….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

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!