I got a call yesterday morning from one of our sweet brides turned new momma, Aimee. We had photographed Aimee and her hubby Rick and their sweet little love munchkin, Tess, earlier this year at their Wellesley home.

As is generally the case with new babies…they grow and change super fast, and so Aimee was hoping to get some newer photos for this year’s holiday card. Aimee asked if we ever did mini sessions. She was looking for just one recent awesome photo of her family for her cards.

This is something Andy & I have talked about a lot…like every year for the past few years. But, the holidays always seem to come & go in a blur and we’re always so busy, we haven’t had/made the time to put anything together.

This year we’re determined to try and make it happen and we’re considering holding mini sessions next weekend, on either Saturday Nov. 10 or Sunday, Nov. 11th here on Cape Cod. We realize this is last minute, but we’re hoping we can make it work. We’d like to pick one day, based on which day gets the most interest. So, if you’re interested, please let us know which day works best for you.

Generally, our sessions last about 1.5 to 2 hours and involve more creative play mixed with the traditional family group shots. But, these mini sessions would be just 20-30 minutes long, with the focus on getting a couple of great family photos for use on a holiday card…more tradition or more playful based on your taste.

The sessions would be $300 and would include one-week of online proofing & up to 3 high res files (depending on the card design) for use in a holiday card.

We’re just wondering if this is something that is of interest to folks. And, if it is, we ask that you please contact us at bello@bellophoto.com to schedule a time for the session. We need at least five bookings to make it work for us.

Thank you! Chris & Andy xo

On Wednesday night, nearly 200 Cape Cod wedding professionals gathered for the second annual Cocktails & Connections event sponsored by The Casual Gourmet and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the beautiful The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis.

Andy & I were there to support these organizations and their efforts to further promote Cape Cod as the Northeast’s most prestigious destination wedding location. The evening was a huge success, with lots of fabulous food, wine by Truro Vineyards, and music by CapeTunes.

Other sponsors included: AFR Furniture, Geek Girls, Desiree Spinner Events, Rentals Unlimited, Prestige Valet, Be Our Guest, Undercover Tent & Party, Ormonde Productions, Patrice Milley Floral Design, Lilac Flowers, Designers Touch, All About Flowers for Weddings, Lady Slipper Stationary, Treats Catering & The Dennis Inn, and Sysco Boston.

We volunteered to take a few photos of the bash, along with fellow Mashpee photographer, the very talented Dan Cutrona.

Here are a few of our highlights from the night…

Awesome lighting provided by Ormonde productions set the stage for a festive evening, as staff from The Casual Gourmet prepares for guests to arrive.

Olive Chase, owner of The Casual Gourmet (far left) makes some final preparations as guests begin arriving.

Delicious snacks sent from the angels at Sysco Boston….

mmmmm good…

The evening’s sponsors…

Beautiful arrangements were everywhere, provided by Patrice Milley, Designers Touch, All About Flowers for Weddings and Lilacs. And the super fun linens were provided by the fabulous Be Our Guest.

A tasty treat from Brad & Kathy of Treats Catering & The Dennis Inn.

Olive Chase of The Casual Gourmet (far left) welcomes some of the Cape’s wedding professionals…

Attendees could tweet live, with a large projector screen showing the latest news. So totally cool.

Some of the fabulous ladies of Wychmere Harbor Club & Longwood Events. Hey ladies, lookin’ good!

Short rib sliders provided by The Casual Gourmet. Yes, please!

Some of the Cape’s warm & wonderful ministers, Lucinda Graham & Nancy Wurlitzer, along with Cape Cod Museum of Art Executive Director, Elizabeth Hunter, enjoying the evening’s festivities.

Olive looks on as Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Board member Bill Catania, of the Catania Hospitality Group, addresses the group about investing more chamber funds into building Cape Cod’s already stellar reputation as a destination wedding location.

Having fun with Prestige Valet…

The fabulous Desiree Spinner of DSEvents…

Courtney Dunbury of Courtney’s Floral Creations in Falmouth and the fabulous guys from Sperry Tents….

Brad Boyd from the Dennis Inn…

Music Maker Scott Rosenthal of Cape Tunes…

Big thanks to Olive Chase for inviting us to be a part of such a fun night of networking. Thanks too to all of the fabulous vendors here on the Cape that make this such a special place to say, “I do!” Andy & I are super excited to be a part of this incredible industry and we look forward, with much excitement, to another stellar wedding season here on beautiful Cape Cod, our special little corner of the world, where wedding dreams come true. Christine & Andy xo

….almost as much as we love Paul & Rachel!

Mondays aren’t typically my favorite day of the week. But, yesterday got a whole lot sweeter when a most unexpected box full of love arrived on our doorstep.

I had gone out to check the mail after a long day in front of the computer. As I walked back from the mailbox, I spotted a small package on the porch. I wondered to myself if Andy was ordering more toys for his guitar…he’s started taking lessons and is quite excited about it, so packages filled with books, picks, a music stand, guitar stand and some other things I don’t know the names of have steadily been showing up on our front porch.

This package, however, wasn’t for him….well, not only him. It was for both of us, and the return address was one I didn’t recognize…Levain Cookies. The packaging tape had LOVE written on it. I immediately liked the look of this!

Like a kid at Christmas, I ran in the house and searched the junk draw for scissors. No luck. So, I grabbed a knife…I mean there were potentially cookies in this package, right? I didn’t want to waste a second. And, here is what I pulled out…

Now, I was dying to know who could have sent this little treasure box, so I checked the postcard…

And here’s what it said, “If your photos were cookies….this is what they’d be. They’re THAT good. Thanks, Rachel & Paul.”

I heard myself say, “Awwww,” outloud after I finished reading the note. We truly do have THE best clients….wonderful couples and families who not only welcome us into their lives with open arms & open hearts, sharing with us one of the most special days in their lives, but they treat us like this and make us fall even deeper in love with this incredible job we have. And, not because the work is glamorous, because it’s really not…we spend way more time in front of our computers than we do behind our cameras. What we love most about our work is getting to meet and document the lives of wonderful people like Rachel & Paul.

Ironically, I’d checked the mail earlier that day because we’d forgotten to get Saturday’s mail. And, Paul & Rachel had already sent an incredibly sweet note that read, ” Christine & Andy, We just wanted to say thank you for the incredible job you did photographing our wedding. We know that you realize how important these memories are to us and to all of your clients, it clearly shows in all of your work. From day one it felt like we were with old friends and we feel so lucky to have found you. We truly appreciate all of the care and attention that went into the beautiful photos you took. We hope our paths cross again and please let us know if you’re in NY. We’d love to say hi. Yours, Paul & Rachel.”

Honestly, the sentiment in that note was more than the thanks we needed. So, to find the cookies later that day was just over-the-top sweet!

Here’s a closer look at just how sweet….

I have to admit, that I took these photos after tearing into the package and checking out the bootie. And soon thereafter…devoured half of the chocolate chip cookie. (Had to share with Andy, it seemed only fair.) Let me just say, however…. if he wasn’t home, I might not have been so generous. It was crazy good!!! I’m talking, Mmmmmm-I-don’t-care-if-this-ends-up-on-my-thighs-pass-me-another-GOOD!

Tomorrow, I have my sights set on that chocolate peanut butter little mound of love!

Are you drooling yet?

Each cookies weighs 6oz….crazy good!!!

Pass the milk….here I come!!

Paul & Rachel, you guys are wonderful! We feel exactly the same as you…that right from the start it felt like you were both old friends. Being there with you at your wedding was so wonderful. I’ll never forget your special dance, dedicated to your dad, Rachel. When those stormy skies opened, the clouds parted and the sun shone through, I lost it. I knew it meant your dad was surely there, smiling down and giving his blessing to both of you and your incredible wedding day. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for allowing us to bear witness to that and thank you too for being as sweet as those crazy good cookies!

Big love & hugs, Christine & Andy xoxo

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day and out of a deep-rooted love for all things chocolate, Andy & I did some baking this weekend. Okay, I admit, I did the baking, but Andy helped wrap & package so we could send delicious balls of love to some of the special people in our lives. The delicious balls of love were cake pops and this was the first time I’d tried my hand at making them. And, I have to admit, they came out pretty Yummy! Here’s a sneak peek…

After all of the baking & packaging was done, Andy & I curled up on the couch to watch a movie, “P.S.” I Love You,” staring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. What a tear-jerker!!! I cried my face off, while Andy sniffled silently, pretending he wasn’t as equally affected.

Laying there on the couch next to my best friend, with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I couldn’t help but think about love….and all its many forms.

In the beginning, everything is new & exciting. We are the best form of ourselves. Butterflies take temporary residence in our stomach and amazingly, the wonderful person we’ve fallen for can seemingly do no wrong.

Over time, we relax a little, things get more comfortable and the bad habits we pretended we didn’t have start rising to the surface. Yet love remains.

And, with more time, those quirky things about our partner that we thought were endearing in the beginning become downright annoying. We bicker more. We kiss less frequently. There are highs and lows. Yet all of this only serves to make our foundation grow stronger. And through it all love still remains.

Finding the kind of love I have with Andy has been a revelation for me. My parents split up when I was 7 and neither remarried, so I never really had a front row seat to the kind of love that lasts. And, for a long time I wondered if it was real.

Over the years, I have learned that love is indeed real, but like anything worth having, love takes work. It takes time, commitment and a healthy sense of humor. It takes sacrifice and compromise. And, sometimes it means admitting you’re wrong, even if part of you still thinks you are right….although if you ask Andy he’ll say I never do this.

Before I met Andy, I didn’t much like Valentine’s Day. Perhaps because it was a reminder of what I lacked in my life. I see things differently today, although, I still find it a tad sad the way Valentine’s Day has become so commercialized. Let’s face it, love is so much more than taking one day to send flowers or fancy chocolates (insert winking smiley face).

Sometimes though, in the business of daily life, we need a gentle push to remind us to take pause and honor all of the love we have in our life. Valentine’s Day provides that annual reminder…

“Valentine’s Day is NOT for saying ‘I love You. It’s for saying I love us. I love who we are together. How we’ve grown, from our nervous conversations to the ONE we two have become. Valentine’s Day is for taking the time to say, I love us!”…Hallmark Cards TV commercial

So, this morning, Andy & I lingered in bed a little longer. We started the day with a kiss & a cuddle and tonight we’ll enjoy dinner, not in front of the TV, but sitting across from each other, so that we may tell the other how much we love “us.”

Here’s wishing you a day filled with love, reflection, quiet moments of “us”…and lots of creamy, dark chocolate! Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you for all the love!!!

With love from, Chris & Andy xo

2010 was our eighth year photographing weddings. Even seeing that written, it is still hard to believe. So much has happened in what feels like a blink. This has been a whirlwind adventure for us. And, with each passing year, we continue to pour ourselves into everything we do with as much passion & commitment as we have to give.

We started bello with a naive fearlessness that let us believe life would get easier simply by doing what we loved. We quickly learned that there’s so much more to this business than just taking beautiful photographs. And, this year proved somewhat challenging for us. Not the photography part and certainly not the amazing people part. But, 2010 was the year we struggled most with finding balance. Balance between work & life and balance as individuals who are together 24/7.

So, we took some time for us, to indulge our married selves and indulge in the other passion we share – Traveling. We went to Panama. We filled our hearts and nourished our souls. We met some amazing people, documented some amazing sights, and had an AMAZING time.

With our batteries fully recharged, we came back and photographed more incredible weddings featuring some truly inspiring couples. We photographed bello love sessions, special families and a commercial job or two. And, every now and then, we took photographs just for us.

We finally crossed some items off of our 5-year goal list, and then added even more. We e-mailed a lot…I mean a hella lot! And, somehow, along the way, the girl who never liked fish developed a taste for sushi.

2010 was the year we once again attended a wedding as guests. Our dear friend Lou came from the shores of Ireland to the coast of Cape Cod to elope by a lighthouse. She was there with us in Spain when our love first blossomed, and it felt good and right to be there with her when hers took flight.

We got countless cuddles from our beloved niece & nephews and the other special children in our lives and we wondered again if our life would feel complete without little lovebugs of our own.

We got published. More than once. Actually, like 8 times.

We celebrated another wonderful year with my grandfather as he amazingly turned 101. And, with happy hearts, we returned to Andy’s home in England to reunite with family & friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen in six years.

We laughed. We cried. We stressed out when things didn’t go exactly as we’d planned. And, we worked on accepting our imperfections. We spent months finessing our brand and are finally close to launching our new website, blog and client proofing site. Can I get a hallelujah?!

I think it’s safe to say, 2010 was a big year for us…a turning point of sorts. Having reached a level of success we had only dreamed of eight years ago, we were finally able to take stock of our lives and map out a new direction that ensures more balance.

As we head into 2011, we look back with gratitude and look ahead with a renewed sense of hope and excitement for this incredible, passionate, love-filled work we do. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for taking this journey with us. Happy New Year!

In peace & love,

chris & andy xoxo