Jamie and I traveled to Cambridge last Saturday to meet up with Jennifer & Pete for their engagement session.  Harvard Square is the place where they decided they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, so it was the perfect location for their photo shoot!

It was a gorgeous evening; it had been rainy for the past several days (both before and after) this session.  As usual when faced with cloudy skies, we prayed for some sun and were so excited when it made an appearance:

These two are ‘self-reportedly’ shy, but always end up in conversations with the homeless or street performers in the area.  Thanks to this tendency, they always end up meeting interesting people in random places.  And they’re just as down to earth and friendly as can be, so I can see how they could relate to just about anybody.

Pete proposed to Jennifer last August.  They went hiking together, and he brought a big bag with a bottle of wine and the ring.  It ended up raining on them, so they found a cave for shelter, where Pete got down on one knee.  Of course, Jenny said, “Yes”, and they have been planning the wedding details ever since!   These two will be married later this fall.

Aren’t they an adorable couple?  So in love, and naturals in front of the camera;  I can’t wait to photograph these guys all dressed up on the wedding day!

Thanks, Pete & Jenny,  for the walk around Harvard Square!

Bryce and Courtney married at the Cathedral in Portland this fall.  These two are so in love, you can see it in every image of the two of them.  Their engagement session was a blast; I just stood back, allowed them to be “them”, and took some amazing images with so much emotion.  I knew their wedding would be the same, and I was so excited to have the big day finally arrive!  These two are both completely down to earth, kind, sentimental, non-pretentious, and so comfortable to be around.  This is one of the nicest couples you will ever meet, and it was such a pleasure to be there for them to document all of the emotion of the wedding day.

Here is a little of the story of Bryce & Courtney:

How they met…

High-water khaki pants, a mismatching blazer and Timberland work boots were the first things Courtney saw when she walked into Court for a training session at work.  He was cute, he was intelligent and he was everything Courtney could dream of. 
Red in the face, unable to make eye contact and a huge grin were the first things Bryce noticed when Courtney walked into the room.  She was pretty, she was smart and she was everything Bryce was looking for.
Bryce immediately introduced himself and they couldn’t stop talking.  Where did you go to college?  Do you like your job?  How long were you in Spain?  Their curiosity was never-ending.  The proceeding ended and they both walked out happy to have met but unsure of how to continue.
On a courageous Friday night later that month Courtney decided to add Bryce as a friend on Facebook.  No message, no introduction, just “will you be my friend?”  Bryce promptly accepted and asked her to go out for drinks.  Not only did they go for drinks that weekend, but a run the next afternoon and pizza the next night.  Since then they’ve been inseparable.  On February 5th, 2011 Bryce asked Courtney to be inseparable forever. 

The Proposal…

It was February 5th, 2011.  The stark blue sky fought attention from the gleaming sun as it danced across the crisp white snow creating a mystical glitter for view as they drove to their destination.  Not knowing what was to come, Courtney could sense love in the air as she placed a “wedding cd” in the player.  Bryce wondered if she knew, but didn’t want to make any assumption.  They sang along and exchanged smiles as if it was their first date. 
 
Champagne and chocolate covered strawberries greeted Courtney and Bryce as they entered the cozy log cabin and unpacked.  Just as planned, Bryce and Courtney shortly took off for their first “adventure” up Mt. Battie in Camden, Maine.  They snow shoed to the top of the mountain to get a glimpse of nature’s beauty. 
Their decent began and Bryce’s mind started to race.  His thoughts were onto the next task- proposing to share life and eternity with Courtney.  Oblivious to the whole thing Courtney trotted down the mountain absorbing every moment with the love of her life.  
They arrived back at the cabin later that afternoon.  Wasting no time, Courtney cracked into the strawberries as Bryce got out the tool kit- a spool of string and a diamond ring.  He sat her down on the bed, looked into her eyes and started to profess his love for her.  At that moment she knew what was next.  Tears filled her eyes and her hand trembled as Bryce took it and tied a string around her left ring finger.  Best friends, soul mates, true love were the thoughts flowing through her mind as butterflies filled Courtney’s stomach.  The moment she had been waiting for- as Bryce slid the ring down the string onto her finger the words “will you marry me” breathed through his lips.  As if her expression and tears of joy didn’t say enough, she blurted out “yes, of course I will marry you- I love you!” 

What they love about each other…

Courtney:  “I love Bryce for his compassion and focus.  When he loves someone or wants something he works really hard to show it.  Bryce has wrote me love letters, given me numerous back rubs and given me more compliments then I’ve gotten my whole life.  He doesn’t just love me, he makes me feel loved through compassion and dedication.  
Another thing about Bryce is how focused he is with his job.  He works with severely mentally ill people and spends more time trying to help them then anyone else.  He is patient with them and often times spends his own money on assisting them.  He also rewards offenders with Dunkin Donuts gift certificates and other small prizes for doing well.  He is a great model for others in his office on how to work with people that are challenged.”
 
Bryce:  He loves Courtney for her generosity and devotion.  He is always impressed with how often she bakes for people at work or makes cards when they need encouragement.  When Courtney gets a gift she often likes to give back x10.  He has admired that trait from the beginning and is happy he found someone like that.
 
He also loves how devoted and committed she is.  Running is one of her favorite hobbies and she will do whatever it takes to fulfill any goal she sets in connection with it.  You’ll often see her outside when the temperature is below zero only because it is on her training log.  Although Bryce can think she am crazy at times, he is always impressed with how she sticks to her word.

In addition to running, Courtney is also addicted to extremely high heels!  Preparations took place at the Portland Harbor Hotel.

Their very first date took place at Ri Ra in Portland, so it was only fitting that they have their ’First Look’ in the same spot to begin their wedding day:

Bryce is a Parole Officer…

The wedding ceremony was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  Heather, my second photographer, captured this sweet moment before Courtney walked down the aisle:

Bryce and Courtney tied a cord of three strands, called “God’s Knot”.  This symbolizes that two Christians that are bound together in Christ are stronger than the individuals, themselves.  Their marriage will take three:  God, Bryce, and Courtney (Ecclesiastes 4:12). 

The reception took place at Harbour’s Edge in Portland, Maine.  Heather was inside photographing cocktail hour, and I was outside with Courtney & Bryce.  I love that she was able to catch this little girl inside, watching as they arrived in the horse & carriage!

It was absolutely FREEZING when we were taking these photos of the bridal party; it actually snowed a few hours later toward the end of the reception.  This was the Saturday before Halloween… very rare weather for that time of year!

There were so many beautiful details at the reception that it was hard to choose what to feature on the blog.  The room was filled with homemade signs, hanging candles, fall decor, candy, flowers, birch flower vases, family wedding portraits, and the list goes on and on.  The reception room was entirely personalized with things that represent this couple.

DJ services provided by Jerry Bazata… as always, he did an amazing job…

October snow… this is the start of it.  As the night went on, Portland was blanketed in a thick, heavy coating of white. Following the wedding, Courtney & Bryce headed off to Africa for their honeymoon.

Bryce & Courtney, we loved documenting your wedding day – thanks for the invitation to work with you!

This couple was married in Portland this year.  The bride (Melissa) knows a lot of couples that we have worked with in the past, so when she contacted me last year she had already settled on me as her wedding photographer!  I am grateful for all those brides who refer friends to us; word of mouth is my favorite way to book our clients.  In such cases, they have already seen extensive work from friends’ weddings, so it helps establish a great rapport from the ‘get-go’.  Since they know so many of our brides, I felt like Dan and Melissa were friends already, from the moment we worked with them at the engagement session. 

One cool fact about these two: Melissa has the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen, and Dan has bright green eyes.  Both are extremely unique features, all wrapped up into one cute couple!

Melissa and Dan met at college in 2003, and it was love at first sight.  Their official first date was dinner, and then a walk at Pine Point Beach in Scarborough.  We went out to Pine Point on the wedding day to capture some images in the same spot that this relationship began.  Several years after dating, they started a weekly routine of taking their two yellow labs (Guinness and Murphy) to that same beach.  This is also where Dan proposed.  They wanted to be married as close to Pine Point as possible, so they had their reception out at The Landing.  They say that opposites attract, and these two are no exception.  They compliment each other in every way… Melissa is a ‘go-getter’, and Dan is laid back and relaxed.  They are both as sweet as can be, and the wedding was absolutely beautiful.

Hair/makeup was done at Envy Hair Salon in the Old Port; they did an amazing job!

Flowers by Sawyer & Company; love the acorn on the bride’s bouquet!

Melissa and Dan absolutely LOVE the Old Port, so we wanted to integrate it into their images, as much as possible. 

I didn’t pose Melissa for these detail shots (I almost never do for these types of images), and I love the way she naturally stood in her dress.  It made my job so easy!

My second photographer, Heather, visited the men to capture Dan’s preparations:

The wedding was held at Saint Luke’s Parish in Portland:

We spent a bit of the session in the Old Port, before heading out to Pine Point Beach…

Though it threatened to rain on us the entire time we were outdoors, we felt just a few sprinkles.  As soon as we arrived at Pine Point beach, our prayers were answered, and the sun made an appearance with this gorgeous light just for a few moments!

Thanks, Dan & Melissa; we absolutely loved working with you both!

 We had the pleasure of photographing this beautiful fall wedding in the Portland/Falmouth area.  Jamie (my husband) and I had worked with Matt & Karen before for their engagement session and felt like we knew them quite well by the time the wedding rolled around.  Both Karen & Matt are laid back, fun-loving, and kind, and I loved every minute we spent with them!  Both of their families were gracious enough to make us feel right at home the instant we met them.

Here’s a little bit of their story:  Matt & Karen met in November of 2007 when Matt started work at Blackwell Publishing in the Boston area.  His desk was directly next to Karen’s; by May the entire office assumed they were dating, and by the end of July they actually were!  They spent much of their dating relationship enjoying the nightlife in Inman Square and Hanover Street, and every summer they would travel to stay at Karen’s family’s Cape house in Falmouth, ME.  Together, they enjoy cooking for friends (and having the favor returned), a nice bottle of Malbec, dark chocolate, walking around the city, How I Met Your Mother, and watching the local news.

I love that when Matt proposed in August of 2010, he initially forgot to ask Karen to marry him!  He got on one knee, showed her the ring, and said, “What do you think?”  Thankfully, Karen had the presence of mind to say, “Yes!”   

Preparations for the wedding day took place at Karen’s family’s home.  I loved Karen’s shoes!

An unexpected gift from a friend; Karen had to work hard to keep her makeup fresh…

The decor of her parents’ home matched the wedding colors:

What a beautiful girl… the style of dress & hairdo Karen chose fit her personality perfectly.

I love this classic moment of the chauffeur with Karen’s things, talking with the bridesmaid (it reminds me of something Norman Rockwell would paint).

The ceremony took place at Sacred Heart Church in Portland, Maine.  The church was GORGEOUS!!!

Heather, my second photographer, captured this sweet moment between father and bride, right before she walked down the aisle:

This young lady came up for a blessing during communion, and asked the priest to bless her baby, too…

Matt’s fun side:

We had beautiful golden sunlight during the bride & groom session.  Though we were hoping for more fall color for this wedding (Karen and Matt love the bright fall foliage), the sunlight helped turn those ‘sort-of-yellow’ trees into vibrant background color!

There was a full band at the reception (The Tony Boffa Band), and they did an amazing job of getting things moving throughout the night…  the dance floor was absolutely packed, the entire evening!

Thanks, Matt & Karen; we thoroughly enjoyed photographing your wedding day story!

These two were married this year in Augusta, at one of the prettiest churches in town.  Chris and Angela were so inspiring to work with… full of fun, laid back, and up for anything! 

Chris proposed on Christmas Eve, on the lakeside by his mother’s house.  To incorporate the special details of the proposal into the wedding day, they planned their wedding reception at a camp on the same lakeside, and even had mini Christmas trees as favors at the wedding!  Ours has been planted in our front lawn; now, I need to learn how to keep it alive. 

Chris’s proposal was so surprising to Angela, and she could never have imagined that he would be able to plan such a “cunning surprise with a slew of decoy presents (i.e. duct tape, among the fake gifts).”  The ‘Christmas Eve Party’ ended in his proposal and her acceptance.  Chris’s family was in on the surprise, and both their families met for the first time that night.  Angela said she had never felt more love than at that moment in her life. 

Things that Angela loves about Chris:  “He is a big kid at heart, which means surprises and jokes aplenty.  We balance each other perfectly.  I fall in love with him all over again everytime I think of that proposal, which was entirely all him.”  Angela describes herself as very ‘type A’, and I would also say she is a very ‘gutsy girl’ – she finished school earlier this year, took the bar exam this summer, and found out the results just a mere two weeks before the wedding date!

Chris kept us smiling all day…

Here’s a tip for getting those kids to go down the aisle without stage fright:  The ringbearer was holding a piece of candy in his left hand; the flower girl followed him all the way to the front with a big smile on her face!  You can tell in the image that she is holding onto something in his hand…

The cute flower girl couldn’t decide if she wanted to be in this shot, or not  :)

The wedding party rode in a trolley to the reception.  I was quite pleased to see that they matched the inside of the trolley, perfectly!

Love this shot:

It was difficult to get out there along the ledge of this pond, but the bride and groom were up for anything!  I love this image of the men helping the ladies over the little creek along the edge of the bank.

True to form, Chris pretended he was going to throw Angela into the water.  She didn’t seem fazed a bit; it seems she is used to this sort of behavior!

We found a gorgeous wooded area right next to the lake – the perfect spot for some amazing images.

I adore this photo of Angela:

The reception was at the camp lodge, so it was decorated quite appropriately!

Christmas trees!

The look on Chris’s face when he learned that Angela was making more during the ‘dollar dance’ than he was:

Thanks, Chris & Angela, for the invitation to document your big day!

Last week, I had the opportunity to get together with this cute couple for their engagement session.  They chose Ft. Williams Park, simply because they wanted a location where they could bring their black lab, “Boston” to the session!  

Heather and Mike met at Gritty’s in the Old Port, 3.5 years ago.  The night they met, Mike bet Heather that the Giants would beat the Patriots in the 2008 Superbowl (Mike is a Giants fan, and Heather is a Pats fan) – the winner of the bet would take the other out to dinner.  Even though Heather lost, Mike still treated her to dinner, and the rest is history!

The Proposal:

These two were engaged last December, and though Heather will admit that Mike is not the romantic type, his proposal was very much so.  When Heather came home from work on a Friday night close to Christmas day, she noticed all the lights were out, candles were lit, and Bos (their dog, Boston) had on a jingle bell Christmas collar with a note attached that said Bos wanted her to go to the basement.  She thought this was unusual, but instead of expecting a ring, Heather thought it may be a Christmas surprise.  In the basement, she found a very sweet poem from Mike, detailing how they had met, and how he had fallen in love with her, along with directions for her to go into the back yard.  When she opened the basement door and walked outside, she saw “Will U Marry Me?” written in huge letters in Christmas lights all along the fence.  Mike was on one knee under the lights.  Heather LOVES Christmas, so it was extra special that he had proposed to her this way.  Of course, Heather said YES, and they will be married in June of 2012.

 Thanks, you two, for the time we spent together capturing these images; can’t wait for the wedding!

Ryan and Mandy are a wonderful couple; from the moment I met them, I felt like we had known them for years.  We covered their wedding at  The Samoset Resort this year, and it was so much fun to work with them.  They are so in love, it was easy to capture wondeful moments & expression between them throughout the day!  

I asked Ryan and Mandy a bit about their relationship and the wedding day:

 ”We met through mutual friends 8 years ago and although not love at first sight, we had an instant connection. We were drawn to each other immediately and little did we know, we were about to spend the rest of our lives together. We are truly each other’s better halves and this was certainly shown in the style of our wedding. Our wedding day was perfect and everything we could have asked for. Most importantly, it expressed so much of who we are as individuals and also as husband and wife to our short and sweet yet intimate and family oriented ceremony, to our very social cocktail hour out on the water, to our awesome party on the dance floor.”

Mandy was a GORGEOUS bride!

Ryan and the guys got ready at the Flume Cottage:

I love Ryan’s expression when he saw Mandy for the first time on the wedding day:

These two planned the timing of their entire day around what the light would be doing outside.  It allowed us to get that sunset lighting during their bride/groom session; I love the way their images turned out!

The reception was held in the ballrooom; there were tons of kids at the wedding, and this couple had lots of favors awaiting them at the reception.

First dance

Photo booth, courtesy of Top Hat Photo Booths!

The cake was not only gorgeous, but it tasted really good, too (a hard combo to find in a wedding cake)!

This cute young man caught the garter…

Like I said, there were kids everywhere, especially when it came to ‘tearing up the dance floor’ at the end of the night!

We saw more amazing dance moves at this wedding than at any other wedding we have shot:

Aren’t they just adorable?

Thanks, guys, for inviting us to capture these memories for you!