Ashely & Patrick’s romance began in college, when they met at a roof deck party above their freshman dorm. A crush blossomed into love and the two have been inseparable ever since. If ever two people were a perfect match, these two are it.

They are both incredibly caring, funny, down-to-earth people who embrace life’s adventures and love with hearts wide open. Their July 5 wedding at the gorgeous Ocean Edge Resort was the perfect reflection of who they are.

Complete with an outdoor ceremony on the resort front lawn, a deliciously-popular candy bar featuring tons of sugary sweets, and a sparklers send off, their wedding was at the same time elegant and completely fun! Here are a few of our favorite images from their special day:

Lovely Ashley…

Clementine Floral put together Ashley’s gorgeous bouquet, featuring green hydrangeas and lisianthus mixed with white Calla lilies, peonies and a couple of orchids to tie it all together. Simple and stunning!

Pretty in pink & green….Ashley in her fabulous gown from L’elite, and her bridesmaids in their adorable Juliet silk chiffon dresses from J Crew Juliet silk chiffon dresses know how to work it!!

A loving exchange with Nana…What a beautiful moment! Wish I had a picture like this with my Grandma!

Tucked in a side room in the mansion was this adorable divan and over-sized mirror. It made for such a fun backdrop for a portrait of Ashley before the ceremony. Love it!!

Getting walked to the aisle by her Dad, Ashley is all smiles…

After being pronounced hubby & wife, Ashley & Patrick seal it with a kiss.

“We did it!!!” Can’t you just feel the joy?

Having fun with the family portraits…I especially love Ashley’s mom’s full on laugh! Go Susan!!

Ashley got these great Chinese umbrellas that were great for some fun photos! Thankfully, the rain held off and we didn’t need them for actual protection! I love this candid shot!

The guys…

Private time…

A little smoke break during the reception…Soprano style….hard core boys!! Grrrrrr…

Ashley gets down…

A perfect day ends with a perfect night and another great photo opportunity as Ashley & Patrick leave their party, ushered out with a sparkler serenade.

And here are just a few details from their fabulous day…

Thank you Laurel & the staff at Ocean Edge for keeping things running smoothly and making our job such a pleasure! Thank you too to Jack Leyden and the rest of the band Accent for keeping the crowd jumping. Thanks, as always, to the ladies at Clementine Floral for giving us such fun flowers to photograph. We particularly love the hydrangea balls…so fun and different!

And the biggest thanks goes out to Ashely & Patrick! Thank you for being so much fun to be around and for inspiring us with your love! You two are beautiful inside & out and we feel really fortunate to call you friends! You two couldn’t have looked happier than you did on your big day! We love you guys! xo Chris & Andy

After 5 successful seasons, we’re finding that many of our bello couples are starting to have babies and we thought this post might be something of interest. One of our bello family members, Sandee, has recently launched the coolest new business. And we’re not at all surprised because she is one of the coolest people!

Okay, so remember planning your wedding, all of the little details that went into it and how stressful it could be not really knowing where to begin with the planning? Where would be the ideal spot for you to say, “I do?” Who could put together flower arrangements that would make your heart sing? Band or DJ? Formal sit down dinner or buffet? And who would be able to capture the day in a way that would preserve your memories forever? (Well, that last one, at least should have been easy to figure out…hee hee…just kidding!)

If you found yourself overwhelmed by all of the choices and decisions that needed answering you could always call a wedding planner to help bring all of the pieces together and minimize the stress.

Fast forward a few years and now you’re thinking about starting a family, but you don’t know the first thing about having a baby or all of the very important decisions that come along with parenthood. So, who do you call? Ghostbusters! Whoops, 80s flashback…sorry!

Up until now, unless you had lots of friends who had paved the way for you, there wasn’t anyone to call…no one who had done all the legwork already — researching the best baby products, helping make decisions about what to put on your baby registry, gathering information on pregnancy-related health issues, sending out baby announcements and even getting down and dirty and putting your nursery together for you….all helping ease the stress that can sometimes accompany the happy news that 1+1 makes 3.

Well, now there is help out there and it comes in very nurturing and exceptionally organized form of baby planners Sandee Tisdale & Kristen Parkers, owners of Perfecting Expecting. Sandee & Kristen recently launched their new website and we’re just so happy and proud of them that we wanted to share. Check them out!

How much can a change in perspective really change? Everything? Just maybe!

I’m feeling inspired today and even a little philosophical. Maybe it’s just me getting older and feeling more profoundly that my time here is so fleeting. I want desperately to leave a positive footprint and there seems so little time to do so. Or, maybe it’s just that through Bello Andy & I have been blessed to be invited into the lives of some pretty amazing people who awe & inspire me. Whatever it is, love has secured a stronghold in my life and changed my perspective. The love, it’s always been there, though usually reserved for people close to me…family, friends, and of course Andy. And, my perspective has always been fairly positive, though, I admit, sometimes singed with moments of cynicism.

Lately, however, I find myself filled with much love and for people I don’t really know…that sounds a little trite. But, it’s true. I have always believed that if you put good things out there, good things will find their way back to you. Through Bello, I am finding this to be even more truthful than I had ever imagined.

Sometimes we put good things out there without realizing or even intending it. And when we do, we are richer for it. Here’s a funny example: When Andy first came to the US, it took him a while to adjust to new expressions and the overall American way of life. Driving, especially here on the Cape in the summer, particularly took some getting used to. One day, Andy was driving along and a car pulled up behind him, riding him hard and aggressively. It was the end of a long summer of similar experiences and Andy’s frustrated response was to give the driver the British equivalent of “the finger.” If you’re not familiar with this hand signal, it is made by making the peace sign in reverse, with your palm facing your face and the outside of your hand facing the unfortunate recipient. There is also usually some hand waiving involved; the amount of which directly relates to the annoyance of the person delivering the un-peace-like hand-waiving message.

Anyway, giving this sign to a person behind you, at least here in the US, looks very much like you’re saying “Peace,” which is exactly how the aggressive driver behind Andy interpreted the message. And an amazing thing happened. The aggressive driver smiled, waved and gave the peace sign back, immediately pulling back his car, with his aggression seeming to disappear. This, of course, had an equally calming effect on Andy. He then waived back, this time with genuinely friendly intentions. And, both men drove off, smiling and feeling better about their day.

The reason I tell this story is because today I had a really good day and I realized I had such a good day because I made other people feel good and in so doing they returned the favor by making me feel good. It all started with a really wonderful e-mail from Jeanne, the mother of a groom whose wedding we recently photographed. The goodness continued throughout the day, right up through a wonderful phone call I just finished with Catherine Howe, this amazing woman and jewelry designer who is not only uber talented, but who also has an amazing gift of connecting people and connecting with people.

All day long, everything I seemed to touch was infused with good feelings thanks to my interactions with others. I couldn’t help but marvel at this law of nature…this “pay it forward” law of goodness, which if we open ourselves up to can enrich us in unimaginable ways. I am feeling so blessed.

The day isn’t over yet….who might you touch with goodness?

Late last month, we got a call from Terri, an architect & photographer from Boston. She was interested in getting some information for her son, Ryan, who was getting married, although he hadn’t actually popped the question yet. The family was coming to the Cape, as part of their annual July 4th pilgrimage to the Wequassett Inn in Chatham.

Ryan, Terri told us, would be asking his girlfriend, Anette, to marry him while here on the Cape. In anticipation of a “yes” and since the couple lives in San Francisco and would only be here a short time, we had arranged to meet. Terri thought it would be fun to do a family portrait session while the whole family was together. Ryan’s two sister, Leigh & Randi, were also down on the Cape to celebrate the holiday and, fingers crossed, the engagement of their brother.

We checked in with Terri the day after the family arrived to see what happened with Ryan’s proposal, and….happy news….Anette said, “Yes.”

So, we got together at the Wequassett, where the family was staying, and where Anette & Ryan will say, “I do,” next summer. It was a perfect day….the sun was shining. It was hot, but not too hot…and everything fell into place perfectly. Terri, her husband, Alan, Ryan, Anette, Leigh and Randi were all so warm and welcoming and definitely up for some fun. We started slow, with some shots down on the beach to get everyone warmed up and then things got jumping. Here are some of our favorites from our time together:

One big happy family…

Happy feet…(Alan was the only party pooper who didn’t want to take off his shoes…but we still love him!)

A family that laughs together, stays together…

Sisterly love…

Alan & Terri share a giggle…We asked them to take a moment and just look at each other…normally this makes people smile. In Terri & Alan’s case, it made them crack up. Love it!

And here’s the happy couple. Say hello to Ryan & Anette. Do you think we’re going to have any trouble photographing these two? Uhhhh….NO! Gorgeous! And so sweet!!! We’re so excited for them and can’t wait till their wedding next September. Yeah!!!

We’ll hopefully be doing an engagement session with Anette & Ryan during their next visit back East, but we thought we’d grab a few photos of the happy couple basking in the glory of their very new engagement. If our few minutes with them during the family session are any indication…we’re going to have a lot of fun with these two!

One of the secrets to a good marriage is laughter…looks like these two are off to a good start:

Who would have thought a little friendly chicken fight could result in such a great portrait?

More family time…

Hmmm…think Anette is happy about her engagement? What a beautiful smile!!!

And to cap off a wonderful afternoon we asked the family to try something a little different and jump for joy….They didn’t hold back….Brilliant!!!

A different perspective….love it!!!

Thank you so much Terri, Alan, Ryan, Anette, Leigh and Randi for being so much fun and for making us feel instantly comfortable (as soon as Alan came out of the shower in just a towel, we knew we were going to have some fun with your family!)

Ryan & Anette a big congratulations to you both. We can’t wait to get to know you both better over the coming year and to be there with you when you pledge your love & your lives to one another with all of the people who care for you most, there supporting you and cheering you on! Savor every moment…this is a wonderful time!

With hugs and warmest wishes, Chris & Andy xo

Can I get a, “Whaaoooooooo!?” The results are in from the Cape Cod 2008 A-List survey and we came out on top, being named the Best Photographers on the Cape & Islands. You can see the results by clicking the following link: A List Results

* Funny side note…they list the category as Best Photographers in Cape Cod and the Islands….this sounds kind of snobby, but when you live on the Cape or come here often…it’s “on the Cape” not in Cape Cod…that just sounds so funny to me! Anyway…here’s the announcement that ran on the A-List website this morning. Unfortunately, it didn’t say anything about a swanky party…I think we may have been duped!

As flattering as it is to have won, what has really been humbling to us have been all of the amazingly supportive and generous comments we received during the voting period. Our Bello Family is a tight group and we feel TRULY blessed to be surrounded by such loving people! Indulge us as we share a few comments with you:

mbodi: “Christine and Andy take beautiful photos, but more importantly, they capture precious moments between two people that I’ve never seen shot through a lens before. To say they’re the best photographers on the Cape is an understatement. And aside from the fact that they are extremely talented photographers, they are warm, funny, and never make their clients feel like they’re working with a wedding vendor. They become close friends, because they’re just that awesome. You couldn’t ask for anything more!”

wendy17: “Christine and Andy are a pleasure to deal with, consummate professionals, with artistic souls. They have captured the essence of the relationship between my daughter and future son in law in stunning engagement photos that we will always treasure. I can’t wait for the weddidng – I only wish they had been around for my wedding 29 years ago!”

islandgrrl: “Bello photographed my brother’s wedding. One word…stunning. We still keep in touch with Bello…they are different. They are not just photographers, they become your friends. I love them!!!!”

si_foxcroft: “Christine and Andy did an amazing job as our photographers. You soon realise that as well as being two of the most talented people you’re likely to ever meet they’re also two of the nicest. We couldn’t have been happier to have them be a part of our wedding day…….. 5 stars doesn’t even come close. “

pndongan: “First off I must agree with every review so far and more importantly – 5 Stars does not even come close, “Amazing”, lets try 6 Stars and “Perfection”, now that is more like it. Christine and Andy made our Wedding memories last forever. They make the perfect couple that takes the best photographs but more importantly they become your friends as well as show each couple what a great marriage is all about. Bello photography is a professional operation that understands what makes a great photo. For every future occasion – Andy and Christine will be the first call we make.”

srevotskie: “I would give the gang at Bello ten stars if I could! Aside from taking absolutely breathtaking pictures, (I admit I’ve cried simply by looking at some of their shots!) Christine and Andy are extremely warm and welcoming. Even through a simple e-mail to confirm a date or time they make you feel valued and connected to their lives. They truly have a passion for what they do and it shows. I couldn’t imagine working with anyone else ”

Seriously….could we be more blessed? I admit, I think I’ve read all of the comments at least a dozen times during the past month. Whenever I was feeling overwhelmed or bogged down by work, I’d just go to the site and read those comments and be reminded of why we do what we do. Knowing that our work touches people in that way….there are no words! Well, maybe two…. THANK YOU!!!!

THANK YOU to everyone who voted. The award is really yours and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!

With big love, Chris & Andy xoxoxo