Denise + Krikor :: Married (Part II)

Just to recap, in part I of this post Denise & Krikor got married, and now we're starting back just after the ceremony. I was planning on going right through the reception but to prevent this being a 30 image post I'll be covering the reception in part III, up shortly. Without further ado, we're back at St Stephens Church in Watertown:



While I'm a big believer that your wedding is not a photoshoot, I love love love it when a couple schedule an hour or so for relaxed portraits. So I was overjoyed to learn that we had almost 90 minutes between the ceremony and the reception in which to shoot the wedding party and then some pictures of Denise & Krikor alone.

We headed down to Boston Harbor. The sun was hot and high in the sky; reflecting off the blue water. The wedding party made their way along the waterfront laughing, receiving congratulations from passersby and toots on the horn from the boats in the water. Denise and Krikor held hands tightly.





Contrary to popular belief, a hot and sunny day doesn't usually make for the best pictures. A slightly overcast day with soft cloud cover is a photographer's dream and I found a great little area with nice open shade and said "Come on guys, let's go hang out over here"

Pierre took this direction literally:



The light was soft and beautiful; I was taking pictures of Denise when we noticed the guys in the background goofing off. Totally not posed or set up. Krikor had obviously been giving them instruction on GQ-style posing.



Krikor and his brother and best man Ashod:



I am loving this picture! Denise wearing the shades and Krikor just beaming:



Wedding party rocking it out and looking rather cool:



The wedding party hopped back into their limo and headed back to the Hyatt. And Denise & Krikor got to enjoy time alone, a little break after the ceremony and before the reception, to talk about the day so far, to laugh, kiss and hug. And I had my 70-200mm paparazzi style lens on to capture it all from afar:



Well, maybe I gave them a teeny tiny bit of direction here:





Last one for now. Denise & Krikor in their own little bubble:



Check back later for part III with the dancing. Seriously, the dancing!

Denise + Krikor :: Married (Part I)

You may remember Denise & Krikor from this blog post. I've been working on the pictures of their amazing wedding and when I sat down to write this morning I kept thinking of perfect individual scenes and moments, almost like remembering a play or a movie. I know I'm usually a little more irreverent in my writing (it's all about having fun right?) but humor me as I try to recreate the magic of that wedding now.....

...and it's somewhat of an epic post so I'm splitting it into two. Check back tomorrow for the second half.

Scene One, Hyatt Hotel, Boston: The bridal suite is buzzing with anticipation and excitement. A wedding dress is suspended on a hanger. Waiting. The scent of deep red roses, almost black in color, perfumes the air along with a mist of hairspray and make up.



Sunlight streams in through the balcony catching the intricate beading and silver thread on the wedding dress

A bride just hours away from her wedding looks over at her bridesmaids with a huge smile on her face. Denise is calm and happy

Her closest and dearest friends gather round to help carefully slip on and button up her heavy silk gown.

A proud father waits patiently in the next room for the moment his only daughter and little girl steps out in her dress ready to marry the man she loves. He holds his camera high; not wanting to miss a thing.



She steps out towards the light (I am loving this image by the way)



A mother smiles as she sees the crystals that have been added to her wrist corsage by her thoughtful and loving daughter. She pulls her in for a tight hug.

Denise's eyes sparkle.



The elevator pings and the bridal party step out into the hot August afternoon to travel the short distance to the church.



Scene Two, St Stephens Church, Watertown:

Soft rays of light filter through the stained glass windows casting pink and purple hues across the dresses and suits of the guests. Little children twist in their seats to see what's happening.



The father of the bride smiles proudly as he offers his arm for his daughter to take as he walks her down the aisle to give her hand in marriage to the man that loves her.



The groom waits at the altar. He sees his bride for the first time; and he gently smiles at her as she walks towards him.



Eyes closed and foreheads touching, they can't help the smiling.



The ceremony is thoughtful and emotional. The groom's brother holds a cross over the couple; golden crowns are worn to symbolize their own little kingdom and home that will be created.

The newly married couple walk back down the aisle to the congratulations of their friends and family.

After the hugs and congratulations, all the guests gather on the steps of the church. A cheer goes up and there is applause as the new Mr & Mrs. Krumlian share a kiss.

More to follow...including the families and the wedding party at Boston harbor, the toasts and the dancing. Oh the dancing! Don't be shy, feel free to leave a comment!

I am literally crying...

...with laughter as I look at "saran wrap" couple. Check out this site for "awesomely bad engagement photos" - their words not mine.

http://www.guidespot.com/guides/engagement_photo_funny_wedding

A little more Corey & Isaiah...

Read the post below for their story but in the meantime, a little movie for your enjoyment (grab the popcorn and then click on the white "play" arrow in the middle)

But here's my quandary, the first song I set it to is beautiful but I feel like Corey & Isaiah are a little more fun and lively than it implies so I re-recorded to this one mainly because of the first line "I like to dance all day..."

So I'll post them both and perhaps you'd like to leave a comment with your preference :-)

Corey + Isaiah :: NYC

Corey and Isaiah both worked at a busy restaurant, Balthazar in Soho, NY. They knew each other to say hi to but that was about it. One day, Isaiah was on facebook and something about Corey's reading list intrigued him and he friended her. Just friends.

They got to talking a little more at work and would go to the movies and hang out together. Just friends. Of course.

One time, Corey was home sick, in bed with flu and Isaiah treked almost 2 hours on foot and subway to bring her chicken soup. Just friends. As friends do.

At a late night bar, Corey was singing karaoke with the pianist and Isaiah suddenly thought "I HAVE TO KISS HER" and so as they walked outside he may have done just that.

Shortly afterward Corey was exhausted after a long day at work and she took the train to Brooklyn to meet Isaiah to tell him that they should be just friends. Isaiah was waiting with dinner and an old movie and the light switch went off in Corey's head. They've been inseparable ever since.

Corey and Isaiah live in New York but will be getting married in Maudslay Arts Center in Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, MA and so a lot of communication has been through email. I'm sure Corey won't mind me sharing part of one of her emails a couple of months ago:

"-The wedding is in 93 days and I realized that it's a countdown to marrying my best friend"

I was beyond excited to go to New York a couple of weeks ago to take pictures of these best friends together. I'm trying out a sort of classic/old school processing - let me know what you think by leaving a comment....

The scene of the crime:

At a photoshoot I'll throw out random suggestions like "let's have a little dip" and can I say that if there was a prize for masterful dipping then Isaiah would be the outright winner:

You just KNOW that some couples are right for each other and Corey and Isaiah are totally there. We took the subway from Soho to Times Square and they shared with me their plan to dance throughout their lives and around the world. If you haven't seen this video check it out. Corey laughed about how their children will probably be all "OMG, stop with the dancing pictures" when they're on family holidays together.

In Times Square I noticed the Yahoo sign in the background. Isaiah can't help Yahooooing when he's next to Corey :-)

[I'm switching back to color here because Times Square just seems to belong in technicolor]

I spotted this window at Gap. Corey and Isaiah did "fierce" for me. Thanks guys!

Then we pootled off to Central Park for a little break from the city

Oh, and look what I just uncovered:
Friend n.Word History: A friend is a lover, literally. The relationship between Latin amcus "friend" and am "I love" is clear, as is the relationship between Greek philos "friend" and phile "I love." Frond, the Old English word for "friend," was simply the present participle of the verb fron, "to love." The Germanic root behind this verb is *fr-, which meant "to like, love, be friendly to.

So I think Corey & Isaiah are perfect "just friends" and I can't WAIT for the wedding next weekend!

Click here for the online gallery

Meredith + Brian :: Engaged

Meredith and Brian met through friends. The friends set them up on a blind date. Well, it wasn't truly a blind date because the friends took a couple of pictures of each of them so they could have a sneak peak.

Meredith wondered if Brian was bald because he was wearing a hat in his picture.

Brian arrived at Meredith's house to pick her up for their date brandishing a picture of Smurfette (alluding to Meredith's long blonde hair) and declared "Hmmm, you don't look quite like your picture!"

Brian is a hoot.

Meredith and Brian went on the quasi-blind date and had a lot of fun. It turned into another date and before they knew where the time had gone Brian was proposing on the bridge over the swan boats in Boston.

Meredith and Brian will get married next month and I met them to take pictures in Newburyport and Salisbury

They are very very very cute together.

As we arrived at Salisbury beach and the sky suddenly darkened to a deep orange color. The practical side of me was slightly concerned that it might be an impending tornado and the possible soaking of my cameras but it made for great pictures.

I asked Meredith and Brian what they were most looking forward to about being married. Meredith joked about looking forward to being done with wedding planning but then talked about how happy she is to be with Brian.

Brian thought for a minute and then explained how during the day at work, especially if it's a tough day, he'll think about how he gets to come home to Meredith. And then the day gets much better.

They spoke about how they don't have to be somewhere fancy or doing something exciting to really enjoy being together. I think you can see that in the next picture:

It's only a matter of weeks before their wedding and I'm so looking forward to it!

And here's a little video...click on the white "play" triangle:

Tracey + Kyle at Winnekenni Castle

On their first date, Tracey met Kyle at Winnekenni Castle. As they walked around the beautiful grounds with their dogs, they talked and laughed and got to know each other.

Time flew by and the sun started to set. Casper, the fluffy white ball of a dog in the photo above, is almost 13 and so his little legs started to get tired. But Tracey and Kyle weren't ready to end the date yet. So Kyle picked Casper up and carried him.

Any man who carries an elderly dog is a keeper in my book :-)

As it got darker and darker, and Casper no doubt got heavier and heavier, Kyle asked Tracey if she'd like to see him again. And Tracey said yes.

And since then, they just knew...

I had so much fun photographing Tracey and Kyle at Winnekenni and then in downtown Haverhill. Tracey has THE BEST LAUGH you have ever heard in your life. It's one of those really heartfelt belly laughs that is just contagious and when I got home my face was sore from laughing.

On September 18th, Kyle will formally ask Tracey to be his wife at Zorvino vineyards and I think I have it on good authority that Tracey will say yes.

Tracey surprised me with a little gift as we finished, a beautiful bag of Gibralters wrapped in purple and green ribbons. The first commercially available candy ever sold in the US, these handmade peppermint and lemon candies are made in Salem, MA by Tracey's family. And rather tasty they are too!

I CANNOT wait for the wedding!!! I'm going to maybe take some Tylenol before to try to prevent the face ache I know I'm going to have from the huge smile that will be on my face all day...