I am so excited to finally post this wedding! Amanda and Scott's day was last in a very long stretch of weddings, so they have had to wait awhile for this unveiling! The wedding was exquisite, and Amanda and Scott such a terrific pair, I knew even a year ago that it was going to be a good one. Amanda is one of those gals who I connected with instantly. Spend five minutes with her, and you know she is a creator. Her artisitic vision came through in every detail of the day: the unique handmade stationary, the classy, not matchy but fabulously coorinated styles worn by the entire wedding party, the just married sign embellished with maps of significant locations in their lives, the necklace her parents had custom-made for her, the inclusion of customs from her mother's native Hawaii, and of course, the flowers. Amanda is a floral designer, so I knew her flowers would be incredible. I loved how her girls each carried a bouquet featuring a different flower, one with orchids, one with dalias, etc. There were spraying branches of berries, sweet calla posies for the mothers, and Amanda's adorable nephew carried a ring artichoke! The ceremony took place at St. Michaels in Noth Andover, and the reception at the elegant Stevens Estate, a favorite of mine because of the beautiful setting, the many brick out-buildings, and the intrigue of the beautiful manor with it's grand rooms, lovely archicture, and abundant period detail...We finished up with family and wedding party formals as the sun was just firey embers through the trees. And the reception was full of tears and emotion, laughter, and of course, hot moves on the dance floor! It was a splendid day, and despite a sprained ankle from my wedding the day before, I (and my wonderful assitant shooter Antonette) had an absolute blast. And sweet Amanda even let me take home one of the centerpieces, so I had a bouquet of orchids, dalias, and hygdrangea on my desk for full a week, a fragrant reminder of Amanda and Scott's 10-10-10 union (don't they have the best anniversary ever?). Enough ado, on to some photos...
Amanda's parents sweetly looking on... Glamorous girl... We caught the golden evening light, much to my pleasure. One of Amanda's precious nephews. "I've had the Time of my Life" from Dirty Dancing: best last dance song EVER.
It was back to one of my absolute favorite venues, the Willowdale Estate on another glistening October day for the wedding celebration of Nicole and Karl. With her rich dark hair and miles-long legs, Nicole was absolutely stunning in her lace gown. There is something so sweet and natural about her--and my lens loves her! But so do I--she and Karl are genuine and down to earth, and such good sports when presented with my crazy ideas (like stopping at random, perhaps slightly unsightly points along route one for their engagement shoot, including an attempt at "Karl's Sausages"). But it was ALL class and elegance on their wedding day. Nicole got ready in Willowdale's beautiful bridal suite, her entourage of gorgeous bridesmaids, her mother, mother-in-law, and both grandmothers by her side. Nicole and Karl first saw each other in the back patio, and then we made use of Willowdale's amazing grounds for family, wedding party and portraits of the two of them (chasing the "good light," I was hunkered low to the ground to avoid the parking lot full of cars, and catch the low streaming light through the trees and Nicole's veil). Then I got to hop in the limo with the bride, her father, and her girls (such an honor!) to head to the Blessed Sacrament Church in Saugus for the ceremony. And then it was back to Willowdale for a rowdy celebration lead by Nicole's charismatic cousin, D.J. Joshua Wiseman, who was absolutely fantastic! He has such energy and magnitism and I recommend him whole-heartedly--brides take note! I loved that Nicole's grandparents were out on the dance floor until the last minute--a sweet testament to the enduring love story that for Nicole and Karl is just beginning.
Being beautified from both sides. Nicole's maid of honor had these crazy-gorgeous amber eyes. Haha, if you look close, you can see me in this action shot! Nicole's bouquet looks the most like my own wedding bouquet of any I have seen--so of course I absolutely loved it! D.J. Josh lead them in a "newlywed game" (see left) and then held a hilarious dance contest (see right).
Jenny and Kevin's wedding was a much anticipated event for me. You may recognize the lovely, full-of-life Jenny. I have photographed her in a bridesmaid dress so many times, it was about time she was the one in flowing white, looking into my lens! I first met Jenny in 2008, when she donned a vibrant green frock in the wedding of one of my wonderful couples, Megan and Paul. She then told her sister Lisa about me, and there she was, gorgeous again in a long, chocolate gown on Lisa and Brendan's wedding day last October. And most recently, she sported a pale green dress at the wedding of one of her best friends, Katie (of the adorable Katie and Andy, whose wedding you'll find a few posts back). But on the first Saturday in October, it was Jenny who was the star of the day, and I loved showing up again, on another sunny October morning, at the Spinosa family home in Melrose. Again, I made use of the bright yellow and red walls, and captured Jenny's wonderful mother, father, and grandmother looking on as this time, their youngest daughter prepared to be married. This time I had the pleasure of meeting tiny Danny, born to Lisa and Brendan in July--an early one-year anniversary gift! When I conjour Jenny in my mind, I see a face that is always smiling...She is tall and lithe, with unbelievable honey eyes and flawless olive skin--and the best thing is, she is unaware of her beauty. She is a teacher, an athlete, most at home in a sweater and jeans, on a soccer field, or romping in the woods with her dogs....Which brings me to her wonderful new husband, Kevin. Kevin is a fireman, and he too is athletic, a lover of nature, of dogs, and most importantly, madly in love with his bride. From hearing their story, it was obvious when they met (playing soccer of course!) that they were going to build a life together. Their day started at the grand St. Mary's parish in Melrose, and then we fought fair traffic to attend the reception at Willowdale Estate in Topsfield (which I consider one of the most exquisite reception locations north of Boston). It was quite the party; Jenny and Kevin were surrounded all night by friends and family, encircled in so much love. Congratulations to the newlyweds, and at last, here are some photos...
Theresa of Dogwood Floral did a stellar job again with her floral creations. On the left, Jenny and Lisa snuggle baby Danny; on the right, Katie watches as Jenny gets into her gown...I loved photographing these girls again! I love that the orange, yellow, and blue was even reflected in the church... Check out Jenny's amazing golden eyes. I took about a million photos of this lovely, spirited bridesmaid--whose smile I remembered from Megan's wedding two years ago! On the left, newlyweds, whose wedding was captured by my good pal Will; on the right, Lisa and Brendan, one year married! I love this shot! I documented the weddings of all of these dashing couples :)
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