Tracey + Jim :: Married

MNSBC.com just reported that the secret to a happy marriage is laughter. Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you the evidence that Tracey & Jim are going to have a very very very happy marriage.

Weddings can be just a teeny tiny bit stressful - you may have spent the last year (maybe longer) planning every last detail and you want everything to go just perfectly. Now I'm not saying that Tracey & Jim hadn't been planning like crazy but I just loved how they were totally relaxed and just had a phenomenal day...

Tracey's about to walk down the aisle on the arm of her father. Nervous? No.
Stressed? No.
Joyful & Happy? Yes!



And here's Jim catching his first glimpse of Tracey - check out that Cheshire Cat grin!



And during the ceremony - more smiles and laughter...



I personally had a HUGE smile on my face - not only was I so happy for Tracey and Jim but I had the amazingly talented Susan Ashe of Ashe Photography shooting for me. Susan is local to the Michigan area and was an absolute dream to work with. I was in awe when I received the images she'd captured of the ceremony from the balcony and just wait until you see the ones of the children...I think she'll be adding some on facebook soon

Shot by Susan Ashe:


The best wedding party is made up of family...and isn't this one cool looking family?



I don't think Campbell's smile could get any wider...



I love it when couples schedule some alone time either prior to the ceremony or before the reception for pictures of the two of them together...celebrating...in love...and wouldn't you know it with these two...laughing!



Hmmm, is that Tracey's tongue in Jim's ear???



Josh, Campbell, Keri & Courtney - you were all superstars!



First dance together as husband and wife, loving the twinkly lights at Crystal Gardens:





Tracey & Jim's friends were a blast, the whole group headed to the lobby bar for a celebratory shot before returning for more dancing, I shot this one looking at their reflections on the mirror (thank you to the very nice barmaid who kindly let me sneak behind the bar!):



And there you have it:

Tracey + Jim + Family + Friends = Laughter = Happy Marriage.

Tracey & Jim - I had a blast over the wedding weekend, from the family shoot at the swimming pool the night before the wedding to the last crazy dance it was an absolute pleasure and I am so happy for you both!

Dresses for the bride, bridesmaid and flower girls for 2010 weddings

I'm a big fan of j.crew clothes (and maybe their shoes....and the accesories are cute too) and they have a phenomenal range of super cute wedding party dresses. You can choose a color and then let each of your ladies pick the style that works best with their shape - they'll love you for it!

I just got this email that you're no longer limited to online shopping and can make an appointment to visit the Atrium store in Chestnut Hill - enjoy!!!

Allison + Jon :: Engaged

48 hours from now, Allison and Jon will be married! Due to various naughty weather issues we cancelled their lifestyle shoot a bunch of times but finally managed to meet a couple of weeks ago.

Here are the happy couple at Rye Beach where they'll say their vows overlooking the ocean and then celebrate with friends and family on Saturday.



Their lifestyle shoot was planned for a Sunday evening and the traffic through the beach area was HORRENDOUS! I felt terrible as I sat bumper-to-bumper moving at just a couple of miles an hour but Allison and Jon couldn't have been sweeter about it. Don't worry - I'll be leaving my house at maybe 3am on Saturday to miss the morning beach traffic ;-)



So although we started a little later than usual, I was pretty happy with the pictures - isn't the light in the sky just stunning?



See you both Saturday! Can't wait!

Oishii means delicious in Japanese...

Yesterday I found myself in Chestnut Hill for a meeting that went a little longer than expected and as I got back into my car thinking that I shouldn't have skipped breakfast, I hit the GPS and discovered that the renowned Oishii was just 700 yards away! I hopped out of the car and hot footed it down the road.

And oh my - Oishii really is Oishii - it was only after I'd gulped down the melt-in-your-mouth spicy tuna hand roll, devoured the White Tiger Maki and forced down the crisp yet silky Shitake Tempura roll that I realised I should have taken a picture as it was all presented so beautifully. But I was too greedy. So here's a picture of my check instead.



For the photographer geeks, I was trying out my new and nifty little 35 1.8 DX lens - check out the narrow plane of focus, just used it on an Unwrapped photoshoot and I'm loving how I can get a super crisp sparkly look in the eyes and then gently blur everything else.

Anyhoo - back to the topic - as I sat there finishing off my diet coke with my hands resting contentedly on my rounded sushi-baby-belly I was reminded of the amazing trip I took to Japan earlier this year and how virtually everything we drank or ate was not only "oishii" but also visually stunning.

When your coffee looks like this, it's a little disheartening to come home to Starbucks...



At one dinner, we each enjoyed individual Nabe dishes (a sort of mini hot pot):



And some Japanese sushi - definitely more purist than the American style of adding all sorts of crazy, spicy, crunchy, fun things:



Maybe you're now thinking you're hungry? Just in case, here are my current top five Japanese restaurants:

1. Oishii, Chestnut Hill, MA
A new entry at number one. The Chestnut Hill location is definitely nothing to write home about from an aesthetic point of view (it's a tiny sushi bar that seats about 14 people in a row) but I have honestly never had such fresh and tasty sushi.
2. Okada, Wynn Las Vegas, NV
The last time we went to Las Vegas - a veritable smorgasboard of amazing restaurants - we ate here 3 nights out of 6 - it's that good.
3. Oysy, Chicago, IL
Mr H took me to Chicago for my birthday a little while back, we went to Oysy for lunch on Friday...and Saturday....and Sunday. Some might say we're creatures of habit...
4. Yama, Andover, MA
This is my favorite local sushi-go-to. The staff are super nice, the fish is always fresh (they have live scallops occasionally) and the sushi very creative. The Celtics Maki with tuna, salmon, avocado and tempura flakes is my favorite closely followed by the Spicy Salmon Maki.

Arigatou Gozaimasu

Yup, I admit I was a girl scout when I was little...

Corey & Isaiah met, fell in love and live in New York City; they're getting married in the beautiful Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport, MA in the fall and I can't wait to shoot their wedding!

Corey found me through the wonders of google and we had a GREAT (truly, really great - with lots of "oh, I think that too" comments) conversation - how they met (more on that when I blog their lifestyle pics), the proposal, the fabulous wedding plans (BBQ & Bluegrass band anyone?) and so I was delighted when last minute plans brought Corey to Newburyport tonight.

I got to meet Corey (even better in real life and can't wait to meet you too, Isaiah!) and her lovely parents - Don & Marilyn - and now I REALLY can't wait to shoot their wedding! While we chatted over coffee in Starbucks, there may have been a little coffee spillage incident and I was sorry that I didn't have my fabuloso SHOOTSAC camera bag with me as true to my girl scout roots, I am always prepared....because posts are always better with a picture, here are some of the non-photography contents of my bag:



Contents of Leah's camera bag:
Little sewing kit,
Advil for any tension headaches
Tic Tacs for 2-calorie fresh breathe essential for kissing - for the bride and groom, I don't go around kissing everyone
Victoria's secret Stylist tape - LOVE it for fixing hems/hiding bra straps
Sephora blotting papers - shiny bride bad, beautifully blotted bride good
Shout stain remover & Tide to go - just in case that wedding cake smushing gets a bit out of hand
Band aids - although the smart bride is also prepared and wears in her shoes

Plus maybe a few lenses, flashes, batteries - all that junk :-)
Happy birthday to Marilyn on Friday