It was really fun to plan and execute this shoot because Julia and I were on the same page. (I think we stalk much of the same wedding blogs haha!)

So Julia collected a ton of fun things – old books that she and Andy love, a blanket that was her grandmother’s, the absolute cutest picnic basket – and we brought a long a couple of our favorite things too – an old camera that belonged to my grandparents, some blue mason jars that I’m obsessed with, an old box so we could create some levels… I even brought along our record player, but it’s newer and didn’t look right so you might not see it in many pictures. When we had enough of the picnic, we just walked through the rest of the Arboretum… it wasn’t dramatically in bloom, but we found some beautiful purple flowers and some bright light peeking through the trees. I love the purple and yellow together.

The next part that was absolutely crucial was selecting the right time of day… 6-7ish is the “golden hour” when the sun is going down and isn’t so damn bright We actually had to reschedule the shoot once because it was supposed to rain on the first day we had picked, and was very grey and cloudy. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem, but remember that aforementioned vision we had? It included warm, glowy, lovely evening sun.

see that sunlight coming in the frame? I love this!!!

How cute is this?? I could totally see them on the couch doing the same thing.

LOVE this SUN!

this is so dreamy

silly and sweet. i love it!

it's like they're under the mistletoe. I love how Julia's laughing- it totally shows how they are completely amused by each other

this may look all sweet and romantic, but Mike just gave her a big wet kiss on her cheek!

inside the castle at sunset!

Sarah & Mike Wedding Video! from ciras photography on Vimeo.

a fun picture of a hidden jem!

Laughin' on the stairs!

Nick & Nicole’s Hawaiian Engagement Session from ciras photography on Vimeo.

Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about Nick and Nicole… and their amazingly obvious love for each other. They are so into each other that it’s palpable… thick in the air… like a happiness smoke that everyone else swims through when around them. It just makes you smile to be around them.And they wanted their wedding to be a simple way to celebrate and simultaneously bring their families together. And it was a perfect execution of their plan (despite the officiant working on Hawaiian time!)

Where: North Shore, O’ahu at the Pipeline House

Food: By the wondrously talented RJ Spade of Bluestar in Austin, TX (best food I’ve ever had… and it was vegetarian!)

Dress, Shoes, jewelry: Betsy Johnson

the beautiful Betsy Johnson dress and shoes

the frill of the dress. LOVE IT

Nicole and her sister are pros at teasing her mom. This is them in action haha

Nick and Nicole got wedding bands that had each other's fingerprints on them. amazing.

right before walking down to the ceremony

the food!!

Nick getting ready

I love this moment! It really captures their silliness

that sunset! Ahh! Why can't we get them like this in New England!

I think this might be my favorite of the whole day. It really shows the perfect lighting as well as the connectedness of N&N!

the mangroves! Beach and jungle all together

perfection

the first dance! in the living room!

hahaha- the second half of the first dance included the robot!

then everyone got in on the dancing

remember pulp fiction....

Where? Tewksbury Country Club

Joslyn doesn't think she's a model, but look at that pose!

this moment during the ceremony took my breath away

Evan & Joslyn love to laugh. a lot. mostly at each other!

a perfect day (albeit a little cold)!

I’ve decided to start a new “regular feature” on the blog about photos from weddings that I’ve fallen in love with. I sometimes forget that you, nation, do not live and breathe photography like we do, and thus, may not understand why we fall in love with certain photos. (Please pardon the stupid Colbert reference, I couldn’t help myself!) Also, we’re privy to a ton more information that makes the photo richer than it is on the surface. Doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful  and unable to be appreciated by a stranger,  but it’s often the unexpected, unflashy photos that bring tears to my eyes.

Most of the time we fall in love with photos for the mere fact that we’ve fallen in love with our brides and grooms. By the time the wedding comes around, we’ve known you for at least 6 months (and sometimes more than a year) and have heard the backstory about how you two fell in love, how crazy/sweet/funny/excited your family is, how you have a twin brother who is nothing like you but is your best friend/your college roommate and maid-of-honor is better than any sister you could have had/you were raised by a single mom and your wedding is a huge event for her too (all true stories). In short, we and we are invested in who you are. (Other times we fall in love with a photo because it was crazy hard to capture or it’s technically awesome. But most of the time we’re completely guided by our emotions!)

What I love about photography is that even if you don’t know the backstory, the photo can still touch you. That’s why we have a blog and website: Because you and your stories are beautiful to people who don’t even know you. Your unique personalities are able to suck people into your lives through one quick photo. Photojournalism especially (re: “candids”) can really show who you are in one quick photo.

But what is really amazing about the privilege Jesse and I have in being at your wedding is that we get a deeper story, and fall in love with the photos even more. And this now brings me full circle to my new feature: Why I love this Photo.

In my first post in this new feature, I’m already going to break the rules. I’m showing two photos.

The perk of having two photographers is that during the “getting ready” time, I go with the girls and Jesse goes with the guys. Most of the time, we photograph what one is doing independently of the other in preparation to a marriage that will unite them both. With Andrea and Joe, who got ready at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, Jesse documented Joe writing out a card to Andrea, and I documented Andrea’s reaction to the card. It was magnificent to have record of how Joe looked so diligent in writing out his thoughts and feelings, and how whatever he said hit Andrea to the core.