After several months of hard work, the Bello blog is finally up and running. Its launch coincided with our new Bello Photography website and we are excited to introduce you guys to our new look. We will be posting super-sized images of our fabulous Bello couples, from their engagement session to their wedding day. We might even add a slide show or two! Through our blog, we will also introduce you to some of our personal projects and provide a glimpse of what makes us tick. So browse through the posts, check the archives, leave comments, and SPREAD THE LOVE!

Chris & Andy

Maybe it’s because they both come from large families, Kaitlin with her brother and 2 sisters and Adam with his sister and 3 brothers, but whatever the reason Kaitlin & Adam are the kind of people you just want to have around you. They are sweet, optimistic, energetic, fun, and completely in love. We had the pleasure of being there with them as they said, “I do” a few weeks ago. The day started off cloudy and rain seemed to threaten their tented reception at the Asa Bushnell House in Centerville. There was a quick rain storm just as the ceremony started, but by the time Father Mark Hession of Our Lady of Victory in Centerville prompted the newly married couple to kiss, the rain had stopped. At Dowses beach for photos with family & their bridal party, the skies provided a dramatic backdrop and by the end of our time on the beach, the sun poked through for the most incredible light for portraits of Kaitlin & Adam. Here are some of our favorites from the day:

Kaitlin’s killer Christian Louboutin baby blue pumps. I was obsessed with these puppies and the way her legs looked in them all day! FABULOUS!!! Oh, and how about her gorgeous ring! Sweet!!!

Hopping on the trolley to head for the church…see what I mean about her legs!!!

And how about this handsome devil and his groomsmen? Not too shabby!

Adam showing off his new hardware.

We often recommend that brides keep it simple when it comes to make up on their wedding day and Kaitlin hit a homerun with her wedding day look. (Love the eyelashes!!! Don’t be afraid of fakies ladies…they can really add some serious wow factor!)

Adam didn’t do too bad with his wedding day look either….Eat your heart out 007!

The wind was a bit breezy down at the beach for our photos, but it came in handy for this shot.

Check out those cool storm clouds and how they contrast with the sun peeking through….love it!

Cocktail hour at Asa Bushnell House

And here’s the view the guests enjoyed…

I love this angle during the toasts. And Kaitlin just looks so beautiful listening to her dad’s heart-felt speech.

A big hug and thank you to Kaitlin & Adam for choosing us as your photographers. We loved getting to know you at our engagement session earlier this summer and were truly honored to be there with you on such a special day. You two are wonderful and we hope you keep us in your lives for a long, long time! xoxo Chris & Andy

We knew last year, after our engagement session with Allison & Greg, that their wedding was going to be a lot of fun. Not only did they immediately place their trust in us and let down their guard to have some fun, but their love and affection for each other were clearly visible. Nothing is a surer recipe for great photos than love, laughter and a pinch of faith!

Not only did their wedding measure up, but it far exceeded all of our expectations. Surrounded by 83 of their closest friends and family, Allison & Greg said, “I do,” on the deck of the Carriage House at the stunning Ocean Edge in Brewster. It was a gorgeous day, and an afternoon ceremony, which we love, since we favor using natural light whenever possible. The band Flipside provided the perfect soundtrack to the party, with everyone dancing the day away.

The best part of the afternoon for us was when we surprised Allison & Greg with a slideshow of images from the wedding day after dinner. We set up our laptop just outside the dining room and let it run, which is something new we’ve started doing for our clients. The reaction we got from everyone at the wedding was just amazing. We actually felt a little bad at one point when the dance floor suddenly cleared and a crowd formed around the laptop. Allison’s mom, Elaine, and Greg’s mom, Randye, couldn’t stop thanking us and made us feel like we were rock stars. I started wondering if we were going to be asked for autographs! (hee hee) Seriously though, we’ve never got so many hugs and kisses leaving a wedding! It was really such a treat for us! Randye had even told us she was inspired to write a song for Allison & Greg as a gift to them after watching the slideshow we had put together for them after our engagement session…we were honored and dumbstruck that she would find such inspiration in our work. We really do have the best job EVER!!!!

So, a big thank you to Allison & Greg and their wonderful families for allowing us to be a part of such a special time in their lives and for welcoming us with such love! We’re all about spreading the love, so thank you for sending some our way! Hope you feel us sending it right back to all of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! xoxoxo C&A

Now without further ado…here’s a sampling of things to come.

Here’s Allison getting her make done.

Check out how gorgeous her hair looked, thanks to Erin Keefe of Ten X Spa. Erin also did the hair of another Bello bride, Erin May (check out our City Chic blog to see Erin’s stunning tresses).

Allison gets her first look at Greg before their ceremony. We did family formals before the ceremony, which was more relaxing for everyone and allowed Greg & Allison to enjoy their cocktail hour. Plus, it gives us the opportunity to capture great moments like these:

Allison’s mom, Elaine, walks past as the happy couple takes a moment to enjoy each other.

Allison & Greg get a hug from Greg’s parents, Randye and Bob. Is that a happy family or what?

Best friends Matt & Pam share a giggle with the happy couple before they say, “I do.”

A moment alone (except of course, we’re there too!)

After the ceremony, we took Allison & Greg down to Ocean Edge’s private beach. Here are a few shots from our time together.

Here’s one of my favorites from the day…they just look so totally happy and into each other.

Thank you again Allison & Greg for everything….you guys rock! xoxo

It’s been weddings every weekend for us here at Bello Photography since June, but this past weekend we found ourselves with a free weekend so we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went camping. Okay, we didn’t go far, actually, just down the road to Nickerson State Park in Brewster. It wasn’t exactly camping and hiking in the mountains, but it was wonderful just the same.

We arrived Saturday morning, set up our tent, had some lunch and took our bikes out along the Cape Cod Rail Trail down to Dennis and back. It was a perfect September day here on the Cape and the trail was loaded with other bikers out to have some fun. Of course, we stopped for ice cream on the way back at the quaint Pleasant Lake General Store in Harwich and took a five minute business detour to check out flooring options for our new studio space at the Mid Cape Home Center in Dennis. Otherwise, we left all things work related behind. It was a relaxing and relatively uneventful two days. Although, Andy claims to have heard coyotes howling in the early morning hours across the pond in front of our camp site. The following are a few photos of our night out in the great outdoors taken with our little point and shoot camera. (We left the big guns at home.)

Here we are goofing off on the bike trail. Look Ma, no hands! And Andy’s trying to bike, take the picture, and smile all at the same time.

Here’s Chris getting the fire ready to cook dinner. Check out the luxurious digs in the background! Sweet! Oh, and we found a great place down the road from the park that sold cedar firewood. It smelled heavenly burning.

Our camping neighbor for the night decided to try his hand at fishing in Flax Pond. Unfortunately, I don’t think his efforts proved as fruitful as they were nice to watch.

Andy looks out over the lake as the breakfast fire gets roaring.

Anyone have a funny/silly/outrageous camping story to share?

What is it that makes American girls go crazy for English guys and vice versa? Whatever it is, it’s a combination that seems to work! Like Andy & me, Megan is American and Simon is English. Last month, the happy couple left London to say I do here on beautiful Cape Cod. Megan grew up in Centerville and was introduced to Simon by her friend Nora, who is also an American living in London. Nora is married to Simon’s brother, John.

Megan & Simon’s reception was held at the fabulous Willowbend Country Club. It was very much a celebration of love and family and we were honored to be a part of it! Thank you to Randy and the crew at Willowbend for taking care of us and most especially to Meg & Simon for inviting us to be a part of such an important day in your lives. We feel like kindred spirits; if only you two lived on this side of the pond! With much love! C&A xo

Here’s Megan & MOH Hillary getting ready in Meg’s childhood bedroom.

And then it just hits you….”I’m getting married today!” There are few moments in life that carry with them that much joy! Can’t you just see it on her face?

Meg heads out to say, “I do!”

Nora made the most amazing scrapbook documenting Megan & Simon’s relationship as a gift for her best friend. It was gorgeous and one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever seen! The time and detail that went into it were incredible! You rock Nora!!!

Simon flanked by his good friends and groomsmen, brother John (left) and Matt (right). You gotta love the English sense of humor!!!

Meg & Simon share a tender moment with their parents at the conclusion of their ceremony at Our Lady of Victory in Centerville. The ceremony was performed by Father Mark Hession, who has a way of really drawing in those he speaks to and giving you something personal and meaningful to take away from his services. Neither Andy nor I is Catholic, but Father Hession’s words always seem to make us stop and take a moment to count our blessings and give thanks for our own relationship. Thank you Father Hession for sharing the love! The world can use more people like you!

Simon’s mom, Andrea, beams with pride as she glances a loving look toward Simon’s dad, Paul.

We did it!!!

Meg & Simon share a private moment by Willowbend’s iconic red barn overlooking the club’s cranberry bog.

Heading back to the party.

The guests’ favors were nostalgic gifts of Megan & Simon’s favorite childhood candies.

The incredible band Night Shift kept the crowd partying well into the night. These guys know how to bring the house down!

Thank you again Meg & Simon for inviting us into your lives with such open arms. You are amazing people and an inspirational couple and we feel truly blessed to have been entrusted to capture for you these and other beautiful moments on your wedding day!

 

 

 

Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of meeting three generations of Thornton family members. Mom, Rita, hosted a gathering at her gorgeous Centerville home. Her kids were there, and their kids, as were here 3 brothers, one of whom came from California for the reunion. It was a wonderful afternoon and we thank you all for sharing some time with us.

Rita gets a big hug from her kids, Craig & Kristen. Kristen was one of our brides from this summer. A special Bello hug for you Kristen!! xoxo

Corbin cuddles up to mom. There’s nothing sweeter than the eyes of a child! It’s like you can see pure innocence in there!

Kristen & her niece Jamie share some love!

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?

It took us two years to finally get together. But, last week, we met our friends Halley & Megan at Woodneck Beach in Falmouth for a partial family portrait session. Halley’s hubby, Matt, unfortunately couldn’t be there with us. Matt is the brother of Aaron, one of our groom’s from a few years back. Actually, Tuesday was Aaron & Jenna’s 3rd anniversary…Happy Anniversary guys! Hope you had a fabulous day!!!

Little Miss Megan was a bit shy at the start of our session. We remembered her, but since she was just a few months old, she had no idea who we were, other than perhaps thinking we were responsible for waking her from a perfectly good nap in the car. But, it didn’t take long for her to wake up and let her guard down. In the end it was a perfect evening. Thank you both for taking time out of your vacation here on the Cape to hang out with us on the beach! We had such fun and look forward to doing it again soon! Here are just a few of our favorites from our session together.

Here’s Megan feeling a bit hesitant

Testing the water

Megan decided to wear her favorite dress to the shoot, but after wading in the estuaries I think she felt her dress was far too nice for this silliness…

 

A giggle in the grass with mommy…

Peek a boo…we see you…

Carpe Diem…Life doesn’t get much better than this…

Running free..

This is my FAVORITE photo from the session. (Andy really blows me away sometimes with his ability to capture the simplest moment and make magic with it). Megan had gone through a few clothing changes, not for fashion so much as she just was having too much fun and got everything wet and then didn’t want to be in her wet clothes anymore. So, piece-by-piece she eventually got down to her birthday suit and enjoyed the beach as only a child can. We call this one, “The Little Mermaid.” What do you think?

 

 

 

The last unofficial weekend of summer couldn’t have been spent with nicer people. On Saturday during Labor Day weekend, we had our engagement session with Sandee & Matt. We knew we liked them as soon as we met them, but after spending a bit more time together it’s now official…we love them!! What a fun couple. Their love for each other and for life is easy to see and made getting some great photos a breeze! We met them at Corporation Beach in Dennis. Matt spent a lot of time at various Dennis Beaches as a kid, so Dennis was special to them and we just LOVE Corporation Beach, with its fabulous sea wall and miles of shoreline. There were so many great shots, but here our some of our favorites. Sandee we know you’ve been waiting for these….here’s just a taste! More to follow soon! xoxo

Here they are cuddling in the marsh grass….too sweet!

Walking the shore at sunset…

Check out this sunset shot Andy got…does he rock or what?

And here’s where things got a bit wet…

And sexy…(mom, dad, close your eyes!)

Thanks Sandee & Matt for being so much fun! We can’t wait for your wedding next summer! We’re sorry you had to take off after our session, but we were thinking of you as we enjoyed our dinner at Scargo! Your images will go online shortly. We’ll let you know as soon as they’re done! Hugs to you both! C&A

It took us until Labor Day weekend, but Andy & I finally got to the beach this summer. Okay, so it was Monday, almost 4PM, but we did manage to splash around in the waves for a bit and just watch the afternoon slip by….it was splendid. Here’s us at Old Silver Beach in Falmouth. Check out those pasty legs…sweet!

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Andy or talking to him on the phone, he is English. Like most of his countrymen (and the world, really), Andy grew up on the game of futbol, aka soccer. He comes from a family of Manchester United supporters and so he watched as David Beckham moved from Man U’s youth program to become a star player on the team, eventually serving as Captain for England.

When Beckham, or Becks as he is affectionately known by fans, left the Premiership to come to the states via Real Madrid in the hopes of breathing new life into MLS, it was bittersweet. But, a few weeks ago, we got to see Andy’s idol close up when the LA Galaxy took on the New England Revolution to a sold out crowd at Gillette Stadium. We got great seats near the tunnel that the players use to enter and exit the field and watched as Becks greeted fans and signed autographs before and after the game. It was disappointing that an ankle injury kept him from playing, but we did each get his autograph. (He really is as beautiful as he looks on TV.) Unfortunately, we didn’t bring our cameras because we weren’t sure we’d be allowed in the stadium with them. But, here’s a photo of Andy with his signed tickets.

Andy also plays futbol several times a week. Although he might not be at the same standard as Beckham, his passion runs just as deep. Here are a few shots of his last outdoor game of the season, held two Sundays ago in Sandwich (Andy, not Beckham!)

He didn’t score here, but he did score in a previous game, I was just a little late and missed it….sorry honey!

Check out this little cutie cheering on her Daddy from the sidelines.

I just thought this was a cool shot as some of the guys were walking off the pitch.