Boston + New England Wedding Photographer » bridal party

BEST OF 2011 WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: PORTRAITS + CEREMONY

Kate — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Last week I posted some of my favorite getting ready and first look photos, along with a handful of portraits … so today it’s all about the ceremony. OK, and maybe a few more portraits to get the ball rolling.

In 2011 I had the good fortune to photograph in some amazing places, and the photos below came from Seattle (a super cool indie wedding no less), Wentworth by the Sea Country Club, The Connor Family Retreat, The Liberty Hotel (and the Cambodian ceremony the day before at a private home outside Boston), Turner Hill in Ipswich, MA (possibly my favorite estate venue in the area), Belle Mer (my new favorite Newport, RI venue), The Paulist Center in Boston, a private home south of the city, a winter wedding on the beach in Plymouth, MA, Le Meridien in Cambridge, The Boston Marriott Cambridge (an amazing Indian wedding!), The Taj Boston (love that rooftop terrace), The Omni Mount Washington Hotel in the White Mountains (a fairytale venue if ever there was one), Cambridge City Hall (my most intimate wedding of the year with just the couple, myself and the officiant present), an old favorite – Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA, and a number of cute churches dotted around the New England area. Enjoy!

Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Wedding: Brian + Lindsay First Look and Portraits

Kate — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:44:02 +0000

Once Lindsay and her bridesmaids had arrived at the church, we set up the first look – again over in the grounds of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard. Brian’s reaction was perfect – pure delight:

We had some really weird weather that afternoon – cloudy and breezy one minute, sunny the next. I love how Lindsay’s veil was catching in the breeze though. Next up, some photos of the girls, and the full bridal party …

The bouquets were beautiful, as were the boutonnieres:

It was quite cool out, so I let the bridal party head back to the church while I spent a little time taking couples photos with Lindsay and Brian.

Stay tuned for some more couples photos, and the ceremony at the First Church in Cambridge.

Les Zygomates Wedding: Courtney + Darren First Look and Portraits

Kate — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:39:37 +0000

I usually like to hold the first look in a quiet outdoor spot with amazing light and lots of greenery … but when you’re bang in the middle of Boston’s theater district, sometimes it’s better to work with what you’ve got – in this case Darren’s swanky 14th floor corner suite at the W Hotel. The light was pretty, and the decor matched this smart couple’s elegant wedding …

I’m not sure what I said to elicit that response from Courtney, but it must have been something silly. After a couple of portraits in the hotel room, we headed over to the Boston Public Garden for the bridal party and family portraits. I have to give a shout-out here to the fabulous Linda Brandolini with Black Tie Limousine who drove us around in style. Thanks Linda!

There may have been a request along the lines of “give me your best crazy bitches!” Sometimes I have a little too much fun in this job …

The flowers were ahhhh-mazing. If you haven’t already, pop over and check out JP florists New Leaf Flores. Their creations are so colorful and unusual – elegant and funky all at the same time. Love them!

Also, I just love that photo of Courtney. She’s a doll. With freckles! We still had a little time to play, so after the family formals we took a little wander around the (crazy busy) Public Gardens for some couples portraits.

The light was so gorgeous – and I love the relaxed photos right at the end of our session, just outside the gates:

Next up: lots of very fun images from the ceremony and reception at Les Zygomates in the Leather District. Stay tuned!

Stonehurst Wedding: Judy + Matt Portraits and Ceremony

Kate — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:21:32 +0000

Before showing you the gorgeous ceremony, I have to share a few photos of the very fun bridal party. These guys were totally up for anything, and responded with enthusiasm to my many silly requests.

See? Love it! It was a big group to work with, but big is beautiful, especially when dressed in black with green accents:

And I have to show you a couple more details … Matt’s nickname is Crusher – so all the guys got “Crushin’ It 2010″ socks to wear. And Matt’s doggy cuff-links were the bee’s knees!

Stonehurst on the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham is such a beautiful venue – especially for an early fall wedding. The leaves were just beginning to turn, and the humid afternoon cooled off just enough for the ceremony. Guests arrived in style on a school bus.

HOW cute are the expressions on Judy and her mom’s faces as they walk down the aisle? This made me so happy! The ceremony continued with big smiles and just the occasional tear …

Matt’s sister read a beautiful reading, and then it was straight into the vows and ring exchange.

Love the fist pump followed by a high-five as Judy and Matt recess. And to finish off this perfect ceremony? A huge group photo shot from the balcony above:

The reception photos will be coming next. And what a crazy time that was …

Tower Hill Botanic Garden Wedding: Becky + Travers Portraits

Kate — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:44:49 +0000

After their first look and a few portraits in Becky’s parents’ yard, we all headed over to Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. There was an hour or so for photos before the ceremony, and the setting was perfect. We started with some group photos … the bridal party was made up of two: Becky’s sister Kati, and Travers’ sister Katherine. I liked that Becky had them choose complimentary dresses in different hues – I’m a big fan of putting the tradition of matchy-matchy bridesmaids dresses to rest!

After some informal family formals, we continued with couples photos … with a few photos of Kati’s awesome kids Lincoln and Taylor in the mix too!

The Systematic Garden at Tower Hill is such a neat spot for portraits. As well as the beautiful flowers and shrubs, there are statues, pagodas, orange trees … and a lovely fountain:

Some final photos in Pliny’s Allée … stay tuned for the pretty ceremony which will be along mid-week!

Lyman Estate Wedding: Kate + Alex First Look and Portraits

Kate — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:14:55 +0000

Kate and Alex love the grand staircase at The Lyman Estate, and decided to hold their first look there. It’s a beautiful spot, and it was fun getting a different perspective to the usual:

We moved outside for the group photos and I was relieved to find a large area of shade – look at the size of this bridal party! Fun.

I had fun with the guys – especially with them running towards me. And although I didn’t quite mean to set it up that way, I kinda like that it looks like they’re all chasing Alex. The girls were just gorgeous. Wow …

After some relaxed family formals, we had a little time to spare to get some portraits of Kate and Alex around the grounds. My favorite photos of them are coming later (cocktail hour coincided with the most amazing light) but I had to share a couple here too:

Lots more coming soon – so stay tuned, folks!

Elm Bank, Wellesley Wedding: Jess + Chris Portraits

Kate — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:32:41 +0000

After the first look, we were joined by the bridal party for portraits round the grounds at Elm Bank. The sun was beating down on us, but we started with a few shots in Weezie’s Garden, in amongst those gorgeous wildflowers.

Not wishing to induce sunstroke, I suggested we move to a shadier spot. I grabbed individual shots of the entire bridal party – a sort of attractive rogues’ gallery, if you will.

I think these shots will look so neat in Jess and Chris’ album! We stayed in the shade and played first with the girls:

I’m LOVING the gorgeous flowers by Land Escapes … especially Jess’ amazing bouquet. I’m also kinda loving these photos of Jess and Chris …

I love having a lot of time to spend with the couple and bridal party – we can get so much more creative with lighting, angles, poses and lenses. A few more fun ones to finish off … and stay tuned because tomorrow I’ll be posting the ceremony. It was pretty rad.

Wentworth by the Sea Wedding: Melissa + Taylor First Look and Portraits

Kate — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:26:59 +0000

As seems to be the case these days, the prettiest locations bring the foulest weather. As Melissa was getting into her dress, the heavens opened, the thunder started and our hopes for some gorgeous on-location portraits were dashed. I was so bummed! Still, the hotel at Wentworth by the Sea does at least have some open air porches that we were able to utilize. I found a private spot behind the restaurant for their sweet first look:

During his haircut earlier, Taylor had decided to save a rat’s tail especially for Melissa to cut off. I think that’s what was causing the laughter here.

On our way down to meet the families, I spotted a cool window and grabbed a couple of portraits. I’m not usually one for messing with images in Photoshop, but I kinda like how these turned out:

The area we found for the group photos had an old sail boat (minus the sails) – perfect for the guys’ nautical themed outfits! The guys really worked their photo session:

Don’t those girls look gorgeous? The bright bouquets looked awesome against the navy blue dresses. We moved up to one of the front balconies for our final shots, and one of the groomsmen was kind enough to shelter me from the rain with a giant umbrella (thank you!!)

The ceremony and reception will be coming soon!

Lake Tahoe Wedding: First Look and Portraits

Kate — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:03:02 +0000

Anne + Chris’ wedding took place at the gorgeous Edgewood Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe. It’s right on the lake, and surrounded by snow-covered mountains and majestic pine trees. I can’t think of many more beautiful places to get married. We also totally lucked out with the weather – 65 degrees and bright, bright sunshine and it wasn’t even the end of March. Yeah!

When I arrived at the Edgewood, I grabbed a few detail shots, then some candids of the families who were beginning to gather. Anne’s final preparations were in a tiny room in the basement of the venue – it may have been cramped, but it was filled with a happy buzz.

I loved Anne’s bouquet – so delicate and soft and pretty. The bridesmaids did pretty well too … Love those hues!

Once Anne was all ready, I hid Chris around the corner from the one shady spot I could find, and watched with glee as their first look unfolded. Look at Anne’s expression – how could anyone not want photos like that?!

The crazy bright sunshine and lack of shade so early in the afternoon made for some challenging light for the formals … but the background pretty much made up for it.

There’s too much good stuff to share from the ceremony and reception to drown you in formals, although I do have to share this sweet little image of Anne:

The ceremony and reception photos will be along soon!

Becky + Deric: First Look and Portraits

Kate — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:03:57 +0000

Usually when I go back to Seattle, the rain fades and the sun starts to shine. But not this time, oh no! It was pouring with rain most of Saturday, and I have to say that although I wasn’t surprised, I was disappointed. Indoor portraits can be beautiful, but they’re technically pretty tough, and I definitely stretched my gear to its limits this time. Still, if you’re going to work inside, the Hyatt Olive 8 couldn’t be better; just outside the ballroom is a huge, bright space filled with natural light and cool, modern furnishings. The perfect spot for a joyous first look:

While we took a few portraits, I had one of the bridesmaids round up the bridal party for some group shots. Everyone was in great spirits and seemed more than happy to work with my silly suggestions.

I loved the girls’ dresses, and just look (again) at those amazing flowers. So pretty!

We were hoping to start in the ballroom area, then move around the hotel for a mix of backdrops and lighting – but it was pretty busy in the foyer, and the funky pool area was actually being used by swimmers (who knew?!) … so we stayed put and brought out the mustaches. Thank you, Archie McPhee!

Huge thanks to Becky and Deric and their fab friends for trusting me on this. I hope you like the results! Coming next: the ceremony.