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.

If you want seriously useful and helpful advice in the meantime, check out The Big White Book of Weddings: A How-to Guide for the Savvy, Stylish Bride. In honor of the opening of the MFW season and in celebration of the new year, we thought it would be fun to give away one of these books. As it happens, the copy we have for one lucky winner is extra special as David even signed it. Very cool indeed!

So how can you win aforementioned signed copy of Mr. Tutera’s book? We have set up a special area on our facebook fanpage devoted to the contest. All you have to do is:

1- Become a fan of Allegro Photography on Facebook.

2- Leave a comment in the David Tutera MFW Celebration Gallery telling us which wedding in this gallery is your favorite.

Best of luck! and Happy New Year!

I’ll be honest I can’t tell you all about the article our work is part of, because, as you would expect, it’s in Japanese, but what I can gather is that they were highlighting several vendors celebrated in the international wedding industry. They focused on florists and event planners, in particular. And David Tutera, whom we have worked with on several occassions, was number one on their list. It’s no surprise as his work is astounding- it completely captivates all of my senses.

Our image was taken during a wedding at The Fairmont’s Plaza Hotel in New York City. The whole concept was based around crystals and they were everywhere. The ballroom sparkled.

If you want to see more of David‘s work, definitely check out:

David Tutera’s Metropolitan Club Wedding
Tutera’s Gotham Hall Wedding

Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer Inspiration

More of David’s designs still to come from a fall episode of My Fair Wedding.

We wanted to make sure we captured their day in a way that spoke to their fun and creative nature as well as their individual personalities. Courtney is exuberant, energetic and courageous. And Brian is so, so sweet and supportive and genuine. They perfectly compliment each other. So today I share with you just a taste of what’s to come from their wedding at the Topsfield Commons. I hope you enjoy!

Courtney’s beautiful dancing dress and super cute shoes.

Hanging with the girls before the wedding.

Hanging with the boys…

A few portraits after the wedding. Tender sweetness.

A little background for this photo…. Courtney and Brian asked one of their dear friends to perform the ceremony at the wedding. She also happens to be a trapeze artist and a member of the circus arts community. During the ceremony, she handed Courtney and Brian each a clown nose with the wise thought that they never take themselves too seriously. They started not taking themselves too seriously immediately after the wedding and obliged us with a few emotional photos.

Another of Courtney and Brian’s talents’, swing dancing. They were awesome with aerials and all. (By the way, guys, we’d love to join you sometime. We haven’t been swing dancing in a very long time and totally miss it.)

Stealing a kiss during dinner.

After dinner and a bit of dancing and a few drinks, the circus crew went outside for a bite of dessert, aka fire. Okay so maybe it was more of a show than dessert, but it was so cool. This would be the "ringleader."

Several guests gave it a shot. And Brian used the tools of the trade to light his cigar.

Courtney was considering giving it a go. She had actually decided not to do it prior to the wedding- you know the whole don’t want to burn myself up and ruin the honeymoon idea- but then on the night of the wedding, she considered it. Here’s one of her attempts. Aaahhh, but did she go through with it? Check back to find out.

And I have to put a plug in for Courtney’s next trapeze show. It’s at the TSNY Beantown Boston area facility on Saturday, December 19 at 8 pm. We are so excited to finally be able to make it to one of her shows and it promises to be amazing. Come if you can!

Stay tuned for more photos.

I wanted to start with the portraits today because I felt like there were a few more fun ones I had to share from this part of the day. I love the old stone walls you find in New England. And The Harding Allen Estate definitely has some pretty ones.

The Estate has amazing gardens, complete with little hideways, pretty paths, a pergola, statues and this reflecting glass orb.

Catching the highlights from the setting sun and the resulting shadow.

The bustle on Andrea’s dress took a bit of time, but I love this image of her surrounded by the lace of her dress. And don’t her arms look amazing?

Off to the reception….

The speeches were great all around, but my personal favorite was the musical toast to Andrea, sung by her bridesmaids. They took the song "Agony" (which is actually a love song) from Into the Woods, the play Andrea and Eric were working on when they first met, and turned it into a tribute to Andrea. It was beautiful, witty, touching, perfect.

They were rewarded by a huge hug from Andrea and Eric.

Last night, we also learned a bit more about some of the preparation and thoughts that had gone into their planning. One of the things that stuck with me was that Andrea hadn’t planned on wearing a veil. But then when she tried it on, she just felt like a bride. I know exactly what she means. It didn’t feel real to me, when I was trying on dresses, unless I had a veil on. So then on Andrea’s wedding day, it became an important part of her look. I love the way Dave captured this image that shows off the veil in such a beautiful way.

And something a bit more amusing…

The young boys were outside playing with Eric’s brother’s dog. He was quite an athelete and the kids were highly entertained.

Back inside the dancing got kicked off by Andrea and Eric. If you haven’t checked out the PicFlick of them dancing, you should definitely do that. Here’s one of my absolute favorite still images from their first dance.

I love that Andrea took this moment to dance with her mom. They are clearly so close; it seemed only right that her mom should get a chance to dance with the bride.

And then the real party got underway. Some seriously crazy fun dancing, complete with handstands, kids on shoulders, two Conga lines, and even a dance routine led by one of Andrea’s bridesmaids. Good times were had!

The last dance slowed things down a bit, a chance for Andrea and Eric to embrace and take in the moment.

If you would like to see a larger set from their wedding, please enjoy this PicFlick…

Special thanks to all of the professionals who helped to make Andrea and Eric’s day so special:

To Grace and Leslie at The Harding Allen Estate, the grounds and service were amazing.
To Lisa at the Blessed Sacrament Parish, what a stunning New England Church!

Judy from Fulgere Salon and Spa, for Andrea’s hair and make-up
Andrea’s stunning wedding gown from Casablanca Bridal
The coordinated bridesmaid dresses from Jasmine Bridal
Eric and his groomsmen’s tux’s from Men’s Wearhouse, with special ties to match the ladies; gowns from The Tie Bar

Floral Design by Danielson Flowers
Revel Video captured the moments of their ceremony

Music was so important to Andrea and Eric and their musicians and DJ did an outstanding job fulfilling their dreams:
Arioso Chamber Players, lead by Brenda van der Merwe, and Elizabeth Noone, their organist provided the ceremony music
Roberta from Music Sensations kept the dancing going during their reception

For their invitations and paper products, friends Molly and Jon created the design. They also utilized a Rita Renning collection through Papyrus and created super cool save the date magnets through Magnet Street.

If you would like to see a few more of Andrea and Eric, definitely check out their engagement session, their sneak peek, and their slideshow.

When Heather met up with us for her planning meeting, we talked about all sorts of details regarding timing and portraits for her wedding at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. But what she was most excited about was the dancing. She couldn’t wait for the party. She wanted to see all of her friends and family having a good time. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. But before we get to the dancing party, a few formalities, with a less formal air.

Early on in the dinner reception, Heather’s dad welcomed guests and toasted the bride and groom and their future together.

His words and thoughts definitely connected with Heather.

Throughout dinner, the guests relaxed and got to know each other. Many were meeting each other for the first time. The long tables were perfect not only for the physical space of the ICA’s theater, but also for encouraging interactions. Conversations never lulled.

Being a theater, dramatic lighting was a must. The reception had an elegant chic feel to it.

Christian took a spin around to visit with his friends and family who had traveled from Italy to celebrate with he and Heather. There was much joy and merriment.

After the sun set, Dave stepped outside to take in the whole scene. On the left the theater’s long expansive window allowing a view into the dinner reception, and to the right Boston’s beautiful waterfront skyline.

And now for the party….

One of my fave’s of the night. I love the feeling Dave captured in this image- the intenisty, the connectedness, the energy….

From the abstract to the literal. These two were crazy fun on the dance floor; they had some serious moves.

Feeling the music.

A little showmanship and all about the fun.

I have to close with my favorite image from the night. For me, this one image tells Heather and Christian’s story. Actually watching them dance together, I got to see so much about how they work together- the give, the take- each completely in tune with the other. And so clearly enjoying being together. I can’t help smiling.

Everyone had a great time dancing under the stars. All in all a truly amazing evening.

And now my chance to say thank you to a truly fabulous team of professionals who created and assisted in making this vision a reality:

I absolutely have to thank Kim Stone and Billy Evers of Rafanelli Events and their amazing colleagues. What a night! Heather and Christian didn’t have a thing to worry about with you guys on the job. The whole event went perfectly. And the look of it all, the feel of it all…. Well, don’t worry, I will go on in another blog post, but for now I just have to say I loved the way you mixed a modern aesthetic with classic elements. You guys throw one hell of a party!

Also thank you to:
The ICA Staff, who took care of all aspects of the location including lighting
The crew from Wolfgang Puck for their amazing food and service
Cakes to Remember for the beautiful wedding cake

The look of the evening would not have been complete without the talent and assistance of:
Winston Floral
Be Our Guest
Signature Event Rentals
Party by Design
Peterson’s Party Center

The entertainment for the evening was out of this world. Huge kudos to DJ Kupah an DJ Kaz from Upside Entertainment.

And a special thank you to Matt Teuten of Matt Teuten Photography for the photo booth. What a hit!

A few final thank yous for helping the get the day started on the right foot:
Westin Waterfront Hotel
Vera Wang for Heather’s gorgeous white dress
Luis from Luz Beauty for the hair and make-up

Congrats again Heather and Christian! You guys make an amazing couple; it was such a joy documenting your celebration.

If you would like to see more from Heather and Christian’s Soiree, check out their sneak preview and their slideshow.

I’ve worked in events for a long time. I actually started as a planner, coordinating events for a non-profit in 2001. Always loving photography, I was thrilled to continue working events, documenting all of the moments that make them special when Dave and I started our business in 2004. Why this focus on events? Whether it be for a wedding celebration to raise awareness for a non-profit or for corporate cameraderie, special events are, well, special. They are occassions when we take some time away from the regularly scheduled program of our lives and honor, rejoice, engage. I love the connections and interactions, the sheer humanity of them.

But one day, I got a bit upset. I realized that these wonderful opportunities for creativity and togetherness have an awful lot of waste attached to them. In particular, I noticed the flowers that got thrown away. And it saddened me. For two reasons, I never like when things end up in landfills. And I LOVE flowers. It just seemed a huge shame to throw away things that are so pretty. I thought, "Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the flowers from an event could be brought to people who could appreciate them a little longer? Not just for this one night." It occurred to me that a hospital would be an ideal place to bring the flowers. To do this, I imagined an army of volunteers who had trucks and could make these deliveries. I was not an army and I did not have a truck. So I let this thought go.

Until tonight. When I mentioned it to one of my peers, Jeri Solomon of Jeri Solomon Floral Design. We shared a mutual distaste for the wastefulness and I explained how I had this idea. Guess what? Someone else also had this idea. And fortunately, they did something about it. They created a business that rescues and repurposes items left over from events. How amazingly perfect is that!? And not just flowers, anything and everything. Flowers, food, candles, extra gifts, cans, bottles, decor items… You name it, they can probably find someone who will appreciate it. From hospitals to hungry families to artists to theater companies. Someone will use what you no longer have a use for- your event leftovers. They will keep it out of the landfills at least a little longer, and perhaps forever. Plus if the items are donated to a non-profit, you will probably be able to get a tax write off. It’s an all-round win-win situation.

So let me reiterate the benefits, in case they weren’t clear:
Less waste in the landfill= good for the environment
Enjoyment by people who need it- perhaps hungry people, perhaps some cheer to someone ill, perhaps an opportunity for creativity
Tax write off- the fee for the rescue may actually cost less than the amount saved by the write off

So I guess the question is why would you not do this? You can find out more on their website. Check out The Special E and fill out their form. Find out if it will work for you. Why not?

Okay, hopping off my Soap Box for now. But coming soon… some tips for Being Green on the Way In, ie- before the event.

Here’s a peak of the wedding’s style and elegance…

The guests were welcomed by this stunning ball of roses with ivy.

The ceremony began in this splendid space at the Metropolitan Club. I love the red draping along the doorways and the beautiful paintings above. David accented the walk down the aisle with this amazing floral archway which the bride walked through on her way to the huppah.

And the huppah felt like a private sanctuary of flowers.

Music accompanied the guests, the bride and her attendants as they entered the space.

The guests then gathered in the Marble Room for cocktails and hors d’euvres.

Later everyone retired to the Metropolitan Club’s dining room for dinner and the remainder of the reception.

The wedding was truly elegant and sophisticated. The experience for the bride and groom and their guests was magical.

A huge thank you to the whole David Tutera team and everyone at The Metropolitan Club. What a truly stunning event! We can’t wait to work with you all again.

Bill and Anne from Mountain Meadows Lodge hosted us for the weekend. And they were amazing, making sure we had everything we needed to create some breathtaking images. Surely they have power over the weather as well. The morning of the shoot started with a perfect large flaked snow shower. And the scenery on their property couldn’t have been more picturesque.

Christine and Shirley from Bridal Heirlooms in South Hadley, MA kindly loaned us the fabulous dresses, the veils, the fur wraps, and jewelry. We worked with them on the Lord Thompson Manor shoot and we are always impressed with their fabulous sense of style.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to our lovely "bride", Mai Lovaas. Our photo shoot was scheduled only a day and a half after she had returned to her home in New York, after being on the road for well over 3 weeks travelling to Norway and Santa Cruz, California. She was amazing, giving us everything we asked for and more. And she stood for long periods of time in extremely cold temperatures wearing only a wedding dress and a fur wrap. Thank you, Mai!

And another thank you to our "groom" Robert for helping us make the bridal portrait session even better.

Check out Mai’s boots.

And just a few more favorites…

This spot was one Mai picked out. Stunning!

I can’t believe how much fun this session was. I am not typically one who enjoys cold weather, but I didn’t feel much of it because I was having such a good time. The scenery was amazing and winter light is absolutely perfect. We could have shot out there for days.

To kick it off, I wanted to start with the family we’ve known the longest- that of Karen and Willy.

Karen and Willy, our first generation, got married in the Spring of 2005 at the Berkeley Faculty Club. They had their Chinese Banquet at The Legendary Palace in Oakland. A couple of years ago Karen and Willy moved back to Boston MA, where Karen grew up and her family remains. Now that we are back in the Boston area as well, we feel so fortunate that we get to see Karen and Willy more often.

Karen was frequently on The Knot and shared our name with lots of other knotties (thank you, Karen). And she also shared our name and work with her good friend, Gillian (second generation), whom she and Willy met through Volleyball. Karen and Gillian have even more in common than volleyball. They also both loved their wedding planning and both have continued to help other brides with their weddings.

Having seen us in action at Karen’s wedding and then seeing the images, Gillian chose us as well. Gillian and Wes were married in the summer of 2006 at the Maison du Lac in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Because Gillian is an alum, we took some of their portraits at Stanford University.

It has been great keeping in touch with Gillian and Wes. They are such an amazing couple. And we owe them so much thanks for their suggestions of a fabulous BnB to stay at while visiting Australia a couple of years ago.

Gillian then brought her album to work. And we are so glad she did. Because Emily had a chance to see the pix from Gillian and Wes’s wedding. She was planning her July 2007 wedding in Sonoma. When we met them, we hit it off immediately. Dave loved talking science with Mark; and when we delivered their album, we got to see their beautiful aquariums. Dave was thrilled!

Emily and Mark are the third generation. They were married at the Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma and celebrated at The Lodge at Sonoma.

Emily and her sister Allie then recommended us to Allie’s friend Cara (fourth generation) who married Nate at the Sonoma Mission Inn and the Sonoma Golf Club this fall. We were worried about rain, but the day turned out absolutely perfectly. This wedding was extra fun because Allie was a bridesmaid and Emily and her parents also attended the wedding.

Check out more from Cara and Nates wedding: Engagement Session, Sneak Peak, The Scoop, and Slideshow.

Emily and Mark also shared our info with Mark’s sister Lauren (fourth generation). We met Lauren at their wedding and really enjoy her warmth and smiles. We can’t wait to photographer her wedding to Steve at an estate in Carmel Valley next summer. A few years ago, we photographed Sarah and Brett‘s wedding at the Bernardus Lodge and fell in love with the area. Plus, we are really looking forward to seeing the whole White family again!

We have had such a blast with this crew and we can’t wait to see how it grows. Thank you so much to Karen & Willy for kicking it off, and to Gillian & Wes, Emily & Mark (and Allie), Cara & Nate, and Lauren & Steve for keeping this mini-family going thus far!