Rahel, the beautiful bride

A happy moment with her sisters, Yonina and Shoshana

My second shooter, Glen Cooper, captured this great shot of Yitzi praying during the Tisch

My take on the same time

Love this shot by my assistant Christopher Weigl

So much emotion between Yitzi & his father in this series caught by Glen

The Bedecken is by far, my favorite part of the Jewish Orthodox wedding day!  Rahel & Yitzi hadn’t seen each other all week before the wedding, and in this moment, the groom is presented to his bride by friends and family with dancing and singing!  It was SO emotional!  I was totally crying!

The groom then lowers the veil over the bride’s face…

He had tears just streaming down his face!  Oh, it was precious!

Then the Fathers each bless the bride… more tears…

Rahel holding her mother and Yitzi’s mother’s hands

Then they carried Yitzi off for more singing and dancing before the marriage ceremony (shot by Glen).  Don’t you just love how joyous this is?!  I mean most people are happy for the bride & groom, but these people are THRILLED that these two are getting married!  It’s glorious!

Giving away the bride

A cute moment between Rahel & Yitzi, captured by Glen

I love the graceful look of her hands holding up the veil in this shot

Another great shot by Chris – note the tear in Yitzi’s eye.  I told you it was an emotional day!

Married!

After they had a few moments alone following the ceremony, I took Rahel & Yitzi outside for a few portraits.

It started raining again though, so we went back inside for a few more portraits.  Luckily, the Granite Links Golf Club had some lovely indoor space for photos!

They’re so cute :)

Let the fun begin!!

Another unique thing about Orthodox Weddings is that for much of the reception, the men dance on one side of the dance floor, and the women on the other.  It’s cool to see a big group of men dancing and singing together with such fervor!  They’re definitely not messin’ around!   shot by Glen (if you look closely, you can see me in the shot… it’s like Where’s Waldo?)

This one was shot by my 2nd 2nd shooter, Nicki Pardo!

The guests often dance & perform for the Bride & Groom also. This guy was roasting marshmallows for them with a fire on top of his hat… I have no idea how he dreamed that up, but it was definitely entertaining!

And then there’s always more dancing…

Rahel & Yitzi – your wedding was just wonderful!  I’m so thankful to have been a part of it, and to work with your family again!  I’m already looking forward to Yonina’s wedding (one of these days) ;)

To view more of my favorites from this wedding, please check out the album on Facebook!

A few weeks ago I met up with Rahel and Yitzi to photograph their engagement session.  These two met at MIT, so what better place to begin our shoot than on campus?

Being photographed can be totally awkward – but if you can just keep each other laughing, it helps a LOT!

After walking around campus a little bit, we decided to head over to the Charles River.  The sunlight was just lovely!

I’m totally fascinated by the way people stand, and what they do with their hands & their feet.  In case you were wondering why I always have random shots of people’s lower halves…  :)

I love the sunlight this time of day!

Gosh, Rahel’s eyes are so beautiful!

At this point in the evening, we walked down to J.P. Lick’s for some delicious ice cream!  (which is funny, since Shoshana & Andy took me there during their eSession as well)  I don’t have photos to show you of this portion because I was a little busy stuffing my face ;)  But after that we walked along the Esplanade for the sunset, and played in the park a bit.

I know the next 2 are a lot alike, but I couldn’t decide which processing I liked better!

See, laughter always helps!!

Our final view as we walked back across the bridge

Rahel & Yitzi – it was great to see you again – and great to meet you Yitzi!   Thanks for a fun evening, and especially the awesome ice cream!  ;)  It was great getting to hang out with you both and get to know you a little better.  I’m really looking forward to seeing you again in a few weeks for the wedding!!  Hard to believe it’s coming up already, but it’s going to be a blast!!

To view more of my favorites from this shoot, check out the album on Facebook

This was my first Orthodox Jewish wedding as the primary photographer, and it was so much fun! The energy and excitement throughout the day was contagious, and the details and traditions were so meaningful and touching. I’m excited to share some of my favorites at last!

Shoshana’s father looking on as her veil is placed. She looked so beautiful :)

Her necklace was gorgeous, and a family heirloom, I believe

The happy bride

I love these next two shots that Ben of Avenna Studios captured while photographing Andy getting ready and during the Tisch.

The Ketubah, hand-made by a member of the family

Shoshana, her mother Teri, and Andy’s mother waiting for the guests to come greet them during the Kabbalat Panim. I love the excitement between Shoshana & Teri!

After the Tisch, the groom is escorted by family and friends, singing and dancing, to where the bride is waiting for him. I love the moment as the bride is blessed by the fathers. In this photo, Shoshana is being blessed by Andy’s father.

And this is the highlight of the Bedeken, the moment when Shoshana & Andy see each other for the first time and Andy lowers the veil over his bride. Vince from Avenna Studios caught this moment beautifully.

It’s such an emotional part of the day!

waiting for the ceremony to begin

Giving her away

As Shoshana reached the chuppah, she circled Andy seven times

Andy placing the ring on her finger. (Another great shot from Ben, who got the prime spot on the bema during the ceremony)

The sanctuary at Congregation Mishkan Tefila is so beautiful!

Shortly after the cermony, we were able to take Shoshana & Andy outside for a few portraits. We were so lucky that the rain held off for us! (in case you’re not from around here, it’s been raining in Boston for like 6 weeks now…)

They’re totally cute together :)

Vince captured this one, which I love

Their rings were totally unique (but the same as each other’s). Andy’s grandfather made them! Such a talented family!!

And this is what it looked like during portraits… I’d normally have more of the other photographers inside capturing the cocktail hour, but Shoshana’s mother really wanted to make sure we got plenty of portraits of the two of them together. Apparently Teri’s photographer forgot to get a single portrait of Shoshana’s parents together on the day of their wedding. Can you imagine?!

We took a few inside the lovely sanctuary as well. The light was just so nice, and the stained glass so interesting and colorful!

Once we were done with portraits, the party really began! One of my favorite things about Orthodox weddings is that they REALLY know how to celebrate! Nobody else dances with so much enthusiasm and energy :) I love this shot Vince caught during the Horah.

Shoshana up in the chair

Gorgeous flowers by Sarah’s Garden

During some parts of the reception, friends and family perform for the Bride & Groom. These ladies were dancing maniacs!

Shoshana’s sisters tap danced for them

Andy singing for his bride

Cynthia captured this embrace after the song was finished. I love the faces of the guests cheering for them :)

Shoshana & Andy, thank you so much for having us as part of your day! We had a fabulous time, as you and your guests clearly did as well. Congratulations to you both! I hope you’re getting settled and enjoying some better weather down there in Atlanta. I look forward to working with you on your album after you’ve had some time to look through all the photos! :)

If you’d like to see more of my favorites, check out the album on my Facebook Page :)

Many thanks to all of the fabulous vendors who worked on this wedding…

Catering & Coordination – Andrew Wiener of Catering by Andrew
Flowers – Sarah Burkstein of Sarah’s Garden
Music – The Nafshenu Orchestra
Venue – Congregation Mishkan Tefilla
2nd Shooting – Cynthia Hauk

And a special thanks to Ben & Vince from Avenna Studios for all your help with the day! It was great working with you guys!

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