Allie & Robs Wedding

Allie & Rob got married!.....in August!  Ok, so I'm a bit behind in posting.  

I have known Allie all her life.  She captured my attention (and heart) as a baby with her command of a room and her funny little antics. She maintains my heart's affection along with admiration for her humor, grace and determination to be herself, express herself and apply herself in all aspects of her life.  She met a man, Rob, who compliments and challenges her (in a good way) and let me tell you.....he's nuts for her.  

August 2nd was their beautiful wedding overlooking Lake Bomeseen in Vermont.  I not only had the pleasure of being a guest, but also helping photograph her day when/how and wherever I was. It thundered and rained and wouldn't let up so the whole event was moved under the big top for an intimate affair for 280!  No spirits were dampened but many feet were soaked in the end.  Was I challenged?  You bet!  I was either inside the cave-like clubhouse or under the big top dodging heads and tent poles from where I sat.  Here are some highlights.

I have many favorites.....so hang on, this post is a long one!

The two families blended the Jewish & Irish background details beautifully.  This is their handmade Chuppah representing people of all kinds together.  

Eager but patient, the ring bearer waits for his cue.

Lovely bridesmaid surveys the crowd.

I could not resist putting Allie in the Adam's family chair....she's a good sport.

Inside the dark cave of the clubhouse my flash did not fire but I pulled up what was captured and loved this moment between sisters.

Mother & Father hand over their daughter to marriage.  HA, I crack myself up.....anyway, I love the peace in the embracelets.

Don't want to get wet......at petticoat junction.  Ok, I'll stop.

Her beautifully detailed dress was handmade by her mother in-law.

Allie during the candle lighting ceremony.  The ceremony of every single person in the tent lighting a candle off of each others candle was really moving.

There was sooooo much humor in their vows to each other.

And the touching moments that choked up the handsome groom.

Leon, Allie's dad, made a wonderful, funny speech about the similarities between Irish & Jewish traditions.

If I hadn't ended up sitting behind them during the ceremony, I would have missed out on this.

From my seat behind a tent pole.  

Brenda may have been the only woman who didn't shed her shoes in the deep, spongy grass, but hey, if I were sporting these babies I wouldn't have taken them off either.

The preferred method of transporting family to the portrait area at the top of the green was a HUGE hit.

Maid of honor, Molly hangs on for the ride.

Flower girl?  You bet.

Flower bearer and future lady killer....

Dad's driving is better than a Disney ride.

The chuppah was hung in the window of the tent after the ceremony.  Beyond it....rain on the green.

Boogey on Allie and Rob?.....I swear that's Rob......that's Rob isn't it? Cause someone told me it was Patrick.....crazy resemblance.

The following day at the brunch on the lake, it rained some more.

Rings true.

Instead of a wedding cake, Rob's family made cupcakes.....hundreds of cupcakes.  These were the best carrot cake cupcakes ever.  Enough about the cupcakes....check out those rings they had made for each other!

So I love ring shots.  By the time I was done with all my ring play Allie & Rob were hunting me down so they could wear them and show them off. ;)

And finally I got one of them together.

I just really like this one.

And where would I be without personal reflection?  

Congratulations again Allie & Rob.  I loved being a part of your wedding weekend and love being a part of your life together.

LOVIN FALL

Fall is by far my favorite time of year.  I LOVE the colors of New England.  This year has been a wonderful combination of Fall colors and almost Summer weather.  So much so that during a Fall day outing, David and I spent most of it at the beach!  During that day we saw many flowers & insects you wouldn't expect to see this time of year, especially those damn mosquitos!

   Soured grapes.

So warm that day the Monarch figured it was already in Mexico.

Do I need to say it?  Mums the word.  There.

I could have sat in these chairs all day.  

A Look Back

I was looking back on photographs I have taken over the last year.  Boy do I have a lot to post about!  So I will dig in with a sampling of a very joyous day last September.  I've known Eli since before he was born....can you do that?  He is the older of the two amazing sons of my LONGtime close friend Nan.  

Eli, all grown up now, got married to a sweet, spunky little lady named Venessa.  They met years ago as camp counselors and married each other lakeside at the campground chapel.   Their good humor, love of theatrics and their butterfly theme were major highlights of the day.

I began the day at Venessa's parents lovely cottage home near Long Island Sound.  Although it threatened rain throughout the day, we also had sunshine. 

No rain but plenty of umbrellas.

Debonair groom & groomsmen.

Eli loves his hat.  He managed to put it aside for the ceremony & photos.

May the best bestman win!

The cool temperature of the day kept the butterflies they released from flying away.  It made for some really magical photos.

Is this the sweetest little flowergirl face or what?

I loved how many heart shapes are in this photo just the way they are entwined.

I'd love to take some directing credit but these two are just naturals.

Did I mention that Eli was a lightweight?  Note the hat. ;)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ELI & VENESSA!

Portraits of Jenn

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Jenn (a sister red head!)  She needed some head shots for an upcoming Connecticut teen pageant and she's also interested in pursuing modeling.  She was up for an outdoor experience so she and her Mom and their little dog Bootles met me at one of my all time favorite places, Elizabeth Park.  

We had a lot of fun exploring the gardens and surrounding areas for locations.  And I had a great time directing her all over the place!  Yes, you read that right.......I had a great time directing.  It was like I was speaking from a different source, a direct line from vision to mouth.  It rocked!  I'm sure it helped that Jenn was so into it, she made my visions a reality in the .....uh....click of a shutter. ;)  Here are some highlights from the shoot.  

She's a natural model.  

This was after a couple cart wheels to loosen up the moment.  It worked.

 

I loved her sandals.

And of course we stopped to smell the roses.  This one is my personal favorite.

Good Luck in the Pageant Jenn!

Riding High

One of this summer's highlight has to be Abbie's riding lessons.  She's been eager for years but also a little scared of the whole idea.  All her fears melted away when we got to spend some time at Julia's beautiful horse farm.  

It was kizmit that I reconnected with Julia (a former instructor at a horse therapy barn where I volunteered) at Carla's studio opening party last Spring.....small world.  I told her my daughter wanted to be around horses and do barn work and grooming and she said "come on over".  Well it only took about 10 minutes of watching Julia's gift of humor and patience with a student rider and Abbie knew she didn't want to wait any longer to learn. So she and Pippin the pony got busy.....  

I just love the way she beams through her entire lesson.  

Look Ma......no hands!  Naa, actually she was doing her balance exercises.

Evan and Julia's son Mason kept each other busy during Abbie's lesson.

And this beauty is Beau.  I just loved the way Beau and Abbie were in stride together......

And of course I could not ignore Mason's awesome boots!

And that's how I pass the time during her lessons. ;)