Jul
31
When last I wrote about Marla and Shawn’s destination wedding, I left off with the portraits. We actually had 3 different opportunities to capture images of our couple and their crew- before the wedding, immediately following the ceremony, and then during the reception when this fabulous vintage vehicle arrived on the scene.
I will get to a few more with the car later, but first it’s time for dinner. Hans Fahden has it all- those gorgeous gardens for the outdoor ceremony, the airy tea house for cocktails, and the wine cave for an elegant dinner. Marla chose to deck out the space with tall candelabras, tea lights in red glassware, and varied stemware. It looked amazingly elegant.
Before dinner, Marla’s father led a prayer.
Speeches followed soon after. Marla’s maid of honor/sister/the-person-who-introduced-Marla-to-Shawn was quite a hit. She had a list literally a mile long of advice for Shawn. Too funny!
Dinner was thoroughly enjoyed with great food and laughter.
But when the car arrived, we had to take a few photos. Here’s the whole gang…
Shawn’s girls were so cute. They played driver and drivee. They hopped in and out of the front seat and back seat, not once using the doors. It was clearly the best playground ever. Having so much fun, they were plenty happy to pose for a few peaking out the window.
We took Marla and Shawn down to the vineyard for a few portraits alone. On the way down, Dave got to ride with them. On the way back, I got to ride with them. And Dave captured this quintessential image.
We returned to the party for some serious dancing, kicked off by the happy couple’s first dance. What a beautiful embrace!
I just had to share one last image. In the sneak preview, I included the full color version of this moment from the ceremony. But Dave had worked it up with an alternate look as well. We use this technique, which is generally referred to as selective color, only occasionally, but sometimes it makes a real impact in a beautiful way. I love the choice for this image because the moment- a moment of prayer during the ceremony- is larger than life. For me, the variation in tonality gives a Greater Being a truer presence. You feel a difference.
If you want to see more, check out their Sneak Preview and their slideshow. And check back because Marla and Shawn’s Rock the Dress session is on its way.
Jul
29
I know it has been a great day when I have finished shooting two amazing engagement sessions with two absolutely fabulous couples and each one is completely different. First up is our wonderful duo Angie and Mike. Angie and Mike found us through their colleagues and friends, Hilary and Scott (who happen to be celebrating their anniversary today- Happy Anniversary!). But this was our first chance to meet Angie and Mike in person, having communicated via phone and email prior, and we were so excited.
Both Angie and Mike came to San Francisco from other parts of the country and now they can’t imagine living anywhere else. San Francisco can do that to you. They live between Dolores Park and the Castro and absolutely love the Mission, so of course, we stayed close to home during this truly San Francisco shoot. They brought us to some of their favorite haunts. We even took a few in and around their house, their first home together.
Our first stop, the top of the hill at Dolores Park. It never ceases to amaze me the varied views one can get of this city with so many hills.
As we wandered through the park, we came across a grove of palm trees. The light was soft and inviting so we stayed for a bit.
You can start to get a sense of how absolutely sweet Angie and Mike are together. I love their smiles in the next two.
Mike found Java Supreme first, but introduced Angie to the cafe soon after. It had been a while since they had been back. They know the owner by name and were excited to share the news of their engagement with him. We sat down and chatted for a few minutes while they each had a drink. I popped outside to capture this image.
What would a shoot in the mission be without the murals? Angie and Mike brought us to the Mission Pool for this bright and colorful one.
A little street life …
on the way to this mural of San Francisco through time…
Special note, the shoes=very, very cool!
We went back to their place to try to capture a few with their kittens, one of whom cooperated for a couple of seconds, and then saw these great books. Insta-photo props!
What a great morning we had! Huge thank you’s to Angie and Mike for taking us on a great tour of your ‘hood and for showing Dave the Man Cave of his dreams. I am still hearing about how awesome the Transformer Collection is- who knew?! Can’t wait to see you guys again in a couple of months. Your bonfire & burritos on Ocean Beach "rehearsal dinner" and your wedding at the Fort Mason Officer’s Club are going to be amazingly fun.
Want to see more? Check out their slideshow.
Jul
23
Marla and Shawn- what a couple! We had so much fun at their wedding. This was truly a destination wedding. Everyone came to Northern California from Texas and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine of wine country the week before the wedding. Of course, that meant that everyone was in great spirits throughout the day. On top of that, it is clear how perfect Marla and Shawn are for each other. Their day was not only a testament to their love, but also a celebration of family!
When Shawn proposed, he pulled all the stops, recreating their first date in style. Marla was truly surprised, but didn’t hesitate. She answered with a resounding, “Absolutely!” You can just imagine the cheers.
Marla and Shawn chose to get married at Hans Fahden, one of our favorite wine country venues. They had the best weather, perfect temps and clear skies with fun streaks of clouds. The kind of clouds you almost never see in California. Plus Hans Fahden was all abloom with pinks and oranges and whites. The setting was idyllic.
Marla prepped in the bridal suite surrounded by her closest friends, her sister, her mother, and her grandmother. There was lots of laughter, and suprisingly very little nervousness. Marla seemed so calm.
Before the ceremony, we took a few portraits in the gardens. Isn’t she stunning? When I captured this, I was completely entranced by her eyes. No wonder Shawn adores her.
Here’s the 3 generations of ladies. You can totally see the family resemblance in their smiles.
Marla hid up in the bridal room while we captured a few of Shawn with his family. These are his two darling little girls. They were so good throughout the day. And you could tell they completely adore both Marla and Shawn.
The ceremony took place overlooking the pond. With under 80 guests, it was truly intimate. Marla’s dad shared a special reading for them. And other family and friends created the music.
I can’t get over how sweet Shawn is. That smile is for his daughter. Melts my heart.
Another important element of the ceremony was their faith. Their connection to each other is enhanced by their religious beliefs. They definitely found ways to make the ceremony reflect their spirituality.
Marla and Shawn not only care about each other, they care for each other. You can see it in every gesture- a deep tenderness, appreciation, and love.
The final element to their ceremony was a special ritual designed to include Shawn’s two girls. Marla and Shawn presented each girl with a special medallion which symbolized their importance in the family. After the ceremony, we asked the girls to show us their necklaces. The necklace is really beautiful, but I think my favorite part of this image is the nail polish. So precious!
And just to give you a sense of what’s to come. One portrait with Marla and Shawn in the Hans Fahden gardens!
I can’t wait to share more. Not only did they have this amazing wedding day, but we got together with them again after their wedding to do a Newlywed/ Rock the Dress session. So there will be lots more amazing photos to see.
Jul
16
Oh me, oh my! We are so excited. Can you tell? So many exclamation marks and lots of jumping up and down in the Allegro Studio. Why? We were just selected as finalists in the Wedding Channel’s blog awards. We are up for both the Best Wedding Photography Blog.
Amazing. There were over 200 nominations. And we’re in the top 5 for Wedding Photography Blogs. Now it’s your chance to add your vote to the mix. You don’t need to sign up- the first vote literally takes 5 seconds. And they actually encourage you to vote multiple times.
So go on… you know you want to.
Click the mouse here and show your love for Allegro Photography. Voting ends on July 21. So don’t delay.
And then, go on back and do it again…. and again…. and just for the heck of it vote a few more times.
And feel free to spread the love and encourage friends and family to vote as well. The more the merrier!
Click here, scroll down, vote Allegro Photography, and click submit for Best Wedding Photography Blog!
Thank you so much for your support! Okay, I promise I will calm down.
Jul
15
Lisa and Scott really did a fabulous job pulling together so many details for their Boston wedding. They wanted to celebrate and honor their family traditions- both Jewish and Chinese- as well as add their personality to the day.
They were both really excited about the argyle socks for the boys. Note the purple diamond in the mix, one of their colors.
Check out Lisa’s dress- sparkly gorgeousness. Lisa fell in love with the dress for its own merits, but also enjoyed the fact that it was designed by the Project Runway winner Kenneth Pool because she loves the show.
Lisa and Scott poured their heart and souls into the paper products. They did a great job creating a consistant feel using their colors of aubergine, eggplant and fuchsia.
The program…
The reception table seating cards…
The labels for the candy take-away boxes…
The labels for the gift bags for guests staying at the hotel…
Her invitation suite was purchased through Cartier. Love the simple elegance of it.
Lisa and Scott had seen our engagement sign-in album when we first met them at the bridal show. They later selected to have us create their guest book from their New York City engagement session. The images were great; I am glad they chose to use them in this way.
One of the most exciting details of the wedding was all of the music. Jazz musicians of CZONE performed during the cocktail hour and during the reception.
And the lion dancers of Gund Kwok kicked off the reception with pomp and circumstance.
If you would like to see more details from Lisa and Scott’s wedding at the Boston Hyatt, check out their flowers and food.
And still want more? Check out their engagement session, sneak peak, the scoop, and their slideshow.
Jul
12
Fabulous news! We had four full-page photos published in Gala Weddings Magazine. We received the proof and the magazine, and it looks great!
The magazine focuses on the New England region and the brides and grooms who get married in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Most of our images are from Becky and Danny’s wedding last summer. They were married at the Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport.
Here’s Danny looking over his vows before he walks down the aisle…
And here’s Becky with her Dad walking towards the ceremony on the lawn.
The used this one from their portrait session as the lead image for their RI section.
And this one is from Ariana and Jesse’s wedding, used for their lead photo in the VT section.
Then they sprinkled a few more smaller images throughout. The bouquets and table arrangements in this spread are both ours from Becky and Danny’s Newport wedding.
And the mooncake is ours in this inspiration spread of citrus colors; it’s from Krista and Andy’s wedding.
If you want to see more from Becky and Danny’s RI wedding, check out their sneak peak, the scoop, their CT bbq, the details, and the slideshow.
If you want to see more from Ariana and Jesse’s Tilden Park wedding, check out their sneak peak, scoop, and slideshow.
If you want to see more from Krista and Andy’s Hakone Gardens and Decathlon Club wedding, check out their scoop part 1, scoop part 2, details, and slideshow.
Jul
11
This past year we joined the New England Chapter of NACE, National Association of Catering Executives, and it has been such a fabulous way to meet other professionals in the events industry. Each month we get together at one of the member venues and enjoy a time to connect and network. We eat, we drink, we talk.
Typcially we get to enjoy good music and great company. Sometimes there is a special program.
We started our evening in the Huntington Room.
The Westin put together an amazing spread. Salmon eggs with passion fruit juice below.
Melon and mint soup/cocktail. Refreshing.
Jeri created some beautiful floral centerpieces. I love the wheat grass at the base of these gerbera daisies.
I had never been in the Huntington Room and it was a great space for this type of cocktail party. Of course, Dave and I loved the natural light from all of the windows (to the right).
Teal from Art of the Event enjoying herself.
Whit Wales captured the video for the event. So we had to capture Whit’s signature bowtie.
Abby of Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Peaches by Plums fame. You may recall that Abby did the flowers for one of our opening celebrations. She is amazingly talented.
Naomi from Generations Cinemastories chats with Ashley of the Fairmont Battery Wharf.
Teresa, left, with her partner in crime, created the amazing floral designs from Lisa and Scott’s wedding (read the floral story). It was great to catch up with the Mimosa team again.
As members, we also have the opportunity to sponsor an event. Dave and I did so for the June event at the Westin in Copley Place. This was a great opportunity to capture what a NACE event is like. And this particular month was focused on green initiatives. A matter near and dear to my heart. So I share with you a few of my favorite images from meeting portion of the event….
Lyndsay from the Fairmont Copley Plaza makes introductions.
We hear a bit from the engineering team of the Westin. They have won all kinds of awards for their green practices.
And then Gayle from Art of the Event shares about green trends in event planning.
When the program is over, we are treated to an absolutely phenomenal chocolate dessert bar. Let’s just say I had more than one.
A special thanks to all of the sponsors who helped make it a wonderful evening:
Venue and Catering: Will Krupp and his crew at the Westin
Flowers: Jeri Solomon Floral Design
Videography: Whit Wales
Entertainment: Ahronian Productions
Table cloths: Festive Occasions
Bar and podium rentals: Art of the Event
If you want to see more, check out the video Whit created.
Jul
09
You’ve read the stories from Lisa and Scott’s wedding and you’ve seen Mimosa‘s amazing floral design. Now it’s time to talk food. Makes my mouth water just thinking about all the delights cooked up by the catering staff at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Boston along with a little help from Montilio’s and Lisa and Scott’s DIY candy bar.
First there was the cocktail hour, complete with sushi, a saute station and carving station. Guests were wowed by all the delicious offerings, especially the ones prepared right before their eyes.
Once the guests were seated. They received this gorgeous shrimp cocktail.
Then a beautiful salad.
The dinner concluded with a succulent Surf and Turf of lobster tail and steak.
But dessert was not far behind. The cake cutting soon followed.
And then the staff rolled out the candy bar. Guests had a blast filling up their gift boxes with all sorts of yummies.
All this talk of candy and chocolate and sweets, oh my! I need to go find a snack.
Jul
07
Really exciting news- Allison and Adam’s wedding was just published in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons magazine. The mag recently hit the stands, and it looks awesome.
You can actually catch a sneak peak here.
Read More»
Jul
04
"So much fun!" That’s how I would describe our stint on the other side of the camera. Dave and I feel like it is hugely important for us to remind ourselves what it is like being photographed by a pro. And the learning involved? Let me just tell you there was lots. Love it.
We were very fortunate to coordinate with Doug Levy, a peer of ours in the Boston area. Doug is an extraordinarily talented, self-taught photographer who plays with light (particularly off-camera flash) in all sorts of interesting ways. Not only did we get the fabulous images below, we also had the opportunity to work with Doug as his clients and get a sense of how he works. It was an awesome afternoon.
We started off at Lake Cochituate. My very favorite image from the session…
Check out my hotty husband.
We did this take about 10 times. Max was not particularly cooperative, and Doug was even encouraging him to lick the lens. It was pretty funny.
Max not cooperating again. I think I am actually holding him in place. And he looks like a petulent teenager. But nice to have a pic with just me and him nonetheless.
This guy was just playing his sax in this little picnic pavilion. Apparently he goes there everyday to practice and then performs most nights in Framingham. It was such a treat.
Doug was really excited to help us use our kayak membership at Charles River Canoe and Kayak. We headed over to their Newton location. The currents weren’t really working in our favor here and neither was all the weight being in the back of the canoe. But Dave managed to get us close to where Doug wanted us.
I like the feeling of isolation of this one
and how you can see Doug’s feet in this one.
And last, but definitely not least, another personal favorite of mine. Colorful kayaks are fabuous. And it totally looks like we are on a date. 
We are so very thankful that Doug agreed to work with us. And we can’t wait to return the favor when he gets back from touring as an umpire in the minor leagues- his totally cool other job. It will be great to work with Doug and his girlfriend Jess from behind the camera.
If you want to check out the whole set, you can view the slideshow.
