Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Liana & James' Wedding!

A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of shooting Liana & James' wedding. These two are such a fun, sweet, wonderful, not-to-mention-gorgeous couple and I had a BLAST spending the day with them and their friends & family! I shot over 4,600 images that day!!! I told you, I had a blast :) Not so much fun was the editing process of going through all of those images, but I've finally narrowed it down and am super excited to share some with you!!

The day started as I met Liana and her bridesmaids at her parents' house up in Nahant. It was totally exciting, and definitely overwhelming, to walk up the steps to the door and have a gaggle of bridesmaids all waiting there to welcome me! They were all soooo excited to "get started"! So started, we got...



Liana opening her present from James - a gorgeous bracelet




Checking out the dress with her sister, and maid-of-honor, Jamie


Waiting at the top of the stairs to go down and see Dad



And this would be when Dad started crying, and when all the rest of us started crying!


Stylist from Peacock Alley putting on the veil



A few shots of the girls outside the house


There's something about the way that bridesmaid is standing in the background that makes me LOVE this shot!


and there she is again...


The ceremony was at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Weston, MA.



This may be my favorite shot of the day!



There were tons of moments like this one throughout the ceremony. I couldn't help but smile watching these two whisper and smile at one another the whole time. They got an especially good laugh when the ceremonial crown got stuck in her hair, but we'll leave those pictures for the proofs ;)



Married!


They don't look happy at all, do they?! ;)



A cute moment in the Bentley on the way to the reception. I love tagging along in the car!!



We arrived at the Saphire Estate just in time to capture some portraits outside, and to get Liana & James down to the lake for the sweet pre-sunset light!



Careful, these next two are HOT!




The happy couple!



Then it was back up to the reception! I loved the centerpieces by North Shore Fruit & Flowers.



They choreographed their first dance, and it was AWESOME! And you guys were nervous! ;)




The Father-Daughter dance


My favorite thing about this wedding was the party! These guys had one of the most packed and energetic dance floors I've ever seen at a wedding! Everyone was dancing and having a great time!




The band, OnLine, really knew how to work the crowd! They were especially good at getting James pumped up ;)




There were also some sweet moments on the dance floor...




But for the most part, it was high energy! Liana's Dad was cracking me up!!


And this series really just sums up the whole day... very sweet, very fun, and very James & Liana!



Thanks again you guys, for everything! Your wedding was awesome and I'm so glad I could be a part of it!!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Britt & Mike - mini eSession

I got an email from Britt earlier this summer. She was looking for a photographer for her wedding next May on the Cape, and she wanted to see if she could set up a time to meet with me and do their engagement session while they were in town. How can you not love a bride who's ready to book her eSession before she's even met you in person!?!

Britt & Mike live in D.C. but were coming to town for some wedding planning, and a visit with Britt's family. They're big baseball fans, and Britt loves those Red Sox, so we met up at Boston Beer Works by Fenway to talk wedding plans, look at albums, and get to know each other a bit before their eSession. We had a great time chatting and laughing (or gagging) over Britt's fried pickles ;) It turns out we have a lot in common and it was more like hanging out with old friends than having a meeting with new clients. So, after we'd hung out for a while we decided to head outside to shoot for while before we got caught in the rain...


Mike loves the Orioles, Britt loves the Red Sox - somehow they've worked through it and still love each other :)





I love how much they make each other laugh



and how he's all whole head taller than her!




and I love the views around Fenway!



We had to include a few shots with thier "baby," Tessa :)






At this point we'd only been shooting for about 15 or 20 minutes and the drizzle was really dampening our spirits, and my camera equipment. So, we decided to hold off and finish our engagement session the next time they're in town. It may not be until the holidays, but I'm looking forward to some snowy engagement photos of Mike & Britt later this year :)

Thanks again you guys for a fun, albeit short afternoon! I'm really excited to work with you and get to know over the next few months!! And I'm praying that you both passed the bar :)

Monday, September 15, 2008

The Flip Flop Regatta

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing a big fundraiser for The ALLY Foundation. The ALLY Foundation was established in memory of Alexandra Nicole Zapp, who was murdered by a repeat sex offender on July 18, 2002. The Foundation, founded and run by Ally’s mother and stepfather, has a mission to prevent opportunities for violent sex offenses, to educate the public and advocate for necessary changes in culture, attitude and policy. For the past six years, her friends and family have celebrated Ally's life and raised money for her cause by combining some of the things she loved - sailing, celebrations, and flip flops. The result has been the Flip Flop Regatta.

I wasn't able to actually photograph the race that weekend, but I did get to shoot the Mount Gay Rum Tent Parties on both Friday and Saturday nights. Both events were so fun, and I'm so blessed to have been a part of it!


Friday night's party got off to a very, very wet start...


But the The Cocabanana Band was great and helped keep everyone's spirits up, and feet moving!



The event chairs, John Ricci and Koryn Okey (formerly of Boston Weddings Magazine)



Ally's mother Andrea, step-father Steven, and sister with a friend at the party on Friday night. Andrea and Steven were two of the nicest people I've ever met. It's really amazing what they've done with this tragedy in their lives, and the hope they've been able to see through it all.



Me and Koryn at the end of the night :)


Saturday turned out to be a PERFECT day for sailing!! Not a drop of rain, and plenty of wind and sunshine.



After the race, everyone came back to the Tent Party for some more fun, as well as a silent auction. There were some amazing items up for bidding!


There was also some delicious food & drinks provided by PapaRazzi, Hot Tomatoes, and SoulFire.



Saturday night's festivities included a brief address from ALLY Foundation founder, Andrea Cassanova. There was a lot of excitement about the event...


...and a lot of emotion. The regatta is a fun time and an exciting opportunity to raise money for a great organization. But for those who knew and loved Ally, it's also a reminder of why they're doing this in the first place.



One of the winning teams from Saturday's race



And on to some fun from the dance floor!









I ran into my friend Tiffany, of Alternate Angles, that afternoon. She was having a blast!



The dance floor was rockin' all night long - thanks to the awesome band that night, Infractions!


A final shot of Steven & Andrea


And the view from the pier on Saturday night... amazing!!



Thank you, Koryn and Andrea and Steven, for inviting me to be a part of this event! Thank you for making me feel so welcome and so appreciated. And a special thanks to the sponsors of the Flip Flop Regatta: Mount Gay Rum, Vineyard Vines, Sperry, Atlantis, US Sailing, CleanHarbors, Island Issue, SmartWater, Long's, Fairmont Copley Plaza, and Papa Razzi. This was a great event, and they couldn't have done it without your help!

It was a fabulous weekend, and I'm so glad I could contribute to such a great cause! If you'd like to learn more about The ALLY Foundation, or make a contribution, please click here!

If you'd like to see more of the photos, click here.