This is a wedding we did this past weekend.  It was a lovely wedding filled to the brim with tons of details.  I just wanted to show you some of the highlights as they wanted to remain anonymous, I will not mention any names nor are they on the website under Recent Weddings, sorry.  But just wanted to share a few picks.  Let me know what you think under comments, please.

Just a reminder to any of you who might be thinking of doing family portraits or Christmas cards of your little ones, our cutoff dates are that the sitting has to be done by the beginning of November in order to get christmas cards and portraits completed in time to give Christmas gifts.  Every year we have clients who call a week or so before Christmas and want cards done ASAP……………….sorry but that can’t be accomplished.  Labs are real busy and they do take a few weeks to be done.  Anyone coming in after the deadlines will have to do a gift certificate for a later time.  So get organized guys and schedule early!

Yesterday night we did a stroll out to the town of Southampton.  It was a beautiful night with clear blue skies, the night you just want to hang and so we did for the engagement series of Denise and Jason.

Denise was the brother of Paul D’Angelo who married Jeanne back on July 26, 2008.  You can check out Denise’s brother, Paul’s wedding by clicking here.  Anyway, Denise and Jason have had a whirlwind romance and quicky engagement.

They only booked us after Jeanne and Paul’s wedding and she has been busy ever since putting all the last minute touches on her wedding to be held at the gorgeous East Wind Estate out in Wading River.  There’s is to be a Christmas wedding held on December 20th which proves to be a gorgeous time of year for receptions with the places all decked out with their trees and lights.

East Wind is not one to scrimp on details.  Anyway, we started their engagement series out in the streets and captured some urban settings and then headed down to Coopers Beach to finish the night off with a beautiful sunset.

I’ve included some of our favs from the session and like usual would love your input on the pics.

To see the rest of Denise and Jason’s engagement photos, please click here.  And, we can’t wait guys to do your wedding, we had a lot of fun with you last night and you were true sports!  See ya in December!

Shannon is cool…………….we knew that, as soon as we met her.  She had all these glamour shots in her parent’s house, where we could tell we were going to have a good time with her.  She is not afraid of finding her inside “diva”, so to speak.  WE LOVE THAT!

A lot of times, couples tell you within the first few minutes of meeting them on the big day, if they are eager to do photos, how important they are to them, and how far they will go to achieve the ultimate images.  If they will be the typical wedding photos or if they want to achieve something special.  If you are the type of bride who is afraid of moving in your gown, such as sitting or going on the ground, we kind of know that you aren’t going to be the kind of bride who will run, or rumple the dress up or lay anywhere, LOL!

Shannon was not this type of bride at all.  That, made this wedding, exciting for us as well.  We can break new ground, try new shots, be adventurous.  Afterall, this is what you buy this beautiful gown for right?  To show it off in the only medium you will have left when all is said and done?  We would explain a new shot to Shannon and immediately, knew we were on the same page.  We met her at her parent’s house, can I just say here, that both Linda and Joe, were such nice people.

From the moment we stepped into their beautiful home, they made us feel totally at ease and welcome.  We had such a good time with them as well.  Joe was one crazy guy and complimented our style as well.  At one point, he came up behind me and we struck a pose together, LOL.  Unfortunately, Joe, you came out better than I, but what else is knew, I can take ‘em but can’t be in ‘em, ha ha.  Shannon is a party planner by profession and it showed in all the details.  Everything was perfection.  We met Lenny and the guys at the Jedediah Hawkins House.  It provided the beautiful backdrop for a lot of the photos.

We then went to Atlantica and finished up with just Shannon and Lenny out near the ocean.  The sun was setting and the wind was brisk, but it made for some stunning new scenery, which we had never seen.  The wind had made these beautiful ridges in the sand which provided for some really graphic lines.  We took chances and I think they, the photos, can speak for themselves.  At least I hope Shannon and Lenny agree……………….

Also, being it is now fall, the goldenrod was filling in all the dune grass with magnificent color.  We changed up the style a tad and did more experimental work, moving with the light and shadows.  We then went in to cover the tender ceremony.  Under the moonlight and the sunset, it was such a romantic setting.

There were so many gorgeous details with this wedding.  Our bride outdid herself.

Our happy couple is honeymooning in the ultimate sin city, yes, that is right, Las Vegas!  I am sure they will have a great time.  To see more of Shannon and Lenny’s fabulous wedding, please click here and tell us what you think!

Well, this past weekend, we had three, yes count ‘em, three, weddings.  To say it was rough, was an understatement.  First Mother Nature was not cooperative at all and, we had a lot of driving to different states and locations!  (can you see my unsmiling face glaring up at the sky?)  Not only did she provide three beautiful couples of mine with rain, she made it teaming, like in cats and dogs rain!!!  We started out locally with our first one, then left for a destination wedding in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday that finished up at 11 p.m. and then drove through Connecticut in the pouring rain to finish up with Jill and Chris’ wedding in Tarrytown, New York at the Castle on the Hudson.  Anyone searching for an English looking venue, complete with chintz sofas, dark woodwork to die for, a ballroom reminiscent of kings and queens (think Keira Knightly and any of her films) and food that is wonderful, should do themselves a favor and check this place out.  We have worked here before, but Jill and Chris are our first couple who opted to go online from this venue.  We met Jill and Chris through the internet, such a great planning tool for weddings, and they told us of their impending nuptials to take place at the Castle.  I sent him some photos from some weddings we did there, and, well let’s just say, the rest is history.  They live in Ft. Worth, Texas, and planning a wedding long distance is no easy feat.  But their wedding planning went off without a hitch.  We arrived before our happy couple, as Jill was busy at the hairdressers getting her and the girl’s hair done.  Once they arrived, we met for the first time, and the festivities began.  They were such a fun group to be around.  Jill donned a beautiful beaded Maggie Sottero couture gown

and snazzy silver sequined shoes.  She had pinned underneath her gown a hankerchief from her grandmother.

The flowers which were red and white roses were wrapped in strands of pearls and complimented their different, but all, black gowns.  Our flower girls wore white satin pick up gowns with black sashes.  All were too cute for words.

Our littlest flower girl, due to surgery, had little girly pink casts on her feet, but don’t think that stopped her from having a good time!

Due to the weather not cooperating, they had their wedding ceremony in the same ballroom, which when the light streamed in through the stained

glass windows, was beautifully theatrical.  Both dads did readings which was a touching gesture.

Then, for a quick break, the rain was reduced to drizzle and we asked our happy couple along with their fantastic wedding party if they wanted to run outside and grab a few pics.  They said “of course” and off we went.

For a while, she even gave us a touch of sunshine, although fleeting as it was.  The great thing about the castle is, besides it’s wonderful food and ambiance, they have this cool lifesize chess set outside.  Thank God the rain stopped as it always proves to be a cute place to take a pic or two!

Inside, our couple and their guests dined on arugula, spinach and endive salad with white balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese croutons and for the main course, they could either choose from Chilean Sea Bass with Braised Fennel or Horseradish-Crusted Filet Mignon, yummy!

As the night befell us (can you tell I am in a castle mood and all things English), the room took on a red and yellow candlelight glow about it.  Simply beautiful.

While the guests ate, a classical quartet played Chopin and Mozart.  But after dinner, our dj pumped up the music and got this crowd jumping.

A funny moment came when it was time for our happy couple to cut their wedding cake.  Chris was nowhere to be found.  Jill said he was probably strolling the grounds, but after 10 minutes or so and for what seemed like an eternity for Jill, in strolled Chris to loud claps and cheers!  Jill played a childhood game of here comes the train, open up, with Chris and his cake!

This stuff always makes me scared as the bride has no clue that he has last licks [no pun intended] and you never know what can happen.  BUT, to make things fair, Chris was always a gentlemen, and fed Jill a nice and demure piece of cake.  Our happy couple are going to one of our favorite places of all, Costa Rica.  Of course, we couldn’t bid them goodbye without telling them of a couple of our favorite things to do there.  We know you will have nothing but a super good time.  To view more of Jill and Chris’ wedding photos, please click here, and let us know what you think!

a few images from a wedding we recently did.  Loved a lot of the colors that were present at this wedding.  Let us know what you think!

Babies, babies, babies, all our couples are having kids!  It is so cool.  It is almost weekly now that a bride or a groom call with the happy news.  Our newest addition to that group, are Melissa and Jamie Smith.  As you might recall, Melissa and Jamie were married at the Atlantica back on September 4, 2006.  (To see their gorgeous blue sky wedding, please click here.)  Melissa, Jamie and big brother, James, received a new blessed package, a new addition to their family, Griffen Charles Smith on Saturday, July 26, 2008!

Big brother, James is in awe of him.

They brought Griffen in for his first portrait sitting.  He is the most precious thing, so small, with little white flakes still intact on his little hands and feet.

(Can you tell I love newborns?)  He wasn’t too happy with all the fuss being thrown his way, but with that face, it didn’t matter.

Here are a few of our favorities……………………as usual, let us know what you think!

Too cute, right?  To see the whole shooting, please click here.

This past weekend we did a wedding of a sister we did waaaaaayyyyy back in 2001, namely Ashley and Brian Doroska.  I wish I could share some images from their gorgeous wedding, but alas it was before the digital age and namely, the age of putting weddings up on our site :-(  Anyway, take my word for it, Ashley was a gorgeous bride and Brian, you weren’t too bad either, LOL.  Here is a new pick of them with their two children.

Kyle and Joe, Erin’s parents, called us up when Erin had just gotten engaged and told us of their happiness of another impending wedding.  They asked us if we were free and we happily told them we were.  Let me just take a moment here to clarify just how happy we are to do sibling’s weddings and births as well.  We already know the family and friends, so it is like a sort of homecoming for us.  It is always a blast when couples come up and say “oh hi, I remember you, or you did our other friend’s wedding, etc. etc.”  It’s like meeting relatives who live on the other side of the country that you only get to bond with once in a while!  Anyway, Kyle and Joe have one more daughter to go, so hey Kendra, we are waiting on ya, LOL!!!!!!!  When we arrived in the morning, Joe came running out of the house to inform us to take our time as Erin hadn’t arrived back from the hair stylists.  So we readied the cameras, and then a friend of Erin’s dads, drove into the driveway with what can only be called a beautiful ‘69 white cadillac convertible for Erin and Andrew to use.

We grabbed a few shots and then Erin arrived with jeans and her veil on!  She flew into the house and before long was transformed from everyday Erin (which is pretty good, don’t get me wrong) into elegant, and gorgeous Erin!  Her satin, strapless gown looked simply beautiful on her.

Kendra helped Ashley with her jewlery and perfume while Brooke attended to the garters and shoes.  They were like a two man tag team!

We then went out the beautiful property Kyle and Joe have around their house to grab a few pics.

Now, Ashley and Brian have been quite busy in those 7 years and have two gorgeous, can I say gorgeous again, children, Morgan, our almost 5 year old flower girl and Brodie our cute and full of energy, ring bearer.  Let’s just say even with a sitter on hand, Brian must have slept good that night after running around after him!  LOL………………….

Before long, it was time to get into that beautiful car with her dad and set off for St. Rosalie’s R. C. Church in Hampton Bays.  Luckily, it was a pretty calm day on Saturday, as Erin was afraid her hair would blow in the convertible, but no fear, she arrived just as she had left home.

Inside, Andrew was happily pacing with his best man, Derek.  But once, Monsignor Regan began the ceremony, all nerves subsided.

Everyone had a little chuckle, well except probably Jean, when she found out that her reading was not sitting happily on the podium.  I can attest, that can be a flustering moment being up there and not having your appropriate papers from which to read.  We had one of those moments ourselves, when our daughter got married and Rich had to run to the car to get our readings we had left there.  But, Monsignor Regan, jumped to her aid, and happily gave her his copy, so all went well.

Then we were off to Park, which had special meaning to our couple, since it was the place Andrew had proposed to Erin.  But before we got there, they had requested Rich take a photo of them ontop the Ponquogue Bridge going over the Shinnecock Inlet and Bay.  Some of the groomsmen stopped the traffic while we grabbed a few shots of the happy couple in the cadillac, cheering and hooting.  People passing on the bridge, did the same.  It made for quite a cute photo op.

Joe, our videographer from Wild Rose Video, laughed and remarked that you couldn’t do that at Jones Beach with all the traffic, people would scream and yell at you!  He was probably right!  Then when we arrived at Charles F. Altenkirch County Park, where strangers again cheered and snapped photos of  Erin and Andrew as they were both going on the beach and then leaving!  Who says people don’t like weddings?  It was fun to see.

The beach provided the perfect place to take some wedding party shots, with the rolling surf and the jetty.

Then it was off to Gurney’s for a picture perfect reception.  With the windows open in the ballroom, guests could gaze out at the beautiful surf while dining on delicious food.

Another good friend of Joe’s as well as, Erin and Andrew’s, made these beautiful, miniature surf boards with different locations printed on them that were special to the couple.  They really were beautiful pieces of handiwork, equisite in their detail and accuracy.

Let me take a moment here, again, to say thank you to both Kyle and Joe.  During the reception, it is not very often that ALL vendors get thanked via a microphone on the dance floor in front of all the guests.  A lot of times, a couple or the parents, will get up and thank the band and the reception staff and chef, but the little guys, meaning, photography, video, limos, florists, etc., well, we get passed over for no other reason then I think, cause no one has seen our product yet and we are considered the “little guys”.  But not Joe, it was a first for us.  He got up during dinner, and thanked everyone who was responsible for making their day go off without a hitch.  No one was overlooked.  It was extremely touching and like I told Erin, I had to go over and give him a big kiss for that.  It TRULY did mean a lot to us for him to do that in front of everyone.  You are truly welcome!  The night got under way with the help of Chris Marsh and the fabulous, Swinging Johnsons, or, their more traditional sounding name, the Johnson Brothers, LOL, out of Boston!

As some of you may recall when I wrote about our own daughter, Tara’s wedding, we had used Chris and the Swinging Johnsons for their wedding.  We had seen them at Jericho Terrace when we did a client’s wedding a few years back.  They are truly a wonderful bar band, and I highly recommend them.

They don’t play a lot of your traditional wedding stuff, unless you ask for that, but, rather, give you a taste of a little of everything.  They start off quietly and calmly so guests can get up to some of the standards and can talk comfortably, and then when dinner is finished, they get the room hopping and don’t stop till the end.  You really do owe it to yourself to check them out if you are looking for music for your affair, I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed.  People kept coming up to us all night long, as I am sure they did the family as well, saying how good the band was.  We have recommended them to quite a few people, and everyone has loved them.

Oh and on another note, Erin and Andrew’s cake was so fresh and smelled soooo good all night long.  That is a test of a truly delicious and freshly baked cake.  When you can smell this wonderful aroma permeating the room near where the cake stands, you know you are in for a wonderful treat, literally.

And, one other thing before I get to letting you view all their photos, I just wanted to tell you of a wonderful addition we had never seen before at a wedding.  You know how Hawaii is a major honeymoon destination, for good reasons, well, Erin and Andrew are going to both Maui and Kauai for theirs, too.  So, Kyle, Erin’s mom, unbeknownst to them, had made specially for the wedding, traditional Hawaiian leis out of white orchids.  She hung them about their necks at the end of the night while the Hawaiian Wedding Song played as all the guests gathered round.

It made for a very special ending to a very special wedding.  So without further adieu, here is a much bigger chunk, although not all as she has over 1,600 photos, LOL,  of Erin and Andrew’s wedding.  Please click here, to see them.

Debbie and Kevin’s family is growing by leaps and bounds, they have now added another beautiful new child, a son named Cooper.  He joins his big brother, Dillon.  Gosh, how time flies, I remember when we photographed Dillon as a newborn, it seemed like just yesterday, and here he is an adorable toddler with a super personality all his own, full of energy!  Their children are simply adorable beyond words.  Check out these smiles!

A friend of theirs had purchased for them a gift certificate for a family portrait.  Rich and Deb had decided to do it out in Hampton Bays at a local beach they often go to.  We had a few cancellations due to Mother Nature, but on Wednesday with a beautiful sunset to boot, we got it accomplished.  It was a perfect night for photos.

If you don’t recall, Deborah and Kevin were one of our beautiful wedding couples way back August 7th, 2004, you can check out their wedding photos here.  So they have been quite busy these four years, LOL.

As I have said before, we love to see our wedding couples and their new little brood.

It brings it full circle for us.  OKAY, and my personal favorite, LOL, this reminded me of the Republican National Convention, when Piper Palin licked her hand and smoothed her little baby brother’s hair down, well Dillon, had his own way of cleaning his brother, Cooper’s face, LOL……………………………

Anyway, here are a few of our favorite pics from the shooting, let us know what you think…………………………for the rest of the shooting, please click here.

Lauren is a sister of a bride we did, Aly O’Leary then but now a Fitzpatrick, click here to see Aly and Kieran Fitzpatrick’s beautiful wedding.  If you recall, we photographed Aly and Kieran’s two beautiful children, Keeley and Lochlan as well, which you can see on our website.  Aly is now pregnant with #3, congrats!  It is so funny when you talk to either Lauren or Aly, as they sound exactly the same, say the same things, and have the same mannerisms, if you close your eyes, you would swear you were talking to the other one.  Anyway, it was a tense week, as Tropical Storm Hanna was with us the whole week and was proving to be quite formible as far as, rain was concerned.

Sadly, she did not disappoint.  Lauren and Kevin had picked a beautiful location, namely the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club with sweeping views of sailboats and little coves.  Unfortunately, there was not a lot anyone could do to change the weather.  We did get some photos outside in their beautiful garden at her parent’s home, so all was not lost.

Then again, around 5 p.m. or so, the rain was subsiding and we did get some at the Yacht Club as they had a covered veranda.  Anyway, these two were so happy and made each other so complete, it didn’t matter.  Lauren wore a beautiful Melissa Sweet gown, so simple and light and delicate, upon looking at it, you would have thought it was a vintage gown handed down to her by a loved one.

The veil complimented it beautifully and again, looked vintage.

It was the essence of comfort as well, which is very important when dancing and wanting to have a good time on your day.  Alot of girls get very heavy gowns only to find out that they aren’t very comfortable.  She also carried an antique purse which belonged to her grandmother.

Lauren and Kevin had eight beautiful children in their wedding party.  They were the essence of adorable.  Each had their own little personality.

Kevin’s sister, Kim, has a beautiful daughter, Noreen and a son, Jamison.  Well, when it came time for Noreen to walk down the aisle with the other children, she had other ideas.  She wanted to turn around and go in the opposite direction!  It provided for quite a comedic moment, LOL.

But, it was then time to leave St. Mary’s in Manhasset, we had places to go and things to do.  There was a big party to get underway!

Then later, while doing the portraits, I gave the girls the suggestion of picking up the groom.  They leaped on the idea, but our groom wasn’t quite convinced as you can see in this photo.

Once up in their arms though, we couldn’t stop laughing as the girls maneuvered to keep him afloat!

The rooms that they had for the guests to enjoy their dinner in, was gorgeous, and how fitting that the floral arrangements had Bells of Ireland as a tribute to her Irish roots.

Entering the reception room provided to be a logistical feat, as they had 265 guests.  They were split between the two ballrooms and the third was left for dancing.  That meant for everyone to see them make their entrance, they had to snake their way through.

By the time they finally made their way to their table, everyone was cheering and screaming their names!

Toast did not disappoint, as it was given by both best men, Greg, Kevin’s brother and Quinton, Kevin’s sister’s husband.  Then it was up to one of our Maids of Honor, Siobhan, Lauren’s cousin.  It was hilarious.

Check out Lauren’s brother, Brian, between them, laughing so hard.  I loved how that made that photo.

Lauren had the most adorable cake toppers I have seen in a while.  I happen to be a fan of cute and unusual cake toppers.  She said she got them on the internet and they reminded me of something from a Tim Burton movie as in “The Nightmare before Christmas” or “Corpse Bride”.  I know this sounds weird, but they were truly different and adorable.  They had these paper mache type faces and awkward, tall bodies that were enchanting.  I LOVED THEM!

And, lastly, I don’t usually include a lot of guest photos on the blog as they are under their full wedding in Recent Weddings, but these guys had such a good time, I thought I would include a few of the more unusual, funny ones.  Like this one of one of the ringbearers doing the sprinkler, LOL,

or these two guys doing the most recognizable move of the century, what I like to call the “cell phone snap”!

You know, everyone does it, there isn’t a cell phone alive I think that doesn’t have images held out at arm’s length capturing you and your best bud making a pose for posterity.  And, look at this girl getting down with one of our bandleaders, you go girl

or check out these two titled “Flying Hair”.

Oh and one of my most favorite pics of the night……………Lauren told us when we called her for info on the wedding that she was having an unusual amount of preggo ladies who would be at the wedding.  She said “would we mind taking a photo of them all together?”  I said, “sure it would be fun and would make for a cute photo!”.  So, we call them up to the dance floor and low and behold up comes this guy.  So I’m like, no, we aren’t taking hubbies, just the girls.  So, out of curiosity, I go over and say to him, “uhhhh, pardon me, but do you have some information for me, like are you going to be Oprah’s pregnant man #2?”  He laughs and explains that his wife was ready any day to burst forth, literally, with child, and as a result he had come alone and would stand in for her, per se, in this photo as a gag.  BUT, ……………………. check him out……………….now ladies, does he look truly like he is about to give birth or does it appear he has ate too much and has massive indigestion, LOL.  I almost wet…………..well, you know what I mean.

It was truly a shot to behold.  Anyway, our honeymooners are in Hawaii.  Hope it is a blast and to see more of Lauren and Kevin’s wedding, please click here.