ceremony Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Krista Photography Blog

Posted on July 7, 2009December 4, 2009 by Krista Guenin · 6 Comments

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 :)

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!

Posted on September 30, 2008February 8, 2010 by Krista Guenin · 8 Comments

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!!

Posted on August 1, 2008August 25, 2009 by Krista Guenin · 5 Comments

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!

Posted on July 31, 2008August 25, 2009 by Krista Guenin · 9 Comments

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!!!