We had so much fun at Claire & Dave’s Boston wedding that we couldn’t wait to get back to the Cape for part two, which was held two days later at the lovely Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster.

Their second wedding had a completely different feel to their first, which, if you ask me, is how it should be if you’re lucky enough to marry to the person you love…twice.

Although her dress was the same, Claire had some modifications done that made it feel completely different. And, like her first wedding, at the end of the night, she slipped out of her gorgeous wedding gown and into another sexy little number, this time an ivory & gold dress with some serious wow factor! So fun!

Claire also changed her hairstyle for wedding #2 and opted for a different, although equally as fabulous, pair of shoes. Dave traded in his tux for a more casual, though seriously stylish, steel blue suit and orange tie that perfectly matched their fall color scheme.

Friends & family wore winter parkas over their party clothes and wrapped tightly in blankets & pashminas provided by Claire & Dave for the breezy, beachside ceremony. Although it was colder than a summer beach wedding, the cold brought everyone closer and created a warm atmosphere of joy & delight that was befitting this wonderful couple.

And, as expected, those happy, love-filled feelings carried over to the reception, which was held in Ocean Edge’s tented Pavillion, where Cape wedding planner, Allison Liset of Elegant Engagements, worked her magic. There were wonderful toasts, first dances and friends & family partied late into the night.

I wouldn’t say one wedding topped the other; rather, they were each perfect representations of the incredible love Claire & Dave share and we were thrilled to have been invited to be a part of them both.

Here are some of our favorite moments from Claire & Dave’s incredible Cape Cod Wedding, including the below shot of Claire’s super cute Badgley Mischka shoes.

Claire’s adorable nephew, Kiernan, entertains himself with a computer game, while his mom helps his auntie get ready for her big day. I love this moment…how his pant legs are pulled up, his jacket bunched and the look of total concentration on his sweet little face as happy chaos floats all around him. Priceless.

Claire takes in the moment as her super sweet sister/co-MOH and ceremony officiant, Mary, adjusts her dress.

Dave & his guys…

Claire is all smiles as she prepares to walk down the aisle with her father, Kevin. Completely different setting from the church shot of Claire and her dad during Claire & Dave’s first wedding…but the joy & excitement is exactly the same…and I love that!

Can’t you just feel the joy (and the cold) in this next shot as Dave gets “walked down the aisle” by his super sweet parents, Louise & Rick? Love it!

Claire & Dave were literally surrounded by family & friends during their beachside ceremony. Folks gathered in for warmth and for a close up view as these two wonderful people exchanged their very heart-felt vows.

A guest uses her gifted pashmina for protection from the wind. Tres chic, no?

The look of love…

Claire’s beautiful friends & bridesmaids, Renee & Amy, react to Claire & Dave’s exchanging of vows…

Although it was chilly, the beach was gorgeous and the perfect backdrop for Claire & Dave’s wedding…

Love this moment…

And this…You think they’re excited to be married? Yeay for love!

This could be my favorite moment of the day…completely lost in their own world and in the joy of the moment!

Claire’s good friend and fellow teacher, Christina, had undergone surgery on her broken leg 10 days before the wedding, but that didn’t stop her from participating in this special day. I love this moment as Christina gets a hand from the girls. It was hard going pushing the wheelchair across the wet ground and the girls were giving the guys in the bridal party a hard time…telling them not to worry, that they had it covered. Three cheers for girl power!

This old stone tower, whose history is a bit of a mystery, has been standing tall since the Mansion was part of an 1800 acre private summer home, complete with farms and a game reserve. Today, it makes for a beautiful backdrop for a wedding portrait.

so pretty….

I love Dave’s face in this next one…he is just bubbling over with love & happiness. It’s hard not to smiling looking at him here…

Swooooon….

I’m not sure which I react to more in this next one….how incredibly close Claire & Dave are to one another or that gorgeous ivy, draping down the tower behind them. love love love this next one!

Claire’s beautiful bouquet by the uber talented Courtney Dunbury of Courtney’s Floral Creations in Falmouth. beautiful…

I am crazy about the light in this next one and the gorgeous lines of Claire’s body!

Claire & Dave cut their stunning fall cake by the talented bakers at The Casual Gourmet.

Loooooove this next photos of Dave dancing with his mom. Check out her face! Is that happiness or what?

Dave’s sister-in-law and dad get down and boogie! So fun!

I love this awesome shot Andy caught of the crowd dancing to the always popular “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. I just love how everyone is holding hands or grabbing onto someone….there is just such a joyful connectedness I feel when I see this image. Love it!

Thank you to Megan Yaps of Ocean Edge and Allison Liset of Elegant Engagements and all of the other fabulous vendors who helped make Claire & Dave’s wedding was absolutely perfect! Thank you too to Claire & Dave’s amazing family & friends for being so warm & welcoming. But, our biggest thanks as always go to our happy couple! Claire & Dave, if we could be there with you again for wedding #3, we’d be there in a heartbeat! You two are WONDERFUL! You are wonderful with each other and with everyone you care about and the love you share is beautiful, inspiring and infectious all at the same time. We adore you and feel incredibly grateful to have been a part of such an amazing time in your lives. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! With love & hugs, Chris & Andy xoxo

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and a day from which some of my fondest memories have been born. I come from a small, but loud, Italian family and when we would all get together — my dad, my two sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents — it was like love had come to roost round the dining room table. And, oh, how the laughter and noisy banter did flow.

There was no pressure to buy gifts that might later be returned. There was no pomp or circumstance; only togetherness, full bellies, and afternoon football.

Being English, Andy didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, but he too has grown to love it, especially the turkey with gravy…reminds him of Sunday dinners back home. But, really, the thing we love most about Thanksgiving is the opportunity it provides to pause and take stock of our lives and of all the things we are grateful for and have been blessed with over the past year.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, as families start to gather, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you…members of our bello family…for trusting us with capturing your most precious memories, for opening your hearts to us, and for sharing with us your lives and your love. We are truly humbled and incredibly grateful to have you in our lives!

We also want to thank our special vendors….the other half of our bello family….for making our job not feel like work, for supporting us and helping us grow. We couldn’t do what we do without you!

And, finally, thank you to our faithful blog readers, wherever you are (and most especially you, sweet Candice) for being interested in us and what we do and for all of your wonderful comments, which make this blog so fun for us!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! In peace & love, Chris & Andy xoxo

PS…To tempt your taste buds, we thought we’d share with you some photos of a scrumptious-looking Cranberry & Apple pie from the Centerville Pie Company that was unexpectedly delivered to us yesterday courtesy of the fabulous Desiree Spinner of DSEvents. Thanks Des…you are wonderful!

Does any other food say, “Love,” quite like a homemade pie? We think not!

You know you want to dive in! Mmmmmm….

May your tomorrow be filled with much love and lots of pie! xo

Struggling with what to get family & friends this holiday season? Why not surprise them with a beautiful Bello Photo!

I know what you’re thinking….”We’ve yet to get through Thanksgiving. Do we really need to start thinking about holiday gifts already?” The answer is, “Yes!”

For those of you hoping to surprise loved ones with photos from your special event, please be advised, the deadline for purchasing Bello photos this holiday season is Tuesday, November 30th. The holidays will be here before we know it, so don’t delay.

Please log in to your event to place your orders. Thank you & Happy Thanksgiving!

Here on Cape Cod, the wedding season starts winding down come the end of October. Sure, there are still weddings in the winter months, but most couples who dream of a beachside wedding imagine warm breezes and sun-filled blue skies. And, around here, those days get pretty hard to find after October.

We couldn’t have asked for a happier ending to our wedding season than to have been a part of Claire & Dave’s fabulous exchanging of “I do’s!”

Claire & Dave are two of THE sweetest people and being there with them during such a special time was so much fun for us. And, to double the pleasure/double the fun, Claire & Dave said “I do!” twice. Yup, once just wasn’t enough for these two love birds.

I’ll admit, I love me some weddings. So getting to be there with such a a wonderful couple for not just one wedding, but for two was like having cupcakes for dinner….and then again for dessert.

Claire & Dave’s first wedding was an intimate ceremony at the Boston College-affiliated St. Ignatius Parish in Newton, with a family dinner following at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge. Two days later, they stood before each other again, this time on a breezy Brewster beach, surrounded by very hearty friends & family, who, wrapped in blankets and filled with love, snuggled tightly to support Claire & Dave as they once again said, “I do!”

Here are a few of our favorite moments from Claire & Dave’s beautiful Boston wedding…

A carving on the outside of St. Ignatius welcomes visitors to this historic parish.

Dave’s nieces and flower girls extraordinaire, Lindsey & Megan, peek out the church’s front door to see if Claire’s Rolls Royce has yet arrived.

Meanwhile, inside, Dave nervously waits for his bride. Love this moment!

Here comes the bride….Claire gets ushered down the aisle by her Dad , Kevin. I love how they’re looking at each other as they head down…such a poignant moment!

Claire & Dave listen with love in their hearts and smiles on their faces as Father Robert VerEcke addresses them and speaks about the commitment of marriage.

Family & closest friends gathered in the beautiful St. Ignatius to witness Claire & Dave’s wedding…

As the parish singer croons, Claire & Dave exchange a loving glance. Ahhhhhh….

We did it!!! Priceless!

As she & Dave leave the church, Claire glances back at family & friends to acknowledge their cheers of love & support! Beautiful!

On the church steps for a quick group photo, Claire, Dave & their guests wave to acknowledge the honking support from passing cars.

The new Mr. & Mrs. share a toast and a quiet ride to Cambridge before rejoining their guests for dinner…

A quick stop at one of Claire & Dave’s favorite places, the Harvard Square footbridge, for a few photos. Love the light and stormy skies in these next few…

So dramatic…

Love, love, love this next one!

Life’s best moments are often those in between moments…like this one just before the kiss…

This next one feels very old world to me and I LOVE it! Especially Claire’s borrowed shawl, and gorgeous headband, which is an heirloom from Dave’s family. She looks like a princess and Dave, her handsome prince.

Proceed with caution…and lots of love!

Sweet love in all its splendor! Oh how my heart aches for this next one…Claire & Dave made a quick stop at their hotel so Claire could change her more formal wedding dress for this GORGEOUS sexy little number. LOOOOVE it! And can we talk about those fabulous shoes!

Over-the-moon happy, married couple in the city…does it get any better than that? Be still my heart!

Watching Claire & Dave walk hand-in-hand down this quaint Cambridge pedestrian way had me bubbling over with excitement and makes this next shot a favorite of the day! I love the way they’re holding hands. I love the adorable bouncing ruffles in Claire’s super sweet dress, her killer hot pink shoes and her crazy long legs! Seriously, what I would give for Claire’s crazy sexy long legs! Love, love, love!!!

Pink, purple, hearts & flowers….swoon!

Talk about old world….this next one feels like it could have been taken in Paris. I just love the sweetness of this moment…

We didn’t end up staying too much longer, as dinner was about to start and we had to get back to the Cape to process the images and put a slideshow together in time for wedding number two, here on the Cape two days later. But, the time we did spend with Claire & Dave and their families & friends in Boston was wonderful! Thank you both for inviting us to be a part of such a wonderful celebration of love! Right from the beginning, we have felt a connection with you and getting to be a part of this very intimate ceremony was not only a pleasure, but an incredible honor!! We adore you both and will always treasure the memories of our time together. Stay tuned for Part II! Big love & hugs, Chris & Andy xoxo

We’ve heard a lot of stories about how couples meet and the moment when lightning strikes and love takes hold, but Jessica & Christians story is like no other…

It was the summer of 2005, Jessica left Massachusetts to take a job in Virginia. New to the area, she decided to join a gym to keep fit and possibly make some new friends. One day she decided to work with a personal trainer and Christian happened to be her trainer for the session. As any chivalrous/sensible man would do, he went easy on the new girl. But, Jessica wasn’t having it.

Having been told to “pick up the pace,” Christian moved on to some more challenging exercises, with one particularly burly exercise involving rolling a 10-pound medicine ball down a long hallway to Jessica, who was lying on the ground, arms outstretched overhead, ready & braced to catch the tumbling ball of doom….or so she thought.

Unfortunately, the momentum of the heavy ball was stronger than she had anticipated and it slipped through her hands and hit her squarely in the head. Concerned for his new client, and fearing a possible lawsuit, Christian bolted down the hallway and knelt beside the dizzy damsel, rattling off a series of questions to make sure she didn’t have a concussion. After realizing Jessica was okay, Christian slipped in one more question….could he get her phone number.

It was not exactly how she imagined being struck by love, but sufficiently impressed by her attentive trainer, Jessica gave him her number and now, five years later this sweet, funny, perfectly matched pair is planning their wedding. They will say, “I do!” next spring at the gorgeous Wequassett Inn in Chatham and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the wedding doesn’t involve any rolling medicine balls.

We had the pleasure of getting together with Jessica & Christian last month for their love session. It was a whirlwind wedding planning weekend, so we were grateful that they made time for us.

We instantly hit off with Jess & Christian, right from our first e-mail correspondence with them. I think Jess & I are kindred spirits, but more than that, she is simply one of the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I admit, some of her particularly sweet e-mails have brought tears to my eyes. And, Christian is equally as wonderful, with a big cheeky smile that simultaneously sets you at ease and warms your heart. It’s obvious how much he adores Jess, I happen to have a soft spot for good men who love strong women.

In talking with Jess & Christian about where they’d like to do have their e-session photos taken, they mentioned an affinity for old-fashioned ice cream parlors, 50-s style diners and coca-cola in glass bottles…so we got to thinking. And, here’s what we came up with for their super sweet vintage inspired Cape Cod love session!

I love everything about this first one, from Jess’s sweet expression and the quietness of their moment together to the hustle & bustle in the background.

Sharing a soda and a giggle…

Looooooveee…

Raisin french toast and a smile!

Cute with a capital “C”

A self-described tomboy, Jessica isn’t one to wear bright red lipstick, but Oooooh how we loved it on her. Check out Jess and all her sassiness in these next two! love, love love!!!

Swoooon….

Outside for some fun shots and some killer sun flare!

I swear this next one ought to be an ad for something sexy! Way to work it you two!

Sweet, simple, stunning….Jess looks like a movie star to me in this next one, and Christian…her leading man!

Christian is a bit of a jokester. He knows how to make people laugh and feel comfortable…especially Jess. I can’t remember exactly what he was saying to her in this next one…I’m pretty sure it was something along the line of, “Work it baby, come on the camera loves you.” Priceless!

The happy couple…

A quick change of clothes and a new location and voila….

Life should always feel this good….

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I have to say it again…there truly is no better place than in the arms of the one you love and to me, this photo says it all!

Cape Cod cedar kisses…

As seen from a different perspective…

Fall-ing in love….

I can’t remember why we mentioned possibly bringing some old fashioned Coke bottles along for the shoot, but when we did, Jessica jumped on the idea. Although we can get them here any time of year…and we get them a lot; they’re kind of an obsession of mine…where Jess & Christian live they can only get them around Christmas, so they’ve become a holiday tradition. So fun!

Another change before finishing our session at the beach…

Ahhhhh….

Thank you Jess & Christian for taking time out of your busy weekend to spend the afternoon with us. Thank you for being open to trying something new and different and for being soooo much fun to be around! You two kept us laughing and enjoying ourselves so much that we didn’t want it to end! We hope these photos serve as happy reminders of this exciting time in your lives. And, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for entrusting us to document it for you! Can’t wait till next spring!

Big love & hugs, Chris & Andy xoxo