Milan, Virginia

Italy is very, very, very high on the list of places I'd like to photograph a wedding. I have shot many destination weddings but Europe hasn't called... yet. I got close with this one, they brought Italy here! The couple and the majority of their guests came from Milan, most not speaking any English. Fortunately, the camera gave away my purpose and we all knew what I was there to do.

They are such a beautiful couple. While communicating was tricky at times, it never posed any real obstacles. They did everything they were supposed to do: be happy, be in love. This wedding was a little different from what I am used to in that they got married very early in the day, followed by a luncheon. The focus was really on the ceremony, not as much on the after-party (which they did the night before, which I guess makes it a pre-party). Overall, the day was so elegant and very impressive.

Her father gave a toast during the reception, in Italian of course. She was so moved, as was he, that my eyes welled up and I had no idea what he was even saying. The translation that followed filled in the gaps. It was the most eloquent speech I have ever heard, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

As you may know, I love pairing music with my slideshows. Each wedding has its own story and takes on its own personality. I try my best to find music that serves it well. Of course, not knowing this couple at all I had to wing it a little and ended up with a song that I adore and just happens to be in Italian, "Sogno" by Andrea Boccelli.

You can watch the slideshow by clicking HERE.

Catching up...

OK, that was pathetic. I had not fed my blog in so long I forgot my sign in ID. Terrible! It took several tries.

Things around here have been so crazy I have purposefully neglected my blog. Every time I thought about adding to it I was the proverbial deer in headlights, not sure which way to go. Too much to cover and too little time! So I didn't do anything at all. But I am finally responding to some gentle prodding by some friends who have gotten a little bored with the ice cream shoot (as much as they loved it ;-). I hope this is a new beginning of more regular posting. Wish me luck!

This summer was amazing. The kids have gotten to that age that it's really fun to travel with them. Not that it wasn't fun before...it just used to be a lot harder. Naps, bottles, diapers. Now we just pick up and go. And hanging out with them is like being with your favorite group of friends. They're funny, smart, observant and can talk about anything. They show us stuff we would otherwise miss with that wide-eyed appreciation that comes from seeing things for the first time.

We went to NYC for the kids' first visit. In a million years I never thought it would be so much fun to do the big city with the kids. They loved everything about it! Peyton's favorite part was being on TV (CBS this morning), Dylan's was the horse-drawn carriage ride (worth every over-priced penny for the vision of her hollering "I love New York" as we cruised the busy streets). Spencer's highlight was chatting up Adam Sandler on his movie set on 5th Avenue. He's a nice guy! I haven't looked at all the pictures yet. The photos are trapped on hard-drive 6.

We spent a week in a big rambling house on the coast of Massachusetts, on a bluff overlooking a small harbor, a beach and the vast Atlantic. We explored, hiked, searched for sea glass, went whale watching, hit Fenway Park, went on a boat ride, swam and ate lobster. None of us will ever forget it - it was beautiful and such a happy place. These can be found on hard-drive 7.

I hope to liberate those family photos sometime soon.

Business has been great. Lots of gorgeous weddings and the sweetest couples. When it comes to photography, work comes first. I'm keeping up with those. What's that saying about the cobbler's children? Ha.

Above is a fun wedding that appeared in the inaugural 'weddings section' in Virginia Living. I hope to see lots more in there! It was a beautiful day with lovely people, orchestrated by the inventive and tack-sharp party planners at Easton Events. Here is the slideshow for Liz and Scott's Wedding.

Marty and Spencer's Beautiful Wedding

Aren't they adorable? And get this, her Mom MADE the dress and her sister did her hair and makeup. Wonderful talent to have around for your wedding, for sure.

Marty and Spencer's wedding day started out hot and sticky. The kind where you really don't want to venture outside unless you have to, especially wearing a wedding dress or tux, and you move reeeaaally slowly or you risk breaking into an instant sweat. As we drove from Marty's home to the ceremony at the stunning Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, the skies turned purple, lightning flashed in the distance, rain splattered on the windshield. We feared the worst for their outdoor wedding.

But it seems Marty and Spencer have been very, very good this year. In the short while we were there, the skies cleared, the humidity was swept away with the storm and we got the kind of light photographers dream about...golden, warm, glowy. I couldn't believe it!

Their ceremony was so sweet. They had written a few words about eachother that gave me goose bumps and a lump in my throat, and the rare access to the front of the altar allowed me the gift of capturing their expressions. It was genuine, lovely, and perfect.

Check out Marty and Spencer's Slideshow.

Marty and Spencer

Marty and Spencer's wedding was a-MAZING! They were adorable, funny, sweet and kind. She works for the Vans shoe company and had custom Vans made for the 14 groomsmen. Love the wedding date on the heel!

I'll try to get more photos up pronto, but am a wee bit swamped. Three weddings back to back is hard enough to keep up with, especially if you overshoot like I do. But throw in every end-of-year school party, fieldtrip, baseball playoff, dance recital, soccer wrap up and you're glad just to get the images on your computer!

The few photos I peeked at looked so great. A testament to the great couple and their super-cool families. I can't wait to work on them! Come back to see!

Beth and Jimmy's Wedding

I had the honor of shooting Beth and Jimmy's gorgeous wedding last week at beautiful Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, Virignia. The amazing folks at Easton Events performed their usual magic and entire evening was perfect!

Here is Beth and Jimmy's Slideshow.

Tyler and Schuyler

Springtime is a busy time for most photographers. When everything is in bloom and the weather turns warm, the phone will ring. Editorial shoots, inquiries about weddings for '08, ordering albums, clients asking for prints from previous shoots. It can be overwhelming, but it's all good. Then there's wanting to actually enjoy the weather, hang with the family, the homework/soccer/baseball/dance recital rigamarole, and before you know the week is gone. Poof.

It's been nuts!

So on Thursday I took the kids to school, barred the doors, hunkered down and vowed not to leave my house until Tyler and Schuyler's slideshow was done. I have been wanting to work on it for two weeks now!

So here's Tyler and Schuyler's slideshow. It was a very special wedding. Lots of emotion, happiness, warmth and love. It was awesome!