Engagement Session at Castle Island

It seems like Kerin and I have been trying to plan this engagement session forever. And each time it seemed like Mother Nature wanted to work against us. But not last week!! Despite a forecast for rain and thunderstorms, Boston graced us with the most beautiful of evenings, perfect for Kerin & Ryan's engagement session at Castle Island. When we arrived we almost couldn't believe that the session was going to actually happen!!

And what a great evening we had! As the sun began to dip into the horizon, we walked through the park, enjoyed the view of Boston Harbor and cooled off with a lovely ocean breeze. Even better, I got to spend quality time with this lovely couple, the epitome of laid back, confident and charismatic. Kerin & Ryan will be trying the knot in Newport later this fall and I just know their wedding will be an epic celebration!!

Enjoy this darling engagement session at Castle Island!!

European & Summer Travel Dates for Anniversary Sessions

I am BEYOND thrilled to share some upcoming travel for this summer!! The biggest (and MOST exciting) is our 10th wedding anniversary trip to London & Edinburgh in just a few short weeks!!! I can't even believe I'm typing that!! While this will be my third trip to London, it will be Dave's first and I can't wait to share this incredible city with him. Then as the second part of the trip, we BOTH get to experience Scotland for the first time!! We both share Scottish heritage so this trip will be especially meaningful for us plus we cannot wait to experience the beauty of the Highlands. 

While traveling in the UK next month and I would LOOOVE to shoot an Anniversary Session -- if you're celebrating an anniversary or it's a while since you've been in front of the camera together, I'd LOVE to hear from you!! I have two specially priced Anniversary Sessions available for London on either July 16 or 23 and Edinburgh on July 21 in the early morning.

Then following our trip abroad we will be in the North Conway area, a gorgeous and scenic area of New Hampshire. I will be opening one session on August 4 for a deserving couple at a special rate. If you are in or will be traveling to the Lincoln/North Conway area I would be honored to help you celebrate your commitment with an Anniversary Session!!

Anniversary Travel Dates

London July 16 or July 23

Edinburgh July 21, early morning

North Conway area August 4

Want to learn more about anniversary sessions? Click here to find out why I love these sessions and why I think every couple deserves to celebrate their love in front of the camera. 

Interested in booking your own anniversary session? Email me to learn more and find out about my special summer and fall offerings!!

An Engagement Session at MIT, Cambridge

Grace & Sam are both graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They met in school and campus has become an incredibly important and sentimental place in their relationship. Of course it had to become a part of their engagement session so we spent an afternoon together wandering the city campus and exploring it's historic buildings. In fact, MIT had just celebrated their 100th anniversary of their Cambridge campus before the session - historic indeed!

Grace is an aero student (which I love as my own hubby Dave graduated from the MIT aero program) and Sam is a mathematician. Together these two make one incredibly smart couple! But beyond their skill in academics Grace and Sam are kind and generous, a couple who is dearly loved by their friends. As we walked the MIT campus for their engagement session, Grace and Sam were stopped numerous times with congratulatory hugs and excitement!!

Grace and Sam are doing things a little differently than most couples. While their engagement will have only been a few months when they tie the knot this June, it's clear that Grace and Sam are meant to be. From the way that Sam cares for Grace to the way Grace melts into Sam's arm -- Sam and Grace are the real deal.

Thank you Grace and Sam for showing me around campus, enjoy your images!!

A Fireman and A Cupcake

This past weekend we celebrated Jonathan's third birthday with a BBQ at our home. It was an especially beautiful spring day (are rare treat this year with our cold and rainy weather!) with lots of food and outdoor fun. Dave has a large extended family, many who make the journey to our house and ever year our yard is filled with kiddos, bubbles and lawn chairs. It makes my heart really full. 

This year we celebrated with firetrucks, one of Jonathan's favorite things. As I watched him try to blow out his birthday candle in his new fire chief jacket, I was reminded of just how fast time goes. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital? I knew that this day would come quickly but it's a whole different thing when it actually does. 

This week I found myself in conversation with a fellow entrepreneur and new Mom. We chatted about the struggles of balancing work and home life and what it looks like to run a business while also growing your family. I'm three years into that balance and have found it to be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences. It's a balance that needs to be filled with grace, patience and compromise. 

The things that I wanted three years ago for my business have radically shifted all because of this cute fireman. It's hard to describe what it looks like to have a business that you are incredibly passionate about, one that you have poured your heart and soul into, while also raising a child who has stolen that same heart, become your everything. It truly is an art of balance. 

One of my favorite entrepreneurs and fellow Mom is Joanna Gaines. I fell in love with her driven spirit and love her family years ago when I discovered a little known show at the time called Fixer Upper. It's been amazing to watch as she and her husband Chip have continued to radically grow their business, positively influence their community all while keeping their family at the forefront. She wrote a blog post several years ago that has always stuck with me.

"For those of you who are working moms and struggle to find the balance between loving your job and loving your kids, I feel your pain. We have to let go of the guilt and rather than feel burdened about missing out, we need to celebrate the fact that we are doing what we were made to do." - Joanna Gaines

You can read the full post here, I guarantee that it will encourage your heart. If you're a new Mom, Mom for several years or a business owner who dreams of expanding her family some day, take heart. I believe that there is room for both. With a lot of patience, grace and compromise. Your focus will shift, your priorities will change but you will still chase after your dreams and raise beautiful babies. It's hard and it can be scary but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the sacrifice and effort it takes to raise children and build a business that matters. 

Copper Inspiration Shoot at Warehouse XI

Collaborating is something I believe strongly in so when my good friend and fellow photographer Shannon approached me about creating an inspiration shoot together this past winter, I jumped at the chance. We were incredibly lucky and honored to work with a team of incredible creatives who helped bring the vision of a copper inspired wedding to life -- I continue to be in awe of the magic we were able to create together!!

Warehouse XI, voted best new venue by Venue Report, was our gracious host. The space was a blank canvas and allowed the color palette of reds and copper to pop!! It was important that the details felt-fashion forward and represented our concept of industrial romance. Beach Plum Florals did an amazing job of pulling together flowers that felt fresh and modern but were soft and ethereal as well. Roberta of the Romanticist Studios was our stylist and created a look that balanced industrial, modern and romance perfectly. 

For our stationary Roberta collaborated with Kate of Yennygrams to create a beautiful copper mounted paper suite!! Even our escort cards were hand scripted copper plates. Those little touches were what made this collaboration perfection.

Be Our Guest provided table settings and even hand sewed a tulle skirt for our table. (I mean we had a rock star team of creatives!!) They paired a hard metal table top with a delicate place setting and copper accented cutlery. The result was a beautiful mix of metals and textures, a perfect compliment to our venue location and the soft, romantic feel of the florals. 

Flair Boston provided a glorious lace corseted ARIA wedding down with an incredible tulle skirt. It paired beautifully with our reception table (noticing a theme here?!) and my favorite dream team of beauty, Amanda McCarthy Beauty & Hair That Moves ensured that our models, Rhonda & Johnny, looked fabulous as well!! These talented creatives brought the vision of Industrial Romance to life and I was honored to work alongside Shannon to photograph it all!!

Creative Team

Photography: Shannon Grant Photography | Photography: Deborah Zoe Photography | Styling: Romanticist Studio | Floral Design: Beach Plum Floral Design | Wedding Dress: ARIA | Cake: Artisan Bake Shop | Makeup: Amanda McCarthy Beauty | Hair: Hair That Moves | Calligraphy: Yennygrams | Venue:Warehouse XI | Bridal Boutique: Flair Bridesmaids | Donuts: Union Square Donuts | Earrings: Kendra Scott | Hair Accessories: Jannie Baltzer | Models: Maggie Inc | Rentals: Be Our Guest | Ribbon: Honey Silks And Co

Click here view our feature on the front page of Style Me Pretty!!

If you'd like to learn more about bringing a styled shoot together or the benefit of collaborating with your peers, I'd be happy to share more about our experience in a blog post or in the comments below!!

An Engagement Session in Boston's North End

Kate is a city girl through and through and I just love that about her, a girl after my own heart!! When chatting about where she and Don would like to have their engagement session, it was no question : Boston would be it!! Kate lives in the heart of downtown -- complete with sweeping views of Boston Harbor and State House, a city girl's dream. Don and Kate have a deep love for this city and this December will say their vows in the shadow of Boston's skyline. 

One of Don and Kate's favorite date night activities is walking from her apartment downtown to the charming neighborhood of the North End for a slice of pizza or a cannoli. (That sounds like a perfect date night to me!) For their engagement session we did exactly that, stopping along the way to take in the city sights and enjoy a treat. 

The North End is one of my favorite places in Boston. I love the history -- one of the few remaining cobble stone streets is here -- and the charm of the numerous restaurants and bakeries that fill this neighborhood. I was pleased as punch to sneak away from the crowds and introduce Don & Kate to my fave little bakery, Bova's, tucked away off of Hanover!!

Don and Kate are sweethearts, the kind of couple who welcomes you in and makes you feel like an old friend. Kate's smile can light up a room and Don is always quick to make sure that Kate feels loved, with that famous Kate smile on her face. (Just see below!) I can't wait for their wedding later this year and I am so excited to introduce them to you today!! Enjoy their sweet North End Engagement Session!!