Renaissance Haverhill Wedding – Rhiana & Bryan

One of my last weddings with George Street Photo was Rhiana & Bryan’s Renaissance Haverhill Wedding at the Renaissance Country Club in Haverhill, MA. Again, the bride and groom lucked out with good weather! It wasn’t extremely warm since it was mid-October, but it’s a win if it’s not snowing or freezing rain here in New England by then! The sun was out, but the ceremony was in the shade of the club house, overlooking the golf course.

Rhiana & Bryan were a very sweet young couple, and they had a big Greek wedding, with lots of friends and family there to celebrate with them. I absolutely loved Rhiana’s dress! All of the beading, the flower details, and some peek-a-boo beaded lace on one side of the bottom made it perfect for their Greek theme. It was very elegant and beautiful. They had a short but sweet outdoor ceremony, and then after pictures, it was inside to the Grand Ballroom for cocktails and dinner, and of course, lots of dancing! It wouldn’t be a Greek wedding without lots of dancing! The ballroom was decorated in a beautiful autumn theme with lots of dark reds, oranges, and golds. Their cake was topped with owls, which I loved. You could tell that they definitely put a lot of time and detail into their wedding planning.

My favorite moment of the night had to be their first dance. There were so many sweet moments between the two of them, which you can see in the photos below. It’s often a couple’s first chance to really relax after the ceremony and all of the family and bridal portraits. Candid moments are some of my favorite to capture because the moments just happen on their own. Reactions and emotions shine through when a couple is focusing on each other and not thinking about posing for photographs or anything else going on around them. That moment is just for the two of them. That is why our style at 617 Weddings is candid and unobtrusive. It gives you gorgeous natural photos to compliment the portraits!

Great Island Common Wedding – Katie & Jeff

Katie & Jeff were another one of my couples that came as a referral from one of my wonderful friends! Their wedding was held at Great Island Common in New Castle, New Hampshire, near Portsmouth. It’s a beautiful park with views of the ocean all around. It was mid October, but we lucked out with pretty good weather. The day started off with misting rain and chilly temperatures, which didn’t look good for an outdoor wedding with no back up location. Thankfully, when we arrived at the Common, the sun came out! It was still a little chilly but not too bad. Of course, I’m the one running around the entire ceremony with heavy camera gear hanging from my shoulders, so I can’t speak for everyone else!

The rain held out for the family and bridal portraits, and after that we headed off to the reception. It was held at a hall called The Portsmouth Pearl, but it was actually the last event being held there. The building has since been sold and will no longer host events. At least it’s last party was a good one!

I think my favorite moments had to be when Katie danced with both her father and her step-father. The father-daughter dance was one my favorite moments at my wedding, and I enjoy watching the emotions of brides and their dads (or whomever they choose to dance with) at the weddings I photograph. The moments are always so sweet. After the parent dances, the dance floor was rocking all night. Katie loved dancing in her tulle ball gown, and everyone had a great time!

There’s a lot of photos for this one so scroll through and enjoy!

Russell Orchards & Crane Beach Engagement – Veronica & Ryan

Fall is known as a time of great foliage and apple picking here in New England. What better place to do fall engagement photos than an apple orchard which has both? I’ve been to a few orchards around here but I’d never been to Russell Orchards in Ipswich. As soon as I arrived, I noticed all of the bright foliage right in the front of the property, which was perfect for fall pictures. Since I was there early, I walked around a little to scope out some photo spots while I waited for my clients to arrive. There were geese and ducks wandering around, and all kinds of other animals in fenced in areas on the road leading up to the orchard. Unfortunately, the you-pick part of the orchard was already closed, but we still managed to get back into the trees for some awesome pictures. Of course we asked permission to do so. It’s always a good idea to ask permission when it comes to photography locations!

As soon as Veronica & Ryan arrived, we got to shooting since we didn’t want to lose the sunlight. She loved the bright foliage too, so that’s where we started. Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with lots of varied poses so each couple’s session is a little different, but these two made it so easy for me! They would pose the way I was thinking before I even said it. Veronica even joked that they practiced beforehand, not that I would complain if they really had! I always have a few go-to poses for each session, but I try to mix it up a bit so each couple’s personality shines through. It really makes a big difference in the feel of the pictures.

The sun was beginning to set, so we wrapped up our session at the orchard. They had one other location where they wanted to do a few more photos, but not before Ryan bought us all some cider donuts. Another couple on my favorites list that gave me a tasty treat! 🙂

We finished their session at the beautiful Crane Beach, which is just down the road from the orchard. I know I’ve been to Crane beach at some point in my life but not for a while. Since I live so close to the beaches here in Beverly, we don’t really go anywhere else. It’s very beautiful! We were losing light fast, and they close the beach gates at sunset, so we took as many photos as we could with the use of my flashes and called it a wrap! Not a bad way to end my last engagement session of the year! I can’t wait for their wedding at the York Harbor Inn in York, Maine this April. It will be my first full wedding of the year!

Salem Willows Engagement – Salem, MA – Madison & Zack

Salem Willows is a well known amusement park on the North Shore. It’s not very big, a couple of arcades, a carousel, and some smaller rides, along with lots of junk food! I remember going there when I was younger to ride the carousel and play in the arcade. Who knew it could also be a beautiful spot for engagement photos? I was excited when Madison & Zack chose it for their engagement session location. With all of the park space across from the arcade area, a giant wooden pier, and even beach area, it gives you lots of options for natural backdrops. We even were able to take a couple shots in the arcade! I wanted to do some photos with the carousel ( I LOVE carousels!), but since it was October, it was already closed down for the season. Hopefully I’ll be able to shoot there again when it’s open. But we lucked out and had some great warmer weather, which is good since it was early October and Madison was wearing an adorable white lace dress. I’m glad she wasn’t freezing cold!

Madison & Zack actually met at Salem Willows with the help of Zack’s family dog, Moose, a black and white Portuguese Water Dog. Zack’s father Jim is a friend of my family, so I’ve known him and Moose for a long time. I was thrilled to hear that Moose was quite the matchmaker! The day they met, Zack saw Madison feeding the pigeons, and sent Moose to chase them away. From there he struck up a conversation with her, and the rest is history! Jim heard we were doing the photo session, so he was at the park when I got there. He had Moose with him, so of course we had to include him in some of the photos. We wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for him! He was so well behaved during the whole shoot, following all of us off leash, and posing well for pictures. Having some of the Willow’s famous popcorn to bribe him with didn’t hurt though… I also enjoyed having Jim as a temporary assistant since he offered to tote my rolling back around for me!

This session was so much fun, and I love how the photos came out with all of our options for great photo spots all in one place. Zack also kept us all laughing the entire time, he’s quite the ham! He and Madison are such an adorable couple and their personalities are a great match. I can’t wait for their wedding next June at The Margate Resort on Lake Winnipesaukee up in New Hampshire. It’s going to be so much fun!

Cider Hill Farm & Lynch Park Engagement – Alyssa & Brad

Cider Hill Farm & Lynch Park were the chosen locations for Alyssa & Brad’s engagement session! Alyssa & Brad were my first 617 Weddings clients who’s wedding I have actually already shot. I wasn’t expecting to book a wedding so quickly after joining the team, but I happened to be available when they needed a photographer right before their wedding date! We did their engagement session at the end of September, and the wedding was at the end of October. I’ll be posting the wedding later after I post some of the other weddings and engagements from this fall.

They chose to start their session at Lynch Park in Beverly, which is one of my favorite places in the world. I live about 5 minutes from the park, and have been going there since I was a little kid. It has a brick rose garden that’s full of beautiful flowers in the summer and early fall, a high wall over looking a beach, and lots more natural backdrops, making it a great spot with lots of diversity for photo shoots. It’s not uncommon to go there and see multiple sessions going on at once! There are weddings in the garden, and we almost got married there, but the one downside is that it’s open to the public, even during a wedding. It’s still a beautiful location if you don’t mind a lot of curious park-goers! I hope to shoot a wedding there someday soon.

Following some shots at the park, we headed up to Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury for some fall themed shots. Alyssa & Brad went on many dates there, so it was a special place for them. When possible, I love to incorporate things into your engagement and wedding photos that are special to you as a couple, and are part of your story. It makes your photos that much more fun and meaningful! After an outfit change, we headed into the apple orchards for the rest of our photo session. We got a lot of great shots, and even snacked on a couple apples! It was the end of the season so there wasn’t much left on the trees but we made it work. They also bought my husband (who tagged along as my assistant) and I a bag for picking so we did get to pick some apples after the shoot to take home, which was pretty awesome. Most of them became apple crisp 🙂

Kate & Jeff – Plum Island Engagement Session – 617 Weddings

Somehow I have never been to Plum Island, and I’ve lived on the North Shore my entire life! Aside from when I was living in Michigan with my mom of course.

Kate & Jeff are one of the first couples that booked with me when I joined 617 Weddings, and they were the first to schedule an engagement session. They are such a sweet couple and have been together for 10 years. Now they’re finally making it official. I can’t wait to capture their wedding next June! They are getting married at Groveland Fairways and staying on Plum Island after the wedding, so that’s why they chose Plum Island for their engagement session location. As soon as I arrived at the beach, I couldn’t wait to start shooting. It was absolultely beautiful! We found plenty of spots to take some great photos, and thankfully the beach was mostly empty so we didn’t have to worry about too many people. We also lucked out and got a super warm day with great weather in the middle of September!

Kait & Mike – Searles Castle Wedding

So I’ve been a little behind on updating my blog, but I’m getting there, I promise! Back in September I was the second shooter a wedding at the beautiful Searles Castle in New Hampshire. It’s no secret how much I love castle venues. After shooting at Oheka Castle in Long Island, NY last November, I was hooked! My shooting style is evolving into more of a candid/story type of style, and what better place to have your story come to life than a gorgeous castle! Your wedding day is the one day you can come out of your box or comfort zone and make some awesome memories and photos. That’s just what Kait and Mike did. They had a wonderful ceremony with personally written vows, he may or may not have almost dropped her going in for a dip during the kiss, and then followed a reception where the dancing (and air guitar playing) never stopped!

Thompson Island Wedding

I had the pleasure of second shooting with Amanda McMahon Photography back in September on the beautiful Thompson Island. It’s one of the harbor islands off the coast of Boston. The boat trip over only took about 10 minutes, and the views of the Boston skyline are just incredible. It makes quite the backdrop for a wedding! It was a beautiful day and we even beat the rain for the ceremony. It did get a little stormy and windy (there were even tornado warnings on the main land!) but luckily we were already under the covered reception space. It was a very New England style wedding, complete with lobster and oysters for dinner. Those who know me know that I actually hate seafood (I know, bad New Englander!) but luckily they also had incredible BBQ chicken. There was also pie served along with the cake. Not a lot of food photos though, I was busy eating! 🙂 I definitely hope to shoot there again soon!

Erin & Jerry – Stone Mountain Arts Center Wedding – Brownfield, Maine

Erin & Jerry were my first referral clients after I rebooted my business this year. Their wedding seemed so far away in January, but August 30th seemed to come and go so fast! I had made a trip up to their venue at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in May since I knew I’d need to see it beforehand. It also made it easier to meet with them and the wedding coordinator to finalize everything. I also got lucky and was able to crash at my uncle’s ski cabin near North Conway for the weekend of the wedding. It made travel a lot easier to go up the night before and not have to drive 3 hours home the night of!

Their wedding day was beautiful. The weather was perfect. Erin & Jerry decided to do a first look so they could get some of their family formals out of the way before the wedding. I love first looks, and my favorite part is the Groom’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time 🙂 It was one of the most easy and relaxed weddings I’ve ever shot too! We got so much done before, that we were able to just do some bridal photos after the ceremony. Then Erin & Jerry were announced into their cocktail hour to enjoy some food and mingle with their guests before dinner. The food was amazing, a huge buffet, and some of the best wedding food I’ve ever had! I will say one of the perks of the job is getting to eat lots of awesome food and cake!

Janelle & Eric – Royal Sonesta Wedding – Cambridge, Massachusetts

I’ve been a little behind on blogging but finally, here are the photos from Janelle & Eric’s Royal Sonesta Wedding! I shot their engagement session in August of last year. They were my first client booking after I re-launched and revamped my business last fall. Janelle’s father is a long time friend of my father’s, and I’ve known him since I can remember. We had a great time shooting their engagement photos in Rockport, so I had been looking forward to their wedding day ever since.

There were a lot of great moments throughout the day, but one of my favorites was Janelle’s first look with her father, and dare I say, it was pretty adorable! You’ll see it in the photos below, so keep reading and scrolling! First looks are becoming popular with brides and grooms, but not everyone decides to do them. If you don’t do a first look with your spouse, you can definitely have one with your father. I did with mine, and it was an awesome moment! You just can’t let him see your dress before the wedding 🙂 There was also a lot of the “Janelle face,” and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the Best Man make a toast with an actual piece of toast!

Janelle wanted a big wedding, and a big wedding she got! It was one of the biggest I’ve shot to date, and it was a great time. I had an awesome second photographer by my side as well as my husband on video. The ceremony was at St. John’s the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA and the reception was at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge, with the Boston skyline as a backdrop. It was beautiful! They also had a Beatles tribute band called Britishmania as part of their entertainment. That’s something I’ve never seen at a wedding before and the guests loved it. Keep scrolling to check out photos from their awesome wedding day!