I joined the family at their parent’s home for an amazingly heartfelt rehearsal dinner evening Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. There were so many toasts, so much laughter, and definitely a few tears. The morning of their wedding day, Amy and her sisters invited me to join at the house for a private yoga class at 7am… no camera (ok, just one photo!), just breathing in the air of a new day, surrounding our bride with beautiful energy. No better way to start such a momentous day!

The weekend weather was stormy, dramatic, charged and invigorating. The sun came out at Flat Point Farm just in time, and the wind continued to fluff our spirits (read: blow away all the Rabbi’s papers!). More importantly, there was so much love in the air! Mike and Amy have a brief and absolutely gah-gah courtship behind them – love like this just hits you hard! They were so sweet to watch as they savored the day together, and they shared a huge love for their families and friends as well. EVERYONE was so, so happy.

Congratulations, Mike & Amy!

The wind and rain of the day before had cleared, and this sweet dock found its way above water just in time for their first-look :-)

Flowers, flowers, flowers… it doesn’t get much more amazing than Becca from Petal Floral Design, except for when she’s also sister to the groom! It was such an honor to share this day with her as well!

Rabbi Mark was a fantastic addition to the weekend – so hilarious, and so welcoming of all into the Jewish traditions.

The winds swept up and carried Rabbi Mark’s papers into the air, just as the ceremony began! Their family on either side held onto the chuppah for safe keeping.

Sisters! Such a gorgeous combination of colors! (psst, I already bought myself the lipstick Amy’s wearing :-))

More incredible touches by the lovely Becca…

One of the best first-dances I’ve ever seen! Their song – Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” – was sung by brother-in-law (Becca’s husband), Mike – just perfect!

Paying homage to Mike’s Philly routes, cheese-steaks were served at the end of the evening!

Mike & Amy, what can I say… You guys welcomed me in with huge squeezy hugs, and it has been wonderful sharing in your planning as both your photographer and friend. You created the kind of day weekend that makes us “vendors” cry too. I am so incredibly grateful to have been a part of it. Your love is what it’s all about… I wish you a beautiful life ahead!

Venue: Flat Point Farm | Coordination: Danielle Bailey | Floral: Petal Floral Design | Officiant: Rabbi Mark Goldman | Catering: Buckley’s Gourmet Catering | Cake: Cakes By Liz | Band: Live Radio | Film: Esposito Productions | Hair: Sea Spa Salon | Make-Up: Shauna Zarrin | Dress: Modern Trousseau | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Rentals: Seaside Celebrations | Yoga Instructor: Megan Grennan |

It just so happened to be Julie‘s birthday as well – a great day!

Over 500 vendors and 100 little shops have participated in this antiques market since 1968. The hilly, narrow streets were lined up and down, every turn we made! It was truly incredible, and how lucky for the Tuscany region to enjoy this every month!

Julie and I came out with vintage maps and postcards, earrings, a few gifts, and an incredible lunch (and Vin Santo!) over a shared table with some lovely women. They were from the midwest U.S., and had met in an Italian language course years ago. All retired now, they just bought a house together in the town of Trevi, and were shopping the antiques market to fill the home. It was the stuff movies are made of…

So much more to come from my month in Italy this April!

See also: The Bikes of Lucca, Italy

And yes, this is another one just on my iPhone, but I actually LOVE the spontaneous fun of just using the phone!

In the next newsletter, I’ll be sure to share some of my favorite tips and resources for you to play on your own. In the meantime, I should probably start piecing together all the “real camera” footage I shot in my “30 days in Italy”!

I hope you enjoy this little glimpse of our Sunday afternoon!

These two are the sweetest… this first photo captures so much about their love. Whether standing along the shore overlooking Mount Chocorua for photos, or just having fun together on the dance floor, the way these two adooooore each other is just beautiful. They literally only have eyes for each other, first and foremost. But that’s not to say their incredible group of family and friends didn’t have a blast too!

I can prove it, cause I’m now a proud cousin to both of them! LOVE you guys!

The lilacs couldn’t have been blooming at a more perfect time – Kate’s favorite color being purple!

I think you have to take this photo when you’re at the Brass Heart Inn… these boys looked like they had been practicing.

I’ve known some of Kate’s friends for as long as I’ve known Kate, it seems, and they are a fantastic bunch of girls! It was so fun to be with them all morning, and I even had to stop myself closer to the wedding when I realized I was still running around in jeans!

The Brass Heart Inn was a stunning location for a wedding! The main inn and cottages house most wedding guests on the property, and the red barn is so gorgeous with its two tiers overlooking the dance floor. The Inn is actually for sale – I wish we could snatch it up!

Kate and Andrew, we love you guys with all our might, and we’re so excited to officially toast to your lifetime together! Your wedding weekend was simply amazing – thank you for inviting me to be a part of it so closely! Huge hugs!

Venue: The Brass Heart Inn | Florals: Blooming Vineyards Floral Design Studio | Hair & Make-Up: Debony Salon | Cake: Robin Raymond | Officiant: Rev. Theresa Gocha | Ceremony Music: Mount Aire Strings | DJ: DJ, Etc.

Laura + Chris at the Chatham Bars Inn

Laura & Chris were married this June at the Chatham Bars Inn. Such a sweet and elegant wedding day, with a coupleView full post »

On a Creek in South Dartmouth

It took all the restraint in the world not to title this post “A Dawson’s Creek Wedding”…butView full post »

Kaleena + Torrey’s Private Estate Wedding

Kaleena and Torrey found THE most perfect backdrop for their September wedding in Rochester, MA. A private estate (thatView full post »

Snow Falling on Nuptials

Anna and Tim had the most beautiful winter wedding in Dorset, Vermont, complete with snowflakes and so many reasons toView full post »

Pete + Rocio in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Pete & Rocio celebrated with a destination wedding at Hacienda Tres Rios in Playa del Carmen, Mexico this March! ItView full post »

Girls Day at the Sandwich Boardwalk

Erin and her girls are pure magic. They are a family filled with laughter and squeezes. On this day at the beach, itView full post »

As seen in our favorite pages of Style Me Pretty, Once Wed, The Wedding Chicks, Grey Likes Weddings, Ruffled, Eco-Beautiful Weddings, Well Wed, Southern New England Weddings, Vermont Vows, Inspired By This, The Glitter Guide, Junebug Weddings, Magnolia Rouge, Bliss Celebrations, Radiant Republic, You Stir Me, Heart Love Weddings, Prepare to Wed, Hostess With the Mostess and more!

It’s been a long-time coming, but writing is one of my favorite things to do! The year ahead is going to be so much fun!

I’ll bring you some new tid-bits not found on the blog, not on the pages of Facebook, and yes, not even in my beloved Instagram photos, ha! At the same time, you’ll have easy-to-see links to those too – focused on what’s most relevant to the current season, or helpful to your planning right now.

And don’t worry – I won’t fill your inbox all the time… I’m thinking monthly or even quarterly. I want to make it fun and relevant for you and me both! Here’s what you might see:

• Gift vouchers, discount codes and print sales – just for you!
• Camera how-tos to help you take better photos at home!
• Highlights on the best local wedding vendors or the latest products we’re offering!
• Behind-the-scenes photos and personal commentary, not quite ready for prime-time on the blog ;-)

Just plug in your e-mail address below, and join me with the first issue next week!

You’ll remember these guys from their engagement photos (and LL Bean boots!) this fall. Denise and I have known each other for many years, and I’ve been looking forward to photographing her stunning beauty in a wedding gown for longer than her engagement! She moved throughout her wedding day with such grace, yet rocked it out on the dance floor just as hard as anybody. The kind of girl you wanna hang out with all the time. And Matt – both loving and hysterical – is so clearly her best match as they take on this amazing life together!

Huge love to both of you – Congratulations!!

The beautiful flowers of the day were designed by June Rubin, of A Wild Flower in Newton, MA. A great match with the spring blooms outside!

The invitations from Sofia Sayer on Etsy – so fresh and fun!

The stunning Saint Theresa of Avila Parish in West Roxbury, MA.

The Irish and the Canadians! Made for quite a happy mix, and my particular fav (having gone to college near the Montreal border) were the late-night gravy-fries that came out!

Endicott Estate made for a beautiful backdrop, particularly in May. The trees were blooming, and the open porches were dappled in a romantic light. As you can see…. things got quite romantic.

As the evening continued, The Classic Yellow quickly became my absolute favorite band of all time. They were covering anything from Stevie Wonder to Shaggy, with George Michael, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West in between. I kinda imagined the dance floor would never stop (and I still have like 700 photos to get through because of it :-))!

Also super cool was the mid-evening appearance of Boston’s beloved Terry Brennan, who has been playing Irish tunes at The Black Rose since the couple’s first dates (left below)! Bottom left? Yep, that’s the groom… pure awesome!

Matt & Denise, you guys are clearly going to have SO. MUCH. FUN. in your life together! Thank you so much for including me in the start of something this wonderful! I wish you nothing but the best! XO

Venue: Endicott Estate | Ceremony: Saint Theresa of Avila | Floral Design: A Wild Flower | Catering: Tastings | Dessert: Sweet Tooth | Hair: Enzo & Co. | Make-up: Kristina Makris | Invitations: Sofia Sayer | Music: The Classic Yellow and an appearance by Terry Brennan | Dress: Watters | Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo and Jimmy Choo | Suit: Joseph A. Bank

Italians dress nice. No t-shirts or shorts, no flip flops. They’re wearing the coolest scarves, toting the most amazing Italian leather bags, and following through all the way to the shoes on their feet. The old ladies, the young ladies – and most noticeably the gentlemen too!

They’re also riding their bikes and Vespas looking this good. Heels and all. I simply could not stop – I think this was my favorite thing to photograph all month! (click the collage to follow me on Instagram!)

Stay tuned as more film scans come back from my travels, and also for a compilation VIDEO I did over my “30 Days in Italy”! Can’t wait to share!

(huge thanks also to travel buddy Julie Williams Photography for introducing me to the iPhone app called “Afterlight” – such an incredible photo editing tool for your phone!)

It was a gorgeous week with family and friends, so many attending from the couple’s home in New England, loved ones from Mexico City, and more. A larger destination wedding is no small feat, and I know these guys had their hands full, but their love and beauty as a couple continued to shine through! Congratulations Pete and Rocio on a truly special celebration of marriage!

The Mayan ceremony – complete with toes in the sand – was absolutely one of the most special and unique ceremonies I’ve seen. What a beautiful way to welcome Pete and Rocio into this new adventure together!

And of course! A tequila shot toast following the ceremony! (now, that’s my kind of party….)

Guests enjoyed a hand-rolled cigar bar, and a fantastic evening of dancing out on the beach! What a treat to see the awesome Latin dancing. The bridesmaids even splashed in the ocean! A great time was definitely had by all.

Following the excitement and festivities of their wedding day, Rocio wanted one last photo – the coolest dress shot I’ve ever had the opportunity to photograph! Click through for a few more underwater photos with Pete and Rocio!

A wonderful celebration indeed, and I wish you the very best in your life together, Pete and Rocio! It has been so fun getting to know you guys, and I hope to see you in my favorite town of Portsmouth, NH again soon!

After waiting out the rainy morning, we had a gorgeous midday walk along the oceanfront near their home in Scituate, MA. Of course I loved including their Great Dane puppy, Munch!

JJ and Laura, congratulations to you both in this exciting time! I’m grateful to your sis for introducing us!