hi everyone! i’m in germany! i love germany. LOVE it. i’ve been to a few european countries, but i’ve spent the most time in germany. i can’t say it’s my enduring love…but it’s my first love. i landed yesterday, and after we reached our destination…we went for a walk in wiesbaden. i love that my split-up-over-several-days session with billi & lauren includes regular everyday activities. yesterday included a walk to the park in wiesbaden center…we went through a garden and had a drink at the biergarten near the casino…

i hope someday when/if i have a family i have the chance to bring a photographer along to capture some of our everyday type rituals!

and now, i think the tylenol PM will kick in…at least i hope so! we’ve got a lot more fun times planned for the weekend, so my crazy sleep cycle needs to get on board with this europe thing.

i believe this is one of january’s images.

(this is one of my favorite pictures from the whole day.)
jan did a great job capturing the details while i photographed the family group portraits. the food at this wedding was very special; it was all sourced from local artisans and farmers.

i. love. sparkler. exits! this one was a little bit extra exciting because the exit path idea changed a few times and information didn’t filter to sparkler holders and/or bride & groom…but what’s a wedding day without a funny memory to look back on? and…it turned out ok…we still captured the sparkler magic!

they had their ceremony and reception at the french creek golf club in elverson, pa. special thanks to january newbanks for flying to PA to help me shoot this wedding…while pregnant! what a rockstar.

in the beginning, i loved everything that pushed the boundary on “traditional”. anything that created extra interest in the end-product photos. now…now i’m happy to photograph anything that happens. i know that couples make the choices they make thoughtfully…and as such, it’s a priority for them. which means it’s a priority to me.

a few years ago, if anyone had asked me what i thought of receiving lines, i probably would have said that they took time and didn’t provide great photo ops. NOW…i will amend that to say that they take time, but can provide an amazing opportunity to get candids of most of the wedding guests looking happy fairly quickly. they may not look as delighted the whole rest of the day as they will when they are congratulating the newly married couple. if the receiving line takes place in pleasing conditions (good light, colorful backdrop), in the span of 15 minutes, not only will the bride and groom get to thank each and every person who went out of his or her way to attend the celebration…the photographer can capture all those beloved faces with consistent exposures…which is GREAT for wedding albums!

i’ve been thinking about this a lot the last few days while designing an album layout for a wedding i photographed in october. the receiving line took place outdoors in a garden, so the light was gorgeous and there were still flowers blooming all around. having these images as part of the record of the day enabled me to design this…which is one of my favorite album layouts ever! i love the colors, and i love being able to include so many of the couple’s favorite people in their album…the book they’re going to treasure and look at every time they want to relive the day they promised each other forever!

tips if you’re considering having a receiving line:

*if possible–do it outside! pick a location that has lots of pretty colors and good light. (i also loved the images from a receiving line that took place inside in a greenhouse. that soft filtered light was GORGEOUS.)
*make sure your photographer knows you’d love to have lots of images of your guests as you greet them. to create layouts like this, your photographer(s) will also need to take a few moments to capture the scene-setting details.
*have a plan: ensure that everyone in the receiving line knows he/she is supposed to be in the line, where it will be happening, the order to line up in, and how soon after the ceremony it will be (will everyone exit and immediately line up, or will the bride and groom take a breather prior to greeting their guests?)

this lovely and happy woman is the generous soul on whose property the wedding took place. her son is next to her…and he rang a bell after the ceremony (see below!) which i LOVED.

can i just say…i LOVE jewish weddings…the horah is AWESOME. also…i go to a lot of weddings…and most weddings are full of people who love to dance. but…NOT LIKE THESE PEOPLE. right after the horah, they played “i gotta feeling” by the black eyed peas…i have honestly never seen anything like it.mmmm, refreshing!

jess + matt…thanks for the adventures last year! from crashing movie sets in NYC to seeing osprey nests in maryland, i had a great time being part of your celebration and documenting your love.

paul had been waiting for this day for a very long time. i loved seeing the emotion on their faces as they prepared to promise each other everything.

one of the best parts about having 2 photographers, especially in a church ceremony, is the ability to get multiple perspectives without moving around and being distracting. for this ceremony, gail hung out in the balcony, and i sat up front to get a more intimate perspective.the grandma. i LOVE this picture.this one was all gail; she was practically hanging out the car window to get it while i navigated the chinatown traffic.

chinese weddings often have a lengthy break between the ceremony and the reception. in our case, this worked out wonderfully, as there was PLENTY of time to explore boston and get some killer portraits. naomi and paul did their homework; they knew EXACTLY where they wanted to go. we started off at the boston public library. the security guard told us we couldn’t go in, but deigned to allow us a few minutes in the outer lobby.

but naomi was NOT having that. when we were done using that space, she said, “let’s walk around and try the other side.” which, of course, made me want to hug her.

i was kind of afraid of the security guard, i’m not gonna lie, but we had absolutely zero trouble getting in through another entrance…and i am so glad we persevered! the image on top is gail’s, i believe, and the one below is my perspective.

after making good use of the stunning boston public library, we had time to grab a few shots in chinatown that showed off the interesting architectural details. then it was time to head back to the reception.

shooting the rings is one of my favorite things to do at every wedding…it’s such a fun challenge to find interesting colors and textures in what is available in the immediate area. the above picture makes use of one of their bamboo centerpieces. in the bottom picture, the sparklies in the back are from naomi’s bracelet, and i set them all on some stainless steel catering equipment in an area of the restaurant that wasn’t being used…i love the reflection!

at asian weddings, it is customary for the bride and groom to go to each table to greet their guests. each table chooses a representative who presents the couple with gifts and reads words of support and wisdom.

another interesting practice i’ve never seen before was…games! this is the tail end of an epic musical chairs battle. they had (pretty awesome) prizes for the winners.

vendor information
church:  sacred heart parish in quincy, ma
reception venue + catering:  empire garden in boston, ma
DJ:  rob ferraz, five star entertainment
cake: ivy’s fine cakes and pastries
wedding emcee:  athena phan
photographer:  gwyneth colleen photography
2nd shooter:  gail werner

her brooch bouquet was an etsy collaboration project.  (check back later for store information.  i’ll add it after meg tells me who its creator is!)

her clutch and gloves (and below pictured vintage fur coat–also an etsy find!) perfectly highlighted her glamorous style.

they chose to see one another for the first time in the salon at l’espalier at the mandarin oriental…where everyone would convene later for their reception dinner. the photo on the left–where meghan looks like a FREAKING MOVIE STAR–was walking through the prudential center. i saw pretty light and said, “WAIT. STOP. RIGHT THERE. GOOD.”
waiting to head into the ceremony which was held in the tiny children’s chapel at old south church.  it was perfect for the intimate, family-only ceremony meghan and leo planned.lighting the candle with her sister.  they lost their mother not very long ago, and her presence was sorely missed.
immediately after the ceremony

after the ceremony, we waited a little while for darkness to fall and then headed toward comm ave to create some magical images with the fairy lights in the background.
they got a chance to go in and view the magic in process and say hello to the chef….super cool! 

they don’t joke around about their fancy food…this was something like 12 courses. these were the wines selected to be served with the different courses.

i was available, and she DID make it back…which just made it all the more fun.  i joined them in worcester to photograph this awesome wedding.  you can see their slideshow of the day here, but i wanted to share just one or two of my favorite images from the day.

this venue was AMAZING.  they had their reception at the mechanics hall in worcester…and it was so, so stunning.  thanks again, m&m (haha, see what i did there?) for letting me come party with you.  ALWAYS a good time!

boston in the winter means…fairy lights on comm ave.  after their ceremony at old south church, the three of us trekked over there to make this magic happen.  i’m kind of in love with it.

ashlee + jesse are amazing and awesome and some of my favorites.  (i have a lot of favorites, bc i firmly believe that only awesome people hire me.  which, y’know, i’m pretty much fine with!)  also, i highly, highly recommend them as friends…esp getting beer and tacos at agave on monday nights.  they have THE BEST STORIES EVAR.

ashlee got ready at the always fabulous hawthorne hotel, they were married at jesse’s alma-mater st. john’s prep, and they had their reception at the peabody-essex museum, which is truly fantastic!  the day was coordinated flawlessly by unique weddings by alexis, the florals were executed by flowers by darlene, alan with elegant entertainment kept the dance floor hoppin’, and everyone’s favorite part of a wedding…the cake! came from montilio’s.  and i can’t forget sam!  samantha of every little moment photography came all the way from utah to help me capture this awesome day.  thanks sam!

this is one of my favorite ring shots EVER!  i love it.

i was in TX…

NYC…

boston (chinatown!)…

connecticut…and then again…

maine’s central coast…twice!

pennsylvania…

new hampshire…

key west…

northern mass…

southern maine…

and i ended up my season in nh…close to home. (no seriously portsmouth, dover, kittery brides…call me! i’m totally ok with the 20 minute drive!)

it was a great year…with lots of miles racked up…in the air and in the car. i’m so grateful to do what i do and to get to see so much of the world doing it. lucky lucky girl am i!

marie with her dad preparing to walk down the aisle.

doesn’t marie look stunning?!

their bridal party was a good time.  :-D

and…what could be more fun than a saber arch entrance into your reception?

a LIGHT SABER arch entrance!

i LOVED the floor in the bar at the salem waterfront hotel.

due to time constraints and weather, we didn’t get to take many portraits of just the bride and groom prior to the ceremony, so we went out and had some fun with the nighttime light in salem.

wedding days that were rainy at the start but clear up for evening…are lots of fun to play with.  i love how light bounces off of wet sidewalks and streets and creates a magical and romantic atmosphere.

marie + rob…sorry i’m such a delinquent blogger!  i had lots of fun at your wedding…and i hope married life is (still) treating you well!

first up in september, january and i flew to PA to be with lindsey & brian.

the next weekend i was up in maine at sebasco harbor resort with ben & debbie.

had a weekend off to prepare for the NEXT weekend…

friday i was surrogate shooter for christa who couldn’t shoot her best friend’s wedding because of being matron of honor…i know…weak excuse.  :-P

saturday morning i was up bright and early to photograph leah’s bat mitzvah…the party was at the portsmouth pearl, which is a super cool venue i’d never even heard of!

first wedding of october was my beloved jess & pete.  oh how i love them.  and we had some lovely light there by the three chimneys inn in durham…

didn’t even have to wait a full week for the next fabulous fall wedding…jess & seth got married on friday at the willowdale estate…another amazing venue i’d never worked at previously…(but fully intend to again!)

saturday morning up bright and early…earlier than i would have liked for sure…to catch a flight to key west for alanna & bobby’s wedding part 1.

i feel like the only way this could be more key west…is if i’d found her some drag queens to pose with.  :-D  the parrot is a little more photogenic, though…

had a rather more…adventuresome…trip home than i’d have liked…(upshot to getting stuck in miami overnight:  friend you haven’t seen in over a decade…and yardhouse happy hour.  but then this past saturday was sarah & zach’s big day…i was so excited for this one…me love them long time…and sarah, well, she is so ridiculously stunning.  i told her if i didn’t love her so much, i’d hate her.  (her other friends totally agree.  :-D)

so…today’s another crazy busy day, so i’d better quit blogging and get back to work!



beth has a totally great story about this dress…it’s a vera wang (right, beth?) which she preselected before seeing it or trying it on.  she found a listing on craigslist and went, by herself, after dark, to chinatown to purchase it.  totally worth the trip.  it was gorgeous.

beth got ready at the ADORABLE inn at camden place.  i don’t think i’ve ever ever ever seen an inn that was so lovely and simultaneously homey and inviting.  walking through the halls, it really felt like i was walking through a home…with the modern amenities and privacy you look for in a hotel.

this photo of beth’s ring also has significance.  beth is a self-professed candy-a-holic, and as it was her birthday two days before her wedding, i bought her some gummy bears to help mark the occasion.  and, of course, had to use a couple to showcase her beautiful ring.

and while i was shooting the ladies, the ever talented tomme hilton, who flew up from SC to help me capture this wedding, was photographing the handsome groom and his men.

their flowergirl was RIDICULOUSLY cute.

after the ceremony we took a little drive up the road to this abandoned barn i’d noticed on the way in.  the colors and the wildflowers growing in front perfectly matched the feel of beth’s aesthetic and details…gorgeous and effortless.

and what would a wedding in maine be without a picture by the sea?

i loved how they brought both of their cultural traditions in to their celebration…from the lebanese cookies as a favor, to circling up to do the hora later on in the evening.

but i’m getting a little ahead of myself…ahead of their beautiful first dance.

back to the hora…josh dancing with his sister.

beth + josh, thanks so much for inviting us to celebrate your decision to join your lives together…i’m so glad i met you both…and beth…i’ll see YOU for lunch on monday.  :-D
(and another thank you to tomme for doing such brilliant work and having lots of fun with me while doing it!)

(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.