(i believe this is joe’s grandma seeing her for the first time.)

the place cards were keys paired with a car (wedding colors, of course).

i always feel so special on the occasions when i get a name card.  :-D

they had kind of a drive-in theme, so the tables were numbered like the opening sequence of a movie.  also, jennie looked far and wide for all of the beautiful milk glass vases you’ll see.

the (delicious) cake was provided by andover cakes.

custom labels in their wedding colors made chocolate bars a sweet favor.  (also, yes…yes, i am blogging their wedding the day after it happened!  a day + a year.  i’ve always said i’m a delinquent blogger!)

i photographed sara’s wedding in 2008.  she and jennie have been best friends for, like, decades.

ok, i’m not afraid to admit that i’m kinda dorky.  i figured with their awesome 50s style, it might be fun (albeit dorky) to do a group shot reminiscent of the ending of a guys and dolls number.  so that’s what’s going on here.  i think the guy on the left’s face/pose is my favorite.

first dance

would it be a wedding without “shout”?

(this guest doesn’t think so.)

we borrowed a guest’s hat for a few more portraits.  i think it fits with the vibe of the day PERFECTLY, don’t you?

we grabbed their friends to help them rock the hat and the piano…

check out those legs and those shoes!  and that skirt!  and those cars!

(and the coolness was definitely upped by having one of the COOLEST photographers i know come shoot with me. thanks again, mike!  also, disclaimer:  where i remember, i have noted which shots are his, but there are probably some that are his that i’m just not sure about.)

she bought her (cool) dress off etsy.  they had vegetarian asian food with disposable bamboo dishes.  and chopsticks!  pretty chopsticks.  i dunno, it was just…cool.  see?

site of the ceremony…ridiculous, no?

(i think this one might be mike’s…)

so…i have to give jen some MAJOR props…kudos…accolades…whatever vocab word you want to use, she deserves them all.  the part of the park i wanted to shoot in?  yeah…it wasn’t so much “open” as it was “gated and chained with a padlock.”  HOWEVER!  no problem!  just climb through these bushes, and down these enormous boulders, onto a beach, and then back up some more boulders and voila!  we’re there!  and jen was totally up for it.  and…the resulting images are SO worth all of our clambering around.

(this is DEFINITELY one of mike’s…i love it!)

i couldn’t get enough of those bridges or the skyline!  so amazing.

(i think this is another one of mike’s…so beautiful.)

ok…i will try to tear myself away from the gorgeousness that is alex + jen, and move on to the gorgeousness of the location they chose.

i love father-daughter dances.  :-D

i’m about 98% sure alex is playing air guitar, here.

as our time was wrapping up, we took the bridal party outside for a couple more fun shots w/ the ny skyline behind us.  and the result is…HELLO CAST OF LOST!  (well, *i* think it looks like that, anyway.)

look at the birds!!!

this is leo’s THERE’S THE SUN! exultation. we went off in search of a sunkissed sea of golden wheat grass. and we found a field which SHOULD have matched that description, but the shy little sun was hiding behind a cloud.

this may be my favorite session this summer. i’m sorry to everyone who isn’t meghan and leo, but…! harpswell! walking to the beach! they’re SOOOO in love and happy and adorable. they made me DINNER! AND…when meghan said that they cooked, i was a bit trepidatious. see…confession: i am a picky eater. i’m not proud of it, not at all, but i am. and i get a sinking feeling when someone says they’ve cooked for me, because i know how much care *i* put into it when i cook for someone! i want them to feel loved and taken care of…and to think it’s DELICIOUS! WELL. i needn’t have feared. when meghan and i met to discuss their plans, we met for lunch. and she remembered that i’m picky. and she remembered that i ordered grilled chicken and sweet potato fries. so do you know what these lovely, lovely people made for dinner? grilled chicken (WITH A ROSEMARY SPRIG GARNISH…are you kidding?) and sweet potato fries. this is love.

that tree has been there since the moffatt-ladd house was built…in 1763!

(this is one of my favorites.)

this is another of my favorites…it’s so…them! they’re silly and just have lots of FUN together. cindy laughs easily and often…and bert knows just what to do or say to make that happen.

these are also favorites…i really love that it shows the moffatt-ladd house in the background and some of the riotous color from the gardens that are on the harbor side of the street in front of the house. and yay for portsmouth and old-timey lampposts!

another shout out to portsmouth! yay tugboats!

this is the last one, i promise. i love portsmouth…it’s magical in the summer, and this view is so…portsmouth. that drawbridge in the background makes me happy (and not just because it leads to kittery, where my dear, blessed loco coco’s is located.)

c + b, thanks for making the LENGTHY trek down from york beach…on your VACATION…to hang out with me. it was lots of fun, and i hope you got those mojitos you were after!

i was blown away by the creativity of this baby’s mom. i immediately posted it on facebook, proclaiming, “next person who asks for a baby session…we’re doin’ THIS!” my friend liz immediately responded, “ooh ooh, pick me!”  she’d been planning on having me do a 6 month session for her little girl (internet nickname:  chuck) anyway, so this was a PERFECT opportunity for both of us to exercise our creative juices.

liz made all of the costumes and provided many of the set elements.  i laid out the sets and provided other colors/textures…and the goat!  tell me in the comments which stories you think chuck is “acting out” for us.

(this one’s my favorite!)

can’t get enough of chuck in that wig? i couldn’t either! she looks just like a real life cabbage patch, doesn’t she?! and those EYES!

liz is seriously impressive with the whole wig-making, costume compiling thing, huh?

if you’re interested in a make-believe session like this for your little one, please send me an email!

we started off with older sister lou-lou…giving her a little one on one concentrated attention now that there’s a new addition to her family.
cute as a bug, huh?

the thing that makes me love love love this one is how it shows the layers of family.

i think this one is my VERY VERY favorite from the session.

i really wanted to make sure this session was about the entire family and this time in their lives where they’re changing and welcoming and making room for a new addition.

and last, but certainly not least…welcome to the world, baby tommy.

they chose an amazingly breathtakingly gorgeous venue for their party.  they got married at the point lookout resort in northport, maine…and let me tell you…it was AWESOME.  the food was GREAT, and all of the resort staff could NOT have been more helpful.  there are lots of rustic and charming cabins on site for guests to stay in…if you’re looking for a mid-coast maine venue…this place kicks ass.

the views yesterday were obscured by some CRAZY fog…which meant we couldn’t see the spectacular ocean views, but the fog added mystery and whimsy to the day.

waiting to see greg for the first time in her wedding finery.

anticipation!

after they saw each other and took a few minutes to breathe and say, “this is really happening!” it was time to take a few portraits.

isn’t she gorgeous? and isn’t their love lovely?

good lookin’ bridal party, huh?!

dani had her heart set on peonies for her bouquet…problem is…peonies aren’t a july flower. but her mother-in-law discovered that if you pick peony buds and leave them in the fridge (for up to 3 months!) they’ll keep…you just take them out of the fridge 3 days or so before you want to use them so they’ll open up. her bouquet turned out SOOO pretty! (and, i’m sorry, but i have to brag a little…i went up early on thursday and my awesome 2nd shooter and i (thanks allison!) stripped the flowers and made all those pretty bridesmaid bouquets during the rehearsal dinner. seriously proud of them. )

what’s that? you want a closer-up view? ok. i can accommodate that.

sometimes…brides want to take their veils off after the ceremony. and sometimes…i go ahead and hang onto them for them. and sometimes…this is what i look like.

(i’m not sure if i’m proud or chagrined that this is NOT the only picture of me that i have like this.)

when there are guests at a wedding that i know from previous weddings i’ve shot…i always try to make it a point to take an updated picture for them. amanda & matt were previous clients, and kristen now has herself a rob…and she was one of amanda’s bridesmaids.

dani’s mom made all the table runners (and the ring bearer’s pillow. and the FOUR flower girl dresses. and the ribbon cuffs for all of the bouquets), her bridesmaids (and a groomsman) helped with boutonnieres and table arrangements, and a bunch of us worked on the centerpieces for the guest tables. i told you dani’s SPECIAL…the way everyone came together to help her achieve her vision is proof ten times over of how loved she is.

there’s a lot more that i could show you, but i feel a bit like a runaway train already.
dani & greg…you two are marvelous, and i love you bunches! thanks SO much for inviting me to be a part of your day, and thanks for INSISTING we join the party. have an AMAZING time on your cruise & make sure i see you before you leave for PA!
(and thanks again to the awesome allison who flew up from savannah to help rock this wedding.)

our first stop was plum island. we found a gross stingray…thing… i told grego as a man it was his job to turn it over so we could see it.

(this one might be my favorite from the entire session.)

this is one of gail’s that i quite like.

after we left the beach, it was time for a flatbread refueling visit before doing some more shooting around amesbury.

grego’s pizza was a little bit sad and decrepit…but it still tasted good (well, i am gathering it tasted good based on how quickly he downed it. being fabulous for the camera is hard work!)

aren’t they the cutest ever? and isn’t amesbury beautiful?

last but not least…i told dani i wanted to trade legs with her, but she didn’t seem open to the idea. i tried to talk to her about being flexible and willing to experience new things, but she just looked at me like i’d grown a 3rd head.

my very FAVORITE moment from our time together doesn’t have a picture, though…when i met dani, greg was deployed to iraq w/ the national guard…with my soft spot for the military and having some first hand experience with the sacrifices those serving and those at home make…i offered to team up with her and make an EXTRA SPECIAL surprise for greg…so, when he asked me at dinner if i do other types of photography other than weddings, i looked at him and said, “YOU should know. ”

dani & greg…can’t WAIT for the party next month!