We are lucky enough to be there at a pivotal time in the lives of many incredible couples, and the honor of that never escapes us. But, sometimes, we find ourselves so inspired by a couple and the love they share, both with each other, and with their families and friends that it’s hard to hold back the tears. I know…that sounds totally sappy and I’ve probably said this before…but it’s true. Such was the case at the incredible wedding of Lauren & Ed. Their first dance in particular was a beautiful thing to behold. There were no fancy dance steps, just two people holding each other tightly looking at each other with such love and devotion. I wanted to go running over to Andy, jump into his arms and tell him that even though I can be a total pain in the a** at times, that I love him more than I ever thought was possible to love another person…it was that good! Fortunately, I didn’t embarrass myself and do that, but I thought about it!

Lauren & Ed said, “I do,” at the breathtaking, almost European-like, Gate of Heaven Parish in South Boston, then headed to the Hyatt Harborside for their reception. The hotel has a permanent tent on the back of the property, with sides that come off, so guests feel like their outside. And the views…well let’s just say the hotel lays claim to some of the most incredible views of the city.

The day itself was picture perfect, complete with summer temperatures, the most incredible sunset and crazy love! Guests spent most of the afternoon milling around outside, dancing underneath a moon-lit sky. It was the kind of wedding day we women fantasize about! Here are a few of our favorite images from the day…

The dress…like the puffy clouds that blanketed the sky through much of the day…

The hotel rooms were really nicely decorated with a mid century feel to them. A sofa in the suite made a funky backdrop for Lauren’s killer shoes. (It’s funny, I’m not someone who tends to buy a lot of shoes or at least not very swanky ones…I usually just find one pair per season that I love and wear the heck out of them. But, I love photographing beautiful shoes. They are like pieces of art to me.)

Here’s a little collage of Lauren getting ready….she is just stunning! The shot of her putting on her shoe is my favorite! I just love the lines of her body…

A little pre-ceremony toast by the guys. Ed’s dad was his best man. How much do we love that? LOVE IT!!!

Here comes the bride… (Check out all of the digital cameras…wouldn’t it be fun to see each person’s unique perspective!?)

Seriously, is that an incredible cathedral ceiling or what?

Dad provides the rings. He was so nervous for the better part of the day, up until he gave his speech, then he seemed to relax. So sweet!!!

Hey girls…

Does this look like a model shot or what? She is just ridiculously gorgeous!

A quick kiss before heading off to the reception…

On the drive between the church and the hotel, we had Lauren & Ed’s limo driver stop at this old abandoned building. With its corrugated steel siding, it has such great character. Not exactly what you think of when you think of wedding photography, but that’s how we roll! The limo driver thought we were crazy for stopping there, but Ed & Lauren were totally up for it! You guys rock!!!!

How awesome was the light coming through the hotel reception area…pretty awesome! Add a little sepia toning, a fabulously-reflective marble floor, and an amazing couple and voila…a scene that oozes romance!

Lauren’s adorable niece gets a little game of chase from her auntie. Check out her bib…”I (heart) my auntie”….Awww…

Love at it’s finest…

And here’s just a few details from their incredible day…

We’d like to give a shout out to the very accommodating staff at the Hyatt. Thank you for taking such good care of us. Thank you to Father Robert Casey for allowing us to get some up close shots from behind the altar. We appreciate your flexibility and Lauren & Ed will no doubt be very grateful when they see the images we were able to get for them! A big heart-felt thank you to Lauren & Ed’s families - Dan & Jeanne, Mike & Jeff, Jim, Jeanne and Amy - you all made us feel so welcomed on such an important day in your families’ lives. We almost didn’t get to be there with you and we appreciate the sacrifices you made to have us there! Truly!!! We had so much fun getting to know all of you and consider you part of our Bello family!

And, our biggest thanks go out to Lauren & Ed, who inspire us to love with hearts wide open. You two are incredible and we feel truly honored to call you friends! Thank you for having such unwaivering faith in us and for reminding us, so completely, why we love what we do! We love you guys! xoxoxo Chris & Andy

If it hadn’t been for Dr. Wilson and his poetry analysis class freshman year at Holy Cross, Emily & Larry might have never met. They credit that class, and the fun, flirtatious exchange they quickly developed that semester, for brining them together.

This sweet, funny, lovable pair will tie the knot later this summer here on Cape Cod. But, they thought it might be fun to shoot their engagement session where their story began. So, we left the sandy shores of Cape Cod for an afternoon in Worcester. Not known for being the prettiest town in Massachusetts, but the Holy Cross campus is a beautiful oasis of ivy, brick and fabulous architecture.

We had such a blast photographing these two and can’t wait to hang out again! Here are a few of our favorites from our time together…

Being photographed can be an intimidating thing for some people, but Larry and Emily quickly found their groove in front of the camera. Being in a familiar setting certainly helps, but all that practicing we heard Larry did in preparation for our session didn’t hurt either…..I mean seriously…does he look like a movie star or what? And “happy eyes” Emily…well, she’s just a natural!

This was the first time they had returned to their college in 4 years, and the stories Larry had about his days as an RA were brilliant!! We’d never been to Holy Cross before, but had such a good time…there was so much to photograph. And, the ivy! It was everywhere and was the most gorgeous color green! Such a fabulous backdrop for photos!

And how gorgeous do these two look here?

Does it get any cuter than this?

Ain’t love grand!

A little smoochin’ …

And snugglin’…

Bling, bling!

And I just love Emily’s body language in this one. Carefree and sassy at the same time!

Larry and Emily have personalities that just make you smile when you are around them. I can’t help but smile every time I look at this image.

Thanks Larry and Emily for being such fabulous models, for showing us around your college and sharing old stories, and especially for just being you! You guys are such warm, sweet, fun people! We had a great day with you and can’t wait to be there with you on your wedding day!!! We already know it’s going to be a fun-filled love fest! You guys are awesome! Chris & Andy

We recently found out that we have been nominated by WBZ Radio as the Best Wedding Photographers on Cape Cod. Can I hear a “Whaaaaaa Whoooooo!!”? Needless to say, we were blown away by this. We’re not generally the kind of people who get too wrapped up in titles or awards. But, maybe that’s just because we don’t have fancy titles and we’ve never won an award!

I have to admit, the feelings stirred by this nomination, and more importantly the support we’ve received as a result, are something we could never have predicted when we first started Bello five years ago.

After sending out a global e-mail last night to as many of our Bello family and friends whose e-mail addresses we could gather, we were shocked and humbled by the immediate response! Within just a few seconds of sending out the e-mail there were already a few comments posted on the site. And, the things that you said…what can we say to that?

Reading the comments of love and support has just been amazing! We LOVE what we do and for Andy & me to be able to share our passion together is reward enough. But, seeing how our work touches others…it’s just the coolest thing ever!!!

So a great big THANK YOU to all of you who have already voted and for those of you who are hearing this for the first time, if you like our work and have had positive experiences with us, we shamelessly ask you to spread the love and give us your vote….We hear there is a swanky party for the winners! Can I hear another “Whaaaaaa Whooooo!!”?

To check out the contest, click the A-List link and once on the site, hit the yellow VOTE button underneath Bello Photography. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on the results. Voting ends July 4th, so spread the word!

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!! It doesn’t quite seem enough those two simple words, but they are packed with more feeling that you can know.

We’d like to give a big, heart-felt shout out to our dads this Father’s Day!!

To my dad….Thank you for always being there for me. From as far back as my little league days, when you used to stand behind home plate, cheering me on and urging me to, “Just Swing Chrissy! Just swing! You can do it, honey,” you have always been there for me, believing in me and encouraging me to spread my wings and fly! Your faith and support means more to me than you could ever know! I love you dad and hope today and all of your tomorrows find you lavished with oodles of love and happiness! I can think of no one more deserving!

You’re the best!!! And I love you to pieces!!!

xoxo Chris

Meet Mike…

Unfortunately, we haven’t been back to England to see Andy’s family in 3 years…crazy, I know!!! We’re hoping to head over later this summer for a long-overdue visit. But, because we haven’t been back since before we went digital (crazy to imagine that) we don’t have any really great pictures of Andy’s dad, Bob, or Daddy B, as I affectionately like to call him. But, we dug this old one out of the photo albums. Happy Father’s Day Daddy B. We love you! You are in our thoughts today and always and we look forward to seeing you and the rest of the Beet gang very soon! With much love, xoxo

Everything was saying rain for Kate & Patrick’s wedding two weekends ago in Hyannisport, but the day turned out to be perfect. We got a little sprinkling right before we were about to do the family portraits, but it lasted only a few seconds…just long enough to get the sweet elderly bagpiper a bit soggy…poor guy! It seemed that good fortune was already shining down on these two love birds and we have no doubt that many more perfect days await them.

Kate & Patrick’s ceremony was held at the lovely St. Mary’s in Barnstable Village. We hadn’t done a wedding there before, but are looking forward to working there again. What a sweet church and the garden out back was fabulous for photos. The party continued at the fabulous Hyannisport Club.

Here are a few of our favorite images from the day:

How cute is Kate’s sister’s dog? Even she has wedding attire! Love it!

Here Kate looks fierce in her killer dress from L’Elite in Boston…Stunning!

I just love the story of anticipation and new beginnings this next one tells.

And how adorable is Patrick in this shot with his Vineyard Vines Dicky Bow? Too cute!

Pat & his guys…

Pat and his girls…

Kate gives her make up a quick check as she waits for the ceremony to start.

We love this church…inside and out..it’s so quaint and the organ pipes make for a beautiful backdrop.

And then it hits you….that moment when you realize you and your best friend are partners for life…

I swear there is something that changes in the eyes of people who are just married. As corny as it may sound, there really is a feeling of peace, love and joy that is just so visible. Getting to see that on a regular basis is truly an honor and a wonderful reminder to hold onto those feelings and live every day with the passion of newlyweds.

And here are just a few details from the day.

We’d like to extend a big thank you to Scott, Rose Ann, and the rest of the crew over at the Hyannisport Club for once again making our job such a pleasure and for always taking care of us! You all Rock!! Thanks to Lisa at Delicious Desserts for giving us lots to drool over, to Karen at Lilacs for giving us plenty of gorgeous flowers to photograph and to Reverend Steve Smith for letting us sneak behind the altar to get some fabulous shots! We couldn’t do what we do without all of you!

But, the biggest thanks goes out to Patrick & Kate for inviting us into your lives and letting us be a part of such a special day! You two are such sweet, loving people and a perfect match! We hope you enjoy this little taste of what’s yet to come! xo Christine & Andy

After a 17-year hiatus, the cicadas are back and more are coming - by the thousands.

A few weeks ago, we started noticing these strange nickel-size holes all over our front lawn. Some friends told us it was likely the Cape cicadas, otherwise known as Brood XIV Magicicada septendecim.

Large, ugly creatures with big beady red eyes and clear inch-long wings, cicadas look somewhat like locust or grasshoppers, but are taxonomically closer to shrimp, spiders and millipedes. The Cape cicadas last came out in swarms 17 years ago, before we moved here. Covering houses, cars and buildings for a few weeks during the month of June, they mated, laid their eggs and died off, while their offspring hatched from the trees where they were laid and promptly headed back underground.

I had hoped this was all just some kind of urban myth, that Andy was actually making the holes to freak me out and there was no such thing as swarming cicadas here on the Cape. Then the noise started. About a week ago, we noticed this loud humming sort of buzzing sound that reminded us of our vacation last year in the Nicaraguan jungle. And it hit us, the cicada are really coming!

This morning, I went outside to check the mail, and resting on our front porch in the shade, while its new adult shell hardened, was an adult cicada covered in fine powdery pollen. I hate bugs, so this was a big deal for me. I grabbed my 105mm macro lens, got down close and took a few quick pictures, before scurrying off like a scared dog.

Meet the cicada:

I very cowardly slid a quarter in next to it to give you perspective on how big they are.

Keep your veils handy ladies as they could be useful in the next couple of weeks if these buggars really swarm like they say they do. I’m still holding on to hope that it won’t be as bad as some are predicting.

In Massachusetts, cicada typically don’t emerge any further north than the Cape. For some reason, Mashpee and Sandwich have been local hot spots for cicada citings….our house in particular has loads of holes strewn across the lawn. For the record, they’re reportedly harmless. They don’t bite or sting and really just live to love!

The cicada life cycle is a true wonder of nature. For 17 years the immature cicada live underground, sucking on tree roots. Then, towards the end of their life, when the ground warms up to about 64 degrees, the light brown colored nymphs emerge from the depths of darkness, shed their shells (and inhibitions) and go out in search of a mate or two…or two thousand.

Cicadas only live as adults for about three weeks, during which time they sing and shag like crazy. They lay hundreds of eggs on trees - proud markings of their zealous love-making. And when they can’t shag anymore, the adults die off, littering the ground with their spent corpses. And several weeks later, the fruits of their labor hatch from their eggs and a new generation makes its way back underground for a long hibernation.

Kind of a crazy life, but definitely something worth celebrating, since it’s unique to this area and happens only a handful of times in our lifetime.

Stay tuned for more cicada updates as I have a feeling this is just the beginning of their emergence. We’ll try and record their buzzing noise too. It really is quite loud. Andy is definitely the nature freak in our family, but I have to admit, even I think this is pretty cool! Creepy, but cool!

If you spot any cicadas in the next couple of weeks and can muster the courage to get close enough for a photo, please feel free to e-mail us your pics and we will happily put them on our blog to share.

Viva La Cicada!

It’s been a busy month for Ferullo babies. If you’ve been following our blog, you probably know that my niece Sadie came home after 3 months in the hospital and we’re happy to report she is doing amazingly well! And, on Monday, my middle sister, Debbie, had her first baby. Deb & Kim were each due about a week apart, but Sadie was born 3 months premature. Michael Joseph decided to join the party early Monday morning. Unlike his cousin Sadie, he was a week late and didn’t seem to want to come out. But, after a long and difficult labor, he was born into the loving arms of his parents. Weighing in at a healthy 8.26 pounds, he is the newest love of my life!

Is he delicious or what?

Way to go Deb!!! Like Kimmy, you inspire me and I am so proud of you!!!! Michael is blessed to have you and Ritchie to guide him on his journey! We love you guys!!! xoxo