Julie & Rafael - Married!

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring."
-Oscar Wilde

A fantastic couple, tons of beautiful details, a loving laid-back family, and a spectacular location - everything came together beautifully at Julie and Rafael's wedding, and it was such a phenomenal way to end the 2009 wedding season.

Start off with a gorgeous dress and a stunningly beautiful bride, and I know my day will be a breeze! Add in some great florals by the amazingly talented Frank at House of Flowers in Mamaroneck, and I'm all smiles! Frank's work is always top-notch.

Julie and Rafael had this amazing vintage Bentley - it was a gorgeous automobile!

Rafael sees his bride for the first time

Married!

One of my favorite pictures from the whole day - just about to leave the church in the vintage Bentley.

The leaves were in peak fall colors, and the rain stopped just long enough for us to take a few pictures outside surrounded by the spectacular orange, brown and yellow foliage.

The reception was held at the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown.

While Julie reclined against Rafael, I had to take a shot of those lashes.

Julie and Rafael were all smiles all day - it was a blast to photograph them!

The most gorgeous cake I saw all season:

One of the best toasts I heard all year as well. It can be a tough job to take great shots when you are cracking up along with the guests!

Julie and Rafael had their first dance to Make you Feel My Love by Adele, and the song is just so emotional and beautiful. I will admit I had a few tears while trying to photograph the first dance. (I do this about once a year, and it always seems to be at my October weddings.)

Julie dancing with her dad.

One last shot of the sweetheart table on the edge of the dance floor.

Julie and Rafael, I cannot thank you enough for including me in your special day. You are such a sweet couple and I hope to see more of both of you as you continue in your beautiful new life together. Thanks for letting me end a great wedding season on such a high!

Ben & Erica's New York City Wedding

Ben and Erica had a beautiful wedding in New York City. Despite the weather complicating some of the initial outdoor plans, we headed to Grand Central and took some great shots there instead.

I love this series of Erica as she gets ready with her bridesmaids at the Shelburne Affinia in midtown Manhattan.

Erica and her bridesmaids entering Grand Central Terminal. They were like rock star celebrities! Everyone was turning to see the beautiful bride on her wedding day.

The whole bridal party.

Ben and his beautiful bride.

We grabbed our umbrellas and took a few shots at the New York Public Library.

We got kicked out eventually - something about not having a permit to shoot at the NYPL. Oh well, off to the next spot with the groomsmen!

Then headed to Brooklyn, where it was so windy! Erica had to be freezing, but she is such a good sport.

Told you it was windy! ;)

The reception was held at Stage 6 at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, an amazing Abigail Kirsch venue.

The most beautiful and amazing chuppah I have ever laid eyes on!

We managed to get a beautiful sunset during the cocktail hour!

Erica hand-made each of the fall leaves that were placed on top of the cupcakes that served as their wedding cake. What a great idea - Erica is a very crafty fall bride!

The band, Bruce Saunders Entertainment, was so lively and so much fun!

Erica had votive candles set up on the ledges that lined the huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan. It made the room GLOW!

Thanks Ben & Erica for including me in your wedding plans - it was an amazing wedding to be part of. Stay tuned for portraits of Ben & Erica's "day after" session that took place on a beautiful day in Central Park.

Alyson & Tommy - Married!

It's very rare that I will meet with a bride for a consultation, and then discover a picture of her or her grandparents in my home later. Sounds strange, huh?

As some of you may know, my office is located in our home, which has been in my husband's family for five generations. It turns out my husband's grandparents were very close friends and neighbors of Alyson's grandparents. Up until we renovated the house a few years ago, a picture of my husband's grandma, along with Alyson's grandparents, hung on the refrigerator in our kitchen. Then, not long after Alyson hired me (and her mom made the connection with my last name and where we live), I came across an old Christmas card with a picture of a young Alyson and her little sister Chelsea proudly beaming at the camera. I guess it was just meant to be!

Alyson and Tommy were married in the beautiful St. Patrick's 'Old Stone Church' in Yorktown Heights, with a lively reception at Ceola Manor. Alyson and Tommy incorporated lots of beautiful fall details into their wedding, which was just fantastic. Enjoy some of my favorites from their beautiful and heartfelt day!

How gorgeous is Alyson's dress? This was by far the most unique dress I saw all wedding season:

Two of my favorite ring shots of all time:

At the beautiful church:

This October was the rainiest I've ever had, but we got lucky and the rain held off for another outdoor session (woo-hoo!)

I guess I just couldn't get my fill of ring shots that day...

Alyson told me this is her favorite picture from her wedding day:

This is my new little buddy Jake, who was the oh-so-adorable ringbearer:

Love Alyson's big laugh - this is a couple that knows how to have fun!

Thanks again Alyson and Tommy for making me a part of your wedding day. Ro and I had a wonderful time, and you treated us like family. Hope to see lots more of you both in the future!

Carlyn & Matt - Married!

Carlyn and Matt had a fantastic wedding at the Nyack Seaport, overlooking the Tappan Zee Bridge. They were surrounded by family and friends, who made the day special, memorable, ad fun. I had a great time getting to know Carlyn and her family from the first time I met with them. It's clear how important her family is to her, and the wedding was filled with so much love - and fun! :) Carlyn and Matt went to college together, so much of the bridal party was made up with both of their friends from college. What a fun group!

I loved the beautiful letterpress invitations

The girls' shoes were too cute

What a gorgeous bunch!

The wedding was held at St. Anthony's Church in Nanuet.

I love when couples do this as they leave the church!

We went to a park after the ceremony and got some fun bridal party shots, and luckily the rain held off!

This was my absolute favorite photograph of the entire day!

The whole wedding party on the dcok - while this was NOT my idea, I do think it turned out pretty well, considering it could have (and almost did) end up disasterously.

I think Carlyn and I were both relieved to get OFF the dock! My brides are such good sports!!

We then headed to the Nyack Seaport for the reception

I love this kiss/dip/dance combination!

The toasts were hilarious, heartfelt, and memorable

Lliquid kept the crowd dancing the whole night - they are great!

Thanks Carlyn and Matt for letting me be a part of your special day - best of luck and lots of love!

Kelly & George - Married!

From the minute Kelly told me about her Manolo Blahnik wedding shoes, I had a feeling this would be a great wedding. Then, at our pre-wedding meeting to discuss the last-minute details, they told me they and the wedding party would be introduced to a Mötley Crüe song and a Metallica song. I was pumped - I knew this wedding was going to rock, and it did not disappoint! :)

Kelly and George are a fun-loving couple who celebrated their wedding at the Chapel of the Divine Compassion on the campus of Good Counsel Academy in White Plains. We then headed to one of my favorite places to photograph a reception, The Fountainhead in New Rochelle. Thanks Kelly and George for having me photograph your rockin' wedding and all of the gorgeous details that you worked so hard on.

It's not officially a wedding without an adorable flower girl, now is it?

I love this picture of Kelly - she is just glowing!

These flowers, by Arcadia Floral in Mamaroneck, were spectacular!

Kelly is such a beautiful bride!

I just love this photo of Kelly and George standing in the doorway of the Chapel with the divine light shining through!

The formals location, also on the campus of Good Counsel Academy, was so beautiful. I love when I can combine a beautiful landscape photograph with a formal portrait photograph.

They had their monogram lit up on the dance floor the whole night - I love this look.

Excellent favor cookies!

Arcadia Floral in Mamaroneck, once again doing a spectacular job.

This one just makes me smile - Kelly and George totally in their element, enjoying their party and their guests - as it should be!

I'll end with this photograph. I love this raw, beautiful, emotional moment of Kelly's mom viewing the slideshow. A wedding is full of so many emotions and I love being able to just step back and record the day, and all of its' emotions, as it unfolds.

Kelly & George, thank you both so much for letting me be a part of your special day. I hope the Honeymoon rocked! :)

Published on CNN.com!

I am super excited that one of my clients had their photo published on CNNMoney.com's Money Magazine site today. Jesse, Jody and Jackson are always such a joy to photograph, and I love when clients keep in touch. So I was delighted when Jesse called to let me know he had sent in a money-saving tip to Money Magazine and they published it, and wanted to use one of the photographs I had taken of his family last March along with Jesse's money-saving tip on CNNMoney.com's website.

Here is the photo that ran today:

And they even got on the front page of CNNMoney.com too!


Congratulations Jesse, Jody and Jackson - and thank you for letting me share in your '15 minutes' of fame! :)

Wedding in Block Island

When my good friend JC Carley asked me to shoot a wedding with her on Block Island, I jumped at the chance and rearranged my schedule so that I could make it. I had never been to Block Island before, in fact I had no idea where Block Island even was (it's in Rhode Island), but it just sounded like an offer I couldn't refuse! So JC and I got a mini-vacation away from our kids and husbands and had a blast working, dining, and photographing like crazy. Block Island is only accessible by ferry (and airplane) and it is incredibly laid-back and relaxed. I would go back in a heartbeat! If anyone is considering a unique location to get married, consider Block Island - and bring me with you to document your beautiful day (hint, hint).

The wedding was held at the Sullivan House, which is right on the Great Salt Pond. The views are amazing, and the location is magnificent:

Diane's beautiful dress hanging in the doorway of one of the guest rooms in the Sullivan House

My favorite picture of the day, Diane descending the staircase in the Sullivan House.

I love the look on this flowergirl's face. She's got a looong day ahead of her...

The wind was doing beautiful things to Diane's veil...

I think my loyal readers already know how I feel about flowers, flowers and more flowers....

The girls...

...and the guys.

Diane and Bud said their vows on the lawn of the Sullivan House, overlooking the Great Salt Pond.

We took a quick trip to a nearby beach for a few photos.

Back in the reception tent, the details were all spectacular.

The band, Brass Force, flew in from Newport Rhode Island, and they were great.

Diane and Bud take a minute to themselves on the porch of the Sullivan House after the sun has set and their wedding reception is in full swing. I love the ambient light here (no flash).

Congratulations to Diane and Bud, and big thanks again to JC for bringing me along to shoot with you - I had a great little getaway. How much do I love my job??