gwyneth colleen photography » portsmouth, nh wedding photographer

alex + jen’s wedding was just…cool. there’s really no other word for it. it was COOL.  their ceremony was at brooklyn bridge park…and i loved loved LOVED shooting there.  for the reception, we walked a few hundred feet to the galapagos art space.  again…it’s just…COOL.

(and the coolness was definitely upped by having one of the COOLEST photographers i know come shoot with me. thanks again, mike!  also, disclaimer:  where i remember, i have noted which shots are his, but there are probably some that are his that i’m just not sure about.)

she bought her (cool) dress off etsy.  they had vegetarian asian food with disposable bamboo dishes.  and chopsticks!  pretty chopsticks.  i dunno, it was just…cool.  see?

site of the ceremony…ridiculous, no?

(i think this one might be mike’s…)

so…i have to give jen some MAJOR props…kudos…accolades…whatever vocab word you want to use, she deserves them all.  the part of the park i wanted to shoot in?  yeah…it wasn’t so much “open” as it was “gated and chained with a padlock.”  HOWEVER!  no problem!  just climb through these bushes, and down these enormous boulders, onto a beach, and then back up some more boulders and voila!  we’re there!  and jen was totally up for it.  and…the resulting images are SO worth all of our clambering around.

(this is DEFINITELY one of mike’s…i love it!)

i couldn’t get enough of those bridges or the skyline!  so amazing.

(i think this is another one of mike’s…so beautiful.)

ok…i will try to tear myself away from the gorgeousness that is alex + jen, and move on to the gorgeousness of the location they chose.

i love father-daughter dances.  :-D

i’m about 98% sure alex is playing air guitar, here.

as our time was wrapping up, we took the bridal party outside for a couple more fun shots w/ the ny skyline behind us.  and the result is…HELLO CAST OF LOST!  (well, *i* think it looks like that, anyway.)

dani + greg are special.  in the good and wonderful way.  not in the way where you say, “that’s special” and you really mean, “wow, that’s…totally not awesome in any way.”  i’ve known dani since september 2008 when she was a bridesmaid in matt & amanda’s wedding.

they chose an amazingly breathtakingly gorgeous venue for their party.  they got married at the point lookout resort in northport, maine…and let me tell you…it was AWESOME.  the food was GREAT, and all of the resort staff could NOT have been more helpful.  there are lots of rustic and charming cabins on site for guests to stay in…if you’re looking for a mid-coast maine venue…this place kicks ass.

the views yesterday were obscured by some CRAZY fog…which meant we couldn’t see the spectacular ocean views, but the fog added mystery and whimsy to the day.

waiting to see greg for the first time in her wedding finery.

anticipation!

after they saw each other and took a few minutes to breathe and say, “this is really happening!” it was time to take a few portraits.

isn’t she gorgeous? and isn’t their love lovely?

good lookin’ bridal party, huh?!

dani had her heart set on peonies for her bouquet…problem is…peonies aren’t a july flower. but her mother-in-law discovered that if you pick peony buds and leave them in the fridge (for up to 3 months!) they’ll keep…you just take them out of the fridge 3 days or so before you want to use them so they’ll open up. her bouquet turned out SOOO pretty! (and, i’m sorry, but i have to brag a little…i went up early on thursday and my awesome 2nd shooter and i (thanks allison!) stripped the flowers and made all those pretty bridesmaid bouquets during the rehearsal dinner. seriously proud of them. )

what’s that? you want a closer-up view? ok. i can accommodate that.

sometimes…brides want to take their veils off after the ceremony. and sometimes…i go ahead and hang onto them for them. and sometimes…this is what i look like.

(i’m not sure if i’m proud or chagrined that this is NOT the only picture of me that i have like this.)

when there are guests at a wedding that i know from previous weddings i’ve shot…i always try to make it a point to take an updated picture for them. amanda & matt were previous clients, and kristen now has herself a rob…and she was one of amanda’s bridesmaids.

dani’s mom made all the table runners (and the ring bearer’s pillow. and the FOUR flower girl dresses. and the ribbon cuffs for all of the bouquets), her bridesmaids (and a groomsman) helped with boutonnieres and table arrangements, and a bunch of us worked on the centerpieces for the guest tables. i told you dani’s SPECIAL…the way everyone came together to help her achieve her vision is proof ten times over of how loved she is.

there’s a lot more that i could show you, but i feel a bit like a runaway train already.
dani & greg…you two are marvelous, and i love you bunches! thanks SO much for inviting me to be a part of your day, and thanks for INSISTING we join the party. have an AMAZING time on your cruise & make sure i see you before you leave for PA!
(and thanks again to the awesome allison who flew up from savannah to help rock this wedding.)

this might be a record: blogging a wedding the same week i sent the images to the clients! (ok, no…i HAVE done this before, but i’m a delinquent blogger, so i haven’t done it ENOUGH.)

i love all my clients, but houston + christy are special. i was introduced to them by one of my besties…and they welcomed me into their little community down in montrose. i joined them for their new year’s eve celebration…i saw houston practice his mad bar tending skillz…(let’s be honest…i drank the fruits of said practice.) i’ve met their kitty…slept in their spare bedroom…i did christy’s hair for their engagement session…was there the morning she had to go see the seamstress about getting her dress altered. when i say they invited me to join in their celebration, i mean, i really became a part of it…i become friends with most of my clients, but some become friends for life. houston + christy fall into that category.

they chose to see one another before the ceremony, and it was beautiful. tensions run high on a wedding day, and these two’s cares visibly melted away when they saw each other. “oh, it’s you.”

we then had time to do portraits of the smokin’ hot (hobbit) couple…as all their friends call them. (hey! i can say it b/c christy and i are the same height!)

anyone who knows houston will laugh, because this is just SO HIM. and christy is just…stunning.

christy and her best friends watching all the guests arrive.

christy’s father was ill and unable to be there, so houston went and met her halfway, and they continued to the altar together.

they took communion as part of their ceremony, and christy forgot that she was doing this in front of a hundred plus people and pulled a nice healthy bite of bread from the loaf. the assembled guests then waited very patiently while she chewed. and chewed. and chewed. (and giggled quite a lot in between.) moments like this…the unscripted “mistakes” are often the parts of the wedding day that people hold most dear in their memories.

i like to remind grooms…”when you kiss her, make it count! a quick little peck doesn’t work for photos!” houston’s response? “don’t worry; i’ve done this before. kissing! that is.”

this couple got married just a couple weeks after christy + houston, and they said this is their favorite picture of them ever. i’m hoping that’s not true anymore, now that they’ve got wedding pictures! capturing moments of connection between friends and family at the party contributes to telling the story of the entire day.

houston’s grandpa. don’t you kind of want him to be your grandpa, too?

(thanks to the guys who decorated their car for setting me up for this one!)

i’m sitting in my hotel room in brooklyn (not sleeping when i SHOULD be; i have a long drive home tomorrow.)

yesterday’s wedding was uh-mazing. no…that’s not extreme enough. it was AMAZING.

here’s one of my favorite shots from the day…but there are LOTS of other incredible photos.

today i met up with jess & matt who’re getting married in a couple months in maryland. we wandered around and enjoyed spring in NYC.

i’ve gotta give props to both these fantastic couples…jen hiked over some rather sizable boulders…in her wedding dress! (she agrees the photos are SO worth it, though) and jess & matt didn’t blink when i suggested we ignore fences…and hop up on a vintage truck that was waiting around to be on a movie set. YOU ALL ROCK.

and now. i think i will go to sleep.