Happy New Year!

We are going to be posting weddings (in random order!) from 2011 and are so excited to show you all the stories from these weddings. This year we completed our 5th year as wedding photographers. Every year we try to challenge ourselves more and set up to have an even better year than the last. Since we started in this business we have always been known to push the boundaries a bit and shoot things in a unique way. While the type of wedding, setting and client will sometimes dictate the photos that are taken, every wedding has a story and the way a photographer sees things — the light, the moments, the composition — are the way that story will be told. When our couples look back at their wedding photos again in 30, 40, 50+ years, we want them to see their stories in the most beautiful and moving way possible. That was our goal for 2011 and we can’t wait to show you more. We met some incredible people and shot in some beautiful places this year.

Doug and Jenny were married at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH in September, surrounded by their family and friends. We met with them for the first time just a few days before the wedding and instantly had so much in common and a great connection. Their wedding day was in an absolutely beautiful setting and styled by Melanie at Blissful Beginnings (we highly recommend her!).

Late last year we started brainstorming with our friend Brooke ideas we had for a rock and roll inspired wedding shoot. If you search wedding blogs stylized wedding shoots are everywhere and are great as a way of creating inspiration for real weddings. We loved the idea of creating an old-time yet rock vibe. About a year before we met MJ, an incredible painter and tattoo artist, and she had hired us to do some creative shots of her for promotional use. She is gorgeous and fearless and she and her boyfriend (now fiancee!) Taber agreed to come and model for us. We then asked Judy from Flora Fauna to participate (cannot express how much I love her work!) and work some floral magic for us. A former bride of ours, Emily, is also an amazing pastry chef and offered to make cupcakes for the shoot. The shoot was all styled by Brooke, and you can read more about how she found some of the items used in the shoot on her blog. (And as a side note Brooke will be assisting us in various ways this year and will be available as a consultant to our wedding clients. She has an incredible sense of color and style and you should check out her blog to see her home and how it is decorated!) We set up in a local apple orchard and did the shoot in two parts–the bride and groom in vintage clothing and then they changed into something a bit crazier as it started to get dark outside. The shots that you see below are an example of shots that Lyle and I could do at an engagement or after shoot (or on the wedding day if there is enough time!). You can also see the variety of angles and lighting we can offer from having two different photographers as Lyle was shooting with off-camera lighting and I used all natural light.

Yesterday this shoot was featured on one of our favorite blogs, Rock n Roll bride! Here are some of our favorite shots from the shoot. Thanks so much again to everyone who participated. We are dreaming up another inspiration shoot for the spring right now!

A few months before Cliff and Kate’s wedding we got an email from one of our favorite clients (who you will see on the blog soon with her family) that her step-sister was getting married and she was planning the entire dream wedding for her. Cliff and Kate wanted something different and less traditional for their wedding day and went with Moroccan inspiration and were married at a private family estate in Scarborough, Maine. A few days before the wedding Hurricane Hugo was scheduled to make an appearance which we were all a little nervous about but the day was absolutely beautiful. Kate’s sister (also named Kate!) did such an amazing job on the planning and details of this wedding. Judy from Flora Fauna was also heavily involved and her work is always so creative (love, love, love her!!). This post is going to be very detail and photo heavy so I will let the photos tell the story… but it was such a great experience to work with Cliff and Kate and their families… I have been dying to blog this wedding! Thank you Cliff and Kate (and Kate!) for everything and letting us be a part of your day, I hope we can continue to work together to document both of your families!

Florist/Table decor: Judy at Flora Fauna / Menu styled by: White Barn Inn’s chef Jonathan Cartwright  / Catering & Cake: Black Tie / Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Musicians: Okbari Middle Eastern Ensemble / Balloon animals: Marcus & Angelique Steelgrave / Tent: Sperry Tent Seacoast / Reception music: Matt Fogg Ensemble / Dress: Alfred Sung / Favors: Wilbur’s Chocolates / Wedding planning: Kate Werner, Azure Cafe

Real Maine Weddings is a wonderful website and magazine (published once a year) that showcases Maine weddings and is a great resource for brides planning a wedding. One of our couples from 2009, Liz and Nate, were chosen to have their wedding featured in the magazine.  Liz and Nate have such a great story about how they met and why they chose Maine for their wedding. Check out the magazine for the full story and photos on news stands now! And check out our blog post from Liz and Nate’s wedding here.

Last July we shot J & S’s Boston wedding at the Seaport Hotel (beautiful venue for a wedding with great views of the city!). Due to client privacy we cannot post the entire wedding, but can post this little teaser. We loved working with them and S was the most gorgeous bride!

Eliton and Katie’s wedding was at the gorgeous Hammond Castle in Gloucester, MA. The castle is such a unique place for a wedding and overlooks the ocean. Eliton and Katie chose to have their ceremony outside on a beautiful summer day and their reception was inside the castle which is also open as a museum. We had a ton of fun shooting their portraits and playing with light (the drawbridge photo below was actually taken in daylight, we wanted a more dramatic feel with the setting). Katie and Eliton, it was great to work with you and your families and we hope to see you again!