ngp now - nancy gould photography blog

we've moved!!!!

2009-07-14T10:36:00.002-05:00

It occured to me that some of you might have this address on your blog readers....so I wanted to be sure to let you know the blog has moved in with the website, and you can see it all right here!

wee baby rory

2009-01-04T16:33:00.003-05:00

My dear friend Karen just had her second baby girl, and I was delighted when I finally got to meet her!!! She made her appearance on Christmas Eve at home (planned), but about two minutes before the midwives arrived! Well done Karen & Todd, way to go on the DIY!

Without further ado....here she is at the ripe old age of 5 days old -

Oh the humanity!!!

with daddy, the baby whisperer...

angel baby....

I don't know how she does it, but Karen just looks absolutely beautiful after having her babies. So happy and literally glowing, even prettier than on her wedding day!

Hello! I'm Rory. You will now love me to bits.

Giving is Awesome portrait winner(s)

2009-01-02T11:42:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
I hope that everyone has enjoyed this holiday season! We had a bit of a rough start here with most of the family being sick, but now everyone is finally feeling better, and we've had a chance to see most of our family and friends.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to write in with nominations for my Giving is Awesome portrait donation. There were so many stories of people who are just doing everything in their power to give all they can to their families, communities, and children.

It was very difficult to decide, but the winner of the $1000 worth of portrait services is a family with three children - two of which have both Autism and Mitochondrial disease. Their parents sound amazing, and I can't wait to meet this family.

For all of the other nominees, I am going to pick one day in the spring, and invite each family to come for their own complimentary mini-session, where they will receive three custom prints and all of the files high-resolution on disc so that they can make their own prints as needed. Each person who nominated the family will receive a $100 credit on a future portrait session.

Thanks again to everyone who wrote in for this event, and I look forward to meeting all your nominees!!

Cheers!
Nancy

ps - just because I can't stand to post without a picture, here's a christmas card reject!

happy holidays!

2008-12-25T19:10:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday and relaxing with friends and family! This year has been a little different than we planned - my youngest has been sick since last Thursday, and my husband was sick for a few days, too....so things didn't really go as planned. We had to cancel plans to get together with friends, and couldn't have my family over for Christmas dinner. As a matter of fact, we're about to dig into some Chinese take-out.
That being said, I haven't had much time out in the studio to go over the nominations for my Giving is Awesome portrait donation. I will go over them and make my decision as soon as possible, but tonight it seems like my older child also caught the bug, so I can't say a specific date right now!

Hope everyone is healthy and happy wherever you are!!!

Cheers,
Nancy

Deb and Bill || Hawthorne Hotel || Salem, MA

2008-12-18T15:46:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season and is ready to get pounded with snow this weekend! Luckily, the snow held off for Deb and Bill's wedding a few weeks ago.

This is one of my new favorite pictures....

The ceremony was at Holy Armenian Apostolic Church the same church where Bill's parents got married, it was really beautiful, even in on a cold day with no leaves on the trees!

Married!!

We did a few pictures on the common, even though it was cold & dark! I love the giant stone gazebo there.

Heading back into the hotel - isn't this just a classic picture? I feel like it could be from 100 years ago. Although, maybe there weren't tiny string lights 100 years ago, but you get the idea.

Christine Turner from The Hawthorne Hotel made sure everything looked perfect.

Cake from Montillio's.

I decided to hang out with Deb & Bill while they were waiting to be introduced since they were being so cute. Did I mention how smitten with each other they are? It's adorable, and also makes it really easy to take great pictures. Here they are practicing their first dance moves.

I know it's hard to imagine what with the pretty chandelier and high ceilings....but the song playing here was The Search is Over by Survivor. Apparently it got vetoed as their first dance song, but I think it's adorable and they clearly enjoyed dancing to it at the end of the night.

I would also like to give a big shout out to Lynne Valeri from Video Design. I don't have any pictures of her here because she is super-stealth and totally respectful when I'm shooting. Love that.

Welcome back from Hawaii Deb & Bill, can't wait to show you the rest!!!

Giving is Awesome!!!

2008-12-09T20:38:00.006-05:00

I know this holiday season is coming up fast and furious for ya'll, but I just wanted to let everyone know about a project I am participating in started by Kristen Kalp from Essential Imagery. It's called Giving is Awesome. The basic gist is to nominate someone who TOTALLY deserves some beautiful custom portraiture of their family, but just can't swing it financially. And, whoever nominates the winner gets a little somethin'-somethin' for themselves, too! Read on for more details....

(and just because posts are boring without pictures, here's a picture of Lee....)

Here's the deal:
You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $1000 worth, to be exact. Whether it's canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $250 credit towards a portrait sitting of their own. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home on the Cape does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in Massachusetts. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : nancy@nancygould.com.

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Cheers!
Nancy

miscellaneous....

2008-12-08T20:13:00.003-05:00

hello there!
i have a bunch of little things i've been meaning to post, but none of them were really business-critical so i've been procrastinating. anyway, if you are bored, here is a short video of my kids at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. It was a really fun place and I highly recommend it if you have kids and will be headed out that way. They are shopping at a mini-Wegman's where the kids could fill their carts, man the bakery counter, and ring up the groceries.

We made the 6-hour road-trip out there with the kids to see my good friend Mary from NESOP. I wish I could say that I got some great pictures of her and her adorable new baby while I was there, but we were far too busy chit-chatting, and also keeping my kids from destroying her house and torturing her dog.
more randomness to come....as well as some pictures from a november wedding!

Antonio's pizza watch out - you have some competition!

2008-11-13T13:41:00.003-05:00

My mom's group had a field trip last week to Hooray for Books in Hopkinton. They do really cool classes there with cooking and books. Mary Murphy had her pizza hat on and was being very entertaining for all of the kids...

My kids decided to do their own thing for a little while....

My friend Kristen's son Luke, it is physically impossible to take a bad picture of this kid!!!

Lee was being very serious.

The best part was the tiny pizza boxes they had, aren't they adorable??

Thanks Mary, we had a great time!!

charlie and his new little sister courtney

2008-11-06T21:10:00.002-05:00

that's right, more adorable children coming your way! I got to see baby Courtney when she was just 7 days old!! She looked just perfect, and her big brother Charlie was an absolute doll. Here she is!

little hands...

and little toes...

Kristine looking pretty awesome considering she probably only slept a total of 4 hours in the last 7 days!

and this is

absolute

favorite.

Congratulations to your growing family!!! She's beautiful!!

jordan + jayna

2008-11-06T11:54:00.003-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from another great portrait session. Jayna was one of my first subjects, I photographed her when she was just a few months old when I was in school at New England School of Photography in 2002. Now she's in second grade - yikes!

Here's Jordan being adorable as we waited for Jayna to get home from school....

Jordan's signature dance move....this totally cracks me up, but I think you need video to do it justice.

Jen thought it would be fun to recreate a picture we did with her and Jayna...here's the one from last month....

And here's the one from 2004!

I love this little series, nothing like sisters...

It was a pleasure, as always!!! Thanks guys!

liam + cate

2008-11-03T22:15:00.005-05:00

I am determined to catch up before Thanksgiving, so here's another post for you! I got to spend a lovely fall afternoon with friends of ours who live right down the road. It really doesn't seem like that long ago when we went to Liam's baby shower in Boston, but, clearly some time has passed!

They were having a tea party when I got there, adorable.

Liam was making faces for Cate's benefit.....

and then launched himself off of the stone wall - check out Cate's face!

I love this series...

Did I mention he can fly?

fall family pictures....

2008-11-03T12:13:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! Cannot believe it's November....

Without further ado, here are some recent family pics from some of my favorite 2004 clients!! I shot some portraits of little Maggie two years ago, and now that she's a big sister, we need equal coverage! Here's the little man...adorable...

As you can see from above, Maggie liked to be on the run during this session. She liked being on dad's shoulders.....

So we seized that opportunity to grab a quick family portrait!

Congratulations! It was so nice seeing you guys again!

how awesome is this????

2008-10-30T20:12:00.004-05:00

hello everyone! i know that I know have four anxious families waiting for their sneak peaks, and they are coming VERY soon, I promise. In the meantime, check out this KICK-ASS picture that my niece took for her freshman high school photography class:

the assignment was a "faceless portrait". rock on megan!!!!

Radiance

2008-10-27T21:58:00.003-05:00

I first saw Radiance at Hayley & Jarod's wedding at Granite Links. They were so much fun. They liked the pictures that I took there, so they asked if I would take some more of them to update their publicity shots. We started while they were playing a showcase, and then did some group shots.

If you need a band - call them!!! They rock.

Kathleen and Brian || Boston, Massachusetts

2008-10-23T18:11:00.004-05:00

I got to hang out with Kathleen and Brian on a beautifully sunny day in the city for some engagement pictures! They are having their wedding at the amazing Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, so they really wanted to use this as a chance to get some Boston/water shots, we got both!

I had a great time - can't wait for your wedding next year!!!

Anna and Matt || Peabody Essex Museum || Salem, Massachusetts

2008-10-21T15:23:00.007-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to finally share some images from Anna & Matt's very elegant, but supremely fun at the same time wedding day in Salem. The ceremony and reception were at the Peabody Essex Museum. We started at the hotel as everyone was getting final touches....
I was having total hair envy....her hair looked amazing...

We did all of their pictures before hand in the courtyard behind the museum, so pretty. Flowers by Fino Fresh.

I just love all the old buildings in the background.

Anna and Matt didn't want any distractions during the ceremony, so we kept a super low-profile. They said they didn't notice us once!

Apparently, Anna is obsessed with dessert (girl after my own heart). On the menu, it said "Cake!". Here it is, before slicing looking lovely, compliments of Icing on the Cake. Yummy food by Vinwood Caterers.

I hope Matt isn't mad at me for posting this, but I absolutely LOVE this picture! Dancing is hard....

Found this book in the museum...get it? Anna and Matt?

I am loving the twirly dresses this year.

Paul Natale kept the dance floor hopping, even played Sea Legs by the Shins during cocktail hour, sweet! (and theme appropriate in the East Marine Hall)

OK, so these folks asked if I would take their picture. They called it the "time of your life" picture. You face away from the camera, and then at the last second turn around and hey! you're having the time of your life! Now, my dad did the same thing at a cookout this summer, he said someone had heard about it in California. Could someone please tell me where this originated? I'm dying to know. $10 itunes gift card to the first person who can tell me.

And the bride got Rick Roll'd! I TOLD you this wedding was supremely fun!

Congratulations you two! I hope your honeymoon was awesome!

**update**

I'm STILL waiting to hear about the "time of your life" picture!!!

Hillary and John || Misselwood at Endicott College || Beverly, MA

2008-10-09T15:52:00.007-05:00

I know that Hillary and John are wrapping up their awesome honeymoon in Hawaii, so I wanted to try and get this on the blog before they got back! (Although, I can see you've been on Facebook you crazy girl!! Get back on the beach!)

So, it rained pretty much the entire day - shocking, I know. They really didn't let it dampen their day a bit, as you'll see from the pictures. We started out at Hillary & John's house with John getting ready.

I then went around the corner to Hillary's mom house, and checked in on the dress which was hanging in the attic - how cool.

Gorgeous flowers by A Whole Bunch.

Hillary is a nurse, and one of her patients gave her a six-pence for the wedding day.

Hillary's two sister helping her get dressed....

Seeing mom & dad...

OK, so Hillary complains that she is not photogenic. Oh, we should all be so unphotogenic, Hillary...

I rode in the limo with the wedding party - and I have to give credit to Tim, one of their groomsmen for this picture. He stole my camera for a few minutes and had some fun.

The rain let up a bit, so we did some pictures outside at Misselwood at Endicott College.

LOVE the boots!

Cake by Konditormeister.

Favors were tree seedlings, very green!

I can't pass up the opportunity to photograph a wee little one - I think she was only 8 weeks old, she has 3 older brothers. Do you think she'll be able to date before she's 21?

Hillary and John splurged on the band, Beantown. I saw them in July at Jess & Andrew's wedding, and they totally rocked the party again!

We had a total blast - congratulations you guys!!!

moving pictures

2008-10-06T11:11:00.002-05:00

Hello all!
I know I probably have a few blog stalkers out there waiting for Hillary and John's pictures, and they're coming soon! In the meantime, I thought I would post a link that I just got from Lynne Valeri. She was the videographer for Kristie and Kent's wedding at the Nonantum Resort.

You can see more at her site. She's very easy for me to work with, and it was great to see some of the end result. Thanks Lynne!

Erin and David || Cape Cod, Massachusetts

2008-10-02T10:25:00.004-05:00

In between all of the weddings this season, I had a chance to squeeze in an engagement session. I've been doing more and more of these it seems, and I really enjoy them for a lot of reasons. First of all, it gives me a chance to get to know my clients a little better, and also to see what works for them. Chronic blinker? Hate how you look from your left side? An engagement shoot is a great time to figure all of this out.
Also, I think it's nice to have some great pictures of the two of you looking how you look most of the time. Of course you're going to look fabulous on your wedding day, but chances are you don't walk around in a white dress and tux most weekends. It just captures a little more of your personality.

I met Erin and David down on the cape, which is where Erin grew up. Imagine having this right around the corner as a kid? Awesome. Her dad came along to as chief dog-sitter, so we could get some shots of them with Murphy, their ADORABLE lab puppy, and a some without.

Erin and David were good sports about the wind, it was pretty crazy!

Erin said this beach is usually pretty calm, it was the intense wind that was whipping up the ocean. Makes for a pretty background though, don't you think??

This is David cracking up after getting an entire mouthful of sand blown into his mouth!

I had a blast with you guys - looking forward to your big day next year!

Sara and Ed || Chase House at Mill Falls || Meredith, NH

2008-09-25T16:45:00.006-05:00

I love seeing past clients at weddings, it definitely means I'm doing something right! I shot Meghan and Sam's wedding in 2004, and Meghan played matchmaker with her friend Sara and Sam's brother Ed. They put me in touch with Sara, and we worked everything out over the phone, so I didn't even meet her until the wedding day. She knew she was in good hands, and we had a great time!

We started out at the Chase House at Mill Falls.

It was a pretty overcast day that shifted into downpours, but such nice soft light here before the ceremony.

Sara and her sister - don't they have gorgeous eyes?

Sara, girl after my own heart, had a bowl of m&m's on hand for some last minute snacking before a few quick formals before the ceremony.

The ceremony was at First Congregational Church of Meredith.The minister printed out this little map for everyone so they would know how to line up - adorable, no?

Still not raining after the ceremony, so we went down to the lake (that's Lake Winnipesaukee) for some pictures.

I love this one that I took because of the reflection....

and this one that Kelly took because of the ducks! The line of the ducks leads your eye right to Sara and Ed.

.......and we're done!! We just finished up and it started to rain.

The place settings had pictures of them at the same ages when they were little. They were so cute and great conversation pieces.

Kelly on the spot again with the Shout wipes!

Oh yeah, it's my rainbow umbrella again!

I had only just met Sara, and she was pretty quiet while getting ready and even the formals, but I swear the dance floor was open for about 2 minutes and she was a crazy person out on the dance floor!!

This is at the beginning of the night - I love it!

Here's Meghan on the dance floor - she was happy to have some "adult time" without her two adorable little boys.

They had their parents' wedding pictures out by the guest book....

Kelly grabbed this shot of me & Meghan.

Congratulations! I was so glad to be a part of the day and the growing Parisi family!!

Maureen and Luke || Commandant's House || Charlestown, Massachusetts

2008-09-22T15:27:00.006-05:00

What a gorgeous day Maureen and Luke had for their wedding! Which, was no small feat given the weather we've had. I didn't even take out my rainbow umbrella! They had the reception at the lovely Commandant's House in Charlestown. Maureen got ready there, and there were plenty of places to shoot.

She got her dress at Allegria Bridal.

I like this one of her & her dress!

Maureen and Luke took dance lessons on the sly, and she didn't want anyone to see that her shoes were scuffed up from practicing. She didn't think that they would be good for a shoe picture, but I think they did just fine.....

I love how excited and happy she looks in this picture.

I couldn't stop shooting! How cool is this place?

Luke grinning ear to ear as Maureen comes down the aisle with her dad.

The ceremony was held at St. Mary's Church in Charlestown, and it was just stunning.

After the ceremony, we walked down to City Square for a few pictures - bring on the sun!

It was great to see Tes from Trolleys by Tes again. She was at Catherine and Kevin's wedding in July. We zipped back to the Navy Yard.

While the bridal party joined the reception, Jenna from the Commandant's House brought us over to the U.S.S. Constitution for a few pictures of Maureen & Luke. Nothing like cutting to the front of the line and feeling like a rock star!

Just a few more pictures...here's Kelly's...

and here's mine...don't they look like Mr. & Mrs. Boston?

Bunker Hill Florist did the flowers...

In lieu of favors, they made a donation to the Boston Celtics (Maureen's employer - how cool!) Shamrock Foundation.

Morin's Catering took care of all of the food and the cake. Not only was everything gorgeous, but it was delicious, too!

So, Luke & Maureen totally wow-ed everyone with their first dance, but I just love how excited/relieved Luke was when it was all over - check out this series -

With the first dance out of the way, Maureen's sister made her toast. She said that she looked lovely enough to be on the cover of a magazine - but wait! she's already been on the cover of a magazine!

Here's Maureen on the cover of National Geographic's World magazine - awesome.

Congratulations!!! Many more to come!

Nick and Stephanie || The Tirrell Room || Quincy, Massachusetts

2008-09-22T10:20:00.003-05:00

Before starting his own business, my husband was an instructor for the carpentry program at North Bennet Street School in the North End. When he stopped teaching, he hired one of his former students, Nick, to come work with him. Nick is working for himself now, and we were so happy for him & Steph when they got engaged. We wanted to attend the wedding as guests (what a concept!), so Meghann and Kelly did all the shooting for this one.

Stephanie got ready at Nick's mother's house just a few blocks from the church, so she walked there led by bagpipers!

I was having a hard time just sitting and watching the ceremony without a camera. I love when the bride and groom lean in to have a little private chat during the ceremony, and I was so glad when I saw Meghann catch it.

I tried to stay out of the way while they were shooting the formals, and they had a great time shooting the bridal party in this yummy light on the grounds of theTirrell Room.

I have never seen a male guest, or any guest for that matter this determined to get a centerpiece!

As you know, I loooove having my picture taken...here's one of me & Stephen

Flower girl & ring bearer sharing a dance - adorable!

The cake was delicious - I actually got to eat some!!!!

Kelly was very excited because I never let her shoot the rings, and now she finally got them all to herself.

They were doing Irish step dancing - look how perfectly in sync they are! Their toes are the exact same distance from the floor.

As favors, they gave bulbs to plant. I better remember to plant mine before it snows!

Gary Titus was the DJ, and kept everyone on the dance floor happy.

Congratulations you guys! Stephen and I are so happy for you.

Melissa and Chris || Chatham Bars Inn || Chatham, Massachusetts

2008-09-13T08:00:00.003-05:00

Ok - part three! I just had to share a few pictures from Chris and Melissa's "Bon Voyage Brunch". They had it at the lovely Chatham Bars Inn. This place is near & dear to me, because it is where I met my husband. He was a bartender....I was a waitress....the classic American love story. Not a bad place to work when you are killing time between college and the real world. And by the way - today is our 7 year wedding anniversary!

Check out all the cuties!!

I love how Melissa had the perfect white dress for each day!

Melissa and Chris || Wequassett Inn || Chatham, Massachusetts

2008-09-09T13:31:00.004-05:00

Ok, here we are with part two!

Melissa got ready at the Wequassett Inn before the ceremony. l loved her shoes, hair, dress....everything!

Her dress is a Vera Wang, her favorite part (and mine) was the back, which you'll see later....

Do my eyes deceive me???? Really?? A blue sky? The ceremony was at the beautiful St. George Greek Orthodox Church.

We were early to the ceremony, and so we decided to do a few more pictures of the girls on the church grounds.

Of course, before we were done, Chris arrived. So, even though it was sunny, my rainbow umbrella got a little play hiding Melissa from Chris as she snuck back in the limo.

I swear I did not do this, although I thought about it!

So, the three little flower girls were absolute angels all weekend long, it was amazing. Quiet, adorable, not whining, which, as the mother of a three year old I can assure you is no small feat. So, it was especially amusing during the ceremony when they got a little over ambitious with the spreading out of flower petals. Flower girls gone wild!

Little angel.

After the ceremony we headed back to Wequassett Inn for more pictures and of course the amazing reception.

Melissa bought parasols for her bridesmaids....Kelly took this image and I just love it.

I had them spin them and I dragged the shutter a bit to capture the motion.

Kalson Pang was on hand to make sure everything was perfect, which of course it was. The tables looked beautiful with flowers from Patrice Milley.

This picture just cracks me up. Not intentionally posed.

Melissa and Chris had the best of both worlds for their reception - Sultans of Swing for dinner music and dancing, and John Loakimidis from
Salonica Boys for all of the Greek Music.

Could this little boy BE any cuter? Seriously.

The back of her dress - isn't it lovely? I shot this without any flash while they were listening to a toast from Chris' mom. She wrapped up the toast saying "Life is Good!", which is coincidentally who Melissa works for.

Congratulations you two!!! And a few more on the way for part three!

Melissa and Chris || Chatham Wayside Inn || Chatham, Massachusetts

2008-09-08T13:44:00.002-05:00

So, this is part one of three of Melissa & Chris' three-day celebration on Cape Cod. Chris' family is from Greece, and they had a lot of people who came over for the wedding, so they wanted to be sure that they captured every moment of the weekend! They started with a clambake style rehearsal dinner at Chatham Wayside Inn.

For bridesmaid gifts, Melissa bought each one a unique vintage purse.

Not only that, she filled them all with goodies from Anthropologie and other stores....mini-perfume, sparkly hair things and more!

Melissa with her three nieces who were the flower girls - adorable.

Much more to come!!

little miss brooke

2008-09-04T10:19:00.002-05:00

I love when I get news that former wedding clients of mine are expecting! Val and AJ were clients of mine from 2006, when we had our initial meeting I was pregnant with Lee, and when she came to pick up her final album I had just had Jonah! She has always been super sweet, and even given me baby presents for the kids, so of course I couldn't wait to meet Brooke. She was soundly sleeping in Grandpa's arms when I arrived....

Her room is adorable - think she has enough stuffed animals?

This picture just cracks me up - hello dahling!

Love the baby bums!

Daddy love....

Renee and Justin || Londonderry, New Hampshire

2008-09-02T11:02:00.004-05:00

Happy day after Labor Day everyone! I finally have a few images to share from Renee & Justin's awesome day in New Hampshire. They were lucky enough to host the event at their house and Renee's parents' house, and they were gorgeous settings for the day. Here is how we found Renee when we arrived, super relaxed, and just chilling with her pup in the backyard.

Her dress was beautiful, perfect for spinning....you'll see later....

The veil was hanging from a balcony, so this is shot from the floor with the chandelier in the background.

It started raining (shocker!), so we grabbed a few shots under the pergola. I love you, pergola.

I love this shot of them by the woods...

Doesn't the camera just love these two?

Here's my new best friend this season - the rainbow umbrella! It started to rain again so we headed inside for a bit.

And then it was sunny again! This time for the rest of the day....

Justin's friend has some connections, so he got to wear the Red Sox World Series ring!

A dog-owner's work is never done....

They had so many beautiful details throughout the reception. Alexis Eliopoulos O'Mara and her team were on-hand throughout the day making sure everything went according to plan. Creative Gardens did the flowers....beautiful.

The cake was done by Chickadee Hill Cakes and was stunning.

Love the fans...

Isn't this the coolest engraving?? On the outside!

So here they are in the late afternoon light.....doesn't everyone have a backyard like this?

Ok, again with the candy bars. I'm so weak.

See? I love the spinning!!!

Congratulations you two! It was a fantastic day.

Liz and Martin || Moraine Farms || Beverly, Massachusetts

2008-08-26T18:27:00.006-05:00

Hello friends and fans, thanks for your patience! These last few weeks have been packed, and keeping up with the blog is an ongoing pleasure and challenge. I finally have a few moments to share some more images from Liz and Martin's unique and lovely day.

Let's start with the flowers by Flowers by Darlene.

Liz looked amazing - hair, dress, everything. She was so pleased her hairdresser from Charlestown came all the way up to Marblehead to do her hair. She was going for a vintage look and feel for the day, and I think did a fabulous job.

Her mother is a big fan of antiques, so we utilized some of the furniture (perfectly matched!) to do some interesting bridesmaid pictures.

Then we stepped out into the gardens...cue the breeze.....lovely.

I love this shot of the two of them on the trolley, they just look so happy & relaxed. It started raining on our way over to Moraine Farm, you know, like it has practically EVERY DAY this month, but no big deal!

Once we got there, Linnea Tangorra was on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly. We started with a few relaxed portraits in the parlor.

Doesn't this one look timeless? Although Martin's hip glasses kind of give it away that it's 2008 and not 1914.

Liz had little details like this men's room sign all through out the reception. It even has their monogram on it!

I love the centerpieces.....

The rain lightened up a bit (didn't stop), so I talked them into a little walk over to the tea house gardens. Elizabeth's dress was already soaked from the trolley ride over, so she had no problem with it!

It was STILL raining when we took this, so they just threw the umbrella into the bushes for a quick second while I shot it. Looks nice, no?

Their friend Glenn from Sweet Tooth made the cake, so we had to get a shot of him with his handiwork.

Ok, so the rain finally did stop for a little bit, so we were able to get a few more shots outside, isn't this place amazing?

Cotton candy, anyone? Totally ate one on the way home.

And by the way, you people are killing me with the candy bars! I only have so much willpower, you know.

Martin with their super awesome band, Night Shift.

Congrats!!!

sneak peek!

2008-08-20T14:41:00.001-05:00

So, like I said, I'm a bit behind on the blog, but I just wanted to post one from a couple of weeks ago before the bride and groom head off on their honeymoon! These two were total good sports about the rain.

Carrie and Rob || Charter Oak Country Club || Hudson, Massachusetts

2008-08-19T10:29:00.012-05:00

Ok, so I'm a bit behind on the blog, but definitely catching up! I had a great Saturday with Carrie and Rob and their families.

I loved this Marriage Certificate that was hanging up in Carrie's mom's room. My family has a similar one for my great-grandparents.

We did a few quick portraits of Carrie's on the staircase. The light coming in from the front door was gorgeous.

Carrie's mom & grandmother were so happy for her! They couldn't stop smiling or looking at her.

I can't remember what was so funny here, but I think we were teasing Carrie about being a bridezilla. (Which she totally wasn't.....)

Rob and his brother before the ceremony. Rob's brother called this the "locker room shot".

The ceremony was at the Northborough First Parish Unitarian Church. It is a beautiful church with lots of light.

After the ceremony we headed to Charter Oak. Did it rain a little? Of course it did!! Four out of the five times I have shot there it has rained!! Thankfully it didn't last, so we were still able to do pictures outside.

With Carrie's sister & husband who were just married last year, now they are all hitched!!

Floral Elegance did the flowers, and the ballroom looked beautiful. Christine Mazri from Charter Oak was there making sure everything ran super-smooth, and of course it did!

Instead of traditional favors, the bride and groom made a donation to Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts.

The cake by Enchanted Wedding Cakes looked gorgeous by the windows.

Ok seriously - do these two ever stop laughing & smiling?

Enjoying their first dance on Charter Oak's shiny new dance floor.

Rob's brother made the funniest toast with a story about how their dad used to squirrel away pastries from continental breakfast buffets when they traveled. As you can see, everyone was in stitches....

....and wrapped it up with a presentation of pastries from their parents' hotel that morning.

Dancing to Rob's theme song - It Takes Two by Rob Base. Love it.

And chocolate pretzels for the ride home!

**Update - Carrie and Rob's pictures are now online! Click here to view. Password is Rob's last name, all lower-case.

to view!

family's in town!

2008-08-14T12:39:00.003-05:00

So, i'm a little backed up on blogging, but I'm making progress! Last week I did a family portrait for MaryJane who had her sister's family visiting from Colorado. When everyone is spread out like that, it's nice to get a picture of everyone together when you can! "Gramps" was nice enough to add my name to the driveway when I got there...

The newest edition to the clan spending some q-t with grandma.

Here are how the tuckered out cousins arrived...

They totally rallied and we got this great shot of all 11 of them!

We wanted to get a shot of the new big sister holding her little brother, but she kept wanting to flop down on the grass instead. That's ok, we can work with that!

sleeping kate

2008-08-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

So, a few weeks ago I photographed wee baby Kate when she was just 8 days old. I designed some birth announcements for her, which I think turned out pretty darn cute - have a look.

We had an amazing little shoot, but I was a little bit sad that I didn't get any sleeping baby shots. Since they live right around the corner, I brought my camera along when I dropped off the announcements. This time one of her big brothers, Jack, was there. He was very proud of his Red Sox shirt, and told me Big Papi was his favorite player.

Ok, so she wasn't TECHNICALLY sleeping....but I think the picture is sweet just the same.

new wheels

2008-08-06T08:56:00.002-05:00

Just thought I'd share a couple pics of my new baby Rabbit. I loved, loved, loved my Jeep, but the gas mileage was not-so-great, and even though I have two kids, they're little, and I honestly don't cart around that much stuff to justify the bigger vehicle.

Doesn't it look adorable in front of the studio?

Hayley and Jarod || Granite Links Golf Club || Quincy, Massachusetts

2008-07-31T11:31:00.015-05:00

Hayley and Jarod had a beautiful sunny day for their wedding & reception, both held at Granite Links in Quincy. I had never shot there before, and was wowed by the cool view of the city! Here's Hayley arriving, do you think she's excited much? Nancy Antoine did her make-up and it looked great.

Loved the detail on the bridesmaid dresses...

Hayley's mom was so cute all day - Hayley's the youngest with three older brothers....so you can imagine how excited her mom was for her little girl's big day..

I was loving this crazy light coming through the windows...

Jarod and Hayley seeing each other for the first time.

Again with the crazy light!

They had a interfaith ceremony right there at Granite Links. I especially liked this reading which was from Song of Solomon 2:10-13. Jarod was in charge of picking out the readings. It's nice to hear something besides "Love is patient, love is kind..." once in awhile. (I'm not knockin' it - I had it at my wedding!!) Anyway, here's an excerpt:

"Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave."

I love this one of them under the chuppah.

Jarod and Hayley took a few minutes to practice dancing before the guests came in.

Pretty light coming in on the gorgeous centerpieces by Fino.

Who doesn't love a good hora?

The hora got a bit crazy, and Hayley's bussle ripped, but a quick pit stop into the bridal suite and she was back in the game. No bridezilla here!

Yummy green cake by Icing on the Cake.

Hayley's mom making her toast....she talked about Hayley's last night in her room as a single girl. Whenever I hear this stuff, I swear I'm going to blink and I'm going to be at Lee's wedding before I know it.

One of the toasts mentioned that Jarod was perfect for Hayley, because if he was patient enough to be a Cubs fan, he was patient enough for her!

The band was Radiance, and they were super energetic and had everyone on the dance floor. They even played Jesse's Girl, so they get high marks in my book!

Mark Willand's crew was there doing video, they worked really well with us, and I'm sure their video will be great!

In lieu of traditional favors, the bride and groom made a donation to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.

Congratulations you two!!! Feel free to leave them your best wishes!

Meg and Rich || Camp Cheneo || Athol, Massachusetts

2008-07-24T19:48:00.004-05:00

No wedding party, no bridesmaid dresses, no programs, no boutonnieres, no aisle runner, no limo, and no wedding cake.

So, what did Meg and Rich have?

Just a Grammy-nominated band, a ceremony on (almost in!) the water, fireworks, lobster, smores, and a ton of fun.

Meg and Rich live in New Jersey, but had their wedding ceremony at the lakehouse her great-grandfather built where she has been vacationing with her family her whole life. I was so glad to be included!

Meg's sister did her hair...

Rich doing some last-minute prep.

Meg's mom's one request was a shot of her on the swing in front of the house.

The ceremony was held at the end of the dock - they had guests on boats and docks surrounding them, and overlooking them from the house. Here's Rich making his entrance -

Cooling off after the ceremony....

Probably quickest formals of bride and groom yet.......here's the first one at 4:37

and by 4:41 we're done!

Everyone was boated across the lake to a tented reception at Camp Cheneo. I'd include a link, but I don't think there is one! Anyway, from across the lake, you could hear the band, and you knew you this party was going to seriously rock. It was a Zydeco/Cajun band Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie.
They were
so.
much.
fun.

Hellooooooo.....lobstah!

New England Clambakes Company took care of dinner and it was delicious!

Meg's dad told a story about how when she and her brother and sister were young, they thought it took ten minutes to drive from New Jersey to the lakehouse because they fell asleep in the car when they left, and woke up in Massachusetts! As the kids got older, they realized that the drive was pretty long, so to break up the trip, they would always stop at Randall's Farm & Greenhouse for Strawberry Shortcake. So, in honor of that tradition, they had them come and make a shortcake for each table!

I couldn't resist this light and took another 30 seconds for a few more pictures....

Meg and her dad danced to "Dancing on Daddy's Feet" - adorable.

Meg's sister asked the band if she could play the rubboard for a song...

Meg & her siblings...

I was in love with this little guy all day...

Hope you guys are having a great honeymoon! Feel free to leave a comment for Meg and Rich below.......

hello baby kate!

2008-07-22T13:05:00.003-05:00

Lucky baby Kate was born on 7-7, and I got to meet her just 8 days later. Here she is with mom, Brigitte...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear this is a smile!!

I just love her sheets!!! Brigitte already has two boys, so she had a lot of fun with all of the girly stuff at Pottery Barn!

little tiny diapers!

Kate giving us the signal that we're done!!

I couldn't resist getting a few more feet shots while she was eating. Adorable!

Jessica and Andrew || Royal Sonesta Hotel || Cambridge, Massachusetts

2008-07-21T11:18:00.005-05:00

Hello my blog-stalkers....I know you've been waiting for this! I'm so excited that I finally have some pictures to share from Jessica and Andrew's fabulous wedding on the Charles River. Ever since Jessica booked me a year and a half ago, she has been a faithful blog reader, and gotten her friends and family in on the action, too! We had so much fun doing their engagement shoot, that I knew their wedding would be a blast!

The ceremony and reception were at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge, and Christine Lopez made sure everything ran perfectly!

Her little sister couldn't get over how great she looked!

Fiona at Chanel on Newbury did her make-up and it looked beautiful.

Jessica and Andrew chose to see each other before the ceremony and do their pictures so they could enjoy their cocktail hour. I had them meet on a stairway because it makes it really easy to see them both at the same time. Right before their meeting, I took this picture - I could see them both, they could hear each other but not see each other.

It was pretty windy outside, so before we went out, we did a few pictures inside. They just opened a new bar at the Sonesta called the ArtBar. It has such a cool modern feel, and made a great backdrop for photos.

Of course, once Christine knew they were in there, she sent them a few glasses of champagne . Jessica's flowers were by Tangerine Creations.

The men heading upstairs after the Tish.

I love the light in this shot during the ceremony, and that you can see Jessica's mom and dad behind her.

So, this picture is not the most fabulous one ever, but I just wanted to illustrate how many people were on the dance floor BEFORE THE INTRODUCTIONS! And the band was just playing some mellow music - I guess it was a combination of a great band and a bunch of guests ready to party!

Beantown kept up the pace all night and everyone had a blast.

Jess's dad with some high kicks!

Jess's mom listening to Jess's sister Danielle giver her toast....

Andrew and his mom...

My apologies to the guest I borrowed the program from for this shot - I totally forgot to give it back to you! It made for a fun picture though....

I usually don't post two ring pictures, but I loved the handwriting on this card....

Jess's mom went a little crazy with the pink & brown themed candy bar - here she is letting all the kiddos loose on it!

Congratulations you two - can't wait to show you the rest!

Kristie and Kent || Nonantum Resort Hotel || Kennebunkport, Maine

2008-07-16T14:40:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday we travelled up to Maine for a great outdoor wedding right on the water. Kristie's family always vacationed in Maine, so even though they live in DC now, they thought it would be the perfect place for their wedding. I think they were right! The reception was at the Nonantum Resort, and the staff was so friendly and accommodating.

I love reflection self-portraits, and I think this one is pretty funny! I'm on top of the bed (as I usually am at this point of the day) while Kristie is getting buttoned into her dress. You can see Lynne Valeri up there with me. She did a great job filming, super friendly and never in your face with the camera or a big light.

Kristie got her dress from Allegria Bridal. I keep hearing great things about that place!

I absolutely love the look on Kristie's face here!

They had their ceremony at St. Ann's church in Kennebunkport, which incidentally is where President Bush goes on Sunday when he is in Maine.

Kristie and Kent surprised their wedding party with a cruise on a Lobster Boat to arrive at the reception. It was pretty hot, so they had them go out to the ocean and turn around so everyone could cool off. I was lucky enough to be on the boat, too! Here's what the reception looked like from the water...

For their guest book, they had Adirondack chairs - how fantastic is that?

Everything had a brown and blue theme, from the bridesmaid dresses to the invitations to the cake!

I love the shadow the huge tree outside the tent cast...

Kristie's dad was so emotional during their first dance that I even started to tear up! It didn't help that they were playing "I Saw Her First", which, since having kids also gets to me! (I'm a sap, I know....)

So, after the parent dances, they invited everyone on the dance floor, and I have NEVER seen so many lovey-dovey couples! Look at them all!! I took all of these images in a span of about 45 seconds.

So, as if all of the cute couples wasn't enough, there were babies everywhere! One bridesmaid had a 7 week old, another had a 3 week old! The best part is that they had people who were staying with them in the hotel, so they were close by, but the parents could still have some fun!

I love this shot, you can already see the moon.

Congratulations! I hope you are having a fabulous honeymoon!

yummy light in kennebunkport

2008-07-13T09:34:00.003-05:00

I'm getting ready for my shoot today in Cambridge with Jess & Andrew, but I thought I would post just one from last night's wedding in Maine.....you can't buy light this pretty....

Catherine & Kevin || Willowbend Country Club || North Falmouth, MA

2008-07-11T13:48:00.006-05:00

Catherine and Kevin had a great day for their wedding on the Cape, even if there were a FEW raindrops.....

Catherine's mother's friend custom made her gown that fit her like a glove...

I love this series of her mom helping her with her veil - definitely the classic "wow, this is really happening!" moment...

Flowers by Art of Flowers...

Kevin getting a look at his bride for the first time -

So, I was trying to get a shot of the groomsmen's shoes because I thought they were interesting, and then a few troublemakers started hiking up their pants!

The bride's family gives a number to each new member, and Kevin was lucky number #99. They made team pins for everyone! (Thanks to Kathryn, a 2006 client of mine, for being my model!)

We went down to the beach for a few pictures, who need sun??

The bridal party had a trolley to take them to reception, driven by Tes of Trolleys by Tes. She was very accomodating, allowing us some extra time to make our stops. Thanks Tes!

We make it to the beautiful Willowbend Country Club, and it starts to rain!! It was definitely disappointing because they have some amazing grounds, but it did give me a chance to whip out my new rainbow umbrella!

The guests were perfectly happy inside the gorgeous ballroom.

Catherine did what I had planned on doing for my wedding but never got around to it....beaches for table names.

This is how the bridal party made their entrance - love it!

I walked into the ballroom and saw a friend of mine from junior high playing the saxophone - so random!

The groomsmen's ties were Vineyard Vines. It took me awhile to clue in that they were covered in tiny Cape Cods!

Ok, this guy was Trouble. (get it, with a capital T?)

The crew from Bentley...

The Marsels got everyone on the dance floor all night.

I mostly took this picture because I thought it looked like a really cool present!

Congratulations Catherine and Kevin!!!

a little relaxing on cape cod....

2008-07-02T12:49:00.005-05:00

We had some time to go down the cape recently, and had gorgeous weather. I also had Arnold's, Sundae School ice cream, and Villa Pizza, so how could that be a bad trip???

So, one of my MOST challenging subjects is my daughter Lee. I think she's beautiful, but she tends to make these wacky faces that make it difficult to get a traditionally great picture of her....here's a few examples....

Anyway, I stick with it long enough, and I'm able to get something...

Jonah on the other hand.....the camera loves him.

We went out to Coast Guard Beach in the evening (much less crowded, and very pretty light!). Stephen and Jonah checked out the surfers. Stephen used to own the Pump House in Orleans, and is hoping that Lee & Jonah will be surfing with him soon!

I can't wait to get back down to the cape this weekend to shoot Catherine & Kevin's wedding at Willowbend Country Club in Mashpee. Their family is so fun, and not only will there be past clients there, but clients from this coming summer, as well!

welcome baby brendan!

2008-06-26T17:46:00.003-05:00

So after meeting super-handsome Sammy last year, I was thrilled to meet his younger brother Brendan! The proud parents are 2004 wedding clients, and it was great to see them (or at least Meghan and her mom!) again.

So, most photographers have a hard time getting anything except "sleeping baby" shots with such tiny babies, but not so with Brendan. At 13 days old (and with a full belly), he was wide awake and perfectly content. I love this shot.

And how perky and happy does Meghan look? I definitely don't remember looking that fantastic when Jonah was 2 weeks old...

Big brother Sammy even got in the action, this was right before/after a little kiss. Brendan almost looks like he's smiling!

Being a big brother is HARD....

OK, so....a disclaimer here. I realize that this is not the super-sweet baby calendar type picture, but I love it for a very specific reason. When you bring your little baby home from the hospital, they cross their eyes A LOT the first few weeks. They are still learning how to control their little eye muscles. Now, you would think as a mom that you would remember this, but you forget! In fact, I totally forgot how much Lee and Jonah used to do it until I saw Brendan doing it. So, I just love that this captures a moment in time which goes by faster than you can believe.

Now HERE'S the super-sweet calendar picture....

Congratulations, I'm so happy for you guys!!

zachary and nathan

2008-06-18T13:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I finally got to meet Zachary and Nathan!! Stephanie and Jeff are wedding clients from 2004, and the proud parents of one year old twin boys Zachary and Nathan. I had so much fun hanging out with these guys, they loved the camera and were so snuggly!

Tickle time with dad..

How to keep two one year olds in the same place for a few minutes? Toss them some Cheerios!

The whole family!

Like I said, snuggly......

Bottle time!

Before I left, Jeff had a request for a picture of their bare bums. More than happy to oblige, these are some of my favorites of the day! I see these being busted out at their rehearsal dinners some day.

Thanks for having me over, it was so fun!!!

anne & gordon - lyman estate, waltham, massachusetts

2008-06-17T09:28:00.004-05:00

I spent a very hot, VERY fun saturday with Anne and Gordon and their families.....Everything took place at the beautiful Lyman Estate in Waltham.

Anne and Gordon chose to see each other before the ceremony to have a little time to themselves, and get all of the family pictures done so they could enjoy their cocktail hour. Here's Gordon waiting for Anne at the bottom of the stairs -

Gordon's niece made a lovely flower girl....

Gordon & the boys..

Anne with her mom & sister...

So, Anne and Gordon totally indulged me and climbed through these tall grasses to get some cool pictures in the middle of these trees. I'm just glad no one got any tick bites!! (you didn't, right??)

How amazing is this place?

So, as I mentioned before, it was HOT, so there was lemonade and iced tea for the guests during the cermony.

I love this look Anne is giving her sister during the ceremony -

Making it official....

Ok, so I got a little carried away photographing the food, but it was all so beautiful! I didn't have any of these, but they looked beautiful. Tables of Content took care of all the treats.

After the cake-cutting, they presented both grandfathers with oreos & green Jell-O. I never did get the whole story behind it, but it was a big hit.

I love seeing past clients at weddings! The groom's mother is friends with Barbara, who was my most super laid-back mother of the bride ever last August at Castle Hill, and also Richie Vanderwarker, married to Peter who I worked for right after I graduated from NESOP.

The groom's mother Susan is a potter, and made all of the centerpieces. Lucky guests got to take them home and plant the flowers in their gardens and keep the pottery.

Their first dance was to 8 Days a Week - adorable.

Anne & Gordon made their departure in Gordon's dad's MG....

Congratulations!!!!

happy father's day!!!

2008-06-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

happy father's day to all you dads out there! we'll be having some family q-t here, but I thought I would post a couple nice dad moments from the last two shoots. much more to come from both of them soon!!!

caroline and eric - lighthouse inn, west dennis, ma

2008-06-12T19:54:00.004-05:00

So, Caroline and Eric did not exactly have the most cooperative weather for their wedding day, but it certainly didn't make it any less joyful or special, and I'm really not just saying that...
Everything took place at the Lighthouse Inn in Dennis.

Her mom seeing her in her dress for the first time....

Caroline & her dad..

Caroline and Eric saw each other before the ceremony to take some pictures - no peeking!

Making their way over to the ceremony!

Caroline and the sweetie that she nannies...

Who incidentally smudged her dress, but no worries! Kelly was Johnny-on-the-spot (ha! literally!) with the Tide stick she had bought the day before.

Ta da!

It's like a movie kiss.....

Serenading the guests...

Nice snap back from a dip!

Lobster, anyone?

Congratulations....can't wait for you to see the rest!!!

here's one.....

2008-06-11T14:03:00.002-05:00

with many more coming soon!! I was really hoping to blog this entire wedding this morning, but the power went out on me last night at 11:30 and I lost two hours of work! We had a storm that knocked the power out last night, and it just got restored this afternoon. Thanks for your patience Caroline & Eric....I'll have a bunch more for you very soon! (this just happens to be one of my faves....)

lindsay - nashawtuc country club, concord, ma

2008-06-06T14:47:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I got to spend with Lindsay and her family as she had her bat mitzvah at Congregation B'nai Torah in Sudbury. She is on the swim team, and her sister helped her make her tallis with a water theme.

Lindsay plays the guitar, so when she got introduced, she performed a guitar solo, how cool is that?

And what would a bat mitzvah celebration at Nashawtuc Country Club be without a friendly game of Coke Pepsi?

I love this one with Lindsay in the center of it all....

And who doesn't love little blue boxes from Tiffany?

This is Lindsay listening to a speech from her aunt, and then watching a slideshow her sister put together.

Congratulations Lindsay!

jessica + andrew in boston

2008-06-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I got to hang out with Jessica and Andrew at the Public Garden. We did a few engagement pictures as a nice warm-up for their wedding coming up quickly in July! They will be getting married at the Royal Sonesta right on the Charles, so it was fun to be able to do some pictures downtown!!

How could we leave out Storrow???

Jessica decided to do her trial make-up run with Nancy Antoine and she looked fabulous.

Thanks for a fun night, you two! And, as always, an excuse to come into the city and bring home burritos from Ana's!!!

See you in a few weeks!!

max!

2008-05-22T11:15:00.003-05:00

After a few rainstorms and flus, I finally got to hang out with Max!!! We had a great time with chalk, play-doh, balls, and all things yellow (his favorite color).

andrew - nashawtuc country club, concord, ma

2008-05-22T08:24:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I spent with Andrew and his family documenting his bar mitzvah. His family is friends with David's family from a couple of weeks ago, and they were there as well. He had his Bar Mitzvah at the Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton.

I just love these moments between the parents and their children, you can just feel the pride oozing out of them.

Andrew breathing a sigh of relief after a huge reading.

We're not even going to talk about this...

Not such a fan of the wine...

Instead of a guest book, they had a Tree of Life quilt, and everyone got to sign a leaf that will be sewn on to the quilt.

His reception was at the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, MA. They had a hockey theme - Andrew's dad collected all the skates for the centerpieces. How cool - nice flowers, but not too girly. :)

Andrew and his little bro.

Everyone enjoying cocktail hour out on the deck.

Andrew also had A Touch of Class for the entertainment, and they were just as much fun as they were a couple weeks ago!

Andrew's mom and her sister watching a slideshow of Andrew on the big screen.

Mini-bike races...

So last time we had human hurdles, and here we have some crazy flipping -

Andrew's dad making the "Father-Son speech".

Congratulations Andrew!

david - nashawtuc country club, concord, ma

2008-05-08T17:44:00.005-05:00

I spent last Saturday with David and his family. He had his Bar Mitzvah at the Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton.

His reception was at the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, MA. They had a Red Sox theme which was so cool.

The folks from A Touch of Class had the kids and adults alike out on the dance floor all night. There were a few of these shenanigans going on....

I love this shot of David, he started out the day pretty mild-mannered, but definitely switched into party mode -

And my absolute FAVORITE moment of the night was when all the adults got on the floor for a call & answer sing-a-long to Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf. Can't you just hear it????

lee

2008-05-07T12:13:00.001-05:00

So, I am a little behind in sharing some photos from David's Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, but I just had to share my new favorite picture of my daughter, Lee.

Liam + Evan

2008-04-22T13:44:00.004-05:00

A few days ago I got to spend some time with a pair of VERY cute cousins - Liam and Evan. We took some pictures at their grandmother's house, and they were just so sweet!

I was told Liam likes to spend a lot of time upside down.

Evan looking a bit pensive on the stairs, I think he looks like such a little man in this picture!

I was trying to get him to smile for me, so I was playing peek-a-boo with this ball. I put it down to take the picture, and Evan started doing it to me!

Liam had a wardrobe change - what a snappy dresser.

We decided to try out the neighbor's swingset. I thought Evan might like the tire swing. I thought wrong.

He did perk up a bit, though!

Liam crashing after his big photo shoot....

Thanks for having me over, can't wait for you to see the rest!

If you haven't already, check out my new portrait section on my site!

sam - gibbet hill, groton, ma

2008-04-17T10:45:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday I got to spend some time with Sam and his family & friends. He did a great job at his Bar Mitzvah in Acton, and they had a super-fabulous party at the beautiful Barn at Gibbet Hill in Groton, Massachusetts.

I think this is such a beautiful, serene space....

Heading off to harrass the cows...

Sam had a ski-theme for his party, it totally fit with the ski-lodge feel of the barn! Everything looked snowy & wonderful.

The adults enjoyed their cocktail hour out on the porch with its brand-new permanent roof. How cool to have chandeliers outside?!!

They had a risotto station - yum.

Inside the folks from Siagel Productions had the kids moving - looks a lot like a mosh pit, no?

Ok, I know I'm a little food-obsessed, but how adorable are these intermezzos????

This was the insert in the invitation -

Sam's grandparents on the dance floor - you go Leila!

Sam's little niece called it quits around 10:30....

Apparently this is a tradition for the men in his family -

Congrats!!!

which would you rather?

2008-04-09T10:23:00.004-05:00

Your wedding is approaching, and everyone wants to get you the perfect gift! Chances are, you're not 21 and moving out of your parent's house for the first time. So, you probably already have a toaster, some wine glasses, and maybe even a panini maker! Instead of registering for something like this....

wouldn't you rather register for something fabulous like these?

We are now offering a registry service for our clients. Your guests can visit the clients section of our site and look up your registry and purchase a credit in the denomination of your choosing. For my 2008 clients, I have already set up accounts for you, just send me an email and I'll let you know what your password is.

Happy shopping!!!

looking fabulous!

2008-04-07T13:20:00.006-05:00

So, some of you might remember in a previous blog post I mentioned being tempted by a spring makeover special from Katrina Hess. Well, my sister was in town, so as a birthday treat for her, we went down to Newbury Street and saw Katrina!

Here are our "befores":

Katrina recently expanded her space, and it was so fun to sit side by side and learn from her. She went through everything step by step, and had us do some things on our own so we would be able to do it ourselves.

Here is the lovely Katrina, I get the feeling she ALWAYS looks fabulous....

Here are our "afters"!

She also gave me this super-cool sample of blotting wipes, so I'll have them in my bag if anyone gets too shiny this year!
We had a great time - thanks Katrina!

what i'm listening to right now....

2008-04-07T11:12:00.001-05:00

ok, i have some catching up to do with the blog, but i just had to share this if you haven't heard it already - it's matt weddle covering Hey Ya -

and the second winner is..........

2008-03-24T15:55:00.003-05:00

Melissa and Matt!
Congratulations, with a whopping 67 comments you secured yourself a beautiful 16x20 gallery wrap! Thanks to everyone for their input and comments, this was such a FABULOUS contest!!!

graham and elsa

2008-03-19T11:32:00.003-05:00

So, I finally have some time to do portraits and I am so excited about it! I photographed Graham and Elsa and I just love how their personalities shine through. I will be launching a portrait section on my website, so be sure to check back.

My portraits are relaxed and natural - no weird backgrounds, no fake tin tubs or artificial tree stumps. Just people in their own environments - beautiful.

eli

2008-03-18T18:24:00.002-05:00

I had another bar mitzvah last weekend, and Saturday it was Eli's turn! I wasn't there for the ceremony, but heard he did a fabulous job.

Something I thought was really nice was a basket Eli put together for the Pediatric Resource center for young patients of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He is a huge music fan, so he collected various iPod accessories for them, and will deliver the basket. My mom was a patient at Dana Farber, and they do such amazing work there.

Eli making his speech....

The whole family rockin' out to the Hokey Pokey - it might just be the single most under-rated group dance!

This little cutie partied all night long....she was in a different person's arms everytime I saw her!

Ok, Elly gave me a run for my money! She must have shot almost as much as I did! I give her full credit, she was shooting film.

By the way, if I weigh 20 pounds more the next time you see me, this is why........

Eli stepping in as videographer.....

Congrats Eli!

zoe

2008-03-12T08:31:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday I got to photograph Zoe's bat mitzvah. She and her whole family were so much fun!

Zoe and her mom....

The very cool favors...

And how fabulous is this cake?

I like this shot - Zoe's brother is in the middle standing still attempting to judge "human musical chairs".

Their DJ was Doug Moleux and his team from Northeren Lights Entertainment. They had dancers teaching the kids choreographed dances for a dance-off. I'm probably dating myself, but it was just like a Beat It video!

Here is Zoe thinking very hard about her wish...

Congrats to Zoe!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - post your comments now!

2008-03-11T14:53:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!
I just posted the last entry for the fabulous/not-so fabulous contest. Heather (fab/not-fab story #11) was the first lucky winner of a fine art gallery wrap from her wedding pictures. The next winner will be the person whose post has the most comments. All comments must be posted by midnight, MARCH 21st.
Good luck and thanks again for all of the stories!!!
Cheers!
Nancy

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #21

2008-03-11T11:39:00.002-05:00

And the last entry is from Val, who got married in February of 2006!

"We loved that we chose to get married near Valentine’s Day – it really worked out great for everyone! For our guests, it was a fun and special evening out during a time when their schedules weren’t jam-packed with other weddings. For us, all of our first choices for vendors were available because it wasn’t “busy season” and they made all the difference in the world! Our live band, Java Jive, brought an incredible dynamic to the evening and are three of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. Lynne Valeri of Video Design created the most amazing video and Nancy Gould, as you know, is quite simply the best! It was absolutely worth it to invest in such talented professionals and we still receive rave reviews from friends and family to this day!

I loved our flowers – tall arrangements of mixed whites and greens with flowing orchids that lined the aisle of the church. We chose to get married at St. John’s Church in Cambridge where both my parents and grandparents were married. The church had never looked more beautiful! I’ll always remember how special and excited I felt as I walked towards AJ – we were about to get MARRIED!

The experience of finding and choosing my wedding gown was incredible and so much fun! I fell in love with an a-line allecon lace gown with scalloped hem at Allegria Bridal in Belmont on my first day shopping with my Mom. I just knew that the way I looked and felt in that dress was exactly how I wanted to feel on our wedding day – it was simple and elegant, and I knew that AJ would love it. Allegria Bridal was more than accommodating, extremely kind, and meeting the designer, Judd Waddell, when I purchased my gown was a moment that I’ll never forget!

People always ask – do you have your “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?” For me, this all came together perfectly! I wore my “new” wedding gown, an “old” pearl necklace that my Godmother gave me for my 16th birthday, and I carried a white handkerchief embroidered with blue trim with my maiden initials and wedding date engraved on it. The handkerchief was a tradition that began when I bought it for one of my best friends from college. Subsequently, over the next two years each time the next of our best friends got married (there were 4 of us), we would engrave the next Bride’s maiden initials and wedding date and present it to her on the night of their rehearsal dinner. We all loved knowing that each of us shared this meaningful, personalized “something borrowed, something blue” on our special day.

Lastly, in the “not-so-fabulous” category, I can honestly say, the only thing that we would have done differently is not have a head table. We chose to have a sweetheart table on a riser with a semi-circle table in front of us for our wedding party. Not only did we hate the way it was set-up but none of us really spent much time up there. In reflection, we should have just had a sweetheart table and sat our wedding party with their dates. Luckily, we promised each other to not think twice about anything that wasn’t perfect and rather just enjoy the day, so we had a blast and enjoyed our reception, and each other, to the fullest!"

Doesn't it look like she was having a fabulous time???
Thanks Val!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #20

2008-03-11T09:32:00.002-05:00

Next up is Megan, another 2004 bride! I'm looking forward to seeing her again this fall at Sam's brother's wedding!

"So...about the wedding reflections. I think that our wedding planning was unique in that my sister Katelin and her husband were married 7 weeks before our wedding day. They were married in early September and we were October 30th, 2004. Both weddings definitely reflected the personal styles of each couple which was great. All of our parents were fantastic, supportive and really embraced this unique situation. It worked out so well because we were all in full-on "wedding mode" for about 11 months.

Highlights:

-Working with vendors we trusted and then backing off to let them do their thing. Whether it be the baker, DJ, photographer, florist, videographer, bagpiper, we ultimately hired artists who brought their experience, talent and insight to the day. They are the professionals who do this all the time, so we shared an outline of what we wanted and then it go. We ultimately LOVED the end result of everything.

-Given that my husband and I share a love of golf, our reception facility Charter Oak Country Club, was a perfect setting for our day. The meal was fabulous as well and my husband and I made it a priority to really enjoy our first meal together at a sweetheart table. We chose our favorite meal, a traditional Thanksgiving meal with butternut squash soup and all the fixings and we loved it! It was so nice to just sit together and take in the surroundings and all of the people who were there to help us celebrate our marriage.

-My husband and I are pretty laid back, but we did have a major concern regarding our wedding. Remember back in '04 when the Red Sox were battling for the World Series title? We had heard stories about how people were not showing up to weddings, or bringing little TVs into reception places in order to be loyal Sox fans. Game 6 was supposed to take place on our wedding night--but Thank God they pulled out the win in 4 games straight! The DJ incorporated some favorite Sox tunes and their win definitely added to the excitement of the day.

Lowlights: We didn't have any. The day was just perfect exactly as it was. We were so grateful to be marrying each other, that minor details couldn't have tarnished our wedding day.

Just a note: Sam's best man, his brother Ed, met Sara at my sister's wedding in September. They talked all night and continued to hit it off at our wedding, and will be getting married themselves this September! They will be using Nancy as their photographer as well and we couldn't be more delighted for them! Nancy was such a FABULOUS photographer and was so easy to work with. Her calm demeanor puts you at ease, and she and her assistant were always there to capture each moment. We continue to love her work!"

Thanks Megan!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #19

2008-03-10T17:30:00.001-05:00

Next up is Jennifer - you may recognize some of her pictures from my sample album. She a bunch of things to share!

"When I think back to my wedding day, there really isn't much I would change, mostly because I've basically been planning my wedding since I was in grammar school. My Priscilla of Boston dress was the first dress I tried on. I searched for many dresses after that, but I kept thinking the first one was "The One". Then it came time for the veil. I had a harder time looking for the veil I wanted at the price I could afford than for anything else. After MONTHS of looking for a veil, I finally had to get one custom made at Vera Wang. It was so beautiful so I closed my eyes to ignore the price tag, but I loved it. My only regret is not being able to wear it the entire night. At least it's getting a second use out of it, one of my friends is using it as her "something borrowed" this coming May.

Then my shoes....I knew no one would see my shoes, nor will I ever wear white shoes again, so I figured I'd look for a cheap comfortable pair I could get away with for one day. I mentioned it to my husband and he looked at me and started to laugh. He said he couldn't believe that someone who wears designer shoes every day was looking for a cheap shoe to wear on her wedding day. But come on, more money wasted for one day?? Then I read somewhere that Manolo Blahnik made a white satin dyeable, so I took a trip to NYC to buy them. What a better way to get my money's worth than to dye them another color after the wedding? Which is what I did, they are now black and I wear them to every dressy event!

I remember going downstairs to get ready to walk into the ceremony. I was super conscious about my husband and I not seeing each other before. I remember my father and I arm in arm getting ready to walk down the aisle. Right before they opened the doors for me, my father said "don't forget! Step with the right foot first." His way of still being the leading man in my life one last time. And then he stepped with his left. And I smiled to myself as the doors opened.

Picture taking was also a blur. I remember walking out to Copley Square, and it's probably one of the only times I remember seeing Nancy and Kelly all night. They were AWESOME. I don't know how they keep the masses on track in the chaos. I also remember Nancy on the ground in Copley Square taking one of our favorite photos with the Hancock. Did I mention Nancy was five months along with Jonah at the time? I remember telling her to get off the dirty ground!!

We had a black tie Boston-themed wedding. Almost all our guests travelled from all over the country and all over the world to come to it. I took care of every detail. The hotel gift bags had Boston-based goodies in them. We had done a little "travel guide" of Boston listing all our favorites eateries, things to do, secret public bathrooms along the freedom trail, etc. I had gotten some discount coupons from local businesses and museums. I wanted our guests to enjoy the city I live in.

Our menu cards were designed by a local artist and they were a watercolor scene of the Public Garden. All of our stationery was done by Arlene from Invitations & Company, and she was amazing. I will always use for any stationery needs, she was super nice and gave me beautiful products within my budgets. Our centerpieces were made by my husband. He took photographs of places we've been (which were the table names) and made them into hurricane candles that he dipped and molded himself. Since each one is a work of art of his, each table had a Boston-trivia game on it and the winner of the game got to take home the centerpiece. We see them in people's homes still.

One of the things we had a lot of guests comment on was that every placesetting had a list of each guest and his/her relationship to me or my husband. People really enjoyed reading through it, and they said it made each of them feel special in some way, like they were truly part of our new combined lives and families.

Our signature drink was the chocolate martini (my favorite with a specific recipe). I am famous for drinking them. The Fairmont accomodated my recipe and they were served with the cake. That is where my guests said they fell off the wagon, they were so good.

Our band, Studio C, was wonderful. They had taken the time to learn songs that were special to us and even change the tempo to what we needed. My father and I waltzed for our dance and the band slowed down the tempo of the song we wanted so we could use it. They even surprised me by singing our last song live (they had learned it in a week) when I was fully happy to have it play on CD. That was really special to me and I thanked the bandleader profusely for it.

The most memorable part of our wedding was that we had a live artist paint it. I found him in Starbucks, he speaks little English, but he understood what I wanted. He had never done it before and was very excited for the project. I said I wanted him to capture the essence of our wedding in an impressionist oil painting and that the only scene I did not want was the ceremony. I wanted something else. We could not have asked for anything better. He chose to paint our first dance. The scene is beautiful, the Oval Room at the hotel makes a perfect backdrop and he captured the scene perfectly. Many of our guests say they can pick themselves out in the painting based on where they were standing during the dance. And it was also the first time my husband showed of his moves from our dance lessons, boy were our friends surprised! We getting the painting printed up on notecards and used them as our thank you cards. People still have the card displayed in their homes today. "

Hope this gives some people some ideas - I know SO many people have commented on their custom painting. And I had no idea that those Manolos were dyeable - fabulous!!!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #18

2008-03-10T08:26:00.003-05:00

Next up is Adrianne, she had a super-fun day with absolutely amazing weather.

"Top 10 Fabulous Things about Adrianne & Jeremy's wedding day:

10. A 75 degree, sunny beautiful August Saturday! I had fears of 95 degrees.

9. Not speaking to each other the morning of our wedding. It made the moment of seeing each other at the church all the more special.

8. Having our families and friends involved and around us to celebrate our marriage. There's nothing better than that.

7. Having a wedding day that had our stamp on it- from the Red Sox jerseys, to our first dance to Jimmy Buffett, and our last to Motley Crue. The day had "Adrianne & Jeremy" written all over it.

6. Taking a boat to our reception! We were definitely rockstars.

5. Having the greatest DJ ever! The ceiling on the first floor of the restaurant was shaking all night long.

4. Having each part of our day- the ceremony and the reception- happen in our respective hometowns. The ceremony was in mine & the reception in Jeremy's.

3. Having the best photographer we could imagine!!!

2. Our "moment" as we left the church- the piece of advice to take a moment to ourselves was one of the best we received among all that advice.

1. The end of the evening & knowing that it was really just the beginning."

Thanks Adrianne! They had Greg Hodges as their DJ and he was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #17

2008-03-10T08:25:00.003-05:00

The next entry if from Becka, a 2004 bride.

"Almost 4 years after we were married, and still the only thing I wish I had done differently during my wedding was to look at Tom as I walked down the aisle. I was so afraid I would lose it (which I did during the ceremony) that I didn't look at him until I was right in front of him. Thankfully, you captured the moment when he first saw me, so I was eventually able to see it, but if you hadn't, I'd have never known how excited/nervous/happy he was during my walk with my dad.

One thing I was happy that we did was we only had a sweetheart table (I think that's what it's called) - no head table. It was nice to be able to talk with each other candidly and not feel like we were ignoring tablemates. "

Thanks Becka, that' great advice!

new kicks for jonah

2008-03-07T16:08:00.005-05:00

Just a few more entries for the fabulous/not-so-fabulous contest to go! But I just had to share this first....

Ok, I'm not entirely sure how many of you are actually interested, but I just got Jonah some new shoes, and I'm sorry but they are just the cutest. He looks like a little skater kid!

The snow is finally receding and it's getting a bit warmer, so we ventured out for a bit yesterday. I'm glad someone is getting some use out my my exercise ball, because I'm certainly not!

Last night I was lucky enough to meet a few friends out for drinks at Lucca in the North End. I wish I had a fabulous picture of my yummy cocktail to share, but I left my camera in the car. My husband and I used to live in the North End, and we were there when Sean and Matt opened it. Stephen even built the mirrors hanging in the main dining room! After Lucca we headed off to Regina's for some Pollo Pesto and Sausage Cacciatore pizza. Yum and yum. Some of my clients are from the North End, and I always tell them how much I miss going there!

**note - I made it home from the North End (not speeding) in THIRTY FIVE minutes. see? Southborough isn't that far away!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #16

2008-03-07T14:43:00.004-05:00

Next up is from Jen, she got married in October of last year.......

"What I Should Have Had In My Emergency Day Of Kit!

Everyone thinks to include touch up makeup and a few extra bobby pins in their purse for the reception but I really wish I had asked my makeup artist for a little squeeze packet of eyelash glue! Needless to say, I was teary eyed for most of the day -- so toward the end of the reception the false eyelashes on my right eye began to come up! (Thankfully you can't see it in the photos!)

Also, a Tide pen/Shout wipe saved my dress! We returned to our sweetheart table after cutting the cake and Andy decided it would be cute to continue to feed me our chocolate peanut buttercake by hand. The cake was moist and the peanut butter was gooey - it was perfection... until it landed on my dress. Being the dutiful husband he is, Andy sprang into action and began trying to wipe it off my dress which, of course, only made the brown spot larger as he rubbed the chocolate into the lace. After some mild panic, Andy remembered the Shout wipes in the bathroom baskets. Voila! It worked like a charm.

Mission: Picture Perfect

Since we lived together before we got married, it was important for us not see each other the morning of the wedding. If there is ever a morning you don't want to have to fight for sink space - then it's your wedding day. But honestly, we wanted the "grand reveal" of seeing each other from opposite ends of the church aisle -- and all of the anticipation that comes with it. At the same time, we really liked the look of photos taken before the ceremony with the entire bridal party. Mainly, we liked that the photos are all taken at the same place. So we compromised. We decided that we would have our photos taken at the same location before the ceremony but at different times. It sounds easy now, but it had to be carefully orchestrated. It required down-to-the-minute Team Bride/Team Groom timelines, explicit instructions and directions (with maps!) for our limo driver and a lot of wishing and hoping that we would not run into each other! And did I mention we decided to do the photos outside? Unbeknownst to me, this whole plan caused my Mom many sleepless nights (she admitted this to me just yesterday). In the end, all the planning paid off and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day or more beautiful photos! Our pre-ceremony photos are exactly what we were after: there is a cohesiveness to Andy's photos and mine. Even though we weren't there at the same time, the look and feel of the photos is as if we were. "

That was tricky, Jen! But thankfully everyone was very prompt which made it easy!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #15

2008-03-07T14:42:00.002-05:00

Well, I knew that Jennifer would have some good comments.....turns out she already has them posted on HER blog! (just scroll down about a page for the wedding stuff)

Here are a couple of my favorite entries......(I'm partial to Vows, because that's where I got my dress, too!

"So you became engaged, and you don't have anything to wear? That's what I said. At first I thought I would try to have my mother's gown altered to fit me since I grew up admiring my mother's beautiful bridal portait on the wall of our house. It's a beautiful dress, but as design would have it, I felt it looked better in the box than on me. A friend of mine told me about a place called Vows, a bridal outlet store located in Newton, Massachusetts that specializes in sophisticated designer wedding gowns for much much less.

Fortunately, unlike most of the other shops I had visited, I was able to fill my dressing room with many gowns that not only were beautiful, but were also within my budget. This shop had a very homey and relaxed atmosphere, with wonderful assistance. Vows been written up in the Best of Boston by Boston Magazine as the best place to go for your wedding gown for the past 5 years. I also used their searchable website to virtually pick out gowns before I visited to try them on.

As a result, I found a gorgeous ivory silk Ulla Maja gown that had a very simple a-line cut, and gorgeous cascading train in the back. My good friend Pamela Berberich let me borrow her beautiful veil that fortunately was the same hue of white. With shoes Ron had helped me find at Filene's ($19!!!), and flowers for my hair taken from a vase in our dining room, I was prepared to walk down the aisle in my finest. Hey, I clean up alright, don't I?

Here is a perfect recipe for place card holders: Chocolate boxes!! This allowed us to make a wedding favor, place card, and food-choice indicator all in one:

We used nice little white boxes I got out of one of my jewelry supply catalogs (100 of them for about $24), we filled them with chocolate coins (for good luck wishes) and then tied them shut with smart li'l black bows. To each box we tied the person's name using none other than the luxe papers from Paper Source - and each tag was color coded:

• Pink for salmon
• Checkered blue for chicken
• Sage green for vegetarian

Hope this helps you if you are looking for place card ideas."

Love all your ideas Jen! Has it really been two and a half years.........wow....

Fabulous/not-so fabulous - #14

2008-03-07T14:34:00.004-05:00

Next up is a sad, sad story from Allison.........

"I was reading a magazine when I saw this picture of Eva Longoria with these fabulous wedding flip flops on! They were white and had a big fake diamond ring in between the toes. They were so cute and might I say expensive, but I had to have them and you only get married once (maybe)

So on my wedding day, we had them displayed for a photo memory of their fabulousness. They looked so cute sitting on top of my mother's bed all posed.

The day went on, church, limo and finally the reception, the place where I could show off my purchase, until, "Oh No" where are they? I looked in my special wedding bag and they were no where to be seen!!! Where were they?, "I know" sitting perched on top of my mother's bed, lonely!! So sad, oh well at least I have the pictures to remember them by!"

When we found out, I offered her my Reefs I had in the car.....but it's just not the same. Maybe you can lend them to a friend getting married soon??

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #13

2008-03-05T22:30:00.004-05:00

Next up are some tips from Cara, a 2005 bride. One of my favorite memories from their wedding was that they played "The Rainbow Connection" for Jon's dance with his mom - how cute is that? I totally teared up....

"There really isn’t a lot that I would do differently. Looking back (almost 3 years later) I still remember a fabulous day that was filled with all of our family and friends. What’s better than that?!

There are a few things that stand out in my mind that I’m glad I did do:

Sweat the small things well before your wedding day approaches. You always here people say “don’t sweat the small things” you won’t enjoy your wedding. Well I spent a lot of time and effort on every last detail but I got all of it done well before the 2 week mark and I’m glad I did. Details make a wedding, in my opinion, and I wanted people to appreciate all the work that went into the day. But I’m glad that I had the last few weeks to just enjoy what was to come – once I got to the actual day I didn’t have much to worry about. So while in an ideal world it would be nice to not worry about every last detail I just don’ think its practical advice for a bride…just get it all done early!

Relax as much as possible before the ceremony – take the time to spend the last few hours with your family and wedding party. You’ll actually remember this part in more detail because it was before all the chaos occurs.

Eat before the ceremony – it was one of the best pieces of advice I got and it was a life saver. Can you imagine not being able to eat until 8 at night after a long day of smiling and greeting people, especially in the summer months?

Savor your time with your new husband taking pictures. It will probably be the only time you’re alone (with the exception of Nancy being with you and she’s not intrusive at all!).

Take the time to talk and greet your guests at your own pace. We planned it so our picture taking would be done and we could enjoy the cocktails and food with our guests…while we did have a quick receiving line at the church being able to mingle with our guests during cocktail hour really was one of the more memorable moments from the reception for me.

I really wanted to have Nancy capture our guests at the reception – being the bride you get caught up in your own moments and I wanted to be able to look at the pictures and see what I missed and see our guests enjoying the night. Nancy did a fabulous job with this one request!!!!

Back to eating…eat at your reception. You spend all this time picking out the perfect menu….you should be able to enjoy it too!!

Entertainment is key to a fun wedding. Our number one priority was making the reception feel like one big party. We wanted our guests to have a blast and picking the right entertainment is the key to having this be a success. We chose a band and they were the talk of the wedding!

Lastly – try and take some moments with your spouse….the day will inevitably fly by but if you take the time to step back and look at what is going on you’ll have those memories forever!!

Oh and hire Nancy as your photographer…once the day is done and over you’ll only have the pictures and video to look back on and she does such a fabulous job capturing all the special moments! "

Thanks for the plug, Cara! :)
And she wasn't kidding about the entertainment. They had Felix Brown, and even the groom was doing the worm!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #12

2008-03-05T11:45:00.001-05:00

Next up is a story from Sue. She says that she's not comfortable speaking in public, but I had no idea! She made a great speech about her dad with the cutest story of the two of them doing a paper route together.

"For my father/daughter dance, I had known for years that we would dance to "Unforgettable" by Nat and Natalie Cole. The song meant something to me and I had a story to go with it that i wanted to share with my family and friends at the wedding, just before our dance. Days before the wedding, things were of course hectic and I thought about skipping the speech. I had enough on my plate and really didn't like getting up in front of crowds to talk. I kept going back and forth about writing the speech. Finally, 2 days before my wedding, I put it together. I practiced, printed it on note cards, the whole nine yards. I didn't tell anyone about the speech because I wanted it to be a surprise for my dad but also if I chickened out no one would know. I can't tell you how happy I am now that I made that speech. I think almost everyone there came up to me and told me what a wonderful speech it was and how they had tears in their eyes. The speech was really about my father and how lucky I was
to have him as my dad. It meant a lot for me to have him hear this. You know, life's too short to worry about the little things. My wedding day was the one day where I could do whatever I wanted and every single person in that room was someone special to me and my husband. I got over my fear of public speaking (for that moment!) and I am so happy. I have that speech on video and I have my family's reaction to it. I am just so happy I didn't pass up this great opportunity!"

Thanks Sue!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #11

2008-03-04T15:20:00.004-05:00

Next entry is from Heather, a 2005 bride. I remember her ceremony being very well-done and entertaining, as well! Sometimes having a friend or family member perform the ceremony can be a bit of a disaster, but not in this situation!

"I still glow when I think about what a phenomenal experience our wedding was. There were so many fabulous moments - many of them beautifully captured by Nancy! - but here are some come to mind immediately:

Our ceremony was awesome. Because we were a Catholic + Jewish marriage, we decided to have a ceremony that recognized symbols from both religions but without being overly religious. Since we didn't want a priest and/or rabbi, we asked my husband's two uncles to perform the ceremony. It was the most personal, poignant and comical ceremony. (It helps that my husband's uncles are award-winning Hollywood writers and directors and they excel at putting on a show!) I don't think that many people can say their guests were laughing out loud during the ceremony. In fact, I will never forget hearing my father's chuckling coming from the front row. The ceremony certainly had its more serious moments, but never seriously somber like some ceremonies can be. It was incredibly meaningful to have officiants who knew us well. I get the greatest pleasure from friends who still tell us that our wedding ceremony is the best ceremony they've ever been too. What a compliment!

Another cool moment was when my parents, husband and I were escorted into the Ritz ballroom. (It is now the Taj ballroom, but it will always be the original Ritz to me!) All of the guests were still in the cocktail hour and the wedding planner pulled us aside to "present" the ballroom to us. We didn't expect a private viewing. Where we had been under the chuppah just an hour before had been magically transformed into our glamorous reception! It was a wonderful moment, it gave us a few minutes of down time to just enjoy what was happening...and it totally thrilled my parents!

Finally, another fabulous moment was the hora. I had never experienced the honor of being raised up in the chair. Neither had my 65 year old, Catholic-schooled father! He made 'the sign of the cross' as he was being raised up in the chair. Not sure that's ever been done before!

Not so fabulous - There was one seating error at the reception- oops! There was a bit of a fiasco with the tux vests in the 1-2 hours leading up to pictures. The tux rental shop didn't get all the sizes right so the Groom and Best Man were running up and down Newbury Street to the store trying to get the right ones. Lesson learned: make sure the Father of the Bride tries on the vest the day before the wedding! "

Thanks Heather!!

Heather is also the winner of the first gallery wrap - congratulations!!!!!!!!

First winner of fabulous/not-so-fabulous contest!

2008-03-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

and the winner is........

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #10

2008-02-29T15:48:00.003-05:00

Here's the next entry from Lori! Her cake was so beautiful, what a shame they didn't get to eat it!!

"There are definitely a few things that I loved about my wedding as well as a few things that I wish we had done a little differently.

Things I loved (there were so many great things, I don’t know where to start):
Having the sweetheart table – it was the only time that Mike and I had a chance to sit and talk to each other for a few minutes

Taking pictures on the waterfront – they came out beautiful

Wearing a dress that was comfortable
Staying over in the hotel that night…..because we could keep the party going at least for a few more hours
Having a reception line at the church – gave us more time for dancing during the reception

Things I wish we had done differently:
I wish we had a chance to eat the cake!! We never even got to taste it

I wish we made an announcement that the cake was available, I felt like most people missed it as well as the cappuccino bar"

Thanks Lori!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #9

2008-02-29T15:35:00.004-05:00

Next up are some tips from Meredith and Chris who definitely had a relaxed, fun day. I absolutely loved her nephew who had a green lollypop in his hand coming down the aisle. He didn't wear his fancy shoes, but in the end, it doesn't really matter!!

"There honestly isn’t much we would have changed about our wedding day! Fortunately, we both had a “whatever” attitude about the small things that did go wrong (note to future bride and grooms – things will go wrong – so just plan to go with it!)

Here are some of our favorite moments:

We were so glad my sister carried our not so thrilled ring bearer down the aisle. It was so important to us to have him be a part of the day. Now we have funny memories of him not wanting to put on the shiny shoes he was so excited about the day before… and of course him munching on a bag of marshmallows during the ceremony. What else would you expect from a 2 ½ year old!!

We absolutely LOVE the photo of all of our wedding guests that was taken at the end of our processional. It was a fun way to ensure that we have a photo of all of our guests, even the camera shy ones!

We wanted to do something slightly different for our centerpieces – and since I really don’t like the table numbers that you so often see popping out of the vases – we decided to have words to identify the tables. Each word was related to love and marriage - for example our table was “amore”, others were honesty, patience, devotion. And the simple arrangement the florist (A Whole Bunch in Burlington) put together went perfectly with the idea!

We were very happy with all of our vendors… from Nancy and her assistant (of course!!), to our DJ Shannon (Red Hot Entertainment), as well as, Lucille and the caterers from Vinwoods. Our goal was to have a fun, relaxed reception and these people helped to make that happen! We loved the beautiful ceremony given to us by Reverend Elizabeth King. We were very fortunate to have found her. The tone was perfect for us – everything was very personal and relaxed.

My favorite moment of the day was during our first dance. Feeling everyone’s love and happiness for us in the room was really amazing. We were just looking at all of the smiling faces looking back at us – it was a really beautiful moment. All of the planning and bits of stress along the way were well worth it for that feeling!

Our advice to future brides and grooms is to try to relax and to take a step back – a moment at some point during the day to stop and look around to take it all in. Chris and I keep saying we wish we could have another wedding because not only does the day go by so quickly (like everyone warned us it would), but it was also so much fun! I mean really, really fun!

-Meredith and Chris"

Thanks Meredith and Chris!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #8

2008-02-28T20:43:00.003-05:00

The next installment is from Lisa - some of you might recognize her pictures (even though her wedding was before I was keeping a blog!) because I have been using images from their wedding in a slideshow that I show clients when they come to meet with me. My favorite one of these stories is the one involving Peter laying down in the backseat with a belly full of cake after a "tasting"........

"First, I will begin with the good... I truly believe one of our best decisions was to have our 'formal' photos taken before the ceremony. Since we had a fall wedding, it allowed us to take our photos outdoors while the sun was bright and shining. We also wanted to spend every possible moment of our reception with our guests. More importantly, I am a worrier! I spent most of the morning in a ball of nerves stressing about the zillion little things that could go wrong. However, the moment that I met my husband at the park where we were taking photos all of my worries vanished. I truly realized that I could not care less if the cake was not perfect or the trolley was late or the kids wouldn't walk down the aisle.... because I was marrying this amazing man TODAY! From that point forward, the day was nothing short of relaxed and wonderful!

I would highly recommend having some version of a 'receiving line' after the ceremony. My husband and I greeted everyone as they left the church. Since it was only the two of us (my mom and dad are talkers so we sent them over to the side...) it moved quickly, however, it provided us with the opportunity to greet every guest and thank them for attending our wedding. This freed up the reception for us to enjoy the party on the dance floor with our guests rather than spending hours going table-to-table welcoming everyone.

I would also highly recommend not just setting a budget first and foremost, but discussing what both of your priorities are for the wedding. For us, excellent food and beverage, music, and photos were our top priorities. We realized we were willing to 'skimp' on other things but we had to find the best cater, band/DJ, and photographer that we could. After all...if our guest didn't have a fabulous time and we didn't have photos to remember our day by we would have been disappointed. Everyone's priorities differ but it is important to not skimp on something and realize later that it was incredibly important to you!

Now, on to the things that we could have done better... We decided to have our wedding in October in Salem, MA. After booking our venue and date, I worried for months about the logistics of holding a wedding in the midst of a major tourist season. We could not block hotel rooms for our guest and I panicked about parking availability and traffic. I wish I had spent more time prior to booking our date thinking about what it would mean to have a wedding during a 'high season' in a small city. In the end, it all worked out beautifully, however I put many hours into trying to 'control' the logistics which were completely out of my control.

Remind your husband-to-be that it is a cake TASTING! We met with two bakers in one day. At the first bakery he decided it would be 'rude' not to finish the entire piece. They gave us eight pieces of cake...and he finished them all! He proceeded to lay in the back seat of the car the entire way to the second bakery because he felt so ill and inform me that he would not have any more cake. Fortunately, at the next bakery he rose to the challenge and managed to finish the 4 additional pieces of cake.

If you are not 'crafty' and do not have a lot of spare time and extra hands to help...skip the 'do it yourself' projects. Most people will not notice if you have individually created seating cards and hand-created decorations...but you will remember the hours you put into them and the money spent on these projects adds up!

Lastly, I could rave about all of my vendors...I was truly fortunate and had a very good experience with all."

Lisa had all of the wedding vendor rockstars.....Vinwood Caterers, Gina Joubert and Kimberly Fosher, Allegria Bridal, and Paul Natale.

Thanks for the stories Lisa!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #7

2008-02-28T20:39:00.001-05:00

Next entry is from Sarah - they had such a fun day last June up at the Gloucester Elks at Bass Rocks........ (I love her comment about Pringles and M&M's......what could be bad about those? I am also guilty of paying about $8 for 10 Pringles from a mini-bar and loving each and every one....)

"After months of planning and jittery nerves for weeks, when the doors opened to the church and I saw my soon to be husband everything fell into place. Standing up there and promising our lives to one another was thrilling, we kept just smiling and giggling at each other.

The dance lessons were the best investment we ever made! We took dance lessons on Saturdays for a few months before the wedding. We had so much fun spending time together before the wedding learning our dance---laughing, practicing and thinking about the big day. I never thought our guests would love the dance so much or that it would be one of the highlights of our reception. I'll always remember the huge smile on my husbands face while showing off his moves on the dance floor.

The caterers forgot to give us our prepared food plates so when we arrived at hotel at 1AM we were starving. I ate here and there at the reception but the hunger hit us both when we took our shoes off to relax. We wanted a nice sampler of all the wonderful food our guests ate. Instead we ate the entire mini-bar at the hotel! I would have enjoyed the mini-crab cakes or sirloin but Pringles and M&M’s did the trick!

The early bird catches the worm and this applies on the absolute best day of your life. Start getting ready early for the wedding. Make any hair or make-up appointments earlier than you think. I never felt rushed and really enjoyed spending quality time with the bridesmaids before the wedding. Once the flowers arrive the day takes off and never slows down. If you get ready early you have more time for pictures, nobody is stressed and then the rest of the day runs smoothly. Nobody wants to feel rushed on their wedding day or not have time to take a few extra pictures with their husband because they are needed someplace else.

I didn't know much about what I wanted for my wedding, but I knew I wanted a chocolate cake! Each tier of the periwinkle and brown confection featured a different flavor: chocolate raspberry, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, and (for nonchocoholics), yellow cake. I’m so glad I went with chocolate icing on my cake. I received so many compliments on how incredibly beautiful it was. If you don’t like white icing don’t put it on your wedding cake because the bridal magazines tell you it looks prettier. I walked by the news stand the other day and on the cover was a huge wedding cake, with chocolate icing---apparently chocolate icing is now “in” because it’s different. It’s always been my favorite!

I wish I had not spent so much money on my veil. I wore it for the ceremony, a few pictures and it was off. It was beautiful but kind of a pain and I wore it for maybe a total of 45 minutes. I could have done something cheaper. Perhaps I’ll open up a used veil shop!

For some reason I thought ALL DJ’s were cheesy or bad – mainly just because all the ones growing up were! We listened to all sorts of CD’s and DVD’s from popular bands. We went through all of their play-lists. We made lists of pros and cons of each band; it started to get real complicated. We didn’t really have time to start scheduling appointments to see different bands and my fiancé was insisting that most bands (that cost thousands of dollars) sounded like, “cheesy garage cover-bands” and I was fed up. I almost forgot I was planning a wedding since in my free time I had become a band consultant. After a few months and my fiancé saying, “That doesn’t sound like the original song” I realized maybe DJ’s were popular for a reason. I can look back and laugh because our DJ did a great job the night of and the dance floor was packed the entire night. Even before the dance floor “opened” people were up there dancing, he was awesome. And he just really wanted to make us happy. A good thing I learned, just because you don’t get the most talked about/recommended vendor doesn’t mean that you won’t get a fantastic one anyway. Trust your instincts; not getting a band was the right decision for us!

I am in the television industry so having the perfect videographer was important to me. I’m really happy with the results, but I have watched the video 5 times. I look at our beautiful wedding pictures around our apartment every day! They are truly works of art. It was the best investment we could have made in our wedding. Sometimes I got consumed with the wedding details—bands, linens, place cards, programs...the list could go on forever. At the end of the night the details are all gone and the pictures last forever. "

Ok - please don't feel like you have to say how much you love your pictures in these stories, but I'm so glad you do!!!!!

Also, Katrina Hess, her make-up artist is running a spring makeover special right now! Now through the end of May you can get a consultation and application in her Newbury Street studio for $50! I'm tempted to do it myself! :)

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #6

2008-02-28T20:34:00.002-05:00

Next entry is from Sue who had one of those "no way to prepare for it" moments the day of her weddding...........

"I got married on May 19, 2006-the day of a methane truck rollover on the Mass turnpike in Hopkinton-where I live!. No traffic was allowed on the Pike from 10am-7pm-the day of my wedding!!! It all started with a call from a bridesmaid saying she couldn't get to the hair salon because traffic wasn't bad-it was completely at a standstill!!! We called the State Police and they told us what had happened....

I had my cell phone in one ear trying to re-route people and the curling iron in the other ear-while at the hair salon.
As if your nerves aren't frenzied enough the day of your wedding!!! ...

The flowers miraculously arrived on time to my house .....My wonderful photographer was there because she lived the next town over. My parents who live 20 minutes away and usually take Route 135 decided to take the MASS PIKE! They completely missed the pre-photographs at our house.
When I walked into the church-it was practically empty. My very best friend from upstate NY never made it to do the reading- so we had someone stand in...

It took us hours to get to the reception in Concord. Miraculously....everyone made it...albeit late. People spent all day in the car driving to the reception. They had to forego the ceremony because it was impossible to get there."

Here's Sue & Shawn in good spirits despite it all before, during, and after the ceremony!! You just can't let the challenges get you down......

"The best thing I can say to brides to be is bring a pair of comfortable white slippers so you can boogie down at the reception after the heels come off! I'm still in wedded bliss almost 2 years later-with a 1 year old baby boy too!"

OK - this is becoming a theme!!

and just for kicks......here's the cutie-pie!!!

Thanks Sue!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #5

2008-02-28T20:13:00.003-05:00

Here is the next entry from Monica & Chuck, they had a shorter engagement, so did everything on a more abbreviated time frame:
"Things we loved/the best things we did:

* The best thing: getting married!

* We got engaged on Memorial Day in May and were married in October. The planning could only take up about 4.5 months, which were wonderful (and hectic), but we’re really happy to be already married now.

* Three of my very good girlfriends from college, in from out of town, stayed with me for the 2-3 days leading up to the wedding. We had a wonderful little mini reunion... They kept me entertained and relaxed and it was a wonderful way to end single-hood, among close friends.

* Allegria Bridal, in Belmont, was a great place to get a dress and bridesmaids dresses. I recommend them very highly.

* The seamstress who did my dress (Rosa, at Rosa’s Customized Tailoring, Watertown, MA) not only did a fabulous job on my dress, but she also did an impromptu last-minute fix on one of my bridesmaid’s dress. My friend had asked her seamstress (out of town, in a rural area) to put in bust-cups, but the seamstress didn’t have any, so she had cut what we think (we’re really not sure) were shoulder pads in half, and then tacked these in as a pseudo bust-cup. They didn’t quite look right, leaving a sort of horizontal shelf across the dress and my friend was understandably a bit stressed about it. Rosa took a look at the job, tut-tutted a bit about the other seamstress, and then fixed everything there on the spot with new materials, all 2 days before the wedding.

* I had a fabulous florist (Jess Wrobel, in Ipswich) who listened to what general colors and look I wanted, and then who did absolutely everything else on her own. I loved not having someone keep asking me what specific types of flowers I wanted.

* We got married at a site that only does functions, so we won’t be able to go back there easily in the future. A friend who had her reception at the Colonial Inn in Concord mentioned that one thing she loved about it was that it “would always be there” and they’ve been able to go back for their 5- and 10-year anniversaries...

* We took a “mini-moon” for 2 nights after our October wedding, on Cape Cod. That gave us a getaway for ourselves together, but made it really easy to pack for it, and it was a wonderful relaxing 2 days. One of the best parts was waking up at 3 a.m. after the wedding and talking about all the wonderful things that had happened and about how happy we were with everything. And looking at each other and saying “you married me! Wow!”. We were also still able to catch up with some friends in from overseas when we got back. We took our real honeymoon to Hawaii three months later, and had a wonderful time.

Things maybe we should have done differently?
* We probably shouldn’t have left printing the wedding day programs to 4 pm on the day before the wedding, using my home printer. It jammed on the thick paper, and then some small black plastic piece broke off of something inside. A quick trip to the local Staples, handing over the printing job to them, helped to solve the problem, but we were left without time to pick up the printed copies that night, since we were off at the rehearsal dinner. Thankfully, my husband’s best man was able to jump in the next morning to head back in to Staples to pick up the printed programs when Staples opened at 10 am on Sunday morning, and other friends pitched in for a rapid folding session at the reception site before most guests arrived for the 11:30 ceremony.

Things we still don’t understand:
* Men get to rent shoes to go with their tuxes. And they fit! Women would never rent shoes (and they’d never fit!) and women have to spend all this time going around to find exactly the right shoe and right shade, when their shoes will only be under a long gown. What’s up with that?

I hope that this helps. Chuck says to add in “the very overwhelmed groom was very happy to hand off planning to his bride-to-be”.

Thanks Monica! Many of my brides have a great experience at Allegria Bridal, I'd love to stop by there someday.

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #4

2008-02-28T20:12:00.002-05:00

So, the next tip is from Karen & Todd who had their wedding at the Emerson Inn by the Sea in Rockport. Karen & Todd had a more non-traditional day and they paid for everything themselves, so they could pretty much do whatever they wanted!

"I'm so glad that we had the cocktail hour before our ceremony. Obviously, the wedding was a bit non-traditional (but, I like to think, still tastefully done). This unusual element helped foster a relaxed atmosphere. It took the edge off everyone - from the bride and groom to the guests. It allowed those who travelled a distance to have a cocktail & hors d'oeuvres immediately upon arriving and to relax during our ceremony with no hunger pangs! People still rave to us, almost three years later, how much they liked our wedding and how fun it was."

Todd & Karen's event was definitely fun & relaxed from beginning to end..........

Thanks Karen!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #3

2008-02-28T20:09:00.002-05:00

here are some short & sweet tips from Kathy:

#1. Pack a pair of super comfy flip flops for later in the reception. I wore the J. Crew ones with an elastic strap. They were a life saver!

#2. If you're in the Rhode Island area, I loved my florist, Jay at Golden Gate Studios.

#3. Pack one big bag with what you think you'll need- then put someone in your wedding party in charge of it.

#4. A popular decoration at our reception was wedding photos of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and siblings.

#5. If possible, get all of the the little stuff done two weeks before your wedding day so that you can enjoy the week leading up to it. My mom assembled a bunch of her friends, and we put all of the favors, welcome bags, bathroom baskets, and programs together two weeks before, and it was so nice not to have to worry about that stuff when people were arriving and I just wanted to spend time with them.

Thanks Kathy!!!!!!

fabulous/not-so fabulous - KEEP 'EM COMING!

2008-02-25T20:47:00.003-05:00

hey there!
just wanted to let everyone know that I have extended the deadline for the entries until this Friday! If you miss that (everyone procrastinates, I know......), you can still submit your story, and if I am still posting them, then you will still be eligible for the second portion of the contest - getting the most comments on YOUR post! Could there be an easier way to win a $250 gallery wrap???

fabulous/not-so fabulous - #2

2008-02-22T15:57:00.004-05:00

The next entry is from Kelly - she has a LOT of great things to share, some do's and don'ts!

"I was hell-bent on wearing a strapless gown on my wedding day! I love my dress and would buy it again. During my fittings however, I decided not to wear a bra underneath. The dress fit me perfectly and held everything in place. Plus, I had been restrained for so many years… I didn’t need to wear a bra?! Well, the one thing they don’t have you do during your fitting is sit down. I had to sit down in the limo on the way to the church, during the ceremony at church (a couple times), back in the limo to the reception, and eating dinner. With all that movement…the dress naturally stretched just slightly and the girls started to fall a little south! I was “fixing” myself and the dress constantly. In hindsight, I should have worn the bra. Go figure! A friend of mine got married the following year. I gave her the stern suggestion to wear a bra even though she’s a bit smaller in the chest than me. She decided against the bra and surprise…she too regretted it.

The vendors…LOVED every single one except the DJ. Hated him even though several people told me they thought he was great! He played only a few of the songs I requested. He was supposed to have another system setup to play music in the cocktail reception area. When we arrived at the country club, it wasn’t set up. He did set it up after my mother argued with him about it, but wasn’t ready in time for the guests. Very unprofessional in my opinion. I thought I was getting a good deal but after I realize some things are too good to be true. Looking back, I would have researched and interviewed more DJs and even paid more money for someone more competent and dependable.

With the exception of the few don’ts I mentioned above, I would have done everything else exactly the same. But to mention a few of my favorite (of my favorite things)…

The flowers…it’s been said that you should pick a few things that are MOST important to you on your wedding day when working within a budget. For me, one of those things was the flowers and I wasn’t going to skimp on those. The room at the country club was very large so I wanted centerpieces that would take up some of that space and be the center of attention. Since most the attire was rather simple and neutral I wanted the flowers to make a bold statement without taking away from the simplicity. They were gorgeous! The centerpieces were so unique and fun with the jelly beans and the ribbons. My guests are still talking about them to this day!

The photographer of course! Nancy and her assistant photographer were fantastic! So accommodating, professional and friendly all at the same time. It was just a great experience and the pictures are proof. She captured every minute of the day. Despite the rain! In fact, the ones of us with the umbrella on the walk back to the reception are probably some of my favorites! I love the photo-journalistic shots of the guests and of every single detail. I very much enjoyed working with Nancy and feel like I’ve gained not only a photographer for life but a friend too!

I asked Andy to take dance lessons a few months before our wedding. Though he wasn’t thrilled with the idea, he agreed to go. Our instructor worked with us weekly for several months choreographing a dance specific to our song. And we performed it perfectly that day! I think it was very unexpected for most of our guests but Andy’s family mostly. They can’t believe he even agreed to go! My father-in-law told me just after the song was over that he was just in awe and was so impressed. He had tears rolling down his face. He’s not an emotional guy so that really meant a lot. Dance lessons whether choreographed or not are definitely worth every penny!

We took some heat from Andy’s family when we told them we were hiring a videographer for our wedding. They felt videographers were always in people’s face with a camera looking for a comment. That they were obtrusive. I can see their concern as I have been to several weddings where the camera just follows you around. That’s not the type of videographer I wanted. I found Lynn Valeri online and am so glad I did! She was just fantastic. No one even knew she was there. There was no commentary, no interviews. She just captured every moment as it happened. The result was an edited video to music that had both Andy and I in tears as we watched for the first time. I still cry every time I watch it. She did an amazing job. I’m so glad we decided to video the wedding. Along with the photos, it’s something we’ll be able to share with our children someday.

I asked Andy if he had anything to contribute. He said he really wished there was a way we could have slowed down the day. He blinked and it was over. Don’t we all?! Let me know if you come up with a way to make that happen!!! Haha."

I totally agree with Kelly that you should sit down when you are having your dress fitted. Make sure you are comfortable! Thank you so much for sharing Kelly!!

first entry for my fabulous/not-so-fabulous contest!

2008-02-22T15:19:00.004-05:00

I've just started to hear from a few of you, but I know there's a lot more, so keep the responses coming! I will blog EVERY response, so everyone has a chance to win a beautiful 16x20 gallery wrap! The first entry is from Melissa. She looked absolutely gorgeous, but looking back has some second thoughts about her dress choice..........

"First, nothing was more exciting than putting on the wedding dress of my dreams. As I had my friends and family help me into my wonderful Kenneth Pool wedding dress, I felt like a princess. The beautiful satin shimmered perfectly, it fit like a glove, and I loved how the dress accented my mother's pearls going down by back. All this sounds just wonderful until I realized that I could barely fit into the antique Bentley I had rented for myself and my parents to take us to the church because my dress was so big! As my father squeezed all of my dress into the backseat (while it was raining), we configured that the only way for me to fit was to sit completely sideways which wasn't what I had in mind for the 40 min drive. I had a gut feeling at this point my dress would become a little problem for me during the day.

As the day progressed, the dress got heavier and heavier and my energy for holding it up got lower and lower. I was started to get pretty sore around dinner time because the weight of the dress was all positioned around my waist and I felt like an engine running out of steam. It was hard to move around on the dance floor, harder to eat, and harder to drink! I actually had to sneak downstairs into the ladies pampering room to take the dress off for a few minutes and breathe! I never thought I would have been in my undies for a few minutes during my wedding so I could catch a breather!!

If I could change anything or advice little brides out there on anything, it would be to pick a LIGHT wedding dress. The day is so much fun and you want to stay as active as possible! I would recommend getting a dress that doesn't weight that much. Honestly, I stepped on the scale with the dress on and I weighed about 18-20 pounds more than I normally do, eek! That's why I was so tired at the end of the day.

I wanted to keep on having fun, so I figured taking off the dress wasn't the end of the world, and I changed into sundress knowing that there had been a ton of great pictures of me in my wedding dress. Coincidentally, my dad forgot the white sundress that I wanted to change into afterwards, so I had to wear a different one.

Which leads me to my next piece of advice, don't sweat the small things that go differently than you planned. So what?, my dad forgot the white dress. When I asked him to put it into the limo, there were a million things going on around us, and he was probably just as nervous getting ready to take his daughter to the church to get married.

I just reminded myself to have fun, smile lots, and look around at all the people who love us. It's a pretty cool feeling and the best experience I have had in my life to date. "

I personally think she looks adorable in her sundress!! What do you think?

tell me a story and get a chance to win a gallery wrap!

2008-02-20T12:16:00.003-05:00

this is a call out to ALL of my former brides and grooms!

As many of you know, I have been keeping a blog (like millions of other people), but I want to keep it super-fun and definitely useful!

So, who better to contribute than you, my fabulous clients? And I know time is precious, so I’m going to make it worth your while.

I know that all of you have stories to tell about your weddings, so spill it!!! For some people, it’s something you really wish you had done differently. For others, it’s something you did that you were so thrilled with! For most, it’s a little of both.

maybe........

you wish you didn’t wear a strapless dress?
you sat alone with your new husband?
you didn’t sit alone with your new husband?
your reception was too long? too short?
you broke in your shoes before hand?

or.........

your wedding cake was the best thing you’ve tasted in your entire life?
you are so glad that you stuck around the next morning?
the dance lessons were the best investment you made?
wearing your mother’s pearls meant the world to her?
nobody could not stop talking about the individual mike’s pastry box they got as a favor?

I am dying to hear all of your stories!!! I have been at this for awhile now, so there are over 100 of you out there! I am going to go through all of the responses, and post as many as I can on the blog. And to thank you for your time, two lucky submitters will win a 16x20 fine art gallery wrap canvas print (worth $250!) from their wedding or engagement pictures. The first will be drawn out of a hat, and the second will be the post that receives the most comments (from unique users) on the blog.

Please email your stories to nancy@nancygould.com. The deadline for entries is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH. I will choose the first winner from all of the entries on February 27th. The second winner will be declared 15 days after I make the last post from this contest.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I can’t wait to hear from you!

Cheers,
Nancy

ps - I tried to email everyone, but I have some old email addresses, so please pass the word on to anyone I might have missed!

happy valentine's day!!!

2008-02-14T15:46:00.004-05:00

I hope that everyone gets to enjoy at least part of this day with your someone special! And for all of you 2007 brides (and a few fall 2006 brides!), I recently updated the galleries on my site, so please check them out - you might see some familiar faces.

Cheers!

ahh....a mini-break!

2008-02-11T16:18:00.002-05:00

well, our very good friends Kelly and Joe were nice enough to watch Lee & Jonah for the weekend so Stephen and I could get away. We stayed in Portland, Maine, stopping off in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on the way there and back!

I just love both of these cities. I scored a great vintage coat and handmade hat at the Odd Gallery on Market Street. They have a slew of vintage clutches if anyone is in the market for one!

Then it was off to Portland!

After lots of walking and shopping, it was our pleasure to sit and relax with Steve at Vignola for some delicious cocktails and fabulous snacks.

We had dinner at Street & Company, and then a fantastic breakfast at the Porthole Restaurant the next morning. (Okay, so it was 11:45, but technically STILL morning!)

It was so nice to get away, even if just for a couple of days! Now if only St. John's was a two hour drive..........

and more albums!

2008-02-05T18:28:00.001-05:00

I got such a great response from the album layouts that I posted a couple of weeks ago that I thought I would share a few more! These are a couple that I am working on right now. They are both flush mount albums, and these spreads are 12 inches high and 24 inches wide:

fun at home with the 200mm...

2008-01-28T11:58:00.001-05:00

so i had a weekend with no weddings, no bar mitzvahs, no conventions......so of course i pull out the 70-200 to get some pictures of the kids. i usually don't use that lens to shoot inside the house, but it was really fun!
lee was serious about coloring...

albums, albums, albums......

2008-01-16T11:59:00.002-05:00

Hello all!
So, I had a fantastic time at the photography convention in Tampa. My mind is buzzing from all the ideas I have for 2008! However, my top priority is taking care of all my fabulous 2007 clients who are getting ready to order their albums before I start revamping the website, redecorating the studio, and ordering new sample albums!
Last week I ordered five albums and finished two layouts. Here is a page from Lori & Mike's album - it will be 28 inches wide and 10 inches high:

Here are a couple from Kathy & Andrew's album -

And one more from Chen & Jason's matted album -

happy 2008!!!!!!

2008-01-03T13:06:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

Thanks for all of your great feedback about the blog! It has been really great to be able to share ideas and new images on such a constant (almost) basis. I have definitely been concentrating on album designs and holiday orders the last couple of months, and taking care of current clients is always my top priority.

I want to add a few new features in the next couple of months, so keep checking in from time to time to see what's new. You might even have the chance to win something!

I am very excited because I am going to a photography convention over the next four days in sunny Tampa, Florida. It is so important when you work for yourself to stay connected to what is going on the industry, so I can't wait to see what the latest and greatest is. I'm sure that I will come back buzzing with ideas for past, present and future clients!!! Hopefully there won't be 4 feet of snow while I'm gone.

Here is what my card looked like this year -

If you didn't get one, please email me with your updated address - I love to keep in touch with clients. I've even started to get baby announcements and holiday cards from some of you.
Here is a quick family photo that my sister-in-law took for me - I find it hard to remember to get pictures of my own family!

Anyway, I hope that this is a happy & healthy year for everyone. And, congratulations to all of those who just got engaged - I look forward to talking to you soon!!!!!

Cheers!!!
Nancy

always a photographer......never a guest.....

2008-01-03T12:46:00.001-05:00

not anymore!

As many of you know, one of my very dear friends got married last october, and i was very happy to attend strictly as a guest! I had been looking forward to this all season. It's not easy watching everyone dancing and having a great time every weekend and not being able to join in! My associate photographers took care of all of the photography, and as expected, did a fabulous job!

The ceremony was in the very beautiful Cathedral of the Pines in New Hampshire, with the reception at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner, MA.
Kelly and Joe make such a great couple, and we are all so happy that they found each other!!

Her nephews were so adorable!!

I loved Kelly's invitations & place cards, everything was aqua and brown.

Yup, that's me on the dance floor at last! My husband Stephen was there, and it was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the day!

Me & all my favorite people!!!!!

Kelly's dad was a madman on the dance floor....

Congratulations Kelly & Joe!!! Sorry that it took me so long to get this up on the blog, but I'm glad you are enjoying all of your pictures.

Lucky 13

2007-11-13T10:10:00.002-05:00

Kate and Tony got married on October 13th at the amazing Boston Harbor Hotel. The view of the city was fantastic!

Kate and Tony did their pictures before the ceremony to take advantage of the location and sunlight. Here they are seeing each other for the first time.......

I just love this image that my second shooter took...

How cool are these funky metal things? They are down by the water next to the Boston Harbor Hotel.

I need to ask them who did the calligraphy on their place cards because they looked beautiful.

The ceremony was also at the Boston Harbor Hotel, and the guests were greeted with hot apple cider or sparkling water as they entered.

Instead of asking her to be a bridesmaid, Kate and Tony had one of their very close friends perform the ceremony. She did a fabulous job!

Really, who doesn't love scallops & bacon? Kate's mom was very excited about the hors d'oeuvres....not only did they have passed goodies like these, but they had pasta stations and a table with just crab cakes, as well!

The tables looked gorgeous...

I love this picture of Kate's mom as she is watching Kate dance with her dad.

Kate provided flip-flops for all those dancing feet!

Moment's Notice provided plenty of great music for the crowd.

This time one of my favorite dancing pictures is the lead singer who hopped onto the dance floor dancing with the guests!

Congratulations Kate and Tony!!

Something old, new, borrowed.......but no Blue

2007-11-06T15:13:00.001-05:00

I did an engagement shoot a couple of months ago for Monica and Chuck with their very sweet dog Blue. So sorry that Blue couldn't join us on their big day!
Monica and Chuck had an amazingly relaxed wedding day at the Henderson House. They had lots of friends and family from different times in their lives, and places they lived, and made an effort to make sure each guest felt welcome.
I love the texture of Chuck's wedding band.

Monica relaxing with a Dum-Dum before the ceremony - love that.

Jess Wrobel took care of the flowers, and people seriously couldn't stop commenting on them all day!

They did the toasts and cake cutting in the main foyer, which is such a great space to get shots of all the guests.

Icing on the Cake made the cake, and apparently, if they give them a picture of the cake by itself, they get a cake on their anniversary - sweet! I'm always happy to help.......

Fabio Pirozzolo was fabulous........

And a bubbly send-off! Congratulations Monica and Chuck!

a perfect day in boston

2007-10-31T13:33:00.001-05:00

Jen and Andy had a picture perfect day for their wedding in Boston. We started out at her parent's house in Wilmington.

It's very important to keep your strength up when you're a bridesmaid!

We went to the Public Garden to do some pictures before the ceremony. This little girl was enamored with Jen and started following her around!

The ceremony was at the Old South Church right in Copley Square.

We stopped at the Christian Science Center on the way to reception just before sunset.

The reception was at the The Colonnade Hotel, and the room looked gorgeous.

This time it was the groom that was the crazy dancer of the night!

They had chocolate & strawbery mini-milkshakes at the dessert table, I love this new trend!

Congrats Jen and Andy!!!!!!!