We had the nicest time the other day with Meaghan & Sean. Our engagement session began at Meaghan & Sean’s gorgeous new home in Scituate. We had planned to head over to the Boston Golf Club, where Sean is the resident golf pro, but it was one of those perfect summer afternoons and the course was a little too crowded…or so Sean said. We’re thinking he just didn’t want the guys at the club to see him smoochin’ up to his honey with the Bello paparazzi following their every move.

So, plan B began with a few shots on their back deck, then we headed into Scituate Center and the nearby lighthouse. It was a perfect day, ending with a really lovely dinner at Sean & Meaghan’s favorite restaurant, Riva. If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit! The food was Mmmmmm good, the atmosphere totally relaxing and the company couldn’t have been better!

Here are a few of our favorite shots from the day…

Getting up close and personal…

Here’s as little collage from a sweet moment they shared….Love it!!!

They didn’t necessarily love this pizza place or have any real connection to it, but we thought it was a cool sign! And who doesn’t love pizza?

Just a stone’s throw from the pizza place was this great little field and a tiny brook. The funny thing is it was right off a main street and you probably wouldn’t give it a second look, but it made for a great backdrop for some sweet portraits of the happy couple!

Love the sun flare in this one. And the fact that Meaghan is just cracking up!

Across the street from Riva was this really cute liquor store. I can’t say I’ve ever described a liquor store that way before, but this one had adorable tables out front, flower boxes and really nice elegant looking window displays. Definitely not your typical corner “packy.”

If we’ve ever taken your photo before you know we love beat up old buildings. I can’t say why we love them exactly. I think it’s just the idea of putting two beautiful people, dressed really nicely, in front of something dilapidated and the juxtaposition created by having such opposites in one scene that we’re drawn to. That and I just like cool old stuff. So, there was this closed-up, run-down looking building on Main Street and we snapped a few photos there…of course! Here’s one of my favorites. I love the way Meaghan is looking at Sean and the security you can feel they find in each other just by the way they move together. We love these guys!!!! They are just such warm, loving, totally down to Earth people.

And to wrap up the session, we ended with a few shots by the lighthouse at sunset.

It was a perfect day!!! We’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to Meaghan & Sean for being so much fun, for trusting us so completely…even when we asked you to hike down into the swampy brook…and for just being such an absolute pleasure to be around! And, of course, thank you for dinner! We could have sat there for a few more hours just talking the night away!!! You guys are awesome and we can’t wait to be there with you later this summer when you say, “I do!!” Big hugs and lots of love, Chris & Andy xoxo

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

What do you get? LOVE!!! And, in Pam & Erik’s case, lots of it!

On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of photographing Pam & Erik, two former college cheerleaders who “flipped” for each other and haven’t been able to let go since. They flew in from Tennessee to spend a few days getting things squared away for their wedding, which will take place here on the Cape later this summer.

If ever there was a couple to epitomize the expression, “opposites attract,” these two are it…at least physically speaking. Erik is a big guy…a very big guy. Pam is pint size. Pam is super energetic and outgoing. Erik is more low key. She is from the north; he is from the south. But, it is these differences, coupled with their love for each other, their dedication to family and to helping others (they’re both going to be doctors) and their silly, carefree way that make them a perfect fit!

We met at Pam’s family’s gorgeous 17th century home, where the wedding will take place. We did a few shots over looking the pond and Pam & Erik even showed us some of their stunts. Then, we headed to nearby railroad tracks for something a little different…and sexy….hold tight for this one! Here are some of our favorites from the day:

This one was really just a happy accident, a stolen moment before we were ready to start. I love the swing…it just screams, “kids and summer,” to me. And these two really are just big kids.

Cozying up under Pam’s tree, planted by her parents the year she was born. So sweet!

Seriously….could they be any sweeter or sexier together?

I just LOVE this shot Andy got!!! I just love the way the light is reflecting off Pam’s sweater onto Erik’s face and also the lines of their bodies and the expressions on their faces. Even the way Pam’s hair is hanging looks perfect to me.

Showing us their moves…I think I’d squash Andy if by some miracle he could somehow hoist me over his head like that! And they made it look so easy!!!

Cuddling by the pond…

At the end of their road, their neighbors own this really cool farm, with horses, and chickens and everything…not the Cape Cod most people think of when they come here. But, it’s very cool nonetheless! We just loved all of the fresh new green leaves on the trees and the way the light filtered through. And with the old farm tools scattered around. It just felt so romantic, and like taking a step back in time. That sounds cheesy, I know, but it really did.

And here’s where things heated up! Seriously, is she stunning or what?

Somebody call Vogue, they’re missing two of their models!

Heading off into the sunset…

Thank you Pam & Erik for being such a blast, for keeping us laughing and completely inspired! We were already excited for your wedding…now we can’t wait!!! And to Pam’s mom, Wendy, it was so nice to meet you! Thank you for the tour of your family’s beautiful home! The love that has been shared there hangs from every beam!

Big hugs, Chris & Andy

We get to meet such amazing people doing what we do. Matt & McCall are no exception. McCall is a PR executive and Matt is a pilot. In addition to having really cool jobs, they are also a funny, sincere, totally in love, fun-loving, very sweet couple and we wanted their engagement session to reflect all that they are.

Like a lot of people, they mentioned being nervous about having their photos taken. And, while Andy definitely knows how to work BOTH sides of the camera, I tend to be a bit photogenically challenged, so I completely get the whole photo-nerves thing. We thought it might help if we took them somewhere that felt a little familiar. So, we headed over to a tiny air strip not far from where we live. Matt & McCall completely rocked it and in addition to having a lot of fun together, we also got some amazing shots. Here are a few of our favorites from our time together:

We loved this old tin hangar and decided to play on the concept of flying…We all had a hard time not completely cracking up while doing this, especially since we made them do it a few times…okay several times. Check out the vertical lift!

After aerobics, we decided to take things down a notch and the mood got a bit more tender….

The planes were so cool…next time we’re going for a ride!

I think this one belongs to Snoopy.

Luckily the rain held off until we finished our session, but the cloud-filled sky definitely provided a dramatic backdrop.

A little smoochin’…

Behind the old hangar we found this great rusted wall…totally love it!

Are they adorable or what? To us, these photos really capture their personalities…Oh, and seriously, have you ever seen eyes like McCalls? They matched her sweater and were completely mesmerizing!!

They really wanted to get some quintessential Cape Cod photos in too, so we headed to the beach to get some sand between our toes.

And ended with a walk off into the horizon. I just love the fisherman in the background and the flatness to the sky. We really do live in such a beautiful corner of the world.

We’d like to give a shout out to the guys over at the Cape Cod Flying Service for letting us hang out by the planes. To McCall & Matt we extend a great big thank you for being so much fun, and for making our job not only easy, but also a total joy! You guys are so sweet and we can’t wait to be there with you when you say, “I do!” We’ll see you in a couple of months and look forward to meeting all of your friends and family! Big hugs, C & A

Ashely & Patrick are the kind of people who you just want to be around. And be around often! Aside from being really sweet individuals, they are also an incredible couple…kind, loving, funny and with a gentle easiness about them that instantly makes those around them feel completely comfortable.

We recently had the pleasure of spending the day with Ashely & Patrick in Boston’s North End. Patrick is a huge Red Sox fan, and we had initially planned to shoot our engagement session around Fenway Park, but with it being Marathon weekend, we decided to hit the other side of the city and started out at Christopher Columbus Park. These two claimed to be a little nervous, but in no time at all they were looking like pros in front of the camera, letting down their guard and really having some fun with it!

Here are some of our favorites from our time together:

Walking through the narrow streets of the North End…If there had been laundry hanging between the buildings and an orange, white and green flag instead of the ol’ red, white & blue, I would have sworn we were in Italy!

This is my favorite shot from the session. We saw this sweet little old man, who reminded me of my grandfather…tennis balls on his walker and everything, and I had to get this shot of them walking past with the old boy watching them as they went by. Seriously, check out the Members Only jacket…that’s only going to mean something if you were old enough to remember the 80s! Classic!

Dancing in the streets…awwww, are they cute or what? Okay, okay, I admit it…we asked them to do that. But, tell me they don’t look like they’re loving it!

We found this killer blue garage door to use as a backdrop. It surprised us a couple of times and opened…which actually helped get some great reactions…

You don’t find many cobblestone streets here on the Cape, so we had to take advantage while in Boston…

A great big thank you to Ashely & Patrick for being so much fun and for being open to try anything. You guys ROCK and we can’t wait to be there with you on your special day. We have a feeling there is going to be a lot of love circling around you both and you can’t find a more perfect backdrop than than for great photos! xo Chris & Andy

While In NYC, we also got to hang out with our Bello friends Mollie & Ben, who coincidentally, live just a couple of blocks from Andrea & Will and who are also getting married here on the Cape later this summer. It’s such a small world.

We arrived in the city pretty early in the day, and the weather was incredible…almost hot and the sun kept poking out through the clouds…a far cry from the weather forecast, which for days leading up to our session was calling for rain, clouds and possible thundershowers. We got so lucky as the weather was perfect for picture-taking.

Mollie & Ben were kind enough to take us on a mini tour of the city, hitting some of their favorite spots, including the Brooklyn Bridge, where Ben proposed…awww, so sweet.

Here are a few photos from our time together:

It seems appropriate to start with the spot where it all began…

I love this one…Mollie looks so serene!

Gargoyles…so cool and definitely not something you see very often on the Cape. Cedar shingles, yes. Gargoyles…not so much. NYC offers such amazing architecture and fabulous details on its buildings….and we just love all of the brick!!! Takes Andy right back home to England…So fun!

How much do you love this mural? LOVE IT!!! We had such fun with this…here are a couple of our favorites:

More brick….love the brick…throw in an old rusty door and/or some graffiti and we’ve got a party!

Thank you Mollie & Ben for being so much fun, for putting your trusting us, and for making our time in NYC so thoroughly enjoyable and such a refreshing change of scenery! Can’t wait to see you both again and be there with you when you say, “I do.”

Big hugs,

Christine & Andy xo

We feel pretty lucky to live where we do and have Cape Cod as the backdrop for our Bello love stories. But, every now and then, it’s fun to leave this little slice of heaven and find inspiration in places unfamiliar. Such was the adventure we had when we met up with our friends Andrea & Will for their ridiculously fun engagement session. We had such a great day with them, exploring some of their favorite spots in the city, getting some gorgeous images and ending with a fabulous dinner at their favorite neighborhood restaurant, The House, in Gramercy Park. Mmmmmm yummy is all we can say about that.

Andrea & Will thank you so much for putting your trust in us, for being so open to trying new things and for generally just being a lot of fun to be around. And a giant thank you for that amazing dinner! We can’t wait to see you both again here on the Cape later this summer when you say, “I do!” We feel so lucky to have met you both and luckier still to have been invited to share in such a special day in your lives.

Here are just a few of our favorite images from our time together. Enjoy!

Here’s the happy couple outside of their favorite restaurant

Will’s favorite NY building is the Chrysler Building…so we had to take this shot!

And here are a few more street shots…I love how Andy captured the rushing traffic and classic yellow taxi in the first one below! Nice one honey!!

I love this one because despite all of the busyness around them, Andrea & Will look like they’re the only two people in the world the way they’re looking at each other.

We found this great old bank-turned-theater in Union Square and just loved the columns. Here’s a few of them getting snuggly:

This one is my FAVORITE from the session. While I was focusing on more classic composition, Andy stole this amazing moment!

Love those Louboutins Andrea!!!

Are you two cute or what?

Takin’ the train home…

Thank you again you two for being so much fun! We can’t wait to see you again at your wedding here on Cape Cod!!! Remember, dinner is on us next time!

Big hugs, Chris & Andy

Just when we thought all of our engagement sessions were done for the season, we had one more spunky couple who wanted to brave last weekend’s chilly fall temperatures for some photos down at Lighthouse Beach in Chatham. It was definitely chilly, but the afternoon light was gorgeous and so were Kristyn & Patrick, who are getting married next summer at the Wequassett Inn in Chatham. They hired us as their photographers without having met us, so our first introduction was prior to our session. We met them at Kristyn’s folks house, not far from the beach.

If you look up the word FUN in the dictionary, you’ll find photos of Kristyn & Patrick. They are the kind of people who you just want to have around you. We instantly clicked with them and are so excited that they took a leap of faith and booked us sight unseen. We have no doubts that their wedding is going to be a total blast and we’re really looking forward to getting to know them both better over the coming year!

Although we were a little nervous about whether the session would be a success given how chilly it was, we couldn’t be happier with how things turned out. Of course, it helps that Kristyn & Patrick are totally adorable….check them out!

Seriously….is it legal to be that drop-dead gorgeous?

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Kristyn loved this Danger sign, so we asked them to have a smooch and used them to frame the shot…cool, right?

Just to the left of the sign is the Chatham Lighthouse. Love this composition too.

The late afternoon sun hit the beach fences lining the dunes and created some dramatic shadows…I love this shot! i think it’s the contentment I see in Kristyn’s eyes. What a world it would be if every moment, in every part of the world, felt like this one…

One of the great things about visiting the beach this time of year is that there generally aren’t many people around, so it’s easy to make fresh tracks in the sand. So fun!

Seeexxxxy…

The beach grass is quickly losing it’s color, but it’s still so beautiful to me.

Long fall shadows blanket the untouched sand, giving the appearance of snow, don’t you think?

I love the light in this shot and the expansiveness of the beach. We live in such a beautiful corner of the world!

I don’t know why I enjoy cutting people’s heads off so much, but I just love the effect. It’s so rock star to me!

After a long chilly session, Kristyn gets a lift from Patrick. The crazy woman took off her shoes. Madness!

A great big thank you to Kristyn & Pat for being such troopers and for being SOO much fun to be around. You guys were a joy to photograph and we can’t wait till August to be there with you when you say, “I do!” Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of such a special time in your lives. It is truly an honor! And thank you too Diane & Dick for welcoming us into your home, and especially to you Diane for seeking us out! I think we’re going to have a wonderful time getting to know each other over the coming year! With hugs and warmest wishes, Christine & Andy

Just before the cold weather settled in and the beach grass lost its golden hue here on the Cape we made it out to for one last engagement session at our favorite beach in Falmouth. The session was with our new friends Lauren & Ed, who are getting married in Boston next June. Lauren was referred to us from a co-worker of hers, Tracy Peterson, whose wedding we photographed a couple of weeks ago in Newport (stay tuned for those photos). Thanks Tracy…we love you!!!

We had such a great time with Lauren & Ed. They were silly and sweet and obviously in love. Photographing them was not only a lot of fun, but it was also a breeze…Lauren with her mesmerizing aqua blue eyes and Ed with his killer smile and Hollywood good looks; how could we take a bad photo?! We had such a hard time picking just a few for the blog that we decided instead to share with you the slideshow we put together for them. Have fun!

A big thank you to Lauren & Ed for coming down to the Cape to spend the day with us. You two were such naturals in front of the camera. Thank you for putting your trust in us and for being a really nice end to our season! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

There aren’t many perfect summer evenings left like the one we had with Kate & Pat the other night at Woodneck Beach in Falmouth. Kate & Pat are getting married at the Hyannisport Club next May. We had a fabulous night with them watching the bluefish jumping along the shore. Our session also turned out to be a nice send off for Pat, who was leaving for India on business a few days after our session. Can’t wait to hear about his trip and see some of his photos when he gets back.

Here are a few of our favorites from the session:

Gotta love that Nantucket red…quintessential Cape Cod!

Love Kate’s eyes in this one…she looks like an Ivory girl.

Here we messed around with some layering of textures, something new we’re experimenting with. To do this, we photograph random things that have great texture and layer them over the photo then erase important areas we don’t want covered. We used a photo of a wood shingle from the side of our house for the first photo below. The second one is a secret…but we will tell you it was inspired by our Sunday morning breakfast. Any ideas?

And here’s what it would have looked like without the filter. What do YOU think….better with or without?