Shoshana & Andy’s Wedding – Newton, MA

My first wedding of this year was the wedding of Shoshana & Andy. Not only was it the first, but it was also the biggest wedding of the year, and has been the most arduous to edit! I ended up with THREE second shooters, so there were 4 photographers covering the wedding, and we had over 6,000 images between us when the day was done! My interns and I have gone through the images at least 4 or 5 times, and we’ve finally got it down to a manageable size for sharing with the world. In case you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, that ought to explain it :)

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 :)

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

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The happy bride

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

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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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It’s such an emotional part of the day!

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waiting for the ceremony to begin

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Giving her away

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As Shoshana reached the chuppah, she circled Andy seven times

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

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The sanctuary at Congregation Mishkan Tefila is so beautiful!

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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…)

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Orthodox Jewish Wedding

They’re totally cute together :)

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Vince captured this one, which I love

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

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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?!

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

Orthodox Jewish Wedding

Orthodox Jewish Wedding

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.

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Shoshana up in the chair

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Gorgeous flowers by Sarah’s Garden

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

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Shoshana’s sisters tap danced for them

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Andy singing for his bride

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

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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!

Orthodox Jewish Wedding

Beth & Steven’s Wedding in Newport, RI

Last season I had the chance to second shoot with a bunch of great photographers, but haven’t had a chance to share any of the images with you. Until now :)

This event was shot with my dear friend Erica Pelaccia. We drove down to Newport, RI for the beautiful wedding of Beth & Steve at The Officer’s Club at the Naval Station Newport. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day…


Beth & Steve got married outside by the water, with the sun getting ready to set behind them. It was a beautiful scene, and definitely a fun challenge to shoot!


After the ceremony and the family portraits, we got to spend a little time with just Beth & Steve and the golden sunset. It was gorgeous!!!


Erica working her magic :)


Their reception ended up being one of the funnest parties EVER! It started with a choreographed first dance…


Then the father-daughter dance


Then the best part was that the band was an 80s cover band!!!!! They even dressed up!!! Oh my gosh, they were SO AWESOME!


At first I was a little worried that the crowd wouldn’t be into an 80s band, but I was WRONG! This crowd ate it up!! Everyone from kids to 80 year-old grandparents were gettin’ down on the dance floor all night long. It was a AWESOME!!!


Erica, gettin’ down with her bad self! I love you, Erica ;)


The party was so fun that we closed the place down! On the way to the car, I saw this and just had to get a shot… Gorgeous!


Thank you Erica for inviting me to come shoot with you! It was lovely as always :) Thank you Beth & Steve for having me at your wedding – it was great to meet you guys and enjoy a night boogying with your friends & family! And thank you Fast Times for the best wedding music ever! You guys ROCK – I’ve got to make plans to come out for a show in Boston soooon!

Justin & Gretchen’s Wedding!

Just before the holidays, I posted a little sneak peak of Justin & Gretchen’s Wedding. Well, I’ve gone through the 5,000 + images we shot on the day of the wedding and have finally finished editing my favorites! There were so many images I loved, it was hard to narrow it down :)

We started the day at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel. This was the view from Gretchen’s window…


The dress was breathtaking and had so much fabulous detail!


A little detail of the shoes


Gretchen was SO excited!!


I loved the look on her Mom and soon-to-be sister-in-law’s faces when Gretchen was finished with hair and makeup


Getting into the dress, with a little help


Gretchen, you’re so beautiful!!


Time to get married!


I love the look on Justin’s face when he sees Gretchen for the first time! Many thanks to my fabulous second shooter, James from The Feds for getting this shot!


Some of their friends sang during the ceremony, and just about everyone was crying


another great shot by James



vows


After the ceremony we headed outside for some portraits by the Harbor




again with the gorgeousness!


Gotta love the aviators!


After the portraits, we headed over the Chinatown for the reception! I caught this shot on my way into the restaurant…


The Tea Ceremony



It turns out my favorite image of the first dance was taken by James. He caught a guest’s flash in the background and it totally made the shot! I totally love it!


Gretchen’s Dad looks so happy!


Chinese weddings have this fun tradition where the bride & groom, the entire bridal party, and all the family go around to every table and toast each guest. It’s so chaotic and wonderful!




They finished up the night with karaoke and dancing! That’s my kind of party :)


Gretchen & Justin – thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your day! It has been so wonderful getting to know you guys over the last year and a half. I cannot wait to photograph the first year of your new baby’s life!!!!! (yep folks, these two are expecting a honeymoon baby ;) Congratulations once again!!

Justin & Gretchen’s Wedding – Sneak Peak!

Justin & Gretchen got married earlier this year at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel here in Boston. The whole wedding isn’t quite ready yet, but they wanted a few photographs in time for Christmas and I do what I can to make my brides happy :) So, here are just a few of their favorites to tide you over until the rest get up on the blog…


Merry Christmas Justin & Gretchen!! :D

And keep the comments coming folks! Only 2 days left to help orphans in Zimbabwe by leaving a comment :)

Tamara & Jason’s Wedding at The Overbrook House

Can I just say that I love Tamara & Jason? Seriously, they’re just the sweetest, most genuine and wonderful pair of people I’ve met in a while. LOVE them!! So, I was very excited to photograph their wedding a few weeks ago in Buzzards Bay at The Overbrook House. Here are some of my favorite images from the day…

The dress


Jason and his brother “getting ready”


Tamara’s vows – she wouldn’t put them down all morning :) I love it when couples write their own vows!!!


Tamara and her flower girl


The lovely bride (with vows still in hand :)


Heading down to start the show


In love much?


I love this shot of one of the groomsmen during the ceremony!


During the vows, looking into each other’s eyes


They’d planned a beautiful ceremony in the trees by the pond, but there was a hurricane coming up the coast that day. Up until the last minute, we hoped that the weather might hold. Luckily, Jason made the executive decision to do it in the tent. Thank God he did, because right after the ceremony began it started POURING!


And then after the ceremony, the sky cleared up just in time for some portraits!

They had almost a dozen of the cutest kids you ever saw in their wedding…




Sisters


Brothers… a little less civilized than sisters ;-)

the girls


the guys


the Bride and Groom…



I captured this shot in black & white film. I love shooting film at weddings! There’s nothing quite as timeless…


A film shot of their first dance

A few tears during Tamara’s Dad’s toast


Let the party begin!


But there’s always a few romantic moments on the dance floor…


Tamara & Jason, thank you so much for letting me into your lives and having me document your wedding day! It has been so wonderful to work with and get to know you both!

Mark & Serena’s Wedding

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to second shoot with another local photographer, and now dear friend, Erica Pelaccia. She and I are connected through a whole random slew of people and it was about time we finally met and got to hang out! I had such a great time shooting with her and getting to know her over the course of the day.

And as for Mark and Serena, they are just wonderful! You could just see in their faces, and in everyone’s faces, that these two are so in love with each other and so dearly loved by all who were there. Here are a few of my favorites…

Mark getting ready


Serena getting ready


During the portraits, since I was second shooting, I was able to hang back and shoot with my 80-200mm lens and just catch some of the details and moments that were going on. I love second shooting!


Isn’t she gorgeous?!


Serena and her uncle right before they walked down the aisle


The ceremony took place at Highrock, their church in Arlington.


I even shot a little panoramic film with my Widelux during the day, just for fun…


The part where they greeted their parents was one of the most emotional and beautiful parts of the day.



A few details from our portrait session with the two of them at their reception site – the Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont.




And there’s Erica, working it in the bushes :)


A couple more shots of black & white film



The reception was really fun! I love this shot of Mark as they made their big entrance. I think it says it all.


And a sweet moment during their first dance.


Thank you, Erica for inviting me to come along for the day – it was so wonderful shooting with you and hanging out with you!

And thanks to Mark & Serena for letting me be part of your wedding! It was really great meeting you and being with you and your families on this joyful day!

Liana & James’ Wedding!

A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of shooting Liana & James‘ wedding. These two are such a fun, sweet, wonderful, not-to-mention-gorgeous couple and I had a BLAST spending the day with them and their friends & family! I shot over 4,600 images that day!!! I told you, I had a blast :) Not so much fun was the editing process of going through all of those images, but I’ve finally narrowed it down and am super excited to share some with you!!

The day started as I met Liana and her bridesmaids at her parents’ house up in Nahant. It was totally exciting, and definitely overwhelming, to walk up the steps to the door and have a gaggle of bridesmaids all waiting there to welcome me! They were all soooo excited to “get started”! So started, we got…


Liana opening her present from James – a gorgeous bracelet



Checking out the dress with her sister, and maid-of-honor, Jamie


Waiting at the top of the stairs to go down and see Dad


And this would be when Dad started crying, and when all the rest of us started crying!


Stylist from Peacock Alley putting on the veil


A few shots of the girls outside the house


There’s something about the way that bridesmaid is standing in the background that makes me LOVE this shot!


and there she is again…


The ceremony was at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Weston, MA.


This may be my favorite shot of the day!


There were tons of moments like this one throughout the ceremony. I couldn’t help but smile watching these two whisper and smile at one another the whole time. They got an especially good laugh when the ceremonial crown got stuck in her hair, but we’ll leave those pictures for the proofs ;)



Married!


They don’t look happy at all, do they?! ;)


A cute moment in the Bentley on the way to the reception. I love tagging along in the car!!


We arrived at the Saphire Estate just in time to capture some portraits outside, and to get Liana & James down to the lake for the sweet pre-sunset light!


Careful, these next two are HOT!



The happy couple!


Then it was back up to the reception! I loved the centerpieces by North Shore Fruit & Flowers.



They choreographed their first dance, and it was AWESOME! And you guys were nervous! ;)




The Father-Daughter dance


My favorite thing about this wedding was the party! These guys had one of the most packed and energetic dance floors I’ve ever seen at a wedding! Everyone was dancing and having a great time!



The band, OnLine, really knew how to work the crowd! They were especially good at getting James pumped up ;)

There were also some sweet moments on the dance floor…



But for the most part, it was high energy! Liana’s Dad was cracking me up!!


And this series really just sums up the whole day… very sweet, very fun, and very James & Liana!


Thanks again you guys, for everything! Your wedding was awesome and I’m so glad I could be a part of it!!

Evan & Kelly’s Wedding!!

Wow! It’s been WAY too long since I posted anything on this blog of mine! I’m sure you were all checking back each day wondering what the heck had happened to me. I hope you weren’t too worried ;) I have so much to blog about, but I definitely wanted to get this wedding up before anything else!!

Evan & Kelly got married a few weeks ago, on a beautiful sunny day in Cambridge. I started the day with Kelly at the Harvard Faculty Club where she was getting ready. It’s such a cool old building, and I was definitely excited to shoot there for the first time! One of the first things I got to see was the room they were staying in at the Club. It had the coolest window, and I just had to shoot the dress in front of it!


Then it was back downstairs to spend some more time with Kelly and her family. Kelly was a little anxious and definitely wanted to get the show on the road! She just couldn’t wait to get down that aisle and marry Evan, which is the best reason to be anxious before your wedding!



The ceremony was held just a block away at Harvard Memorial Church. The ceremony was so nice, and Evan & Kelly just looked so happy!


After the ceremony, we walked back to the Faculty Club, and made a few stops along the way for some casual portraits.



Are they cute, or what?



Back at the reception, the guests were mingling and enjoying the day, while I was eying the cake… Don’t you just want to pluck off those little flowers and eat ’em?!


Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way… My assistant, Melissa, totally busted this kid trying to snag a bite!

The first dance as husband & wife…


All day long, you couldn’t get the adorable kids off of the dance floor. Not even during the father-daughter dance!


After a bit of dancing, Evan & Kelly were toasted by their loved ones. The toasts were awesome…lots of tears are the proof!

I love this series! It totally makes me cry because you can just see how close Kelly & her sister are, and how much they love one another. Sisters are awesome!


The Best Man got a few more laughs than tears…


But Kelly’s Dad really takes the cake. I have looked at these images at least 5-6 times now throughout my editing, and I have cried EVERY TIME!! He’s a total crack-up, so I was expecting a really knee-slapping kind of a toast. But, then he starts talking about how when he was a kid he loved the movie Peter Pan (the live-action one w/ Mary Martin – which is a totally great version, btw). And then he goes into this long description of the part where TinkerBell almost dies – and he actually starts crying just talking about it. Which makes all of us cry, of course. I can’t exactly remember how he worked it all out, but in the end he had us all clapping for Evan & Kelly the way kids over the generations have clapped for Tink. I’m telling you, it was the best Dad toast, ever!


Did I mention the adorable kids?



The happy couple enjoying the last dance of the day!

Before the afternoon ended, there was one shot that I HAD to get. I’d been dreaming of it since we visited the Faculty Club during Evan & Kelly’s engagement shoot. The club just has the best staircase, you see…



Evan & Kelly, it was such a wonderful day! You are surrounded by love, and it was an amazing thing to witness. Thank you for trusting me to be a part of your wedding. And thanks for sticking it out to the very end to get my dream shot :) I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you both over the past year – and I look forward to working together to design the perfect album to tell the story of your day! I hope you LOVE the photos!!

I LOVE Black & White film!!!!! That’s right, I said FILM!


OK, so those of you who know me, or who have at least met with me once about shooting your wedding, know that I started my photography career shooting black & white film. My first job in photography was for a phenomenal photographer, Steven E. Gross. At the time, Steven shoot ONLY black & white film – and so that’s what I did too. During the 4 years I worked at his studio, Real Life Weddings, we discovered that digital was not invented by the devil, but is in fact, good. So, we all began learning the art of digital photography – or better yet, the art of shooting digital and film at the same wedding. Steven still only shoots black & white film for weddings, and leaves the digital to his second shooting Assoicates – and you’ve got to love him for it! He knows film like the back of his hand, and he has surely perfected the craft. What’s more, he knows that there is NOTHING quite as lovely, as timeless, nor as archival as a black & white fiber base print made by hand in his darkroom. And for weddings, he believes that his clients deserve only the best!

Now, while I’m in complete agreement with Steven on the issue of film – I also love digital! Digital is so flexible, satisfies that instant gratification we all long for, and the quality has improved by leaps and bounds over the past 4-5 years. It’s pretty stinkin’ awesome, actually.

But, then there’s film… mmmmm, film…

So, all of my clients have the option of having some black & white film shot at their wedding. It’s quite a bit more expensive than digital these days, so it’s rare that I get to shoot it (not everyone cares about it the way I do). But, every once in a while, one of those couples come along that get it – they really get it! And recently, that couple came along…

Evan & Kelly sat down with me after their engagement session and showed me some old photographs of, and taken by, Kelly’s great-grandmother. As we flipped through the 70+ year-old photos, we all remarked at how perfectly beautiful they still were. How timeless and classic they felt. And Kelly & Evan decided that they had to have a little of the same from their wedding.

Well, their film came back from the lab the other day and I was SO EXCITED!!! So, even though their digital pics aren’t quite ready for sharing (instant gratification only works if you don’t actually edit the photos… darn digital!), I couldn’t wait another minute to share my favorites from their film! Are you ready??? :)

Here’s my favorite from my 35mm, Nikon F100… Doesn’t Kelly look gorgeous!?!


The week before the wedding, I picked up a new toy. Literally – I picked up a new toy camera! It’s called a Holga and I’ve always wanted one. Since they’re only like $20, it was about time for me to get one already :) But check out how cool the photos are! I’m so pumped!!!





And last, but not least, film from my favorite camera of all time – my Widelux! The Widelux is a true panoramic camera with a lens that rotates and captures 140 degrees. It takes photos that you just CANNOT get with digital! (A lot of people think you can just take a fisheye lens on a digital camera, crop it to pano to get the same effect, but it is NOT the same!!!!) Anywhoo, check ’em out!



Sometimes when I lay on the floor and take pictures like the one above at weddings, with my clunky old Widelux, people look at me like this…

But, it’s worth it! Check out the unique portraits you can get with it!


So, what do YOU think? Is it worth it? I guess you’d have to touch & feel a fiber base print to truly understand, but still…

Ok, I feel better now! Back to work everyone!

Jessica & Albert’s Wedding!

I love Jessica & Albert! Not only are they such a fun couple who love God with all their hearts, but Jessica is my all-time favorite blog-stalker! I mean, at least, she’s the one who leaves the most comments… If there are more of you stalkers out there – drop a comment and let me know you’re there!! ;) Seriously though, these two are awesome! We had a ton of fun at their engagement session, so I was really looking forward to their wedding day.

Jessica & Albert both got ready at Le Meridien Cambridge. Jessica was bright-eyed and ready for me as soon I got there :)


love the shoes


Can we talk about how cool the bed spreads are at Le Meridien??? It was originally The Hotel @ MIT – so everything’s all math-tastic :)


Making sure everything is in order


Albert & his parents, getting ready next door (shot by my assistant, Marie)


and killing time in the hallway with some of his groomsmen


Jessica’s sister and Maid of Honor, Joyce, helping with the jewelry


And looking on while Jessica reads a card from Albert


I loved this moment after Jessica put her dress on. She’d forgotten to put lotion on first, and so her Mom and Joyce did it for her. It was priceless.


And this is what’s great about having an assistant around. I usually bring assistants who are photo students, hoping to learn about wedding photography. I let them shoot when they have time, and then go over the images with them later. Well, Marie, captured this awesome shot of the same moment from across the room. I love it!


I love how these 3 shots go together! Jessica is looking down at her dress, while her Mom & Joyce are looking at her. Their expressions are so great!


Another thing I love about Jessica & Albert is that they did a First Look on their wedding day. A First Look is when the Bride & Groom see each other for the first time
before the ceremony. I usually set it up so that they can have an intimate moment “alone” to see one another, and to talk and enjoy that moment together without everyone else around. It’s so great because you get reactions that you just can’t get during the ceremony because they can’t really talk to one another during the ceremony. Plus, it gives us a chance to get portraits out of the way beforehand instead of afterwards when you’d rather be enjoying your reception! Anyway, here are the images… Oh, the expressions on Albert’s face! excitement, joy, tears, laughter – priceless!


We didn’t do a ton of portraits of the two of them that day. They really wanted their wedding to focus on the people in their lives, and we’re planning a Trash The Dress session for later this summer anyway where we can just focus on them. Here are some of my favorites from our time together, though…


After the First Look, we were off to
Harvard Memorial Church for the family portraits and the ceremony. Here’s Jessica praying before the wedding.


the big entrance


Albert’s parents during a moment of prayer


I have to admit, that this next shot was an accident. I was holding my flash next to me, forgetting that I still had it attached to the camera and when I took the picture it went off right next to the lens – and this is the result! Sometimes, accidents are fun!


At the end of the ceremony, Jessica’s Dad got up to give some announcements, but ended up giving a beautiful speech as well! He had everyone in tears (including me)


but coming down the aisle, they were all smiles!


After the ceremony, we got ALL of the guests together on the stairs outside the church for a big group shot!


I had everyone cheer for Jessica & Albert – and here’s the result. My favorite is Jessica’s Dad, in the front. Love it!


Then it was off to the reception at the
Hyatt Regency Cambridge


I love it when couples use the engagement photos at the wedding!


Jessica getting caught in the wind outside


And playing with the kids. Any surprise she’s a Sunday School Teacher?? I don’t know, it looks like she’s kinda uncomfortable with the little ones. I don’t think they like her much either… ;)


Most hilarious cake-cutting EVER! Albert gave her a humungous bite of cake – poor Jessica looked like she was going to choke! But, she stuffed his face too :)


Now, the reception was really like none I’ve ever seen. The majority of the reception was given over to Jessica & Albert’s friends and family. There were skits, songs, videos, and hilarious performances honoring (and roasting) the couple. It was so cool to see what their friends think of them, and how they feel about them, and to laugh along with them! They are SO loved!

And can I just say, that I can’t think of them now without singing “Chi-Pang, Chi-Pang” to myself in my head (to the tune of She Bangs)… maybe you had to be there…


Mixed in with the skits were some toasts by the wedding party. Once again, Jessica’s Dad had us all crying…


And then there was their one kiss of the day – at least that we all got to see ;) They do NOT like PDA (public displays of affection) and it took a room full of their friends banging their glasses and cheering to get them to kiss in public, but it worked! I am a bit proud of myself for capturing this. If I’d been a split second later, I would have missed it!


It was a really great day, and such a wonderful celebration of this beautiful couple!

Jessica & Albert – thank you again for having me! It’s been so great getting to know you and spending time with you over the last few months! I can’t wait for our TTD!!!