(i believe this is joe’s grandma seeing her for the first time.)

the place cards were keys paired with a car (wedding colors, of course).

i always feel so special on the occasions when i get a name card.  :-D

they had kind of a drive-in theme, so the tables were numbered like the opening sequence of a movie.  also, jennie looked far and wide for all of the beautiful milk glass vases you’ll see.

the (delicious) cake was provided by andover cakes.

custom labels in their wedding colors made chocolate bars a sweet favor.  (also, yes…yes, i am blogging their wedding the day after it happened!  a day + a year.  i’ve always said i’m a delinquent blogger!)

i photographed sara’s wedding in 2008.  she and jennie have been best friends for, like, decades.

ok, i’m not afraid to admit that i’m kinda dorky.  i figured with their awesome 50s style, it might be fun (albeit dorky) to do a group shot reminiscent of the ending of a guys and dolls number.  so that’s what’s going on here.  i think the guy on the left’s face/pose is my favorite.

first dance

would it be a wedding without “shout”?

(this guest doesn’t think so.)

we borrowed a guest’s hat for a few more portraits.  i think it fits with the vibe of the day PERFECTLY, don’t you?

we grabbed their friends to help them rock the hat and the piano…

check out those legs and those shoes!  and that skirt!  and those cars!

(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.)

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.)

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!)

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.

when i got there, erin was pretty much ready. i didn’t mind, as it gave us time to get some amazing photos before we headed off to the church.

can you believe this amazingness? no? me neither.

i love this image of erin’s parents/grandparents singing during the ceremony.

man and wife, say man and wife! (sorry, i just recently read “the princess bride”…and then followed it up by watching the movie. btw…the book is highly recommended!)

this may be one of my favorite bridal party pictures EVER. however…let me just tell you what i was doing to GET this image. 1. i was straddling the other side of the bride. i think most of those guys were on the balls of their feet ready to dash across the bride to grab me in case i looked like i was going over. (they were being overly cautious. benefit to being short: awesome center of gravity/balance!) 2. holding the camera OVER my head to get enough space between the subjects and the lens to fit them all in there. this was one lucky snap. it’s hard to frame something when you can’t SEE it! anyway, i think it was all worth it, don’t you agree?

another behind the scenes look: (which will not be surprising to anyone i have photographed before) i was laying on the ground to get this shot. my hs volleyball coach used to yell at me for diving for the ball instead of moving my feet, but…it’s working for me NOW, isn’t it miss strain!

how much do you love the seersucker suits? (correct answer: SO MUCH!)

one of the problems with being a delinquent blogger is you sometimes forget the story behind the photo…like, there’s a reason they’re drinking beer (i want to say it’s because…they really like beer. and they were thirsty, but it MIGHT be more meaningful…but i am a delinquent blogger, so i can’t remember.) also, the 2004 sign on the bridge is perfect, because that is the year they met. or got together. something important. (see: delinquent blogger.)

isn’t she beautiful? erin, you’re beautiful. (and tom, you’re very dapper!)

i’m just gonna say…there’s a reason why certain songs are always played at weddings.

and last but not least…the ring shot.

does this really need a caption?

jonathan is jeff’s brother…so i first met jonathan & caroline at halida & jeff’s wedding in june 2007. (and of course, halida & jeff were at this shindig…it’s always great to catch up with past clients and see how they’re doing!)

anyway, jonathan and caroline had a casual and elegantly playful (can something be elegantly playful? i’m pretty sure it can) affair at the picnic house in brooklyn’s prospect park.

i loved the little name tags on each bouquet. the florist paid such wonderful attention to the little details.

this stuffed crab was given to caroline as a child by a very dear family friend, and it weathered lots of life’s ups and downs with her over the years…so of COURSE it had to be present on her wedding morning.

this shot of the bridal party and close friends so perfectly encapsulates the ESSENCE of who they are together, and how much fun they have…

caroline’s nephew was impossibly adorable…

caroline and her dad (who, if i recall correctly, is a high school principal) tore it UP on the dance floor.

i really enjoyed being a part of their celebration…it was beautiful and very representative of who they are as people…and, of course, it was a GREAT party!

florist: emily white
dress: wai ching
venue: prospect park picnic house

(please forgive the formatting errors; i’ve been fiddling with it for quite a while, and i can’t work out the kinks…soon we’ll be back to more recent weddings where the images are formatted for my current blog dimensions. )

jody was claire’s maid of honor in july last year, and after claire & bobby’s wedding, she contacted me about traveling down to NJ to photograph her wedding.

matt really wanted pictures of his grandpa helping him put on his tie…and i’m SO glad he specifically requested these. they’re some of my favorites from the whole day!

pretty much everyone at the entire wedding doted on this little girl…and, like smart little girls everywhere, she gobbled it right up.

sometimes, when i’m doing family pictures…i tell everyone to pretend they’re on a roller coaster. there are a few reasons for this…
1) because who doesn’t look happy and excited when they’re on a roller coaster? especially if it’s just a pretend one that isn’t actually high up in the air…
2) for the POWAH! it’s intoxicating.

i probably took 100 images trying to get the motion blur in the windows, but i’m glad i persevered!

it was a really cold day, and they’d hired this fabulous trolley to take everyone between the ceremony and reception sites…so we made the most of it!

jody & matt, thanks for inviting me to join your celebration. sorry i’m the world’s most disorganized and delinquent blogger ever, and it took me so long to write about you guys.

then it was time for amy & ben’s first look. i super duper love having a time set aside to capture this moment.
the ever fantastic doug levy was shooting with me, so we’ve got this moment from multiple angles. (which is always awesome.)

the grounds were so amazing…i could have shot there all day (well…i DID shoot there all day, but you know what I mean, right?) unfortunately, the weather didn’t let us do much exploring…i’d love to go back and shoot there again on a non-rainy day!

isn’t she so amazingly beautiful? (i think this shot is doug’s.)

bustling is complicated.

i loved how fanciful their cake arrangement was.

anyone who knows ben would probably agree that this shot encapsulates him pretty well. anywhere ben is, a good time is sure to find him.

i’m not sure, but i’d be willing to put money down that this is “sweet caroline.”

see that tall girl with her arm in the air? that’s joanna. she’s my friend matthew’s little sister. i met matthew in august of 98 when we were both doing a year long internship program in texas. we’ve stayed in touch…(his wife is now my best friend.) anyway, joanna works for amy at her delectable treat construction business…when amy got engaged and started looking for a photographer, joanna passed my name along. and now, to thank her, i will put these pictures of her on the internet. thanks joanna!

(ps: this blurry image on the right only made the cut b/c it is joanna…)

hey amy & ben…i know i’m late with this, but thanks so much for rocking my world and buying me mocha martinis (or whatever those were), and introducing me to pad thai at salvation cafe, and loie fullers in providence. you guys know all the best spots!

the whole day was perfect…relaxed and elegant, just like jason and barrett. (well, the flower girls weren’t particularly relaxed and elegant so much as little firecrackers more full of energy and spunk than any 3 little girls i think i’ve ever met.)

can you guess what happened next?

(don’t worry; the blow dryer did the trick. silk shantung can handle champagne or water and dry gracefully. however, it does not do as well with breastmilk. just for reference.)

barrett’s dad picked everyone up in the roxbury latin school bus for the short trip over to campus. jason was waiting so he could get a first look at his beautiful bride.

they wanted to do all the group pictures before the ceremony (so they could enjoy their cocktail hour), which i love!  their bridal party was lots of fun, and when i told them to do something silly…they totally went with it.  (it was a full mass ceremony, and there is usually a point in the service where the priest exhorts people to greet one another.  so i told the bridal party to do that…and then i couldn’t talk for 3 minutes because i was laughing too hard.  see?)

there are so many things i love about this picture…so many fantastic expressions!

after the ceremony, it was time for my very favorite part: bride & groom portraits. wedding days usually move super quickly…it’s always a creative challenge to take the tiny slice of time allotted for these pictures, and make it feel like there were no time constraints…only time for love and beauty and creativity. i think jason, barrett, and i slam-dunked this in our 15 minutes.

first dance. what i love so, so, so much about this image…they are flanked by their respective parents…and they’re even on the right sides! and i didn’t arrange it…i just got in the right place at the right time.

after the parent dances, everyone started to get their dance on…but my time at the party was drawing to a close.

but…tip: if you want to get me to stay a little later, even after i’ve already checked in and we’ve said, “ok, we’re all good”…have the DJ start playing “sweet caroline” as i’m heading out. i am a new england girl, and i physically canNOT make myself leave until after the last note has played.

(barrett & jason are very savvy and cunning people, and they did this very thing. and i THANK them for it. a new england wedding with dancing is not complete until sweet caroline has had its playtime. i’m just saying.)