When I arrived at the Falmouth Inn on the Square to meet Grace & her friends as they prepared for Grace’s big day, I was instantly struck by the close bond they all share and was immediately drawn to an expression they seemed to use quite a lot with each other….Bless. It was Grace’s & her friends’ way of noting when something sweet, special and pleasantly unexpected was happening.

And, “Bless” was the perfect way to sum up Grace & Silas’s incredible wedding day.

While it wasn’t exactly unexpected….Grace & Silas have been together for 10+ years…their wedding was certainly sweet, most definitely special and it was peppered with some very happy surprises.

The ceremony & reception took place in the beautiful backyard of Silas’s mom, Jessie, and her husband, Stu. Overlooking Siders Pond in Falmouth, friends & family gathered to watch these two beautiful, smart, funny, creative, lovely people say, “I do!” as the rest of the country celebrated another happy occasion…233 years of Independence.

Their reception had all the usual pomp & circumstance, with some extra special surprises, like fireworks, sparklers and one of the coolest DJs Andy & I have ever heard, DJ Jayceeoh, who spun up from the New York club scene for Silas & Grace’s special day.

Here are just a few of our favorite moments from their wonderful wedding celebration! Enjoy!

The dress! I don’t know why exactly, but I really like the way the pointed ceiling & half moon window play off the dress’s flower embellishment and the triangular ribbon holding it on the hanger. Fun symmetry!

We’ve seen many a bride toast her wedding day preparations with champagne, wine, and the occasional beer, but a fine, 17-year-old, single-malt scotch…that was a fun first!!! Grace is gorgeous, elegant, stylish and definitely unique! Just a few of the many things we find so endearing about her!

Ga-ga Gorgeous!

One of Grace’s friends made this totally adorable hair clip for her….so cute! And that little bit o’Tiffany’s magic was a wedding gift courtesy of her sweet soon-to-be hubby….nice one, Silas!!

When Grace laughs it’s hard not to laugh with her…she just lights up a room with that smile of hers!

Grace had some very cool gold necklaces made for her bridesmaids. The pendant features each girl’s star sign. Very cool!

Grace & Silas’s pooch, Shorty, was very excited about the pending festivities…

Silas & his guys chill in one of the lounge areas that dotted the reception site. The property really had a modern & chilled out, yet completely elegant feel about it….like Great Gatsby meets West Elm.

I see you…

A future wedding photographer in the making….LOVE IT!

Taking in the moment, Grace looks excited and ready to marry Silas as she’s led down the aisle by her very sweet brother, Donny.

The look of love…..

It’s official…we’re married!!! Yipppeee!!! I remember that feeling and there haven’t been many since that compare!!! Way to go you two!

Complete contentment!

So sweet…

The gang…

And just a few of the many fabulous details from Grace & Silas’s day…including some Mmmm-good red velvet cupcakes from Grace & Silas’s fabulous caterer, The Casual Gourmet.

First dance….with the warm afternoon sun providing a dramatic spotlight! So cool!

I (heart) you!

Warm, heart-felt thanks to Grace & Silas for inviting us to be a part of such a special time in your lives! You two are wonderful together, and we have no doubt that for you, the future holds many more happy years together! Big hugs & much love, Christine & Andy xo

With over 8 million views since first being posted on You Tube just two weeks ago, you’ve probably already seen this video. But, we love it so much, we had to share anyway. Who can’t use a little extra joy on Monday, right? Well, this video of Minnesota couple, Jill & Kevin, dancing their way down the aisle oozes love and joy, so sit back and enjoy the ride…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Our love sessions are a wonderful way to get to know our couples better, build trust, and establish more of a rapport with each other before the all important wedding day! It is especially helpful when our first meeting involves only one member of the pair. Such was the case with Kate & Ryan.

We first met Kate last year, as she was in the early stages of planning her wedding, and just a couple of months after she & Ryan had their little love-munchkin, Nicholas.  So, when it came time for our love session together, we thought it was important that the session not only involve Ryan, but also Nicholas, since the three of them will be celebrating Kate & Ryan’s love and their commitment to one another in just a couple of months.

Like so many of our couples at the start of our session, Kate & Ryan were a little nervous about being photographed, but Nicolas…he was all about it!! And, I think, he helped his mom & dad get comfortable with the idea too. Here are just a few of our favorites from our afternoon together…Enjoy!

Nicholas is excited to have some new playmates….Seriously, can we talk about his two little snaggle-teeth coming in? Love it!!!

This little munchkin was all smiles during our brief time together! It definitely helped that his Grandpa Ken was in the background making very silly faces! Thanks Ken!!!

We call this one a Nicholas sandwich. I just love how smooshed his face is getting and how he just doesn’t seem to know what the heck is going on!

Time for Nicholas to take off with Grandpa Ken, so mommy & daddy can have some alone time. I don’t think he wanted to go!

I just love the way these two are together….being in the unfamiliar territory of a photo shoot, they looked to each other for comfort and support…exactly how it should be in a relationship!!!

It’s obvious where Nicholas got his good looks from….

When Kate smiles, her whole face lights up….Love that!!!

We decided to start our session together at Armstrong-Kelley Park in Osterville and the park has this great little water pond that we used for some photos. The water lilies were in full bloom!

Love a little sun flare!

Snuggle time…

There’s something about that moment right before a kiss that says so much to me!

Come on now…does it get much cuter?

With their comfort level adjusted to the “Yeah, bring it on” level, we headed to the beach and these two rocked it out! I feel like this looks like an ad for Raybans or Top Gun the sequel.

I love these next few. The light was starting to come down and Kate & Ryan were having fun working the camera now…this definitely felt more like them. And getting to that point is always the goal of our love sessions!

You know how we love the blurry people in the background….This one is classic! Love it!

And real happy faces….well, that’s always our favorite kind of photo!

Happiness is…..a summer evening at the beach, watching the sun set in the arms of your honey!

Does Kate look like Alicia Silverstone or what? She’s gorgeous and ridiculously so when she’s beaming, like in this next one!!!

Thank you Kate & Ryan for being so much fun! We know that being photographed can feel really awkward, especially at first, and most especially when you’ve got two relative strangers pointing cameras with huge lenses in your face. But, you guys were awesome and hopefully you had as much fun as we did!!! Thank you too for bringing Nicholas! It was great to meet him, and your dad, Ryan! We look forward to seeing all of you and meeting the rest of your families and friends in September!!! Big hugs, Christine & Andy xo

Last Monday, we had a little reunion with our friends Nora & Jonny. We first met Nora & Jonny two years ago at the Cape Cod wedding of Jonny’s brother, Simon. Simon & Jonny, like Andy, are two Brits who married American girls. Ironically, they also happened to marry best friends. Confused yet?

Basically, best friends, Megan & Nora married brothers, Jonny & Simon. We photographed Megan & Simon’s lovely Willowbend wedding in 2007 and instantly hit it off with the whole family. Maybe it was the American/British connection that drew us to them. But, really, I think it is the fact that they’re super sweet, incredibly warm people and it was impossible not to like them!

Earlier this year, Nora contacted us to ask if we would photograph her family as they gathered from across the country for a reunion here on the Cape. We, of course, said, “Yes!!! Please!!” We love working with lovely people and after having met Nora, we knew her clan would be one we’d have some fun with!

We caught up with Nora & her family at the lovely oceanside Hawthorne Inn in Chatham, where they were all staying. The group included Nora, Jonny, their too-cute-for-words son, Jack (Nora & Megan each had their first child within two weeks of each other….too funny, right?!); Nora’s parents-Cheryl & Garry; Nora’s sister-Karen and her two also too-cute-for-words kids, Nicole & James; Nora’s brother, Greg, and Cheryl’s siblings and their spouses-Cathey & Hugh and John & Chris.

We had such a nice evening with everyone and hope our paths cross again on their next visit to Cape Cod! Thank you all for welcoming us with such open arms & open hearts! You have a lovely family and we feel truly honored to have been able to record your time together and hopefully to have captured the spirit of your wonderful reunion! With love & hugs, Christine & Andy!

Enjoy….

Nora gives Jack a playful toss in the air as Jonny looks on.

Karen, James & Nicole make their own kind of starfish in the sand.

The head of the pack….Cheryl & Garry.

James get a little cuddle from his Uncle Greg. I have to admit…I would LOVE a photo like this with my nephew Calvin. The joy on the faces of these two just lights up my heart!

The whole gang….from left to right: Hugh, Cathey, Greg, Chris, John, Cheryl, Gary, Nicole, Nora, James, Karen, Jonny & a sleeping Jack (between the time change and all the excitement, our little guy decided to take a cat nap halfway through our session…bless him!)

Here’s our sleeping beauty!

Talk about beauties…..

James & Nicole are such a sweet pair and I love this shot…Nicole is holding a bird’s feather and James is looking up at his big sister with such love and adoration….life is all about these moments!!!

Lovely Nicole with her sweet eyes and gorgeous face!!!

Tender little James with eyes as blue as the ocean. I love this photo of him because like most kids his age, he tended to give that big “Cheese” smile, which I admit…I secretly love…but I wanted something more natural so I asked him to just smile with his eyes…and this is what he did. LOVE IT!!!

Jackie wakes up to rejoin the party! Yaaay!!! (I soooo don’t look that happy when I first wake up!)

Our happy family gets together for one last group shot in the warm evening light.

A boy and the beach….love it!!!

Exhausted from all the fun…Jack gets a lift from his dad…bye bye Jack!!!

Big thanks again to Nora and her wonderful family for a really fun evening together!!! Hope you all had a safe trip back home and that we get to see you again on your next trip back to our sandy shores of Cape Cod!!! xoxox

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to the stunning Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, RI for the emotional celebration of Elizabeth & Blake’s exchanging of “I do’s!” The sun was shining; the air was dry. It was the perfect day for a wedding!

After scoping out the Blithewold grounds, which are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l and a seriously picturesque backdrop for a wedding…or afternoon picnic (we may be doing that in the fall when things calm down a bit)…Andy & I headed to the Bristol Harbor Inn, where Elizabeth & Blake were getting ready. Elizabeth & her girlfriends were in the penthouse apartment suite finishing up with hair & make up by the fabulous Christina Squier & Jane Sincere. While I was with the girls, Andy joined Blake and his groomsmen where the guys were busy getting dressed and Blake’s very sweet brothers were putting the finishing details on their speeches for the funny & heart-felt toasts they would make later that evening.

On the sprawling lawn of the mansion, facing the water and a warm setting sun, the ceremony was performed by a friend of the family. The day had all the ingredients for creating some wonderful & lifelong memories! Here are some of our favorite moments from Elizabeth & Blake’s beautiful wedding day…

Elizabeth was either giddy with laughter or overwhelmed by happy tears during much of the getting ready process. Here her friends help get her into her stunning Vera Wang gown….ga ga gorgeous!

Isn’t she beaming!!!!

Our brides’ shoes have been getting a lot of attention lately. We thought it was time the groom’s footwear got in on the action….how ’bout these patent leather beauties! Hee hee…not exactly Manolos, but snazzy just the same!

I love this shot…Blake’s fiddling with his bow tie, while his brother, Taylor,  works on his speech in the background.

Enjoying a little bubbly on the trolley ride to the mansion.

Elizabeth arrives with her bridemaids…does that look like a woman ready to say, “I do,” or what?

How cute are these little guys helping to hand out programs? Too cute!

It’s a beautiful day for a wedding….

Tears of love & joy…

“We did it!!”

Heart-felt hugs of congratulation….Can’t you just feel the joy?

The girls…

The guys…

I love the way the light softly spills through the tall, old trees in this next one. The Blithewold property is truly gorgeous! And, it’s open to the public if you ever want to visit and tour the gardens…don’t forget to bring a frisbee & a picnic. And, if you’re planning to get married here, give us a call…we’d love to go back!

The bamboo garden…what a backdrop, eh?

Another perspective…

The Zen garden….Ooommmmmm…..

Heading back to the mansion to join the party…

On their way back to the mansion, Blake & Elizabeth cross paths with Blake’s brother, Jordan, and his girlfriend, Miranda (LOVE her headpiece…very chic)! They look like rockstars don’t they? Actually, Jordan lives in LA and works in the entertainment industry. We’re hoping he & Miranda have us come out to California to photograph their wedding when the time comes (hint, hint! Shameless, aren’t I?! But, they are just so freaking cute…and sweet!!!)

Having fun with their first dance…

I love this photo. It captures a really sweet moment when Elizabeth’s bridesmaid, Dawn, who is due with baby boy # 3, shares the phone with her hubby, Jeff, as they check in with their two boys at home. I just love the expressions on their faces as they listen to their lovebugs at home! So sweet!

Elizabeth & Blake share a dance with their parents….

And just a few more details from the day…

Thank  you Elizabeth & Blake for inviting us to be a part of such a special time in your lives. We have had such fun with you both, from our engagement shoot with you down here on the Cape to being there with you when you said, “I do!” on a picture perfect summer afternoon! You two seemed blissfully happy all day….everything really was exactly as it should be! And we hope these photos (and the others soon to follow) help keep the memories alive for many happy years to come! Big love & hugs, Christine & Andy

PS…We’d also like to give a little shout out to Susan & Gary (of course Erin & Patrick) for introducing Elizabeth and her mom, Peggy, to us! Susan & Peggy have been friends for years and two years ago we had the pleasure of photographing the equally fabulous wedding of Susan’s daughter, Erin! We love you guys and wish we could do it all over again!! It was great seeing you Susan & Gary!! You guys can still rip up a dance floor!! xoxo