Jun
27
Just two weeks after photographing our David Tutera wedding at The Plaza, Dave popped back down to New York to photograph the decor of this fabulous wedding at Gotham Hall. It was all blossoms and sparkles and simply amazing details. And the food looked to die for.
When the guests first arrived, they were greeted by a security detail and serenaded by violinists.
They entered the Grand Ballroom of Gotham Hall to find their escort cards laid out on this beautiful table. Then took their seats for the ceremony behind it.
At the top of the entry, you see the full view of the ceremony space. The aisle lined with elegant floral arrangements on pedestals. But the Chuppah was simply out of this world. I love the view from the inside looking out. This is one canopy I would gladly start the rest of my life under, and for that matter spend the rest of my life under (assuming the flowers wouldn’t die).
And a close up…
And you can get the full awesomeness of the scene, as the bride takes her first steps done the aisle…
Another amazing aspect of this wedding was the food- the presentation was simply a work of art. The champagne was chilled in ice sculptures.
An array of sushi in every shape, size and color.
The bride and groom were Russian Jews so the food also needed to pay homage to their roots. Each guest received a rainbow of caviar at his seat.
And the piece d’resistance, the stunning cake designed by Sylvia Weinstock. The craftsmanship, technique and attention to detail that goes into her cakes are exemplary.
During the cocktail hour, the David Tutera team transformed the space from the ceremony arrangement you saw above to the reception arrangement below. I think they had just over an hour to get it all done.
They turned the Chuppah into a canopy for the sweetheart table. This is the bride and groom’s view (looking to the right) during the reception.
And another view (straight ahead), where they can see the dance floor.
Some of the tables were arranged in a criss-cross patern. In the center was this tall arrangement with roses, willow branches, and all kinds of flowers pouring out of the urn and the pedestal.
These displays of calla lillies, roses, and crystals were placed throughout the hall and reached way into the sky.
The whole look was stunning. A huge thank you to David Tutera and his team. We are so thrilled that we could be a part of this beautiful design and capture these images for you.
Want to see more? Check out the slideshow.
Jun
24
The more I think back to Michael and Sara’s wedding the more I realize this was a day that completely spoke to the essense of who these two fabulous people are. It was absolutely a day about love, fun, family and friends. It spoke to their passion for each other, for dance, for laughter, and for the earth. And it was beautiful.
When last I left off, we had just started the ceremony. They held their ceremony under a huppah on the lawn of Kennolyn in the Santa Cruz Mountains, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. They had an amazingly clear blue sky and perfect temperatures. You could not have asked for a better day. The scene was set…
Before Sara and Michael took their places beneath the huppah, they circled each other according to Jewish custom.
After the ceremony (which included some beautiful tearful moments), they were all smiles.
And they really couldn’t stop smiling during their portrait session.
Except when we made them, but it was hard.
The reception got kicked off with a few speeches. Sara’s step-dad must have spent hours putting his together. It was absolutely hysterical.
And it was followed by a not-so-improvised version of Do-Run-Run, a favorite improv song game, by two of Michael’s compadres from Chicken Scratch. These guys are hilarious.
Perhaps my favorite image from the day. I love the warmth and engagement as everyone checks out the rings- the physical sign that Mike and Sara are actually married.
Michael and Sara are swing dancers, so what better way to start off the dancing party than a fast-paced swing.
And in case, you can’t tell how fast they are moving. Their feet were a blur.
The horah soon followed. I always love the horah. But I have to say this was a first. This little boy was so cute and sweet all day. And just to cap off his adorableness, he "helped" hold up Sara’s chair.
I am not exactly sure how Michael ended up with this camera, but so he did. And Dave thought it was funny so grabbed this photo of him.
I thought it was funny that they were taking pictures of each other at the same time, with a group of people in between and took this one.
Now we just need to see the photo that Michael took with whomever’s camera he is holding. If that’s your camera, please share the image with us. We would love to see Mike’s perspective.
And just to give you one last hint of their amazing day, check out this sunset. What a gorgeous evening!
First, I want to say a HUGE thank you to Sara and Michael- you guys are fabulous. You made our job so easy. And then you invited us to kick back and enjoy the party. We are so glad we got to dance with you guys! And the cake, so yummy. Thank you.
And also many thanks to all of the professionals who helped to make their day so amazing….
Carrie and her fabulous staff at Kennolyn in Soquel
Amanda Sealy from Laughing Gal Floral for the stunning floral design
Shawn Kressal for his beautiful guitar playing during the ceremony
David Mitby and the crew from Sinister Dexter- the amazing band
Also want to note the fabulous folks who helped with Sara and Michael’s look for the day:
Hair: Katwalk Salon
Sara’s Wedding Dress: Impression
Bridesmaids’ dresses: WToo by Watters
Groom’s attire: Calvin Klein
Groomsmen’s attire: Selix
If you want to see more from Sara and Mike’s Northern California green wedding, check out their sneak preview and slideshow.
Jun
20
We met Leah and Dave a couple years ago at Emily and Mark’s wedding. In fact, you may notice a resemblance between our groom-to-be and our groom-that-was- Dave and Mark are twins. So when Leah contacted us about photographing her wedding to Dave, we were super excited. We already knew and loved his side of the family and were eager to get to know hers as well.
We had a fabulous outing a couple weeks ago to photograph their engagement portraits. I don’t know how they managed it, but you couldn’t have asked for a better evening. Perfect temperature and just overcast enough to give us unlimited photographic options. We met up at their home in Sacramento, then hopped in their car and drove to this fabulous old fort. The grounds were beautiful, and the buildings had tons of character. An excellent location!
Look how cute they are all wrapped up in each other.
Of course, spending some time together this way also allowed us to get to know Dave and Leah a bit better. They are both easy-going and fun to hang out with. I love this shot of their shoes, because their personal style says so much about them. Dave has to dress up for work in the commercial real estate industry, but is totally casual in his personal life. Leah teaches high school math. She’s obviously smart, gorgeous, hip, and she has a great sense of style. I am sure all of her young male students have a huge crush on her and her young female students can’t help but admire her.
Leah and Dave love their neighborhood. It really is a gem of Sacramento- tree lined streets and beautiful homes. They spend a lot of time walking these streets so we wanted to highlight that a bit.
Afterwards, we all headed over to their local taqueria for a delicious Mexican meal. One word- yum. What an awesome treat- thanks, guys!
We can’t wait for their fall wedding at Wine & Roses in Lodi. It’s going to be amazing. And we are looking forward to seeing Dave and Leah at his sister Lauren’s wedding in Carmel Valley this summer. I am so glad we can celebrate with them on two fabulous occasions this year.
If you want to see more from this session, definitely check out their slideshow.
Jun
15
Welcome home, Lisa and Scott!
They just returned from what looks like an amazing honeymoon in Paris and Morocco. Gotta love Facebook, cause it allowed me to see pix from their grand adventures. Now, I can’t wait to hear the stories. For now, I will focus on sharing the photos from their beautiful wedding at the Hyatt Regency in Boston.
In my last post, we saw images from the getting ready to the portraits in the Public Gardens through their tea ceremony and western ceremony. Everything was perfect. The music throughout their celebration set the right tone. We went from classical string quartet to jazz to Lion Dance drummers to an all round great band and then DJ. Clearly music was important to Scott and Lisa and it definitely brought another layer of magic to their day.
The Lion Dancers kicked off the reception. It was so much fun. The colors and movement are certainly a site to see. They definitely brought smiles of joy and excitement when they entered the ballroom.
Dinner followed their entrance. And Scott steals a quiet moment with Lisa. So sweet!
Their first dance…
The speeches were awesome. I already knew Scott and Lisa were perfect together, but then I learned why their friends thought so as well. Turns out they both dream big. When Scott was in elementary school and all of his friends wanted to be a fireman, he had aspirations of being a CEO. Too cute! Lisa had similarly lofty goals. And each of them is making their dent on the world now, Scott just graduated and will be a praciticing doctor. Congrats, Scott! And Lisa is a lawyer helping people with their estate planning. The other piece that impressed me is how much they both value their friends. You can totally see how they all adore each other. And both Lisa and Scott have known their best friends since they were in grade school.
Then there was even more fun. The cake cutting and, even more importantly, the tasting.
The horah- this was one of the events Lisa was really looking forward to. Looks like it was a blast.
And then lots more partying. Don’t worry all these peeps are doctors, so if they drop Scott, they can take care of him.
Sneaking a few more romantic moments at the end of the evening….
What an all around amazing day! We are so grateful that we could be a part of it. Lisa and Scott, thank you so much for choosing us.
And a huge thank you to all the professionals who added their expertise and talent to create such a fabulous event:
Jennifer Nicholson and the incomparable crew at the Hyatt Regency in Boston
Teresa Fung of Mimosa for her floral design
Paul Therrien of Boston Uplights
Montilio’s for the wedding cake
Greg Capozzi and the talented jazz musicians of CZONE
Christopher Vuk and the exceptional string ensemble of Boston String Ensemble
The Gund Kowk Chinese Lion Dance Troupe
Also want to note the fabulous folks who helped with Lisa and Scott’s look for the day:
Hair: Lypor Leung
Make-up: Katrina Hess
Lisa’s Wedding Dress: Kenneth Poole
Bridesmaids’ dresses: BCBG
Groom and groomsmen’s attire: Joseph Abboud
And a shout out to those who helped with all of the paper products:
Invitations: Cartier
Save the Dates: Etsy.com
All other stationary: lots of hard work by DIYers Scott and Lisa
If you want to see more from Scott and Lisa’s Boston wedding, check out their engagement session, sneak preview and slideshow.
Jun
10
Sara and Mike are just about the funniest couple alive. Seriously, they have the best sense of humors (or is it senses of humor?). We couldn’t wait for their wedding, because we knew we would be laughing and smiling all day long.
Here’s my favorite humorous moment from the bedecken. Sara’s checking out Mike to make sure he’s the right guy. Turns out he is.
What I didn’t count on, was the tears they would bring to my eyes.
During their ketubah signing ceremony, the Rabbi allowed for them to share some thoughts with each other. They were so tender and honest with each other.
And the way Mike looks at Sara simply melts my heart.
Here Mike is ensuring that Sara is indeed Sara. When I look at this image, I somehow make the same expression that Sara does. I can’t help it. Quivery happiness all over.
Alas, I have gotten ahead of myself. So allow me to take a step back.
I have known Mike for several years; we met while performing in a comedy improv group- Blue Blanket Improv- in California. Mike has since moved on and even started his own- Chicken Scratch Improv. And Dave knew Mike from their swing dancing days. We met Sara (and puppy Oscar) last fall and were instantly enamored. Mike and Sara are absolutely perfect together, and perfect parents for Oscar. When they chose us to photograph their wedding at Kennolyn near Santa Cruz, we started counting down the days.
We started off – me with Sara as she and her bridesmaids were getting ready and Dave with the handsome groom…
and his Entourage,
which included his adorable nephew. Precious missing teeth!
The guys have it a lot easier. Here, the women getting ready…Sara almost in her dress.
And a nod to Sara’s fabulous shoulders and back. She is a triathelete and spends tons of time in the pool. The pay-off is clear.
Just before the boys joined the girls for the ketubah signing, Sara and her beautiful little flower girl compared dresses.
Mike arrives. And Sara welcomes him in.
The Rabbi in the background. Flower girl, apparently, not so interested in that.
Then we head over for the ceremony under the huppah.
And Sara walks down the aisle with her mom…
I can’t wait to share more and there will definitely be lots, lots more. Of course, more from the reception, but I will also be sharing about the flowers. They were amazing! Bouquets and bouttonieres galore by Laughin’ Gal Floral. Definitely check back soon!
Jun
06
You may recall a couple weeks ago we shared a sneak preview from Shelley and Andreas’ engagement session. Last night, we hosted the fabulous duo and Shelley’s dad for their premiere. So much fun! Shelley and Andreas, we already knew, are friendly, warm and adorable together. But Shelley’s dad is equally great- he is so enthusiastic and genuine. Now I really can’t wait for their wedding at the Wang when we get to meet the rest of the crew!
Of course, now that Shelley and Andreas have had a chance to check out the photos. We can share them with you.
When last I wrote, I shared the Sacco’s bowling alley portion of the shoot.
In keeping with our retro theme, we headed over to the Rosebud Diner also in Somerville. We had hoped for at least one shot of the two sharing a milk shake- classic, no? Alas, this diner doesn’t have ice cream and therefore no milkshakes. We were all bummed, but still found ways to enjoy the space, inside and out.
Then walking about town, we happned to pass by Redbones BBQ and saw this fabulous red vintage truck.
Finally, we finished off our session in front of a modern wall. Dave and I have been wanting to create a composite image like the one above, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to do it. I also wanted to play with the lensbaby a bit.
We all were having such a great time, we decided to put away the cameras and grab a bite to eat. Redbones BBQ was calling- yum! yum!
Coming soon- the amazing slideshow Dave put together to show off Shelley and Andrea’s images. We will post the link on our Facebook fan page. So definitely become a fan to find out when!
Jun
04
We have had a whirlwind start to wedding season and we are so excited to start sharing the images from these fabulous celebrations. Lisa and Scott were our opening duo. And what an amazing way to kick things off!
We met Lisa and Scott a little over a year ago and learned a bit more when we met up with them last summer. Their wedding plans were so exciting. Lisa is Chinese so they wanted to make sure to honor her family traditions with a tea ceremony and lion dancers. And Scott is Jewish; they chose to honor his heritage with the glass stomping tradition as well as the horah. This mix was pleasantly familiar to Dave and I. We could completely understand Lisa’s excitement for the Hora and Scott’s for the lion dancers.
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Jun
02
A few weeks back, Dave and I met up with Leigh Ann at the Museum of Science for a tour of their unique and memorable event spaces. I have been to the Museum a few times; the last was a visit in the late 90′s with college friends. I remember us all laughing and frollicking endlessly up and down the musical stairs. I have tons of fond memories of this museum, all of them include smiling, excitement, and energy. Those are the same ideas that come to mind when I think of a celebration. It seems a perfect spot for the young at heart to celebrate their wedding. Or for those who have a passion for science. Or who simply want something that is truly one of a kind.
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