Prospero Ano y Felicidad

Happy New Year, everybody! Doug & I are still enjoying our time in Buenos Aires. We even took a day trip to Uruguay yesterday. It's been an amazing experience. Tonight we rang in the New Year with some friends at a tango show. I'm telling you, these women have specialized hinges in their knees - their legs were flying all over the place. It looked absolutely amazing but certainly not natural! We've only got a couple more days here before flying home (to face the reality of snow - yuck!). I can't wait to sit down and really go through all my photos! Plus, surprisingly, I have a lot going on in January to get excited about! May all of you have successful and happy 2009s!

I Hunger For the Argentine

Okay, I dug deep for this quote - it's from the Annie soundtrack! I didn't want to go straight for Andrew Lloyd Weber - I'll need that for a later post!

Doug and I arrived safely in Buenos Aires on December 26th and have been living large since! The first few days were dedicated to the wedding that brought us here, but today was our first entirely free day. We walked around the neighborhood of San Telmo, saw the smallest house in Buenos Aires, and chatted with both our taxi drivers about Obama. Apparently he's the popular choice. Tomorrow we are taking it to another country and doing a day trip to Uruguay, which will be really cool. I'm taking tons of photos, of course, so there will be plenty to post when I get home!



The wedding we photographed took place in this church. Beautiful, huh? I won't even begin to delve into the wedding details because we'd be here all day. Suffice to say, it was unlike any wedding I've ever attended or photographed. The ceremony started at 8:30p, although you were expected to be at the church around 8p, and the reception went until 6a. If you can believe it, Doug and I were there for the whole thing - no napping and no caffeine (on my part). It's now 8:45p in Buenos Aires and things are just getting started! I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and I hope you all are excited for 2009!

People Who Need People

I only have one brother and one sister, but I come from a very large extended family. My grandparents had twenty-four grandchildren. I was number 21. Even though we range in age from 15 to 47, we grew up together. We've been in each others' weddings. We've visited each other at college. When I was little, I got to see my cousins off to the prom. They babysat me, took me to the movies, took me to school, and took me to the Kowloon in Saugus. It was a wonderful way to grow up. Christmas has always been one of our "family times." The tradition has always been the same - a big sit-down dinner featuring homemade raviolis in homemade sauce. When I was little, we used to sit at banquet tables winding through my grandmother's basement. There was bingo, too. When we outgrew the basement, we moved to a restaurant. Now, we eat at a church. There was a time when the number of people eating swelled to about 65. Now, everyone has their own families and the number is smaller again because they have to spend time with their in-laws. For the first time in my life, I will be switching up traditions this year and it kills me. I don't let go easily. With both my grandparents gone, this Christmas dinner was one of the traditions we tried to hold on to, in their memory.

This photo is of my Auntie Lanie's family. This year, she wanted to send out a Christmas card with a photo of her and my uncle Robert with all their grandchildren. They have 21. Outside of giant wedding guest photos, this is the largest number of people I've squeezed into a photo since I started my business two years ago. It's certainly the largest number of people who are related! My aunt was thrilled with the results and she left me a message saying she hoped I used this photo on my "work screen." I assume she meant my website. And since you can't say no to Auntie Lanie, here it is:



I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! I can't believe today is Christmas Eve. Doug and I leave tomorrow for Buenos Aires and we're not quite packed, but we're getting there. One suitcase down, one garment bag to go! I will hopefully blog from the road. I am SOOOO excited!

Basin Street Blues

I'm going to rant for just a second here. Last night, in the midst of the snowstorm, I took the train into Boston for a concert (more on that later). I managed to snag a seat on the T (subway for those of you non-Bostoners) and settled in for the ride. At the next stop, a woman got on with her elderly mother. There were no seats for them so they stood and held on to one of the poles. I watched, embarrassed, as not one person close to them offered these women a seat. Where have our manners gone? Is it just Boston? Is it because everyone was cranky because of the weather? It was just so upsetting to me that in this day and age, and at this supposedly charitable time of year, no one found it in their hearts to stand and let this older woman sit down. After watching this for a little bit, I finally made eye contact with the woman (they were on a different level than me - yes, the T now has stairs in some of its cars) and asked if her mother would like my seat. After speaking, they decided to stand for the rest of their ride. Frankly, this elderly woman looked a lot more steady on her feet than a lot of other passengers on the T, so I felt she could probably hold her own. We all got out at the same stop, and were in fact going to the same concert, and they thanked me for offering my seat. The daughter said, "You'll notice none of the men offered to stand so my mother could sit." Now, I don't think chivalry and manners should be practiced by just men, but COME ON PEOPLE! Where's your sense of decency?! When you're old and gray and don't have a ton of energy, I bet you'll hope some kind person will stand so you can sit on the train. Here's the thing, I don't have a lot of money to be donating to this and that charity. When my friend send me letters about walks they're doing, I can't support (monetarily) every single one. Here's what I can do: offer an elderly woman my seat so she doesn't have to stand on the train. It's free. It doesn't take any extra time. And frankly, it might just make her day. Maybe she doesn't take the seat, but at least she knows there are people out there paying attention.

Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

I love this photo of Josie - it's the calm in the eye of the storm of a 2 yr old! Only a few days after our photo shoot, she managed to break her arm! Yikes! Something tells me it didn't slow her down all that much!


A week from today, in fact, dare I say, EXACTLY one week from now, Doug and I should be landing in Buenos Aires. We'll be there through the New Year, which means, when I return, it will be 2009. Even with all of the crazy things going on in the world, I can't help but be excited about the upcoming year. There are going to be a lot of changes over here at Margaret Belanger Photography and I'm looking forward to tackling them all, and maybe cleaning all the clutter off my desk! In the meantime, lots of preparation for Christmas and for our trip. Time to go shopping!

You Better Watch Out

Besides an engagement shoot coming up, I am done with sessions in 2008! It's been such an amazing year - I have learned so much and am so excited about the direction my business is taking. Christmas is a great way for me to wrap up the year because I start getting all the photo cards in the mail. I love when clients send me their cards. When you photograph a family, you never know which photo they will choose to use, so it's a great surprise to see them all. I've got them taped up around a doorway in my house and they make great decorations.

Buenos Aires is right around the corner, which I guess is how I'll really end 2008. I'm photographing a wedding on December 27th, which I know is going to be fabulous. Doug and I are trying to finish up Christmas stuff so we can focus on packing and preparing. I am going to try to blog from the road - I think the hotel has WiFi, so I should be okay. I'm sure I'll shoot a million and one photos. I'm SOOO excited!

Quick Movie Reviews: I saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night and enjoyed it. Good acting, good storyline, great characters. The characters are really multi-faceted, which lends itself to the nuances of the story. The movie got a fair amount of Golden Globe nominations and won't be around in theaters much longer so it was on the top of my list. Penelope Cruz was great. Since Golden Globes separate Comedies and Dramas, it will be interesting to see if the movie receives any Oscar recognition. There's a fair amount of competition. Overall, I recommend it, either in the theater or at home.

Easy Like A Sunday Morning

As soon as my wedding season started to wind down, I started booking all my family sessions for the holidays. I love the idea that people are using my photos on their holiday cards and are giving them as gifts. I've gotten to meet a bunch of new cool families, plus I've been able to catch up with some I photographed last year. I love that my job is to basically meet people, hang out with them, and capture their personalities. Sure, there's definitely some pressure to get the perfect family photo, but I try to keep the experience as painless as possible. When I worked at a studio, the pressure reduced some children, and even some parents, to tears. My goal is to take as much of that pressure away as possible! By going where my clients are comfortable, the portrait session starts off much more relaxed. No searching high and low for parking that then makes you late for your studio appointment. No dragging children through the mall. No waiting in line. It's a great system.

This family was a lot of fun to photography. They had this big finished attic that we were able to use for our "studio." Dad stood by while I photographed the kids, occasionally reading them passages from Junie B. Jones to get them to smile. The two little girls couldn't wait to hold their baby brother.



Here's the whole family. I love the bright colors!


The day I took the photos was one of those early really cold days we had right before Thanksgiving. The girls didn't really want to play outside. Can't say that I blame them. This little guy had no choice! He looks so adorable all bundled up!



Things that are wicked exciting right now:
1) Golden Globe nominations came out today! I'll be making my list and checking it twice! I was thrilled to see that most of the nominated films are movies I already wanted to see. It's nice to know I won't be dragging myself to the theater to spend money on movies I'm not that interested in seeing. I've already seen a bunch of them, so that's helpful too. The broadcast is on Sunday Jan 11th, so between now and then, I'll be checking in with nutshell reviews I'm sure.
2) Christmas is 2 weeks from today! Eeks!
3) Doug and I leave for Buenos Aires two weeks from today! That's insane. We've been starting to prepare for the trip, but I have a feeling we'll be doing a lot of it last minute.

When You Wish Upon A Star

When I photographed Sofia, I was transported into her enchanting world, a world where Tinkerbell had given her magical powers. I was smitten. How can you not want to hang out with a little girl with magical powers?!

This photo was taken in a fleeting moment of relaxation after showing me her dance routine. Yup, her dance routine!


And here she is with her trusty magic wand!


She told me in no uncertain terms that being able to use the camera does not count as magical powers. However, she reassured me that if I practiced, I could get some magical powers, too. Abracadabra!


I love how little she looks on her big bed, just hanging out with her magic wand.


This was such a fun shoot (obviously). Sofia even colored a picture for me to take home! You better believe it's hanging on my fridge.

Today was pretty chilly. Hope everyone is staying warm and getting their shopping done! Doug and I are all thrown off this year since we won't really be participating in our usual Christmas traditions. I'm usually on top of all my shopping, but this year, I feel behind. Oh well. That's what the internet is for!

I Feel Sheltered In Your Love

My mom is impatiently waiting for me to post something new, so here we go. Ruth and Chas got married at the end of September at the Grandview Inn in Jaffrey, NH. Theirs was actually the 2nd wedding I've shot there. The location is amazing! The Inn offers a ton of great nooks to take photos, inside & out, which is always important when planning an outdoor wedding in New England. We experienced some rain the day of Ruth and Chas' wedding, but they were troopers and decided to get married outside. It drizzled, but nothing we couldn't handle. Thanks to Mother Nature, it cleared up in time for us to shoot the formals outside. I just went through and watermarked a bunch of photos to post, but there's something up with flickr today and I can't seem to generate the code. That means you'll just have to enjoy the slideshow!

Blowin' In the Wind

It's time for me to return to some of the photos from this fall that I haven't blogged yet. This photo is from Amy & Derek's wedding in October. It was such a great wedding - quintessential Boston with a trolley and photos in the Public Garden. I was the second shooter for Brett Alison Photography so I got to kick back and relax and just have fun photographing the day. I'll post more photos from this wedding another day. I've actually got three weddings to blog (yikes!). However, today is laundry day and the laundry is done nowhere near my computer (which might be a good thing), so this is it for now.

Jump For My Love!

These little girls are a riot. I love watching them interact with each other - what one does, the others follow. We got some adorable photos immediately and then we decided to play around a little. Here they are getting ready for their big jump:



Here they are mid-jump, big smiles, tongues out. It doesn't get much better than that!


Can you believe Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow? I can't! Doug and I leave for Buenos Aires in exactly one month! I'm already planning out my outfits in my head (it will be summer down there). I've been pondering buying a laptop for the trip (and, of course, it will be helpful in general), but I haven't given in quite yet. There's just so much going on! I'm still in the thick of holiday photos, so that's exciting. I'm working on updating my website and my business. I'm really excited for 2009!

Right Through the Heart of Me

Yesterday afternoon, I picked up Jill and Krista and we road tripped it down to Mohegan Sun. Did we spend a dime gambling? No. Did we spend a dime on alcohol? No. We did spend a dime on milkshakes, but a girl's got needs. We drove down to see Alexa Ray Joel in concert. Almost two years ago, I saw her CD at Target. I admit that I picked it up initially because I'm a huge fan of Billy Joel, but I did a little recon online and loved her music. She has such a great sound and it's so different than so much of what is out there right now. When I saw somewhere that she was playing at Mohegan Sun, I knew I wanted to go. Enter Krista and Jill. I consider myself extremely lucky to have friends who 1) let me drag them across state lines to go to a concert of someone they don't know and 2) have a random work schedule like I do. Also lucky for me - they loved the show. I loved the show. It was awesome. We were sitting in the front row and loving every minute of it. I highly recommend you check out her music. And she's playing again at Mohegan Sun on January 24th - I can fit 5 in my car if anyone is interested!

I'm not used to point-and-shoots (yucky red-eye), but luckily Krista brought hers along. Here we are, after the show:

I've Got A New Way To Walk

This family was so much fun to photograph. We had an amazing location that I am definitely going to use again. And how can you not love a baby with hair like that? Adorable! I think this top photo is my favorite from the session. I love that the parents are looking at their son and the baby is teetering toward me with great determination and joy.


I also just love the autumn feel of this photo, with the big trees lining the walkway. The colors are perfect. I know I've said it before, but nothing beats New England for fall photography!


I still have weddings from this past season to blog! I haven't forgotten about them, trust me. Even though I keep crossing things off the to-do list, I keep adding things on!

Art Is Why I Get Up In the Morning

In addition to the shoots and the editing recently, I've also been attending concerts. You see, long before I even dreamed of the possibility of studying film and television, I was a music lover. Long before I even dreamed of considering myself a photographer, I was a music lover. It's who I was. I'm not saying I loved cool music or hip music. I wasn't ahead of my time (unless I was so far behind I was ahead). When I was in college, I worked for a couple of radio stations in Boston. My first post-college job was with a music marketing firm. However, once you start studying tv and movies, music sort of falls by the wayside. Doug and I try to go to concerts when we can, but we have very different taste in music. I didn't want to go see Radiohead with him and he refused to go see Jimmy Buffett with me. C'est la vie. This fall, though, we've started attending concerts again and it's awesome. So far, we've seen Julian Velard, performing with Ari Hest and Marianne Keith, Smashing Pumpkins, and Ani Difranco. On the schedule for the upcoming weeks is Ernie Halter, Alexa Ray Joel, and everyone's favorite Christmas show, Harry Connick, Jr.! What a great way to end 2008! I'm feeling re-energized and I'm falling in love with music all over again. So keep an eye out for cool shows coming to your area - music will make you happy.

You Wanna Be Starting Something

In March of 2007, I photographed this family for the first time. Harrison was just six months old and photographing him was one of my first assignments as an independent photographer. I had recently left the studio I had been working for to strike out on my own and I totally lucked out meeting Harrison's family. Harrison's mom passed the word along to her friends and they've kept me employed for close to two years now. That's how it all started. Now they have a new little baby - Lily. She is six months old, so it was time for her supermodel debut. She's off to a great start!

For some reason, baby clothes designers still feel the need to put lots of tiny buttons on the backs of clothes. Go figure.


Look at this gorgeous face! I love it when babies look straight into the camera and for some reason, really seem to be connecting. You can tell there's something going on behind those beautiful eyes.


And, of course, here's the big brother. He's changed so much over the past year and a half. For one thing, he's a little blondie now! He's also running around and talking in sentences. He's certainly challenging Lily to keep up with him.

I'm Just Mad About Saffron

A couple of weekends ago, I swapped a portrait session with uber-cool photographer Rachel Hadiashar of mergeweddings.com. She photographed Doug and I in our (un)natural habitat and then I photographed her and her husband, Ali. It's rare that I find myself photographing other photographers, so there was some definite pressure (internal only). Luckily, Rachel and Ali knew what they wanted. They had a very specific idea for a Christmas card but I can't reveal those photos here. When we finished with that, we just shot some "normal" photos. They were both great in front of the camera, so it was really just a wonderful afternoon of fun.

Have You Any Wool?

I was recently introduced to a new location - Brooksby Farm in Peabody. They had lots of farm animals and some animals that shouldn't be on a farm (like emus). There was a huge orchard, tractors, bales of hay, and pretty much anything a photographer could have fun with. Including a large wooden crate that I managed to whack my head on (of course). I photographed this family last year and we had fun getting together again this year. I know this isn't your typical holiday card photo, but I think it's beautiful. J.T. and Evvie are twins and they had just climbed up this little hill and we were trying to direct them to hold hands and come down again. Directing small children does not generally turn out how you plan it, which is the beauty of the whole thing. This is one of those in-between moments.

You're A Star In the Face of the Sky

Every year, October, November, and December are filled up with fun family shoots in preparation for the holiday season. I am having so much fun photographing all of the kids, some of whom I haven't seen since last fall. A year makes a big difference. It's awesome. Now, these kids I try to see fairly often. Abbie and Sophie have been appearing on my blog since I started it nearly two years ago. Abbie is my only official godchild (although I like to think I have a handful of fairy godchildren). They are the daughters of my cousin Adrienne and her husband Michael (commonly referred to as Honey). You couldn't meet two nicer people. Adrienne has always been like my older sister. She was a great moral compass (most of the time) and she was always someone I could talk to when I needed someone to listen. When she got married, I lucked out and got Honey in the deal. They have these two gorgeous daughters who always make me laugh and I love to photograph them!

When I worked at the studio, stacking heads was a definite no-no. Abbie and Sophie did this themselves and I love the movement. It makes the photo more dynamic than just stacked heads.


Sophie's big blue eyes.


Abbie's big brown eyes.


I had to post this photo of Sophie trippin' the light fantastic.


For those of you interested in scheduling a holiday session, there's still time! Give me a call or email me to set something up!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

What? A Christmas post already?! Well, tomorrow is Ravioli Day, which is the unofficial kick-off to Christmas season in my family. Every year, my mom and her three sisters get together and make over 500 ravioli from scratch for our Christmas dinner. When I was little, Ravioli Day would take three days but now they get it all done in one day. There was also a time when having their daughters around was more of a distraction than a help, but those days are gone. We all take the day off from work and go over and help out. Ravioli Day jobs consist of cranking the dough, cutting it in circles, spooning in the filling, or forking the ravs closed. We get an assembly line going. It's a wonderful family tradition and really, we just enjoy spending time together. This year, because I'll be in Buenos Aires, I'll miss out on the actual eating of the ravioli on Christmas Day, but I wouldn't miss Ravioli Day for anything!

Let's Hear it For the Boys

A day at the beach. I met up with this family at Singing Beach, which I hadn't been to in forever. We were lucky to have some nice weather before autumn really set in. I got to play in the ocean one last time which was great for the soul but not great for keeping my pants dry! My friend Charlie is a very active two year old and we just ran around and around and around. This is a photo of Charlie and his dad...



Since today is VOTING DAY and I've already voted, I think I might treat myself to a movie this afternoon. It's always a good day for the movies!

You Gotta Fight For Your Right

Today is VOTING DAY! If you haven't already, you need to vote today! Sure, the lines might be longer than usual, but isn't that a good thing? Doesn't that mean that people are taking this privilege seriously? Bring a book or a magazine or text your friends - the time will fly by. Plus, when all is said and done, you get a sticker that says "I Voted!" and with that sticker, you can get free coffee at Starbucks, free ice cream at Ben & Jerry's, and a free donut at Krispy Kreme. Not to mention, for the rest of your life, you get to talk about the day you helped change history.

When You Give Me That Pretty Little Pout

This is my "niece" Sophie - she's not really my niece but my cousin's daughter (whatever that makes her). She calls me "Auntie Meg," so I think it's only fair I get to call her my niece. I love seeing this face at my photo shoots! Lucky for her she's so adorable otherwise she would have been in some serious trouble!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing these three musketeers again. They are such funny kids! We were able to shoot in a neighbor's backyard so we could get the pond in the background for some of the photos, which was awesome. There are millions of hidden treasures, like this pond, all over Massachusetts alone. I love getting the opportunity to discover them. We also made use of the fall foliage, which in New England, you can't pass up.

Tess.


Tyler.


Tanner.


The three kids on the dock.


See, I told you I'd be posting more! Despite the failing economy, I'm feeling pretty good about life right now. Election day is right around the corner and I am SOOO excited! I registered to vote as soon as I turned 18 and I really enjoy being part of the process. This year, however, is particularly historical. If you are over 18 and are registered to vote, DO IT! I honestly feel that if you don't take advantage of your privilege to vote this year, you should be ashamed. No matter who wins, we're making history. How could you not want to be a part of that? Okay, I'm off my soapbox now! Happy Thursday!

I Want to Thank You

Okay, so with the lack of wedding editing I was finally able to change my blog a little bit. Thanks to Rachel of mergeweddings.com who sat with me on the phone and taught me a little bit about html. Ah, the lovely world of the interweb...

I'm Learning to Fly

Finally I can get back to posting! Just yesterday I essentially finished editing all of this season's weddings, which has me very excited. My next wedding is in about two months - in Buenos Aires! The holidays are right around the corner. Every year, I photograph my friend Tiffany's family. I've been doing it since before her son was born (she was my first maternity shoot out of the studio) and it's always fun to spend some time with them. Earlier this month I was able to scoot down to the Cape for a visit and a photo shoot.

Here's Nick. He loved riding on his scooter. He seemed to think I was pretty amusing, so I'll thank him for that when he gets older.



This is Nick's best friend Ruby. Adorable, huh? I have a feeling their moms are planning some sort of pagan betrothal.



And this little guy is Ruby's baby brother Odin.


It was awesome that we could still take advantage of the nice autumn weather. I can't say enough about Tiffany and her family. I can tell you she is an amazing wife, mother, and friend but the words could never convey the actuality of it all. I'm lucky to have her in my life, for sure! When we were in high school, we stood in line in the snow at the crack of dawn to get tickets to see Tom Petty at the Boston Garden - the REAL Boston Garden. It seemed only fitting to use a Petty song for her post.

Now that I've come up for air, you'll be seeing a lot of new posts. I've still got a couple of weddings to write about as well as a lot of other shoots! Stay tuned...

You're Beautiful

I am up very early this morning in order to hop on a bus to NYC for the Photo Plus Expo this week. I love taking little trips to New York - it's always so much fun. A nice return to my old stomping grounds. Sometimes I can't even believe I lived there, it's just been so long. Since I will be abandoning my computer once again, I wanted to leave you with a slideshow from Chris and Emily's wedding. They married on a Friday evening in Newport, RI, but celebrated with a reception on Saturday night. That left us plenty of time for pictures!

Happy To Be Stuck With You

This is another photo from Chris and Emily's wedding in Newport. The people at Newport Vineyards were super cool. They let us shoot in the barrel room (not sure if that's the technical term) since we weren't able to go outside in the pouring rain. This is probably my favorite shot from in there.


I'm actually going to be out of town for the weekend and probably won't be able to access the internet at all. I might not even get cell phone service. The horror! However, if you need to reach me, you can always call and leave a message. I'll check periodically. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and hopefully blogging will resume a more regular schedule when I return!

It's a Little Bit Funny

Oh blog, how I've missed you! I'm working VERY hard so that I can post some more wedding photos and other assorted goodies soon. Now that it's October, my holiday sittings are in full swing, which is really exciting. Kids are adorable. It's a simple but true statement. In the midst of my editing, here are some things that have been swirling around in my mind:

1. As a photographer, branding and marketing are very important. How do you want people to think of you? How will you get them to do this? Do you have a logo? A slogan? So many companies rely on a consistent image so that when you see it (or hear it), you know exactly what company it is. It seems to be relatively effective. Has anyone out there besides me noticed that GEICO has three distinct commercial campaigns running on tv? Can you name them? They have the GEICO gecko, the cavemen, and then the commercials where the famous people translate the accident story of the regular person. Did you know that all those commercials belonged to one company? When you think of GEICO, which one comes to your head? Is having that many different campaigns out there effective? Since I'm thinking about my own company and how to brand and market myself, I just find it very interesting. Thoughts?

2. Also having to do with advertising. I saw an ad the other day on my computer for a new car (can't remember the company). One of the things they promoted the car as having was "real time weather." Uhm, I don't need a weather update in real-time. Without being a meteorologist, I can tell if it's raining, sunny, cloudy, snowing. If I'm confused, I can stick my hand out the car window.

See what your mind turns to after weeks of editing and not really leaving the house, except to shoot (which only adds to the editing). I'm working on a post with photos now, so hopefully I'll be back in the next couple of days!

Unforgettable, That's What You Are

Kat and Steven got married a couple of weeks ago at the Tewksbury Country Club, which was beautiful and great for photos, too. Kat was an amazing bride. When I first met her last year, I was struck by her organizational skills and I knew we would get along. On her wedding day, though, she let all the stress melt away and she was really able to enjoy the day. It was awesome! I can also say that Steven's brother Declan gave what could be the best Best Man Toast of all time (it involved some interpretative dance). For the rest of my wedding photography career, I will be asking myself, "Was that speech better than Declan's?" So, here are some photos from the big day:

Emily spent some time with the boys ahead of the ceremony and grabbed this shot, which I love.


The shoes and the dress are always important details!


The bride getting ready. Kat had to be tied into her dress, which required some dexterity and patience on the part of her mother and maid of honor.



All done and ready for the day!




The bride and her father walking up the steps of the church.


By the time we got to the reception, I knew it would be dark so Kat and Steven were nice enough to let me snag a few photos of them outside the church. Well worth it, I think.



At the country club and ready to go!





A big congratulations to Kat and Steven! Thanks for letting me be part of your day! If you want to see more photos from their wedding, check out the slideshow below...