Five years ago, a very sweet, petite young woman came to meet with us to talk about possibly photographing her Cape Cod wedding. Her name was Heather, and instantly we liked her, sensed her incredible sense of style and desire to have fun, and we knew we wanted to be a part of her special day.
Happily, Heather & her now hubby, Mike, decided to hire us and, as expected, their wedding was the stuff that dreams are made of! Like our wedding inspired us to start Bello, Heather’s experience with her wedding inspired her to start her now very successful wedding planning company, Simply Inviting Weddings.
We had the opportunity to work with Heather, not as a bride, but as a planner at last month’s AHHHH-MAZING wedding of San Fran sweeties Allison & John.
Surrounded by family & friends, Allison & John said “I do,” at the beautiful and historic Old South Church , located across from the Boston Public Library. What a beautiful old church! Their reception followed at the swanky new Mandarin Oriental Hotel, just a ways up Boylston Street.
You may remember Allison & John from our ridiculously adorable love session with them earlier this summer. Click HERE to see the link. We knew from our time with them at their love session that their wedding would be special! The love these two share is a rare & beautiful thing and it was hard to not smile just watching them! And, as was the case during our love session, these two could not stop beaming or looking at each other with the most beautiful expressions of love.
It was soooo hard to narrow down our favorite photos; there were just too many. So, sit back, grab your favorite drink and prepare yourself to be bowled over by love at its very best…
Hanging out with her girls after hair & make up, Allison is already beaming…
I love this next shot of Allison, her mom, and her wonderful friends as they get ready to start the day. I love the light, the composition and just the feeling of anticipation this image conveys.
Allison’s gorgeous Priscilla of Boston gown & gorgeous bouquet by the talented team at Madison Florals.
Love this moment….the dress goes on and suddenly it all starts becoming real! Oh, the joy…
Ga-ga gorgeous!!!
Love, love, love this next shot! It reminds me of the first wedding Andy & I ever photographed for real. There was this moment when one of the bridemaids from that wedding bent over to buckle her shoe and I nearly fell over when I noticed the gorgeous lines her body were forming. That photo still ranks as one of my all time favorites. And, when Allison did the same and I was in the moment, I couldn’t help but smile and think of how far Andy & I have come and how grateful we are to have been invited to share in so many special days for some truly amazing couples and their families! There is so much beauty in life and we’re charged with capturing it and well, I couldn’t be happier about that!
One of Allison’s bridemaids, Andy, isn’t a formal dress kind of girl…I feel ya’ Andy….so she wore a tux, which she rocked with super cool style! And, instead of a bouquet, she wore this boutineer, which Allison was getting ready to pin on her when the shot on the left was taken. The shot on the right showcases a piece of lace from Allison’s mom’s wedding dress, which was wrapped around Allison’s bouquet! Awwww! I loved that. And, better yet, the lace matched Allison’s dress perfectly!
Allison’s dad & I shared a moment in the trolley and he was marveling at how much his little girl looked exactly like his wife on the day he married her……love that! And, I love the love & joy in Allison’s face in these next shots! Que bella!!
Allison & her beautiful mom, Jane leave the hotel room and head out to meet John for their “first look” before the ceremony…
John and his super sweet little brother, Tim, getting ready…
Fun perspective of the guys…
Andy asked John to move into the shade for a photo and this is how he stood…..I am CRAZY about this photo!
John keeps his back turned as Allison & her mom make their way out to the Mandarin’s outdoor courtyard for their first look and some family formals. I just love John’s brother, Tim’s, expression.
I don’t know which I love more, Jane’s expression or the way she’s holding onto Allison’s hand as she leads her out to meet John…lovely!!!
Something about this next shot takes me back to another time. Maybe it’s Jean’s fabulous black gloves or the way Allison is so demurely looking down as her mom fixes her dress or John’s killer Armani tux. Whatever it is, I LOVE this photo….
And this one….look at the happiness in Allison’s face as she looks in John’s eyes…magic!
More magic as they take in the magnitude of the moment…
One of those in between moments during the family portraits as Allison & her grandmother share a loving exchange….be still my heart!
Waiting outside the Mandarin for the trolley to take us up the street for some photos with the bridal party….
You may start noticing a theme in these photos…Allison & John can’t take their eyes off of each other, which made getting amazing photos like this next one a cinch! Love you guys!
The bridal party…
While I think the more formal portraits serve an important need, candid moments like this next one are always our favorites…..
There was a crowd gathering as we stopped on Newbury Street for a few quick photos, but Allison & John are so enraptured by one another they hardly noticed.
Swooon….
A very talented & prolific artist had a display of work on the street and I love this perspective as John & Allison walk past.
But, these next few around Boylston are my faves….
The look of love…
fun fun fun…
I go crazy for Allison’s face in this next one. She looks so beautiful and like a perfect porcelain doll. love, love, love!!!
I’m not sure which I love more about this next one….the way Allison & John are looking at each other or the big smile on the woman’s face walking toward them! Smile!!
I love when brides choose to have both parents walk them down the aisle…seems only fair to mom!
The amazing Old South Church….
Theirs was a beautiful and heart-felt ceremony…
These next couple of shots were hand held, using my new Nikon D3S shot at 4000 ISO….can I get a whoo hooo?! This camera is my new best friend!
The new Mr. & Mrs…
Heading back to the hotel for the party…
Love the way these two look at each other. Their faces say it all!
Friends enjoy cocktail hour in the Mandarin’s outdoor courtyard….
The ballroom, as designed by the ridiculously talented Heather Minicucci! Way to rock it Heather!!!
Love the white leather club chairs brought in from Rentals Unlimited. Gorgeous cake by Icing on the Cake.
Introducing……
Their first dance was sweet, fun and filled with joy….
Nicely done, John!
We can’t thank you enough, Heather, for introducing Allison & John to us! Their wedding was wonderful in every way and we had a blast working with you and being there with Allison & John on such a special day!!! Thank you too to the families & friends of Allison & John for welcoming us with such open arms. But, our biggest thanks go out to Allison & John! You two are wonderful and your love is truly inspiring! Thank you so much for trusting us to capture your incredible wedding day for you! We hope these photos serve as happy reminder for many, many love-filled years to come!!! Big hugs and love, Christine & Andy xoxoxo
PS…If you’re as crazy about this wedding as we are and want more, be sure to check out this AMAZING same day edit film by the uber talented Jeff Brouillet. We were so impressed with Jeff & his amazing team!! Click HERE to see Jeff’s blog post on Allison & John’s wedding & his film.