Chrissa & Daniel

I'm shockingly tardy in posting this, so without further ado...

Perhaps you'll recall Chrissa and Daniel from this post. They were married on May 5th at the Codman House in Lincoln, MA, which is a fantastic venue! Their caterer was amazing, and the Codman House's coordinator, Nancy, was friendly and helpful.

And of course, the day was gorgeous--sunny and clear.

Chrissa had some very normal wedding-day last-minute things pop up, so she was running a bit late. She arrived and told me she was feeling kind of stressed...but I tell you no lie--no one would have ever guessed it! She looked calm, peaceful, and so lovely. I adore that flower in her hair.



I overheard one of her guests telling her later in the day, "someone told me this on my wedding day, and I wish I'd thought to tell you--something WILL go wrong, but it WILL be ok. and you WILL still get married." And now I pass this sage bit of advice along to all of you--expect the unexpected, keep your "eyes on the prize"--getting married!, and all the little stuff will stay in perspective.


I like the expectation in her body language...she's waiting to go out and join her groom at the altar.


The groom's mother looks on as Daniel and Chrissa share a laugh at the altar.









the groomsmen were kind of rockstars...

I was so excited about Chrissa and Daniel's wedding because they said they might have CROQUET. They didn't disappoint. Then she cracked me up with her satire on being a bridezilla...she decided she was going to claim "bride's right" and requested the red croquet ball for photos. Gotta love a bride whose wedding day demands only went so far as to specify her desired color for lawn game accoutrements.




Even the rockstar guys got in on the fun.
(No groomsmen were injured in the taking of this photograph.)


I just LOVE how everyone is kind of doing their own thing. Chrissa and Daniel's friends and family knew how to have a good time. They were lots of fun to photograph.








The new husband and wife did get to steal a few quiet moments alone during the day.

And last but not least, my favorite image from the day:
(The rest of my favorites are here.)

Chrissa and Daniel--Thanks for being so much fun and having such great friends. I had a blast.

Arrrrrr!

This past weekend I went down to Rhode Island for my friend's birthday. She...well, she loves pirates. a LOT. and Newport was having a pirate festival, so we all pirated-up and sailed on down.

Even as a pirate, I have a camera. It's my role on deck, you could say.

Also, I only included this one because I didn't want anyone to mutiny...

Some of them were QUITE committed to achieving that piratey look.

The pirate-loving friend has a tiny, wee baby...who dressed up w/ grandma to be pirate wench and mini-me pirate wench...it was rather darling.

What pirate weekend would be complete without a hanging in the town square?

Captain Jack didn't lose any sleep over it, though.

her costume was really unbelievable...(this is captain jack wishing he had a bit more rum.)

I love how this looks like a piratey-band cd cover.

after the festival, we were going to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, or...whatever it's called. The theatre was having a costume contest, so she wanted to be Elizabeth Swan when she had to go swimming in her nightgown.

And she somehow made it look kind hot, right?

This may be my favorite of the little mini-shoot we did at the beach.

I'm so glad I have friends who will do what I say for photos...

"climb a tree", "go in the ocean...in your nightgown. and sit on the rock", "let me tie this scarf around your neck and pretend to hang you."

Good times.

for anyone who really, really loves pirates, you can see the rest of the photos here.

the stars aligned...

last Tuesday, I had the most amazing engagement session ever. Everything was perfect. And I am so addicted to the internet, that I was mentally composing this post to share it with you as I was taking the photos.

Ben and Aimee are some friends from church whose wedding I will be photographing in September. They weren't super concerned with engagement photos, but I insisted. We decided to meet at a central location and go together in one car...when I saw them, I'm not going to lie-I jumped up and down a little. They looked that good. From that moment on, it just got better. Ben turned on the music, and in amazement, I asked, "is this Brave Saint Saturn?" "Yes." "SHUT UP!" He was playing one of my all-time favorite bands...that about 4 other people in the world have heard of.

It was the perfect time of day, just before twilight, so there was plenty of that muted shade, and patches where the soft, golden sunlight spilled over and illuminated their sweet kisses. We went to downtown Portsmouth, which is quite possibly my favorite place in the United States. They were up for anything and really got into it. As we walked around, Ben would say, "oh, I like these stairs...let's do some here!" and "can we do one in front of this door?"



There was never a moment where they didn't want to do something I asked because they'd feel silly...their commitment and comfort totally showed in the photos. Which I'm getting to...I promise.

It would be hard to pick a highlight from such an amazing session, but if I had to, it would be a toss-up between these two:

We were in Prescott Park (don't miss it if you're in Portsmouth!) next to some blossoming trees. There were a couple of teenage guys nearby, and in a sudden flash of inspiration, I approached them, "Hey guys, could you do me a favor?"

"yeah, sorry--we'll move!"

"No, you're not in the way...just, could you guys stand off-camera and shake the branches so that the petals will fall on them?" And those two beautiful men smiled and created a petal shower. Magic.

A little later, we found a brimming-with-character brick alleyway with a blossoming canopy. Of course I needed the correct perspective...which required climbing a tree. I asked them, "If I die, will you take me to the hospital?"

"No. If you die we'll bury you. If you fall we'll take you to the hospital."

Thanks guys--it was a great time. I can't wait till September!

best yet

Like any normal person, I love compliments. I always enjoy it when guests tell me, "you're doing a great job!" (I do, however, wonder how they can tell? I always figured the "proof was in the pudding", but I'm not about to turn up my nose at a compliment, so I always thank them and feel buoyed by their praise.)

My favourite compliment yet, though, came from the crazy dancer at Sarah and David's wedding this past Saturday. (Seriously--guy had some MOVES.) He grinned at me and said, "I like you--you get into your work. Kneeling, laying on the floor..." Yes, dancing king, I do get into my work. I love what I do...

also, confession (shhh, don't tell anyone): I like the cliche wedding dance music. There's something comforting and familiar about hearing the same songs over and over...they're like friends that invite you to let your hair down and get your groove on...

And yes...I am that girl in black on the corner of the dance floor trying to somehow stay still so I get my shots...and shake a little to the beat. :-D

who's your daddy?

So, I am a total daddy's girl...and I just read Emilie Sommer's (of Emilie, Inc Photography) blog, and I love her idea so much I'm going to "borrow" it...

Send me an email (gwynethcolleenphotography @ yahoo . com) before May 31st (that's only a couple weeks away!) telling me why your dad is the best (mums with young kids--you can write their entries for them. I won't tell. And be creative--this doesn't have to be a story about how when you were 14 you broke both your legs and an arm and had to walk uphill both ways in the snow, barefoot-except you couldn't because you had to keep the casts dry-so he carried you to school everyday...just tell me the things you love most about him. Though, if you did, in fact, break both legs and an arm and have to be carried to school everyday when you were 14...go ahead, tell me what a great support he was to you!)

The winning entry will receive a complimentary photo session--could be you and dad, your kids and your dad, or your entire family. (This session will not necessarily take place prior to Father's day. Additionally, clients farther than 35 miles may be scheduled to coincide with my travels closer to their area.)

I'll leave you with a story about me and my dad. It's just me and my sister, so I think sometimes I was the "son" he never had, given my tomboyish tendencies. When I was about 8, we were doing yardwork, and dad had a rake handle. He told me to "pitch" him a racquetball. Dad played in a softball league, so he was pretty good at the whole batting thing. So good, in fact, that he hit a line drive right up the center. I, however, am a far better fielder than he was expecting. I stopped that ball with the middle of my forehead. I think he felt pretty bad, but I got him back a few years later when we'd swapped positions. He was pitching a softball to me, and I hit a low line drive right into the top of his foot. I don't know about you, but I'd rather get a racquetball in the forehead than a softball (off a heavy aluminum bat) on the arch of my foot!

fabulous couples and...target?

so, first I have to tell you: did you know that Target is now selling wedding dresses? yeah. That's what I said, too. It's kind of hilarious, but the dresses are actually not hideous.

Also...I just heard from my June 16th couple-Halida and Jeff, and I have to say that they are the kind of couple I dream about! Their details are just absolutely fabulous. They're getting married in Maine, and they've chartered a ferry to take all their guests on a harbor tour before going to the ceremony site. Also, they're pretty environmentally aware, so the favors are coiled flourescent lightbulbs...so great.

So, just know that when you're making those detail decisions for your wedding, and you buck tradition in favor of something that's more "you"...there's a photographer out there who is vicariously delighted.

more of the gorgeous ones

I promised I'd post more of these two...and I have no excuse for why I haven't. They were so very, very lovely, in appearance and manner. They had placecards and a table for all of the vendors and asked us to join them for an absolutely DELICIOUS dinner!




as we were leaving the hotel to go do portraits in the gardens, these rowdy Yankees fans in town for the Yankees-Red Sox game thrust their disposable camera in my hand and went to pose with the bride and groom...who good naturedly laughed along. They were all set to take off after I snapped their shot for them...but I wasn't about to let them off that easy! I take one for them...they stay put while I take one for me!


I would comment on how much I like the colors in this shot...If I could tear my eyes away from that look on her face!



they both grew up overseas where the attitude toward public displays of affection is a little bit different than it is here. Still they were such great sports all day...especially at the reception when guests tend to get a little ding-ding-ding on the glass happy.


heart.


I'll leave you with what is, I think, my second favorite image from the day. (I have a "thing" for doors.)

Danna & Shinji-I wish you all the best. You're both so very lovely, and it was an honor to be part of your day.