It is spring. A short paddle on the Charles River made it official.

The true color of the sky.

The swan whose wings hummed.

The concept behind this collection: A time of transition- on the cusp of spring, but still with a hint of winter.

Here’s a few pages from Dave’s Chapter in the book. Yup, a whole chapter. Did I mention I was proud? He photographed Christina and Ed’s Mexican dream wedding. They had initally planned a destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico, but had to change their plans suddenly. With no time whatsoever, they were at a loss. David Tutera created a stunning Latin inspired wedding in Staten Island. They were even able to wed on the beach. Amazing!

And now a few details that actually aren’t in the book for those who want more.

Christina’s dress was one of the first from the David Tutera by Faviana bridal collection. It’s perfect for both the ceremony and the reception; the skirt below the flowers can be removed for a fun party dress.

If you’ve watched My Fair Wedding, you know that David makes the decisions. The brides can voice their opinions, but in the end, the buck stops with Tutera. Once he decided on the Latin theme, he included it at every turn. The bridesmaids dresses, for instance, were light, airy and supremely colorful.

As I mentioned, they were able to host their ceremony on the beach. It was quite breezy.

David transformed this corner of the beach into an oasis with tropical plants, orange and yellow roses, green turf and gold chiavari chairs.

The string ensemble enhanced the mood with beautiful music.

Blue skies and puffy white clouds with an oceanview. Oh my!

In the distance, the clouds weren’t quite as playful, but I love the bridge peaking through them. And a chance to see what was going on nearby at the beach.

Everyone went inside the hotel for the reception. The colors and theme were carried through into these spaces as well.

Cocktails with fruit.

A Mariachi band started off the party with Mexican flair.

A very romantic, warm dinner table. Roses dripping from everywhere and amber plates and glassware.

Candlelight always great for ambiance.

Bringing in the tropical flowers and more vibrant colors on a chocolate cake. Mmmmmm…..

To end the day, what could be better than fireworks?

The bride and groom were definitely surprised and happy with this ending!

Congrats to my hubby, Dave Lee; to our friend and fellow photographer, Critsey Rowe, who is also published in the book; and of course, to the man behind it all, the extremely talented, warm, and charming, David Tutera. It is such an honor and pleasure to work with David and his team- consummate professionals and creative geniuses!

Check back soon for a behind the scenes look at the making of this season 2 episode of My Fair Wedding.

We submitted images from this fabulous Plaza Hotel wedding in New York City. It was designed by the trend-setter David Tutera and his talented team. With his table decor, he not only defines the space around a table, but creates a feeling like you have been transported to whole other world. All of your senses are enticed. It’s an amazing experience. We are thrilled that we could share one of his signature designs with Grace Ormonde readers.

If you would like to see more from this wedding, definitely check out our story from the wedding.

And if you would like to see other David Tutera wedding designs and ideas, check out these posts- NY Metropolitan Club Wedding, NY Gotham Hall Wedding, Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer Inspiration. More of David’s designs still to come from an episode of My Fair Wedding.

Cover image by Jade Studio Productions.

Our bride Shelley wanted to honor the city where she and her husband were getting married, so they incorporated historical Boston images and special locations into their seating arrangements and used this book as their guest sign-in book. Photo taken at the Wang Theatre at the CitiCenter Performing Arts Center in Boston, MA.

This photo seems like it is the beginning of a cinematic short. I have a whole story in my mind about how the rings meet and talk and fall in love. Okay perhaps I am getting carried away. Photo taken at Wine and Roses in Lodi, California.

This image combines the rings with a family heirloom. Love the sentimental connection. Photo taken at destination wedding at Hans Fahden Vineyards in Calistoga, California.

The Russian dolls were the favors at Yelena and Rob’s wedding. They made a great prop for the rings. Photo taken at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts.

More than meets the eye. You know the rest. Photo taken at the Fort Mason Officer’s Club in San Francisco, California.

Many, many thanks to our fabulous couples, our supportive family, and our warm and loving friends. We wish you all a healthy and happy 2010!

Recently, we had a bit of a holiday celebration, complete with holidays songs, gingerbread house building and decorating, cookie decorating, and games. The sugar highs were fun and the kids were at their silly and serious best. So here’s a few pix from our party!

And I had to put up a special PicFlick of my favorite girls!

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.

Dave’s dad was visiting a couple of weeks ago and we decided to take a trip down memory lane. Dave pulled up his digital archive of old family photos, and came across this one. I was astounded. I had no idea that we had a photo from Dave’s grandfather’s wedding. And I was so excited to see it for so many reasons.

First, let me explain that the archive of family photos from Dave’s side is rather small. He was born in Vietnam and he and his parents escaped the communist regime when he was 6 years old. They didn’t get to bring a lot with them; many photos were lost in the process. So the ones we do have are all the more precious. This is the only wedding picture that I know of.

As a wedding photographer I get to see and document the most amazing days in people’s lives. I love that I might create an image that will be found by a grandchild 60 years from now and will be received with as much joy as this photo was received with. Dave and his dad are tied to this image in one way. And I am tied to it in a different way, but all of us felt connected to it.

On top of all the personal connections, I love what it tells us about the style of the day- her bouquet is amazing. It seems to have all sorts of wild tropical flowers. And his boutonniere is one big beautiful blossom. The photograph itself was stylized with beautiful edging. Everything about this is gorgeous.

Finding this photograph from Dave’s family, made me want to dig up some photos from my side. So I called up my parents and had them send me what they could readily get their hands on.

This is my grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day. I love my grandfather’s smile in this photo. I think he knows something we don’t.

And here’s one of my mom and dad….

Aaaahhhh, the 60′s. White tux jackets and thick rimmed glasses. LOL

My mom still has her dress. I think she looks amazing in it.

And one of my aunt and uncle. I have often caught my uncle looking at my aunt this way. This photo completely captures that aspect of their relationship.

All of these photos make me smile. I wasn’t at any of the weddings, and it doesn’t matter at all. Seeing my loved ones in the pictures at a time in their lives when they were so happy, simply makes me happy.

Do you have a favorite family wedding photo? What about it speaks to you?

Wasn’t he the cutest?