Nicole + Curtis' Wedding ~ August 11, 2012

When two young lovebirds living in Nebraska decide to marry back home in Massachusetts, they start their vendor research online with nary a clue whom to go with for every aspect of their wedding.  When it comes to their photography, well, we believe in some divine intervention (!) because when they found us it was a "match" made in heaven, so to speak.

Curtis' Air Force assignment took him to the base in Nebraska, and it didn't take long for Nicole, his long-time sweetheart, to join him.  While Nicole completes her studies at the U. of Nebraska, Omaha, Curtis works on complex jet engines, and endures ten hour drills that put him in very uncomfortable situations.  No matter - now he's got his beautiful bride to come home to!

Our wedding packages include a complimentary engagement session, so once Nicole and Curtis arrived in MA, (driving straight from Omaha, no overnights, I might add), we "captured" them for a fun photo session here in Grafton so they could practice gettin' their photo groove on, first at the Grafton Common, and then over to our favorite local farm, Houlden Farm.

The couple hails from Orange (yes, that's where us Massachusetters go to jump out of airplanes for fun, including yours truly.  But that's a story for another time...)


 



The wedding day arrived and we had their photo matte signing board ready for guests to leave a personalized note when they picked up their reception place cards.   We LOVE the way Nicole and Curtis had personalized their reception table settings by holding their own photo session back in Nebraska, taking photos of themselves with their beautiful dog, tripod and all.  Well done!







Nicole had chosen deep plum for her bridal
party colors, with the men sporting black tuxedos and matching ties (sharp!).  Here's Nicole in her traditional bridal portrait looking serenely beautiful, just before her trip down the aisle.





We love the next image of Curtis as he sees his bride in her dress for the first time -- note the look on the groomsman's face (Curtis' brother) as he looks for Curtis' reaction ... priceless!

The couple's wedding and reception took place at The Colonial Hotel in Gardner, MA.  The setting was just lovely, and the lively DJ, Greg from Absolute Entertainment, kept the guests entertained all the way through the evening.  We haven't had such a good laugh in a long time  ~  you're familiar with the garter toss where the single man who catches it must then place the garter on the leg of the young woman who caught the bride's bouquet?  Well this time DJ Greg played a little "switcheroo" on a blindfolded groomsman as he THINKS he's placing the garter on a female, only to discover, to the roar of the crowd, that it was the groom he had sitting before him!

By the time we'd finished the edits on these images, we were craving some buttercream frosting ... here's why!

It was a wonderful experience photographing for this lovely couple and their families ... we'd love for you to leave your comments and thoughts regarding their wedding right here on our blog.  Wishing you a beautiful life together Nicole and Curtis!
                                                  Fondly ~ Chris & Vickie Wakeen

Vanessa & Rich ~ August 20, 2011

The day had finally arrived!  We'd been looking forward to Vanessa and Rich's wedding for what seemed like soooo long.  Having photographed their E-session back in April, we were quite excited to handle the photography for their special day - we knew the wedding would be a blast for us!

Keeping with Massachusetts' summers as we know them, the day was quite warm and humid, and even tho thunder storms were forecast, we all lucked out with sunshine and dry weather!

The couple exchanged vows at the N.E. Dream Center (a gorgeous, scaled-down replica of Paris' Notre Dame), and the ceremony was presided over by Reverend Will Bard.  A reception following was held at Cyprian Keyes, on one of the most gorgeous golf courses in New England.  In fact, as we photographed the wedding party and family groupings before dinner, the couple was nearly creamed by a renegade golf ball as someone shouted 'fore'!!!  (a little something amusing to share with their grand kids one day, we hope!)

Vanessa had long prepared for what would make her wedding day a perfect reflection of her style.  The sequined bodess of her wedding gown (provided by Loren's Bridal of Sturbridge, MA) was absolutely stunning as you can see (click on image to enlarge).

Vanessa's matron of honor and bridesmaids were so beautiful in lilac-colored dresses by designer Justin Alexander, and the coordinating bouquets by Perro's Flowers were a perfect match of calla lilies, roses and hydrangea.  The groom and groomsmen wore very distinguished looking tuxedos from Men's Warehouse in black with pale blue vests and white boutonnieres.  The groom's niece served as flower girl, and there were two handsome young ring bearers as well.
 

The three-tiered wedding cake was beautifully adorned with coordinating white frosting with decorative swirls, lavender ribbon and roses of pale blue, provided by Gerardo's Bakery.

I (Vickie) personally fell in LOVE with the glass charger plates of Cyprian Keyes' table settings ... just love the beaded glass around the edges ~ very classy!  Everything looked just beautiful.

Special touches included having the guests sign-in on a drum head (cool!) rather than the typical guest book.  So appropriate since Rich is drum virtuoso for the band Shiver (formerly Ever Fading).  The lively dance music was provided by DJ icon Kevin Whitney, and videographer Tim Ethier was on board to document the festivities, "moving-picture style."  Super fun for us as Chris has worked with both Kevin and Tim at many weddings over the years!

So, Vanessa and Rich (and your wonderful families), we're Ever Grateful to you for a day we won't soon forget and we can't wait to show you the remainder of your images in the weeks to come!

All the best for many years of happiness, and best of wishes in your new condominium!

                                                      ~ Vickie and Chris