Celebrations began on Friday, the night before we left for Hupper, when our dear friends, Darcy & Carolyn came over with their newest family member, Enzo.  How precious is that little face?  It was a two-fold celebration, as Darcy celebrated her birthday the week before, right before they brought Enzo home!

Last night we had our favorite UNC-Maine-transplant over for an evening of her two favorites: baked pasta & Orvis.  (No joke!)  Oh, and cupcakes too!

For Darcy’s birthday we had a smorgasbord of ice cream flavors from the neighborhood shop, Willard Scoops.  Lavender lemonade was served both nights (of course!), but last night I tried my hand at making these decorative drink stirrers, inspired by one of my most recent weddings and this post from one of my favorite blogs!  Since we surprised Julia with a delicious cake (from our new Rockport favorite, 3 Dogs Cafe!) on the island for her birthday, we decided to make her cupcakes topped with these cute little flags!

OK.  I am a terrible tease, but how cute is that face?  (Don’t worry, he got a few dog treats after I took the photo!)

Aren’t we so lucky to have such wonderful friends to celebrate with delicious treats?  Happy Thursday!

Of course, my camera made the trip with us up to Hupper (yes, how can you not fall in love with an island called Hupper?), and each time I took a picture, Julia, the ultimate Magazine Monday aficionado, kept asking if I would somehow be able to incorporate the weekend’s trip into this week’s Magazine Monday blog post.  I really had only planned on making some Martha Stewart pasta dish for today, so this idea seemed absolutely wonderful!  Upon returning home from Hupper, I began flipping through my magazines in search of the perfect article, while Michael napped in the shade & Orvis blissfuly chewed on the piece of driftwood we found for him on the island.  I began with the usual favorites- Martha, Real Simple, Whole Living, and Self- having really no luck at all, and then I saw my answer staring right at me.  The cover of the Women’s Health on the blanket beside me said, “Take Back Your Weekends!”  Bingo.

In addition to spending time with Julia and her family and enjoying such a idyllic setting, one of the things I was looking forward to most was turning off my cell phone for the entire weekend.  There is little to no reception on the island anyways, so powering down seemed like a no-brainer.  Besides, who really wants to check facebook updates when you can sit in a shaded spot on the porch and watch boats sail past the lighthouse from Forrest Gump?  Exactly.

The weekend left both Michael and I so relaxed, but so thankful.  We laughed (and laughed), we enjoyed our company, we ate delicious food, we watched the sunrise, we explored the island – we enjoyed every little part of our weekend.  We’re so lucky to have friends like Julia and her lovely family, who are kind enough to share some of these incredible experiences with us.  So lucky.

Happy Magazine Monday!

I have to give a quick shout out to Jaimee, who is also a photographer- she knew exactly what to do to work the camera.  Coming from someone who is one big awkward mess on the other side of the lens, her confidence in front of the camera was nothing short of inspiring.

Love these shots of them both!

Jaimee & David thought it would be fun to bring a few balloons along to the shoot, and having never done a balloon shoot before, I was certainly up for the adventure!

Wharf Street.  My all-time favorite location in the Old Port for shoots.

So cute!

Jaimee & David, thank you so much for such an enjoyable morning around the Old Port.  I had way too much fun laughing with you guys last week, and cannot wait to hear how the road trip to WI went!

Happy Friday!

Meet Neily.

And William.

Is it weird that I kind of want Neily’s boots?  Scratch that, I think I want her whole outfit!

I have about a dozen of these photos of Will & Neily with their grandparent’s dog, Kaya, and I am seriously in love with all of them.

Such a cute, happy family!

Thank you so much, you guys, for such a wonderful laughter-filled morning!  When the time came to say goodbye, my feelings mimicked William’s- I didn’t want me to go either!  Please come back down to Portland on your way home from Jefferson sometime and we’ll all have some ice cream (and lemonade!) from the ice cream shop next to the studio!

At this past weekend’s wedding, the couple had one of their cousins read the most darling poem I’ve ever heard at a wedding, “Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog” by Taylor Mali.  Of course, I fell in love with it, and thought it might be fun to interlace the words of the poem with a few of my images.  The song is one of my favorite Dan in Real Life scores by Sondre Lerche.

National Dog Day! from Meredith Perdue on Vimeo.

Here are a few of my favorites from Courtney & Mark’s engagement session:

We said goodbye to Tess for a little bit, and headed toward the Public Gardens- one of my very favorite spots in Boston to photograph.  The gardens are exceptionally beautiful right now, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather holds out for the wedding I’m shooting right across the street in a couple of weeks!

And then we headed back to Courtney & Mark’s front steps for a few more shots with sweet Tess.  I am in love with her face!

I cannot wait for Courtney & Mark’s wedding weekend in October- just a handful of weeks away now!  I’m also secretly (or not-so-secretly now) hoping that they bring Tess up to Portland to play sometime in the near future!  Thanks for a wonderful evening around your adorable neighborhood & the gardens, Courtney & Mark!  I had such a wonderful time catching up and laughing with all three of you!

Please take a minute and register your e-mail, click on THIS LINK and vote for our house!  It’s that simple!

Thank you all so much for your support- in this & everything else- it all means so much to us!  Happy voting!

Enjoying a lunchtime brownie & a glass of milk is already on my agenda for this rainy Wednesday.  Go ahead, schedule some time for a sugary treat this afternoon… you might be surprised by the creativity that comes from it!

Poppies were everywhere!  Sarah handcrafted number tags resembling typewriter keys, adhered to clothes pins which acted as name cards and anchors for the free standing paper poppies, the most time consuming project Sarah undertook.

I had a little more fun with Sarah’s handmade brooch bouquet with the inn’s turquoise cart & their vintage typewriter.

From Sarah:

“The focal point to the reception was the dessert table featuring vanilla and red velvet cupcakes inspired by Magnolia Bakery’s own recipes. A medley of cake stands and plates displayed these scrumptious treats decorated with varying festive liners and toppers as if guests contributed to the old time tradition of pot luck. Poppies created of gum pasta proved to be the perfect accent to the summer garden party theme.”

“Chad’s fondest childhood memory is bottle digging with his Grandfather. The centerpieces for the reception tables were from “Grampie’s” vast antique bottle collection. The color scheme drew inspiration from the unique blue shade of these bottles which each held a single stem red dahlia, snapdragon or zinnia. Brilliant floral print paper lanterns illuminated overhead complimenting the cool summer palette.  The finishing detail, the table number, allowed the couple to incorporate our beloved German Short Haired Pointers, Daisy Mae and Pearl (aka The Pointer Sisters) into our special day.”

It was Sarah’s grandmother’s birthday, so they planned a special surprise for her which included a cupcake, a feather boa, and a birthday crown!  How cute!

Sarah stayed on the dance floor during the entire reception!

Candid guest shots including one of our two neighbors, Catherine & Gary, on the top left!

Wow.  Being a part of Chad & Sarah’s big day was unreal.  From the time I arrived and Sarah presented me with my own welcome bag, to the time I left, after enjoying a delicious seated meal with the Matrons (I even had my own poppy name card!), I was treated more like friend than a photographer during the entire day.  The experience of photographing the wedding of Chad & Sarah, a couple whom I have only known for one short year, was incredibly meaningful for me.  It’s times like these that I realize that everything I hope to achieve through & unlimited, by truly establishing a connection with my clients, comes together in the best of ways.

Mmm . . . and they surely did not disappoint!  What a fun twist to the Rice Krispie Treats we all know and love- to me, the cinnamon is what makes this dessert so tasty!  Be sure to click on the recipe link above- it’s such an easy, delicious treat to make!  Happy Magazine Monday!