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

Okay, so this is kind of an off-topic post for us, but it’s been something we’ve both been thinking about for a while and I saw an article today that I just had to share. (Hang on; we’ll get to that!)

Have you ever been driving down the highway and suddenly become aware of the alarming number of discarded plastic bags you see caught in trees or just blowing across the interstate? Ever go swimming at the beach and get spooked by what you think is a giant jellyfish only to discover it’s a plastic grocery bag? How about lose your cool trying to close the cabinet door under your kitchen sink, but you can’t close it because it’s overflowing with all of those stupid plastic bags that don’t really seem to serve a very useful purpose because they inevitably end up with holes by the time you unload your groceries from them, but, you don’t have the heart to throw them away so they get stuffed in a cabinet?

Well, we’ve been there and it got Andy & me thinking about how we can do our part to cut down on the usage of plastic bags. I swear those darned baggers at the supermarket have stock in the production of plastic bags because they refuse to put more than one or two items in a bag. And, after a week’s worth of shopping you end up with dozens of the flimsy little good-for-nothing polluters.

Our first step in cutting down on our plastic consumption was to purchase some of those reusable cloth bags at the supermarket and use any leftover plastic bags we still have under our kitchen sink for household trash rather than buying new trashbags. We also decided it might be fun to make an art project out of it (no, not a plastic bag sculpture….we don’t have quite that many bags saved up). Instead, we thought it would be fun to put together a photo series showing all of the places that these menacing bags seem to find themselves.

I admit, we haven’t progressed very far with our photo project and we sometimes forget to bring the cloth bags with us to the supermarket, but, we’re trying. And so is China. Yesterday, China’s State Council announced that starting this summer all shops can no longer provide free plastic bags to their customers and production of the super thin plastic bags is strictly forbidden….I think they might be on to something. Of course, they use lead paint to make children’s toys, so they don’t earn huge points from me, but still…it’s a start. Here’s the story:China Bans Plastic Bags

As for us, we’re still working on gathering photos for our plastic bag project, but we thought it might be fun to get some help. If this is something you’ve ever thought about, or even if you haven’t but it sounds interesting to you, help us by sending us some cool photos of plastic bags you see in places where they shouldn’t be and hopefully later this year we’ll have a cool collection to show you.

Here’s a couple to get us started….we took these with our little point and shoot camera on the one day we made it to the beach this past summer. It was a really windy day and in the first shot this tattered bag was hanging on to the lifeguard chair for dear life.

The beach grass made for a great net for several bags, but we choose to photograph just this one…What really struck me was that the bag appeared to be new and unused. I imagine someone brought it to the beach to collect all of the trash they accumulated, but the wind took it away and they either didn’t notice or couldn’t be bothered to run after it.

Don’t worry, we picked up all of the plasic bags we saw and took them home with us to throw away. Let’s just hope they don’t end up blowing off the trash truck they’re carried away on!

** ADDENDUM **

Since at least a few of you (thanks Sandee, Patrick, Linda & Andrea for your comments…you guys rock! Can’t wait to see what you capture Andrea!) seem to have some interest in our plastic bags photo project, we thought we’d up the ante and make it more interesting by turning the project into a contest. Contest means prizes and who doesn’t love free stuff!

We need at least 20 submissions to pull this off, so all you photo lovers grab your cameras and get out there and start shooting plastic. Here’s what we want…send us your best photo of a plastic bag found in a place where it shouldn’t be and we’ll put all of the entries on our blog. Then, we’ll let you, our loving blog readers, vote on the one you like best. The shutterbug behind the winning photo will receive a free portrait session. The contest isn’t limited to clients, so have some fun people! And depending on the response we get, we may add additional prizes.

Well, get out there and start shooting. The contest ends on Earth Day, April 19, 2008, so you have plenty of time. Please e-mail your photo submissions to contest@bellophoto.com and don’t forget to include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address so we can contact you if your photo is chosen! And, have fun!!! Can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

 

 

Just before Christmas, we took a little break from the holiday madness to spend a couple of nights in Boston, soaking up some holiday cheer. We spent two nights in Boston’s swanky new four-star Liberty Hotel, home to the former 19th century Charles Street Jail. We were welcomed to the reservation desk by a very nice young man pouring glasses of yummy pink champagne. The hotel’s gorgeous lobby was filled with lots of holiday makers hanging out near the hotel’s hip and aptly-named Clink restaurant. We considered sticking around the hotel, but decided, after checking in, to walk around the city. We ended up enjoying a quiet dinner at Bombay Cafe, overlooking Harvard Square. Nothing too fancy, but we’re suckers for Indian food, especially if we can watch the world walk by as we’re eating! The food was only fair, but the restaurant has large windows along two of its walls that overlook the square, which made for a really lovely setting.

After a restful night’s sleep, we spent the whole next day walking around Boston, (wish I had a pair of wellies like all the city girls…very cute and definitely a good idea when it’s slushy, which it was that weekend!). It was so fun riding the T again…I know that sounds weird if you’re a regular commuter, but its’ been a while since I did that and so it was an enjoyable novelty.

All day, we kept seeing people with these funky little boxes from a place called Johnny Cupcakes, so I had worked up quite a craving by the time we found the shop on Newbury Street. Needless to say, I was more than disappointed when we discovered that Johnny Cupcakes sold hip t-shirts and NOT cupcakes. Andy & I really didn’t get it and left saying we should open a gourmet cupcake shop across the street. We definitely felt silly wandering around looking at the bakery-style display cases filled with t-shirts and other knick knacks and muttering out loud, “Where are the cupcakes?” but we weren’t the only sad, unhip people scratching our heads. Seriously, I think a gourmet cupcake shop across the street would make a killing!

Anyway, after we got home, I decided to see what all the hubbub was about and it’s actually a pretty cool story. Johnny is this very smart young guy who seems to have a knack for turning a “What if?” idea into something profitable. Check the above link yourself if you’re not already hip to this guy. Go Johnny!!! (I still wish he made cupcakes!)

During our two days in the city, we also bumped into a couple of people from weddings this summer/fall - Mark, the brother of one of our brides, Molly, and Mary Kate, the bridesmaid of another bride, Tracy. So fun to see them both! Our second night concluded with a late dinner at the cozy Somerville restaurant and tapas bar, Dali. Good food; great atmosphere and the sangria is a must!

Our trip to Boston helped check some holiday shopping off of our list and it was definitely good to get away for a bit.

Here’s a couple photos from the Liberty Hotel:

Inside the very cool lobby…you’ll notice they kept a lot of the jailhouse feel to the space, with a large courtyard like lobby and railings that give a feeling of jail bars. And the lighting inside the lobby is very moody and dark.

The rooms don’t actually have bars for doors, but there is a strip of the original cell bars in a section on the first floor. The “cells” are accented with changing colored lights. Does Andy look like he could be an inmate or what? Wouldn’t want to mess with that tough guy…yeah right…tough guy with a middle as soft as a pillow.

A special thanks goes out to our amazing clients and friends, Erin & Patrick, who were incredibly generous and gave Andy & I some very cool gifts as a thank you for loving their wedding photos so much. Andy got a very cool overnight bag that we used on our trip and I got this total gorgeous clutch bag that I use everyday! Thanks guys…we love you! xoxo

The holidays have put us a bit behind on blogging and we’ve got lots of catching up to do. Big apologies to our faithful bloggers who have likely been disappointed to still be staring at that goofy Elf photo of us! And a special apology to Amy & Terence for not getting their wedding photos on our blog sooner. Usually, we like to get a few of our favorites up before they see the whole collection, but that just didn’t happen this time. So, while this won’t really be that exciting for Amy & Terence, hopefully it will be fun for those of you who just enjoying seeing new stuff on our blog!

Amy & Terence were our last wedding of the 2007 season. They exchanged their “I dos,” on October 27th at the beautiful St. Joan of Arc in Orleans, not far from Amy’s parents’ summer home, which was where we met them when we shot our engagement session with them earlier in the season. We had such fun with them at our engagement session. We started in the backyard, which had views of the water, then headed to the beach for an hour or so before we all went back to Amy’s parents’ house for some delicious champagne and wonderful conversation with her parents, Lucille & Gene (We just love them!! Lucille is the kind of mom who makes you want to be a mom and hope you’d be half as good as she is!). Also joining us were Amy’s brother, Brad (her man of honor), and his very sweet wife, Abby, and Amy’s adorable cousin, Corry, and her hubby, Chris. They were such a fun group; we could have stayed there all night with them sipping champagne!! Thank you all for immediately welcoming us into your family!

Needless to say, we were looking forward to Amy & Terence’s wedding and also to getting to know Terence’s family! After the emotional “I dos” we headed to the ever-elegant Wequassett Inn,for the reception. The food, as always, was delicious and Kalson and his crew once again put on a flawless event. The Marsels of Boston rocked the house and the atmosphere was electric.

It was a perfect ending to a phenomenal season for us. And we’d like to thank Amy & Terence and their families and friends for once again making us feel totally blessed to get to do what we do!!! Just getting to be creative would be enough, but getting to meet and be welcomed so warmly into the lives of such amazing people makes us wonder what we did to deserve such riches!!!

So, without further ado…here are some of our favorite shots from Amy & Terence’s wonderfully heart-felt wedding.

Here’s Amy looking gorgeous!!!

And demurely adorable…

Terence gets some guidance on putting on a dickie bow (American translation…bow tie) from his big brother.

Can’t you just hear the James Bond soundtrack with this shot? I don’t know why, but guys just look so darned handsome (and cool) walking in tuxes.

Amy gets some help ducking raindrops as she makes her way to the church for the ceremony. (Could she be any happier?) Fortunately, the rain stopped by the time the ceremony was over. Luck was certainly on our side this year as we didn’t get rained out once!

All the work and planning certainly take it’s toll even on the most gung-ho couples, but seeing reactions like Terence’s in this shot surely make it worth all of the effort!

Smiles seemed to dominate the day…

Here too…

Amy’s mom (on the right) just couldn’t stop smiling. Lucille is seriously one of the most lovable people you could ever hope to meet.

Terence gets some loving from Amy’s grandma…how much do we love these moments??

Glam girls strike a pose…looking good ladies!

I love this shot…

Heading to the beach for a few minutes of alone time.

Amy’s dad works for Godiva and so all the guests were treated to what I like to call “love in a box.” Man, I wouldn’t look like Amy if my dad worked for Godiva!!!

Here’s Gene getting down and dirty to Mustang Sally….it was a brilliant performance!!! I think the Marcels may be contracting Gene for some upcoming tours. Rock on Gene!!! Who says white boys can’t dance?

Thank you again to Amy &Terence. Your wedding was a perfect ending to an incredible season of weddings!!! We love you guys! xo

Thank you and have a safe and happy New Year!xo C & A

Friends of ours Megan & John e-mailed us one of these elfin cards the other day featuring photos of their kids. We were hysterical watching it and decided we wanted in on the fun. You may have already seen this, but if you haven’t buckle up…it’s pretty funny!!! We hope you get a good chuckle out of it and relieve some of that holiday stress! Happy holidays everyone! This won’t be up for long so enjoy it while it lasts!!

Click the image to see the show!!

Add on: Okay, so Office Max, which hosted this little show, has taken its dancing elves offline. Sorry, no more dancing Chris & Andy!

Tracy & Will envisioned a day dotted with all of the rich warm colors that make fall in New England so beautiful and that’s exactly what they got when they said “I do,” in a small church in the quaint RI town of Little Compton. Tracy & Will chose the church because it is near where their friends Allison & Christian live and where they spend a lot of time in the summer. In fact, Allison (who was Tracy’s matron of honor) and Christian were there with us when we photographed Tracy & Will’s engagement session earlier this summer. What a fun day that was!

The October 19th reception took place at the elegant Ocean Cliff Estate in Newport. Generally, most of our weddings keep us here on the Cape, but every now and then we get to photograph in some fantastic off Cape locations like Newport. Tracy looked absolutely stunning in her Monique Lhuillier gown, which seemed to have been made for her and her fabulous aerobics instructor physique. She rocked it for sure in that lacy little number! Her grandmother’s antique lace veil complimented the dress perfectly. And, Will’s face when he saw Tracy come walking down the aisle….priceless!

While weddings are obviously a time of love, joy, and celebration, every now and then we meet a couple who just ooze love for one another and Will & Tracy are that kind of couple….Tracy is such a loving, sweet, & caring person and Will is a funny, fun-loving puppy of a guy who you can tell just adores Tracy. We had the pleasure of spending a few hours with them earlier this summer at our engagement session together in Newport and then hung out for a bit afterwards at Ocean Cliff, since we hadn’t worked there before and wanted to get a feel for the place. We just loved them and knew right away that their wedding would be special and indeed it was! From all of the little fall details to the setting, but most especially to the love you could see all around them, in their friends’ and family members’ speeches to the way Will got everyone going crazy on the dance floor. It was definitely a fun almost-end to the season for us!

Here are a few of our favorites from the day:

Like little girls playing dress up Tracy & Allison get a first look at Tracy in her wedding dress. Love the expressions of joy in their eyes….so sweet!

Tracy’s dad was fighting back the tears seeing his little girl all grown up….he almost had me going!!!

A last quick peek before heading to the church.

Will’s signature color is pink….and so his wedding wouldn’t be complete without a touch or two (check out those socks).

I just love the looks on these altar boys’ faces watching Tracy & Will exchange rings. It was a very emotional ceremony and even they seemed drawn in!

It was about an hour drive between the church and Ocean Cliff, which gave everyone (including us) time to enjoy the fall views…

Wanting to include all of their friends and their spouses in some of the photos, Tracy & Will asked to stop for a bit at a farm stand with a pumpkin patch for a big group photo. Love it!

Having a giggle with friends.

Bling Bling…

Playing in the leaves. They were a bit wet and just seemed to fall to the ground in one big clump when they tossed them in the air, which is why they were cracking up!

This shot was really vibrant in color, but we just love how textural it looks in black and white!

A moment alone to reflect…Can’t you just see the love in her eyes!!!

And a quick kiss before heading to the reception.

Just married…

The grand ballroom at Ocean Cliff looks out over Newport’s rugged shore. Unfortunately, the weather was very iffy most of the day, so it was a bit overcast, but it was still a dramatic setting.

A big heart-felt thank you to Tracy & Will for being such an inspirational couple. You two love without limits and it is beautiful to behold! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of such a happy and memorable time in your lives! We love you guys!!! xoxo C & A

P.S. Allison you were a star & warmed our hearts with your rendition of Carole King’s “You’ve got a Friend.” You rock girlfriend!

So today is Christine’s birthday. Can’t really tell you which one it is. That would be rude!!!

Right now she’s out pampering herself, so i thought i’d sneak this post in!

Happy birthday gorgeous!

Add on:

Okay, my hubby is the sweetest man ever! Thanks for the b-day wishes honey!!! What a nice b-day…had breakfast with Andy at our favorite greasy spoon, Betsy’s Diner in Falmouth; did some work then had a manicure and pedicure with my friend Pax followed by a glass of wine at the RooBar in Falmouth. A bit later, Andy & I shared a slice of cake with Pax & her hubby, Tim, before Andy & I headed out for a late-night dinner at Heather’s, a new restaurant in Mashpee. Yummmy!

Andy’s post inspired me to go dig out an old baby photo in celebration of my birthday. Unfortunately, our photos are packed who knows where, and this was all I could find handy. It’s a picture of me with my mom, just before my first birthday. My mom’s stylish clothes and the wooden high chair will likely give my age away slightly. The crazy thing is my mom was just 22 when this photo was taken. Needless to say, I’m quite a bit older than that now!!! Looks like I’m shoving food in my face and slightly irritated for the interruption of a photo….I guess some things never change!

Will & Andrea are getting married next summer at Andrea’s family’s summer home in Woods Hole and wanted us to take some photos of their family while everyone was here visiting for Thanksgiving. Will & Andrea live in Manhattan and the rest of Andrea’s family ~ mom & dad: Joan & Ed; brother, Jaime, and his wife Monica, along with their adorable son, Mazelen (sorry guys not sure on the spelling of that!) ~ all live in or around San Francisco so it’s not often that they are all together. We had the pleasure of being there with them last Friday. It was chilll-YY to say the least, but that didn’t stop us from having some fun with everyone and getting some great shots. A special shout out to Will who went without a coat…what a trooper!

Here’s the family snuggling in close to stay warm.

First grandchildren have a way of captivating their family audience. Mazzy was no exception:

Joan & Ed lead the way down to the beach for photos. Joan earns a big gold star for her participation in the day. She had recently underwent a massive chemo treatment and was feeling drained, but happily tapped her reserves to be there with her family for some holiday photos.

Three generations of Osborns:

Nana & Papa snuggle in:

The things parents will do to get a reaction from their kids….Jamie we loved your commitment!

While the rest of the family headed back to the house to thaw out, Will & Andrea took a few minutes for some fun portraits….just a little practice before our engagement session in the spring:

Love this angle focusing on Will’s engagement ring….how cool that he got one too!!!

sooo in love….

Auntie Andrea snuggling with her love bug:

A big thank you to the Osborn family (and family-member-to-be, Will). We really enjoyed getting to know you all a little and are looking forward to spending some more time together and to meeting Will’s side of the family at the wedding in July! Happy Holiday and warmest wishes, Christine & Andy

We got some sad news today. After a brief, but brave battle with cancer, our friend Paul Foxcroft passed away last Tuesday. We met Paul in September, when we photographed the wedding of his son, Simon, and daughter-in-law, Megan. We instantly clicked with Megan & Simon, who like us found love across the pond. Simon, like Andy, is English and Megan, like me, is American. But, it was more than that connection that drew us to them. They are such amazing people, with kind hearts, and an infectious love for life. So, we were devastated when we heard the news that Paul was diagnosed with cancer and might not be able to come to the wedding. Against the odds, Paul made it to the wedding and was there to walk his son down the aisle, with his wife and oldest son, Johnny, at his side.

It was a wonderful wedding and the love in the air was absolutely palpable. We felt so honored to have been there with both families on such an important day!

Unfortunately, Paul quickly took a turn for the worse upon returning to England. We heard today from Meg’s maid of honor, Hilary, that Paul passed away with his family by his side. Although we didn’t know Paul well, we feel the pain his family is going through and wanted to show our sympathy by putting together some images of Paul on that very special day.

Simon, Johnny, Kat, Andrea, Meg & Nora, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. xoxo 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

Sarah & Parke’s wedding was something the Great Gatsby would have enjoyed. It was elegant and understated, but the guests were clearly there to have a good time. And at the center of it all was the coming together of two people clearly meant for one another.

We had the pleasure of being there with Sarah & Parke when the said, “I do,” last month at St. Peter’s Church in Osterville. The reception followed at Sarah’s family’s beach front home also in Osterville. The ever-professional Undercover Tent erected a tent on the private tennis court for guests to enjoy the culinary delights of Cape Cod’s premier caterer, Olive Chase of Casual Gourmet. Meredith Fancy of Fancy Flowers put together a beautiful display of fall arrangements and the band Rare Form rocked the house until late into the night.

Thank you to all of the other vendors for helping to make our job so easy. But, most especially a big BIG thank you goes out to Sarah & Parke, and both of their families, for allowing us to be there with them on such an auspicious occasion! The love and friendship you have shown us means more to us than you can know! Big hugs to you all! xoxox C & A

Sarah looking stunning in her gorgeous gown from Kleinfeld’s in New York.

A moment with flowergirls Isabella & Julia.

Parke puts on his tie while his brother, Taylor, looks on.

Check out those baby blues….lookin’ good Parke!

Sneaking in the back of the church for their big entrance, Sarah and her bridesmaids prepare to walk down the aisle.

It’s subtle exchanges like this that are the moments we live for… (Don’t you just love the way Sarah is looking so lovingly at Parke? It’s as if there is no one else in the world at that moment. LOVE IT!!)

We did it!! Sarah and Parke face their friends and family after being pronounced hubby & wife, then take a moment for a quick kiss before leaving the church in style in Parke’s dad’s MG.

Picture perfect…

The guys…

And girls…

Some guests enjoy the view down on the family’s private beach.

Tennis anyone? Okay, maybe not now. You’d never know it was a tennis court would you?

Thank you again Sarah & Park for opening your hearts to us. We feel truly honored to have been a part of such a memorable time in your lives! You guys are the best!! xo