Prom Season is Here!

We had the good fortune to grab some shots of Chris' daughter's prom on Wednesday night at the Wachusett Country Club in West Boylston, MA.  Naturally we were there to photograph her but as we were waiting over an hour for her group's limousine to arrive, we figured, 'why not put the time to good use?'  It was a beautiful balmy evening with gorgeous subjects and gorgeous surroundings.

We'd overheard one girl saying her camera's batteries had died (oh no!) and voilà, instant opportunity.  We had the gear, so we offered to photograph that couple, and as one steps out onto the manicured golf course, the rest do follow!  Lucky for us - they were looking so awesome.

Here are the results of this impromptu "mini-session" ... we hope these young men and women enjoy seeing themselves so decked out!

If you were there and would like to purchase a unit (one 8x10", or two 5x7s, or one sheet of 8 wallets) ... use the "Contact Us" link to send us your Name, Address and Email ... and it's as simple as that!  Each unit, as listed above, is only $15.00.  Purchase more than one unit, and receive the others for half price.

Oh, and did we mention if you visit our Facebook page  and "Like" us, you'll receive a free electronic file of Your Photo without the watermark as shown, for your Facebook profile ... how 'mad' is THAT?!  (no purchase necessary).

Rehanna and Felix ~ May 22, 2011

It's All in the Details


The folks at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lancaster, Massachusetts have been very good to Chris over the years.  We were pleased to be back there on Sunday for the marriage celebration of Rehanna and Felix.  Chris introduced me to at least five individuals who were thrilled to see him again since he'd photographed their wedding, or their children's weddings, years before.  I overheard one woman comment how much she appreciated us noticing all the small but important details of the day.  And it's true - it really is the details that make the day so memorable not only for the wedding couple, but also for the guests.

And details there were!  So much meticulous thought and planning went into this day.   Rehanna's champagne-colored, sequined dress was absolutely stunning, the bridesmaids were dressed in gorgeous flowing peach gowns, the maid of honor in a refreshing 'garden' green and the flower girls looked like little angels in white!  The groomsmen (talk about débonnaire!)  - all in black with pale peach shirts and boutonnieres.

Rehanna's mom did the flowers herself.  I have never known any one person so talented in this area.  There were so many flower arrangements in the church and on every table of this large affair, I can only imagine how long it took her.  What a loving gesture for her only daughter.  White peacock feathers aligned the arrangements next to the pews, and white Corinthian columns supported the heady, exotic displays.  This was a wedding fit for a princess!

All the work that went into this wedding was a true labor of love. The multi-tiered wedding cake was created by Henry Livergood, close friend of the family and Food Service Director Emeritus of Atlantic Union College.  Truly a masterpiece.










The lavish reception for over 230 guests was held at The Chocksett Inn (Sterling).   Doesn't this picture really just say it all?

Tickled Pink over Weddings

The longer I'm involved in the wedding photography business with my husband, the more I realize just how many really wonderful families there are out there.  It's so great being able to experience them all - witnessing how they interact with each other, seeing family resemblances among its members, getting to know their tastes and their interests (if only for a few hours), and truly feeling at the end of the reception like you're sad to leave because you would have liked to get to know these people better!

Such was the case last weekend at the Publick House in Sturbridge.  We knew we liked the bride when she came to our home for that first consultation, but her personality became much more apparent to us during the course of the wedding day, and we so enjoyed her!  [Generally we spend more time with the bride since we meet up with her where she's preparing, about an hour and a half before the ceremony.]  Thus far, I've yet to see a bride who wasn't feeling (and looking) absolutely terrific! And so naturally it's a joy to be around someone like that.

If by some stoke of fate, my husband and I were to win some huge lottery windfall, the fact is I would still be doing this work with him because it's thoroughly enjoyable.   Getting to witness the unfolding of the most special day in any one person's life is such an honor.  And because I love art, design and color, I look forward to every reception with such anticipation ~ oh, the color combinations, the flower arrangements, the table settings, the wedding cake, etc. etc.!  There's no limit to the amount of creativity we get to document through our cameras.

Our couple this past weekend is from outside of New England.  Because their intended guests are scattered all about the eastern U.S. they chose Sturbridge as their wedding locale, a central meeting spot most convenient to everyone.  Lucky us!  And now they're off on their honeymoon in Germany and we have the pleasure of experiencing their wedding day all over again as we cull and edit their photographs.  When we contracted with them we'd agreed not to post their photos in any public forum, and naturally we will honor their request.   I only wish they knew right now how excited we are at what we captured for them.

Melanie and Joseph ~ May 7, 2011

 Words cannot express just how thrilled we are that Melanie and Joe chose us to be their wedding photographers.  Maybe it seems odd that we, the photographers, get excited over the couple's shots, but we really do!  Melanie and Joe have been together for a while, but you wouldn't know it ... this beautiful couple was just beaming on their wedding day.  And every time they looked at their adorable little boy, their eyes lit up even more so.  It must be that love among the three of them that's inspired us.  We're so pleased to have been part of their memories and can only hope we've done justice to their beauty in our photography.

We absolutely love Melanie's choice of gown (from Pronuptia Bridals).  And we think the designer, Maggie Sottero, should have paid Melanie for wearing it --  she wore it so well!



Melanie's hair, as well as her bridesmaids',  was styled by a past bride of ours, Melissa Angers of Divine Day Spa ... so you see, a happy client brings many rewards even years later.  Word of mouth and referrals are the backbone of our business.  The bouquets and flower arrangements were created by friend of the family Becky Arbella, who also officiated at the ceremony as Justice of the Peace.




So let's review the day ...


We just love this shot of Melanie assisting her mother Pamela with her pearl necklace.  They are both so pretty!




Pre-ceremony portraits were taken in the bride's parents' yard ... in between the little mist that threatened ... but the results were worth it!  Melanie's dress was so gorgeous we just had to shoot front and back, and even play with the results post-production for a different effect.

Joseph's mother made the wedding cake herself, (what an awesome gift!) creating and placing dozens of cascading roses down the cake's side in varying shades of turquoise to match the theme!  The adorable cake topper "Promise" is by Willow Tree.  She did a fantastic job!

We just loved the derby/bowler hats worn by the groomsmen.  Totally classy!  This 'junior' groomsman seemed to really enjoy his role!

And the father of the bride transported her in his classic white '64 Chevy Impala.  Even the car's interior was a beautiful soft turquoise -- how cool is that?!







The short-lived rain showers couldn't put a damper on this afternoon; the rain drops actually added an interesting effect to this shot of our bride arriving to the ceremony.

The flower girl, Melanie's niece, was a bit shy at first but soon began to enjoy feeling like a princess!

Here's a shot of the gals taking one last breather before the bridal procession.


















Post-ceremony we were able to take the bridal
party and families outside for formal portraits ... timing was right on target!  Here's a touching moment between Joseph and his son looking oh so handsome (both of them!)

Notice how our little ring bearer has his trusty roll of sweet tarts ready in case he should need them?



And we had to include this shot here for you of the traditional father-daughter dance -- our flower girl has now really gotten into the swing of the reception and is helping to document the event with her camera.





Our couple enjoys a good laugh during the garter removal and toss ... it's so fine watching two people in love!

Thank you Melanie and Joe for this fabulous opportunity to share in your joy!

Vanessa & Rich's Engagement Session ~ April 30, 2011

Well it didn't rain on Saturday afternoon, thank you very much Mother Nature, and we were able to meet Vanessa and Rich for an enjoyable 'get to know you' E-shoot in Millbury.  The old train station, now the Millbury Senior Center, is a wonderful spot on weekends with virtually no foot traffic, and the old train, the tracks, the revamped "station" and surrounding garden make for an attractive backdrop.  This couple looks so great together - we're looking forward to August!