Vermont Wedding Photographer :: Orchard Cove Photography

Soup from a friend

2012-01-27T13:11:00.001-05:00

My sweet friend Nancy brought me homemade chicken soup when she heard I was under the weather....amazing amazing.

Nancy you are the best!!

Jono & Jackie's Basin Harbor Club Wedding Featured on Style Me Pretty!

2012-01-25T10:49:00.004-05:00

Check out THIS LINK to see Jackie & Jono's Basin Harbor Club wedding being featured on Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book Blog!

This wedding was one of my favorites this year - beautiful rustic details and such nice people!

Congratulations Jackie & Jono!

Chris & Emily's Queensberry Album

2012-01-24T13:45:00.001-05:00

I delivered this gorgeous Queensberry album to Chris & Emily at the beginning of December. They chose a Black leather cover blind embossed with their names - such a classic look!

Lately it's been popular to include a title page without the family initial - Chris & Emily chose this option

I loved this sign as soon as I saw it and it ended up being the perfect album opener!

Chris & Emily took my advice and included 2 full family pictures instead of a number of smaller combinations

Now that the portraits are done let the ceremony begin!

They had so many neat details that they got their own spread!

Toasting always bring out the best expressions :)

Loved the classic feel of this black and white spread

And then it's really time to party!

Congratulations to both of you!!

xo

The King's Speech : Bravo!!

2012-01-22T22:17:00.003-05:00

I finally got around to watching the King's Speech tonight...bravo. Brilliant movie - well acted, great script, lovely spacing and timing - I'd highly recommend it.

2 1/2 Year Old Fia

2012-01-20T14:20:00.001-05:00

I nipped up to Vermont for a quick weekend in early December to attend the VT Wedding Parlor's holiday party and to celebrate Fia's Mom Heidi's birthday!

As a late birthday present to Fia and a birthday present to Heidi I compiled all my photos of Fia at age 1 into an album. I'm happy to say that my photos are instilling a love of photography in Fia at a young age and one of her favorite things to do is look at "pitures." Here she's showing Dad a book that's all about her :)

She really is starting to look like a little girl but she still likes playing peek a boo and being chased around :)

Getting more independent too!

In this picture I'm especially struck by how "old" she looks

We went out for breakfast at "The Spot"

But she still had time to bounce on Dad's knee when we came home :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Amanda

Morning in Vermont

2012-01-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

A few photos from a December morning in Vermont.

The doggies were anxious for me to get out of bed!! What else is new :)

Visit to Providence

2012-01-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

In early December I visited my close friend Sarah in Providence to celebrate her birthday! Strider & Sage came with me to see their pal Nellie and on our walk we lined them all up- such pretty kids :)

Strider and Sage got to visit Nellie again while we were away in New Zealand :)

I love those faces!

Harris Family Photo-Op

2012-01-15T15:50:00.001-05:00

This is classic Dad - squatting to get the right shot - obviously I got my photography talents from him :)

A fun little snap for a sunny Sunday - hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Midge

2012-01-13T09:30:00.001-05:00

Back in November we took care of Strider & Sage's old friend Brody and his newer to the scene sister Midge. Despite her small size Midge is full of personality and we both fell in love with her

Strider and Sage's "Condo" is a bit too large for Midge but she snuggled in anyway :)

And just in case you didn't know a coffee table is the perfect spot to take a nap :)

We love you Midge and Brody - come back soon!

Brett & Amy's Digital Flushmount Album

2012-01-11T09:30:00.001-05:00

I shipped out Brett & Amy's album in early December and it greeted them when they arrived back from their honeymoon!

I love the new album boxes! They chose a Top Grain Leather Navy Cover with embossing on the front

Inside the pages were a very pale cream with navy borders to match their wedding day colors

Brett & Amy did a first look so we had plenty of time for portraits....even some with chickens!

Stonover Farm is such a beautiful venue - if you are planning a Berkshires wedding I highly recommend you check it out!

Congratulations Brett & Amy!

West Hartford Pooch Plunge

2012-01-09T09:30:00.001-05:00

We're heading back to summertime in the middle of this dark cold month - way back to August and the West Hartford Pooch Plunge. This was the second time I'd gone to this event. On the last day that the pool is open for the summer they open it to dogs for a few hours and it's a happy free for all :)

This year we met up with friends Max, Sam, and Tessie there!!

Sage was more interested in retrieving balls. Again. And again. And again. And again.

Ellie has grown considerably since last year!

She keeps going.....

And going. And going.

Needless to say she was totally pooped by the time we got home.

Such a fun event!

Bowling with the Junior League of Hartford

2012-01-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

I've been a member of the Junior League of Hartford for almost four years and have really enjoyed the people I've met and the projects we've done. For the past three years I've been a part of the Backpack Program which provides backpacks every Friday filled with food for kids to take home over the weekend.

In November I organized a little social get together to meet some new people and have some fun. We went Duckpin bowling and as you can see we had quite a good time (thanks, Jen for looking like you were having a good time in this photo!)

The group!

And a few action shots

If you live in the Greater Hartford area I'd highly recommend checking out the league - it's a great way to contribute to your community and meet some wonderful people!

Cowboy & Wills

2012-01-05T09:30:00.002-05:00

"Cowboy and Wills" is a very touching story about an autistic boy and the wonderful dog who brings him out of his shell and helps him socialize. I'm a sucker for a good dog book and this one was very well written - laugh out loud funny at times but grab a kleenex sad at others. I'd highly recommend it.

Strider is the Champion!!

2012-01-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

Back in early November I blogged about the Dog Days of Summer and when I was up at the lake last weekend my friend Carolyn reminded me that I still hadn't revealed which of our dogs was the overall winner.

Drumroll please........Strider was victorious!

Now for the confession. Since I wasn't at the ceremony I am not positive which individual events our dogs won so I know we brought home three medals + the trophy but I can't remember which dog won one and which dog won two.......oops.

Jeff thinks that....

Sage won dock jumping and water retrieval and Strider won land retrieval (or maybe it was basic obedience) which means that the third photo where Sage is wearing two medals is accurate.

Either way we're positive Strider won overall since his name is on the trophy.

And yes I also find it hilarious that there is a trophy for dogs :)

And a special shout out to my Mom - it's her birthday today! Happy Birthday Mom! I love you :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

(click the image to see it larger)

If we were at the lake Jeff and his friends would be jumping in the lake for the Polar Bear Plunge. Instead we're halfway around the world in New Zealand starting 2012 off on a great foot :)

Happy New Year one and all!

Winter Walk

2011-12-31T09:00:00.002-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving down in Pennsylvania with my Dad & Annie, and my Brother Jon. This open field is one of our favorite walking spots during the winter.

My Hubby :)

And my "boys" (minus Strider)

I loved the slope of the fields

The dogs follow along with noses to the ground!

Sage and Strider time :)

Love this one of Jeff

How hilarious are these? They are some of my new favorites :)

The original three!

Also loved this silhouette

Brother Bear Jon

When you are about to throw the ball and you tell Sage to "sit" she's so excited this is as good as it gets :)

Mom are you going to give me a treat?

Dad surveying the scene - we had walked all the way to the tree line and beyond

Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's Eve!

Zack & Laura's Queensberry Album

2011-12-29T09:30:00.001-05:00

I sent this stunner album out a few months ago. Laura & Zack's wedding was one of my favorites of the year so I had so much fun designing this 9x9 album.

A classic black leather cover with blind embossing set the tone

Laura & Zack chose not to incorporate their family initial in the title page - I love the album opener - it really sets the tone

Laura & Zack chose to do a first look and we had more than enough time for portraits - I was so glad she chose to incorporate so many of them in as full page images.

Usually I advise people to use two large family shots instead of multiple ones of smaller groups

A few pre-ceremony details and Laura's adorable nieces and nephews :)

We incorporated a double flip out for the ceremony for a spread four panels wide

Laura loves details and their wedding was full of them - we gave them their own spread :)

A few fun photo booth photos and highlights from the tarantella brought the album to a close

Congratulations Laura & Zack!

Book Recommendations

2011-12-27T09:30:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things to do is curl up and enjoy a good book...especially with the weather being chilly outside. Add a woodstove and a cup of tea and you have a perfect afternoon :)

As November was winding down I started reading....a lot. Then I forgot to blog about the books I was reading so now I have to catch up! Here are a few I've read in the last month or so:

I picked up "Hay Fever" at a cheesemonger (love that word and love any store that exclusively sells cheese!!) thinking that it would be similar to The Dirty Life which we read last year for Girl's Crafting Weekend.

I enjoyed it but found the author to be a bit full of herself at times - name dropping and the like. Still....an enjoyable and easy read.

"The Strangers on Montagu Street" goes under a good beach read that you can read in a night or two. My friend Alyssa introduced me to this author and used to lend me her books but now that Alyssa has moved to Texas (boo!!) we can't book swap anymore. This is the third book (I think) in this series and I've really enjoyed each one. Good characters and absorbing plot.

This book was also the first I read on my new Kindle! I do like the feel of a book but for convenience it can't be beat!

My Mom lent me "In the President's Secret Service" which is a non-fiction book written in a very user friendly and approachable manner. Some of the facts were fascinating - it's amazing how much behind the scenes preparation goes into protecting the President (and many other important people) and the sheer number of people it requires. A good read!

My friend Megan lent me "The Best of Me" and this also goes in the beach read/can't put down category. I love me some Nicholas Sparks!! The Notebook had me before hello (if you haven't seen the movie run don't walk) and I've read a few of his other books since then. This follows the same lost romance storyline but it's good :)

That's it for now - more books coming soon :)

And......we're off!!

2011-12-27T00:25:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

2011-12-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Oh the way I torture my poor dogs :) I found these headbands at Target for $1 each and couldn't resist :) Can you tell they aren't quite as psyched as I was :)

I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas surrounded by family and friends and LOTS of good food!

Enjoy my holiday card below and click the image to see it bigger (and then click on the image to increase the size in the new window

Merry Christmas!!

Decorating a Christmas Tree

2011-12-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

I'm a bit late in blogging these images because we got our tree in late November and have already taken it down as we are out of town for a California Christmas with my in-laws! Regardless though it was a lovely tree and we enjoyed it for a few weeks.

Jeff is always the light man :)

A few hours later I finished the job with the ornaments - it looked so cheerful when we were done :)

Our mantle last week - next year I need to find a better way to display all the wonderful holiday cards we get because I run out of real estate too quickly - any ideas?

And do you spot my big surprise for Jeff on the left side of the mantle?

Last January I found this canvas at our local needlepoint store and knew it would be perfect for Jeff. I managed to sew when he wasn't around so it was a complete surprise :) My Mom bought me a canvas for my own stocking back in April but I haven't started working on it yet - that will be a project for 2012 and hopefully it can join Jeff's by next Christmas!

I am not much of a math person and had to tear out half the name when I realized I hadn't centered it correctly - DOH!

Just two days until Christmas!!

Recipe: Sharon's Squash Soup

2011-12-21T17:40:00.000-05:00

This is a soup recipe that my Mother-in-law Sharon emailed me this fall when we had some butternut squash in our farmshare. Since then we've made it a few times and it is delicious. We've only done it with butternut squash but I'm guessing you could do it with any type of squas

2 1/2-3 Cups Squash (peeled and cubed)
1 1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced celery
2 T. diced carrot (or more)
1 t. dried basil
1/4 t. sugar
1/4 t. white pepper (we just use black)
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
2 T. butter
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. Half and Half
1/2 c. heavy cream (or less)
Paprika
Minced chives
Dollop of Sour Cream

Cook and stir veggies, herbs, and seasonings in butter for 10 minutes. Add stock, cover, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until veggies are tender. Puree the veggie mixture and return to pot. Add cream and half and half and reheat (do not boil).

Serve in bowls and sprinkle paprika and chives on top. Add a dollop of sour cream :)

Enjoy!

Buying a Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T19:24:00.003-05:00

A peek into our Christmas tree buying adventures - it's a family affair :)

at Dzen Tree Farm

Featured in the New York Times!

2011-12-18T12:50:00.004-05:00

Pick up a copy of today's New York Times to read this article about the trend towards getting married under an arbor, no matter a couple's faith.

Maggie from Rustic Wedding Chic (a great blog to follow for anyone planning out there!) put me in touch with the writer who was looking for photos of arbors and they ended up using two of my images!

This one from James & Katie's Shelburne Farms wedding this past August

And this one from Laura & Andrew's Round Barn Farm wedding this past September.

A special thank you to Alison Ellis from Floral Art Vermont for decorating the arbor so beautifully!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Congratulations to both couples!

Mom it's time to eat.....stop reading

2011-12-17T16:32:00.000-05:00