couple times), back in the limo to the reception, and eating dinner. With all that movement…the dress naturally stretched just slightly and the girls started to fall a little south! I was “fixing” myself and the dress constantly. In hindsight, I should have worn the bra. Go figure! A friend of mine got married the following year. I gave her the stern suggestion to wear a bra even though she’s a bit smaller in the chest than me. She decided against the bra and surprise…she too regretted it.




The vendors…LOVED every single one except the DJ. Hated him even though several people told me they thought he was great! He played only a few of the songs I requested. He was supposed to have another system setup to play music in the cocktail reception area. When we arrived at the country club, it wasn’t set up. He did set it up after my mother argued with him about it, but wasn’t ready in time for the guests. Very unprofessional in my opinion. I thought I was getting a good deal but after I realize some things are too good to be true. Looking back, I would have researched and interviewed more DJs and even paid more money for someone more competent and dependable.


With the exception of the few don’ts I mentioned above, I would have done everything else exactly the same. But to mention a few of my favorite (of my favorite things)…

The flowers…it’s been said that you should pick a few things that are MOST important to you on your wedding day when working within a budget. For me, one of those things was the flowers and I wasn’t going to skimp on those. The room at the country club was very large so I wanted centerpieces that would take up some of that space and be the center of attention. Since most the attire was rather simple and neutral I wanted the flowers to make a bold statement without taking away from the simplicity. They were gorgeous! The centerpieces were so unique and fun with the jelly beans and the ribbons. My guests are still talking about them to this day!



The photographer of course! Nancy and her assistant photographer were fantastic! So accommodating, professional and friendly all at the same time. It was just a great experience and the pictures are proof. She captured every minute of the day. Despite the rain! In fact, the ones of us with the umbrella on the walk back to the reception are probably some of my favorites! I love the photo-journalistic shots of the guests and of every single detail. I very much enjoyed working with Nancy and feel like I’ve gained not only a photographer for life but a friend too!




I asked Andy to take dance lessons a few months before our wedding. Though he wasn’t thrilled with the idea, he agreed to go. Our instructor worked with us weekly for several months choreographing a dance specific to our song. And we performed it perfectly that day! I think it was very unexpected for most of our guests but Andy’s family mostly. They can’t believe he even agreed to go! My father-in-law told me just after the song was over that he was just in awe and was so impressed. He had tears rolling down his face. He’s not an emotional guy so that really meant a lot. Dance lessons whether choreographed or not are definitely worth every penny!




We took some heat from Andy’s family when we told them we were hiring a videographer for our wedding. They felt videographers were always in people’s face with a camera looking for a comment. That they were obtrusive. I can see their concern as I have been to several weddings where the camera just follows you around. That’s not the type of videographer I wanted. I found Lynn Valeri online and am so glad I did! She was just fantastic. No one even knew she was there. There was no commentary, no interviews. She just captured every moment as it happened. The result was an edited video to music that had both Andy and I in tears as we watched for the first time. I still cry every time I watch it. She did an amazing job. I’m so glad we decided to video the wedding. Along with the photos, it’s something we’ll be able to share with our children someday.




I asked Andy if he had anything to contribute. He said he really wished there was a way we could have slowed down the day. He blinked and it was over. Don’t we all?! Let me know if you come up with a way to make that happen!!! Haha."



I totally agree with Kelly that you should sit down when you are having your dress fitted. Make sure you are comfortable! Thank you so much for sharing Kelly!!

first entry for my fabulous/not-so-fabulous contest!

I've just started to hear from a few of you, but I know there's a lot more, so keep the responses coming! I will blog EVERY response, so everyone has a chance to win a beautiful 16x20 gallery wrap! The first entry is from Melissa. She looked absolutely gorgeous, but looking back has some second thoughts about her dress choice..........



"First, nothing was more exciting than putting on the wedding dress of my dreams. As I had my friends and family help me into my wonderful Kenneth Pool wedding dress, I felt like a princess. The beautiful satin shimmered perfectly, it fit like a glove, and I loved how the dress accented my mother's pearls going down by back. All this sounds just wonderful until I realized that I could barely fit into the antique Bentley I had rented for myself and my parents to take us to the church because my dress was so big! As my father squeezed all of my dress into the backseat (while it was raining), we configured that the only way for me to fit was to sit completely sideways which wasn't what I had in mind for the 40 min drive. I had a gut feeling at this point my dress would become a little problem for me during the day.





As the day progressed, the dress got heavier and heavier and my energy for holding it up got lower and lower. I was started to get pretty sore around dinner time because the weight of the dress was all positioned around my waist and I felt like an engine running out of steam. It was hard to move around on the dance floor, harder to eat, and harder to drink! I actually had to sneak downstairs into the ladies pampering room to take the dress off for a few minutes and breathe! I never thought I would have been in my undies for a few minutes during my wedding so I could catch a breather!!

If I could change anything or advice little brides out there on anything, it would be to pick a LIGHT wedding dress. The day is so much fun and you want to stay as active as possible! I would recommend getting a dress that doesn't weight that much. Honestly, I stepped on the scale with the dress on and I weighed about 18-20 pounds more than I normally do, eek! That's why I was so tired at the end of the day.

I wanted to keep on having fun, so I figured taking off the dress wasn't the end of the world, and I changed into sundress knowing that there had been a ton of great pictures of me in my wedding dress. Coincidentally, my dad forgot the white sundress that I wanted to change into afterwards, so I had to wear a different one.

Which leads me to my next piece of advice, don't sweat the small things that go differently than you planned. So what?, my dad forgot the white dress. When I asked him to put it into the limo, there were a million things going on around us, and he was probably just as nervous getting ready to take his daughter to the church to get married.

I just reminded myself to have fun, smile lots, and look around at all the people who love us. It's a pretty cool feeling and the best experience I have had in my life to date. "

I personally think she looks adorable in her sundress!! What do you think?

happy valentine's day!!!

I hope that everyone gets to enjoy at least part of this day with your someone special! And for all of you 2007 brides (and a few fall 2006 brides!), I recently updated the galleries on my site, so please check them out - you might see some familiar faces.

Cheers!

and more albums!

I got such a great response from the album layouts that I posted a couple of weeks ago that I thought I would share a few more! These are a couple that I am working on right now. They are both flush mount albums, and these spreads are 12 inches high and 24 inches wide:

albums, albums, albums......

Hello all!
So, I had a fantastic time at the photography convention in Tampa. My mind is buzzing from all the ideas I have for 2008! However, my top priority is taking care of all my fabulous 2007 clients who are getting ready to order their albums before I start revamping the website, redecorating the studio, and ordering new sample albums!
Last week I ordered five albums and finished two layouts. Here is a page from Lori & Mike's album - it will be 28 inches wide and 10 inches high:

Here are a couple from Kathy & Andrew's album -


And one more from Chen & Jason's matted album -

always a photographer......never a guest.....

not anymore!

As many of you know, one of my very dear friends got married last october, and i was very happy to attend strictly as a guest! I had been looking forward to this all season. It's not easy watching everyone dancing and having a great time every weekend and not being able to join in! My associate photographers took care of all of the photography, and as expected, did a fabulous job!

The ceremony was in the very beautiful Cathedral of the Pines in New Hampshire, with the reception at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner, MA.
Kelly and Joe make such a great couple, and we are all so happy that they found each other!!




Her nephews were so adorable!!










I loved Kelly's invitations & place cards, everything was aqua and brown.




Yup, that's me on the dance floor at last! My husband Stephen was there, and it was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the day!

Me & all my favorite people!!!!!

Kelly's dad was a madman on the dance floor....



Congratulations Kelly & Joe!!! Sorry that it took me so long to get this up on the blog, but I'm glad you are enjoying all of your pictures.

Lucky 13

Kate and Tony got married on October 13th at the amazing Boston Harbor Hotel. The view of the city was fantastic!


Kate and Tony did their pictures before the ceremony to take advantage of the location and sunlight. Here they are seeing each other for the first time.......




I just love this image that my second shooter took...

How cool are these funky metal things? They are down by the water next to the Boston Harbor Hotel.


I need to ask them who did the calligraphy on their place cards because they looked beautiful.

The ceremony was also at the Boston Harbor Hotel, and the guests were greeted with hot apple cider or sparkling water as they entered.

Instead of asking her to be a bridesmaid, Kate and Tony had one of their very close friends perform the ceremony. She did a fabulous job!

Really, who doesn't love scallops & bacon? Kate's mom was very excited about the hors d'oeuvres....not only did they have passed goodies like these, but they had pasta stations and a table with just crab cakes, as well!

The tables looked gorgeous...



I love this picture of Kate's mom as she is watching Kate dance with her dad.

Kate provided flip-flops for all those dancing feet!

Moment's Notice provided plenty of great music for the crowd.

This time one of my favorite dancing pictures is the lead singer who hopped onto the dance floor dancing with the guests!


Congratulations Kate and Tony!!

Something old, new, borrowed.......but no Blue

I did an engagement shoot a couple of months ago for Monica and Chuck with their very sweet dog Blue. So sorry that Blue couldn't join us on their big day!
Monica and Chuck had an amazingly relaxed wedding day at the Henderson House. They had lots of friends and family from different times in their lives, and places they lived, and made an effort to make sure each guest felt welcome.
I love the texture of Chuck's wedding band.

Monica relaxing with a Dum-Dum before the ceremony - love that.


Jess Wrobel took care of the flowers, and people seriously couldn't stop commenting on them all day!









They did the toasts and cake cutting in the main foyer, which is such a great space to get shots of all the guests.

Icing on the Cake made the cake, and apparently, if they give them a picture of the cake by itself, they get a cake on their anniversary - sweet! I'm always happy to help.......


Fabio Pirozzolo was fabulous........





And a bubbly send-off! Congratulations Monica and Chuck!

a perfect day in boston

Jen and Andy had a picture perfect day for their wedding in Boston. We started out at her parent's house in Wilmington.


It's very important to keep your strength up when you're a bridesmaid!


We went to the Public Garden to do some pictures before the ceremony. This little girl was enamored with Jen and started following her around!



The ceremony was at the Old South Church right in Copley Square.






We stopped at the Christian Science Center on the way to reception just before sunset.



The reception was at the The Colonnade Hotel, and the room looked gorgeous.


This time it was the groom that was the crazy dancer of the night!

They had chocolate & strawbery mini-milkshakes at the dessert table, I love this new trend!


Congrats Jen and Andy!!!!!!!

congratulations lori and mike!

Lori & Mike had a gorgeous day for their wedding, and Lori's mom had her house all decked out!

I loved her dress, she had a fantastic little jacket that went with it.



First time I've seen a teddy bear coming down the aisle with a ringbearer, and I have to say, it was a crowd pleaser!




We did their pictures behind their reception site, the Royal Sonesta Hotel, right on the Charles.






The ballroom looked beautiful with long, tapered candles on each table. There were floor to ceiling windows letting in a lot of natural light, and of course stunning views of Boston.




The intermezzo sorbets looked very tempting, but I restrained myself.......


Everyone enjoyed the martini bar!

Now, I've had a lot of craziness on the dance floor this year, and this wedding was no exception, but sometimes it's the people you least suspect!!!

Chris from Mark Willand Video was there also capturing all of the fun on the dance floor. As usual, doing a great job while staying out of the way!
This was someone getting "escorted" off the dance floor when their time was up during the anniversary dance.

a party planner has a party!

So, Emily works for Party by Design, so of course her day was extremely well-planned out and filled with exquisite details! I absolutely loved her slippers that she brought to change into when her heels got to be a little too much!

David sent her flowers that morning, which I just think is so sweet.

Her flowers were done by Artistic Blossoms. They were so excited about these bouquets that they called me when I was on the way there to ask for pictures.


The groomsmen formed a human sheild when Emily was getting out of the car.

In the back of the church they had closed circuit television so they can see when everyone's ready to go!


The ceremony was at Christ the King Parish in Mashpee.

We had time to stop at a few different spots for pictures on the way to the reception in Plymouth.






The reception was at the Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth. The room looked beautiful.

Emily made these little gift packs for their younger guests.



There was a little New York vs. Boston rivalry among the guests......one of David's relatives took over the microphone and led the New Yorkers in song.......(New York, New York, of course...)

A gift to try and convince David to be a Red Sox fan.......




Congratulations Emily and David - can't wait to show you the rest!

the other side of the lens

So, when Meredith told me that she was a photographer herself, of course I was extremely flattered that she chose me as her photographer! She and Chris were so excited for this day, they just oozed enthusiasm all day long.



Her nephew Luke made it down the aisle with a little help from his mom, a mouthful of marshmallow, and a green lollypop.

Meredith and her mom waiting to come down the aisle...

The ceremony and reception were at The Hellenic Center in Ipswich. The sunshine was amazing.





Meredith named all the tables, and made these fantastic little signs for each centerpiece.



So, apparently Meredith is a frequent visitor to my blog, and stole this idea from Matt and Melissa's wedding. I love that people are using this as a wedding resource!


I'm not sure they needed me for the cake cutting......

Meredith danced with her mom to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - adorable.


Meet Luke, my new second shooter!


Congratulations Meredith and Chris! See you when you return from your fabulous honeymoon in the Galapagos Islands!!!

from grey to blue

Meredith and Neal tied the knot on September 15th - a date I'm pretty partial to, as it's my anniversary, too! The day started out pretty cloudy, but ended with amazing blue skies and a beautiful sunset. She got ready with her three sisters at her grandmother's house, right on the water in Scituate.







The ceremony was around the corner at the beautiful Saint Mary of the Nativity Church.





We did some pictures at the Scituate lighthouse before heading over to the Scituate Harbor Yacht Club for the reception.






Meredith made a guest book with prints from their engagement session, it looked great!


This guy was a huge ham - he saw me coming and dipped himself!!


It was too dry for the guests to do a sparkler send off, but they made great favors.

standing room only

It was a packed house at the Martha Mary Chapel in Sudbury for Kristen & Dan's wedding on September 8th.

Kristen's parents signed up to cat-sit for her while they went on their honeymoon to Italy!


When I get caught up with weddings, I'm going to put together some galleries of great dresses, hairstyles, cakes, etc. This will definitely be an entry!

Frugal Flower did the flowers. I've worked with them before and their flowers are simply gorgeous.


So, I've seen a lot of (fantastic-looking!) false eyelashes this year, but these are all Kristen!

LOVED the color of the bridesmaid dresses!

This little girl just grabbed her mom's purse and made a break for the door before the ceremony.



We did pictures at the Grist Mill across the street after the ceremony.




This was one of the greatest things I've seen this season! They had a lot of young guests, so they had a small tent next to the main one with a clown and another person that had games, balloon animals,activities, cupcake decorating, and movies throughout the whole day.

room with a view

Lila and Seth hosted all their friends and family for a true Boston weekend - Red Sox, Duck Tours, and a killer view of our city! Lila looked absolutely amazing, very old hollywood glamour. Linnea Tangorra was on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly, and Lila and Seth had nothing to worry about. They saw each other for the first time in the Public Garden and we did all of their pictures.







Lila's favorite gift from Seth - "Pug"




The ceremony and reception were in the Cityside room of the State Room. The ceremony combined Jewish and Indian traditions to honor both of their backgrounds.




I love these placecards, Lila made them herself!





Someone put out chairs with arms for the Hora, but the guests didn't see them, so you can see everyone clinging on for dear life!




Lila wore her grandmother's ring -

The band, Grippo Funk Band, was totally fun and some featured musicians that toured with Phish.

As if all of the other fabulous food wasn't enough, they capped off the evening with passed mini-milkshakes and cheeseburgers!

abudant sunshine, winds 15-25 mph

That was the forecast for Abby & Pete's wedding at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich. Abby was was such a good sport about the wind, considering she was wearing most of her hair down!



This picture is SO abby.......


I love this quote on the side of the Boston Chauffeur van - When being late is not an option. That truly is the case for weddings!


Their ceremony was at the beautiful First Parish Church in Manchester by the Sea. I shot Sarah & John's wedding there in June.









I loved the overlays they had on the tables, the theme was pink and green.


Abby & her mom!




In addition to the cake, they had passed mini ice cream sandwiches and cheesecake pops rolled in Heath bar crunch. How can you possibly resist that?

sue and mike

Sue and Mike and their ginormous wedding party had a great time at the Saphire Manor. They opted to see each other beforehand and do all of their pictures.

I love these bags she bought for all of her (TEN!) maids......







This little guy almost stole the show!




Just married!

About 10 minutes after we got this sunset picture it started pouring!



Everyone loved the chocolate fountain - they even had mint oreos.

I don't know what it is this year, but everyone has been going nuts on the dance floor, I love it.

can't get too much of a good thing!

So, by total random luck, I shot two weddings in a row at the fabulous Lighthouse Room at the Seaport Hotel. Amy and Adam had a beautiful day in the city for their wedding.










They chose to see each other before the wedding to relax and do all of their pictures. I love this picture as they are about to see each other for the first time!


The entire wedding party was so much fun...



I'm not entirely sure if Amy or Adam ever stopped laughing or smiling the entire day, and that is definitely not a bad thing!


The ceremony was in the Wintergarden room.




















These two were total hams for the camera...


Amy and her dad!


*this just in - Amy & Adam's pictures are now on-line in therecent weddings section of my main site. Order by October 1st and save 20%.

a very well-timed thunderstorm!

I've learned to ignore the weather reports, because all it is going to do is stress you out. The weather changes on a dime, and you can't do anything about it anyway except be prepared and have a great attitude!
Allison and Scott got married on July 28th, and it was a hot steamy day. It started pouring about 1 minute after they got into the limo to go from the church to the reception site, and stopped shortly after we arrived so that we could do some pictures of them outside.
I love this picture of Allison!


Here is a shot of her fabulous flip-flops that didn't make it to the reception......so sad.



Her dad watching her get some shots done outside...









Ali is a kindergarten teacher, and some of her students came to the church to congratulate her. Have you ever seen anything cuter in your life?



The reception was at the Lighthouse Room at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, which is coincidentally where I am shooting again this Saturday! It's a brand new space, this was only the fifth wedding there. It is such a great place to shoot - very modern, open, lots of green from the outside, but still has that city/water/Boston feel. Nikki Wescott is the head of catering there, and she definitely takes care of every last detail.











The band was the fabulous Felix Brown Band who I've seen a few times. They are definitely not your average wedding band, and they are so much fun!!!

7-7-7!

So, Kathy and Andrew drew the lucky date by pure chance, but they certainly scored a fantastic day! Kathy had to keep her eyes closed while getting her make-up done and found it very hard to comply when her flowers were being delivered and all of her attendants arrived in their dresses!!







I love when the church is laid out so that I can get these kind of shots during the ceremony.


We had a great time shooting on the beautiful grounds of the Aldrich Mansion where they shot Meet Joe Black!








One of the Aldrich Mansion's signature touches is a giant desert room in the library that is opened up after dinner. There must have been at least 30 cakes, tarts, and pies, with a chef serving up fresh bananas foster.


Kathy and Andrew took dancing lessons, and their first dance was by Rodrigo y Gabriela. Later on, Kathy had no problem tearing up the dance floor on her own!

silly putty & glow sticks........

how could that not be fun?
emily and jon had a fantastic day for their wedding at wachusett village inn. emily is a hairdresser, so of course her hair looked fabulous. all of the guests had a great time, and the kids were equally entertained!

rock climbing, bell ringing and axl rose........

so, sarah and john had an absolutely gorgeous day for their wedding a few weeks ago on the north shore. they were so relaxed but fun at the same time! they had some neat things throughout their day that i hadn't seen before.....



Jess Wrobel did a gorgeous job on the flowers, no surprise there. I love her work.














Sarah and John each dressed up in their wedding clothes before the wedding and sent a picture to the person that made this cake topper for them customized down to their hairstyles and hem detail on the dress.




The groom's grandfather was my favorite guy on the dance floor!!!


And, without a doubt, the first time I was witness to a father-son Axl Rose impression.

matt & melissa!

well, as i get busier and busier, it gets tougher to stay on top of updating the blog! on june 9th, i shot matt & melissa's wedding with the reception at charter oak country club. she wore her mother's pearls which looked just gorgeous.

she was a total trooper about the rainy weather!







they hid a picture of their dog under one of the place settings to determine who would get the flowers.

chen and jason

Chen and Jason had an absolutely gorgeous day for their wedding at the Henderson House. I had never shot there before, but it was a great location. Chen had not one, but two fabulous dresses! A beautiful Vera Wang dress, and then a traditional Chinese dress for the reception.

new gallery wrap special!

I'm very excited to now be able to offer fine art gallery wraps of your wedding and portrait prints. These are a very striking, modern way to display your images.
Your image is printed larger than the final size, and the print is then wrapped around a thick wooden strecher bar. Staples are on the back of the bar. Framing paper covers up the back of the bars, and metal hangers and bumpers are applied to the corners. The gallery wrap is ready to hang with no additional work needed!! Gallery wraps are available in two different depths; 1-1/8” and 2-1/2” depth. Please click here to see pricing information. Gallery wraps are availabe in a many different sizes, including square. Any gallery wrap 16x20 or larger ordered before June 14th is 20% off!

fun in new hampshire!

well, last saturday was pretty rainy, but somehow shelly & brek still managed to score great weather for their wedding day! it was a long but beautiful drive up to bretton woods, and the mount washington hotel had the nicest staff of any venue that i have ever worked.

allison and matt

We had a great start to the season on Saturday with Allison and Matt. They had a beautiful day, it was a relaxed but very fun wedding. The church was in Swampscott, so after the ceremony we stopped off at a little park right on the water with just the two of them for a few pictures. I loved Allison's flowers, she had peonies which are one of my faves! Paul Natale from Murray Hill was the DJ, and he is so fun to work with. He has been the DJ for a few other weddings that I've shot, and he is great at reading the crowd.

finally.......spring!!!

I am so excited for this fabulous weather. We have our first wedding of the season this Saturday on the North Shore with the reception at Hamilton Hall, and it looks like it is going to be beautiful. I shot a wedding there last October before Halloween, and they did a great job.