Last weekend, I met up with Anita and Keith for their engagement photos. I had been so excited to photograph them – not only are they super cute but they just fit so beautifully with each other, and it’s a treat to watch them interact. And they laugh. A lot. Something I always love. Anyway, we met up at their home in the South End, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Boston. They have a super cool apartment there, filled with light, and lovely clean, white walls (hurray!) So we started off with a few photos inside – beginning with this cute series on the couch, and moving straight into the funny series right below that when Anita accidentally took a swipe at Keith’s champagne.

Cool light and geometric shapes make me happy …

… and even the public areas in the apartment building were picture perfect!

We headed outside and had a wander into the Fens. I’ve actually always wanted to photograph in the Back Bay Fens but this was my first time, and we found some great spots. And that light … perfect.

I’m really digging these close-up shots at the moment …

… although shooting wider works too:

As the sun began to set, and the cool evening air crept in, we made for our final spot of the day: the Christian Science Plaza. I love the relaxed, sweet photos we got here. Thank you Anita and Keith for being such great sports despite the intense breezes and the chilly evening air … and a special shout-out to the lovely Miss Teresa Rodriguez, maid of honor and hair and makeup artist extraordinaire. I think she played stylist too – and was too. much. fun. Can’t wait until the wedding, guys!

Leah was totally stylin’ – her shoes were by Valentino, and her dress was actually a two-part ensemble by Oscar de la Renta. Wow.

We were hoping to head outside for the first look and portraits, but the wind was raging, so we held it under the huppa in the grand Oriental Ballroom instead. The first photo here is by my fabulous second shooter Erica; the second, of Leah’s expression, is mine. Love these guys.

Leah’s dress was perfection … and Jim looked pretty dashing too.

A funny moment just before the ketubah signing:

The ketubah signing is always one of my favorite parts of Jewish weddings, as just the very closest friends and family come together to witness the marriage of the couple. Jim and Leah’s signing in the Beijing Room was brimful of emotion:

The image above is by Erica – what a great capture! And I love these sweet, emotional moments below too:

We headed back into the Oriental Ballroom for the main ceremony. I love the opulent gold decor …

The wedding ceremony was full of sweet glances …

… and I LOVE Leah and Jim’s expressions as they walked back down the aisle.

After cocktail hour in the Oriental Gallery, we went back into the ballroom for dinner, dancing and toasts. The room was absolutely stunning (a quick shout-out here to Designing Images Florist who did a spectacular job with all the flowers, from the sweet bouquets to the impressive centerpieces, and to the coordinator at the Mandarin Oriental Boston, Jessica, for her help throughout the day).

The first dance was the perfect combination of sweet and fun:

As, in fact, were the toasts:

Love this image I captured of Leah dancing with her father, Stu:

And then it was non-stop party time for the rest of the night, with awesome music by band Soul City. Thank you Leah and Jim for trusting me to document your day … I can’t wait to share your slideshow with you soon too!

We started out at their gorgeous apartment where I was very happy to spend a few minutes taking photos of their doggy, Winnie. Winnie is one of the sweetest, easiest dogs I’ve ever photographed, and she’s SO good-looking too. There’s something almost regal about her.

I had Leah and Jim invite Winnie onto the couch for this little series – love it!

Jim and Leah live right on the Southwest Corridor, and it’s pretty much photo heaven all around there. We took a few photos at the Christian Science Plaza (and managed not to get chased off by guards, hurray!) I love the repeating lines here:

You didn’t think I was done with the photos of Winnie did you? Such a pretty girl …

We headed back to the tiny park next to Leah and Jim’s apartment for these next few. These two are pretty darn cute together.

And a couple of final favorites from across Huntington. Thank you both for a very fun afternoon and for letting me totally indulge my dog-loving nature. I can’t wait for your wedding in April!

I started the day in Sophy’s bridal room, grabbing some photos of her having her hair and makeup done, and photographing her many beautiful details.

I was especially taken with her gorgeous Miu Miu gold ballet flats. I need some of these myself! Loved those classy, modern invites too …

Richard arrived a little later to get dressed with his guys in a friend’s room at the hotel. His Paul Smith striped socks were AWESOME. I think all grooms should get to wear fun wedding socks.

Back down to Sophy’s room … I loved that she and Richard kept the red ribbons that were tied on their wrists during the previous day’s Cambodian ceremony:

Love this one of the girls – and don’t they look super cute in their purple dresses?

The weather was not the best that day, so we held the first look outside a conference room on the fourth level. Not a bad space!

I had to work in the cool spiral staircase somehow …

Sophy was keen to take the majority of the portraits over at the Public Garden. The rain held off for us, thank goodness, and we got some really cute photos there.

Rich’s glasses came in handy for a fun photo – I LOVE their expressions here.

The beautiful flowers were by Michele Bernard.

A few last photos from the Public Garden to finish off today’s post … do you like the cute little doggy that we stole for a quick picture? I think these guys might just be as crazy as I am for dogs.   The final installment of this multi-day, multicultural celebration will be coming along after the weekend!

Love the view of downtown Boston from the waterfront here:

While we were walking along I found this patch of pretty light under some trees … we were all thankful for the shade here too:

Mel and Scott are crazy good swing dancers …

Love this little spot in the streets back from the waterfront:

A few photos on a cool patch of grass:

Love this one!

And a perfect end to the afternoon – drinks at a cute Irish pub (love the red umbrellas against the red brick).

Thank you Scott and Mel for a wonderful afternoon. I loved getting to know you both!

This is one of my favorites from the restaurant – and it’s in their favorite corner booth spot:

After leaving Gaslight, we simply wandered the South End, chatting about food and weddings, and looking for pretty spots for photos. Dan has an amazing eye and he found quite a few of the little nooks that we used for photos, including this one (although I was the one who suggested sitting on the grimy sidewalk, ha!)

I love these ones, shot from a distance. They feel so intimate …

I didn’t notice until I downloaded the images over the weekend, but they were both sporting super stylish watches – love that!

The brownstones in the South End make such a beautiful backdrop for engagement photos:

Dan and Rowe have been dating for six years. You can tell a lot about a couple by how they walk together – and these guys are perfectly in step:

We got kicked off the grass while taking this next series of photos … oops.

And a couple of last photos with a giant wheel in the background:

Thank you both so much for a lovely afternoon. I can’t wait for your intimate wedding at the beautiful Taj Boston this fall!

I love their matching gray Red Sox t-shirts – although I generally advise against matchy-matchy, these guys rocked it – plus Jess had a little white cardi to mix things up.

We had some pretty tough lighting to deal with that morning … after struggling a little with the bronze statues, I finally settled on this shot … do you like it?

And I love what we got with the Citgo sign!

Our second stop was Boston Public Garden and Beacon Hill:

Love those bridge photos above … and we were super happy to see the Bruins jerseys on many of the statues in the Garden too:

Some photos around Beacon Hill, including the famous Acorn St:

And finally onto my favorite location of them all: Neptune Oyster in Boston’s North End – love this place! (Side note: while there we met the lovely and talented Melissa Bilodeau of Yours Truly – check out her site for gorgeous wedding invites and other yummy paper goods!)

I’m enjoying playing with reflections at the moment. I really like how you can just make out the fish on the poster in the entrance to Neptune in these next images:

Thank you Jess and Derek for a super fun session. I am so excited to be working with you both and can’t wait for your wedding next summer!

Thank you, Alex and Kat, for a really fun afternoon exploring the beach and woods – I can’t wait for your wedding in Rhode Island this summer! If you’re a newly engaged couple wanting some kick-ass wedding and engagement photos, view my portfolio here; if you’re more interested in kids and pets, click here; follow me on Facebook here … or contact me here!

We wandered around one side of the pond, first stopping (illegally) in this sun-soaked spot:

Amy and Eric laugh a lot together, and I just LOVE Amy’s face when she laughs.  Next up, a shadier patch near a big old oak tree:

Before leaving for our next destination, we grabbed a few shots under a willow right on the edge of the pond …

… and of course I couldn’t resist some carousel photos on the Common!  Our second location was the South End.  Amy and Eric had made a little tour of the area before the session, and I LOVE the streets they found for photos.  This one was up near Columbus – check out that crazy light!

We then stopped at Stephi’s on Tremont for a beer, then a final couple of photos in a sweet residential square.  Thank you both for an awesome afternoon, exploring the prettiest areas in town, and I hope you like your teasers!

Sara and Dave opened the reception with their first dance – it was sooo emotional; I do like to see those wedding day tears!

Next came some toasts … well, toasts and dinner, all intermingled.  It worked surprisingly well, thanks in large part to the super organized staff at the Seaport and the charismatic bilingual DJ (click here for the DJ’s website).

One of my favorite moments of the night was the impromptu toast by Sara’s junior bridesmaids.  Everyone just about died laughing at the mention of a “bun in the oven” (no, not yet) and Dave’s beard (they’re not fans but I am!) 

Then, the wonderful parent dances – again, brimming with emotion:

And finally, some fun couples portraits back outside.  I do love my D3S at times like this – high ISO capabilities and a flick of video light makes for a happy photographer.  Thank you all so much for your warm welcome and late night drink pushing.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the teasers!