We had the pleasure of traveling to Virginia Beach to celebrate with Jen and Mike and despite the Boston weather in Virginia Beach we had so much fun being a part of their celebration. Here are a few teasers!

I never properly blogged Talmadge & Alan’s simply elegant wedding at Oleana Retaurant in Cambridge last summer… Since I’m sitting here dreaming of summer, let’s all smile at Talmadge’s gorgeous blue dress and remember approximately 25 years ago when we could go sleeveless comfortably.

Jeanne & Frank got married at the Borsari Gallery in Dennis, MA what seems like 45 years ago… but I guess it was probably less than that

We’re completing their first album (they’re getting a double set), and I wanted to share a couple spreads… show off their cute faces and how the photos work together on a spread.

Wanna see more?

Check out their gallery here: Cape Cod Wedding Photos

Megan & Jim’s classic wedding album! To see the whole post about their wedding, click here: Megan & Jim’s Red Lion Inn Wedding.

someone wanted to help!

Megan is a girl with a plan. Wanting a rustic, New England feel that would mimic her family’s ranch in Montana, The Red Lion Inn in Cohasset worked perfectly. The Inn itself was built in the 1700s, and it has such quaint charm… and also a kickass ballroom, so you don’t feel like you’re sacrificing elegance for an old-world feel.

(You might remember Megan and Jim from their New York engagement shoot, or from when that shoot was featured on LimnandLovely.com)

Megan and Jim added so many touches to the day:

*the ribbon monogram that was on the invitations, the wedding programs, save the dates, invites, bar napkins, and cocktail stirrers was designed by a friend who couldn’t attend because she and her husband just moved to Australia.

* another very talented friend built (!) the arbor Megan and Jim stood under during the ceremony

* She arranged for a photo of her, her mother’s and her grandmother’s wedding dresses!

*Megan had their names and the wedding date sewn in blue into the underside of her dress, and had the wedding date put on the cuffs of Jim’s shirt.

* Lentils from Megan’s father’s Montana Cattle & Wheat ranch were in the welcome baskets (Sikorski & Sons Ranch, where he grew up and the family still lives and they travel to help for harvest every year)

*The centerpieces and Megan’s bouquet had real wheat harvested from the ranch. Megan said, “I couldn’t expect all our guests to make the trek to rural Montana for the wedding, so we tried to incorporate as many details from the family ranch as possible to make sure we felt like it was a part of our day – especially since the Uncle & Aunt who run the ranch couldn’t attend due to the fact they are still harvesting and moving cattle.”

*The centerpieces were placed on large cross sections of wood from a tree Megan’s father cut down and then burned with a cattle brand of their monogram (Megan’s father even registered it with the Montana Cattle Brand organization so it cannot be used by other ranchers!!)

*There were pictures of Megan and Jim at young age (dressed up as bride & groom) on the bathroom doors

*Handpainted signs along the walk from the church to the reception were made by Megan & her father

* Megan did the calligraphy of the table numbers in little bronze frames

*burlap and muslin placecards, were made by Megan and her mother and propped on mini clothespins

*table assignments were written on antique window panes (from Megan’s 230-year-old childhood home)

*Guestbook was “Harvest to Heat” a farmer’s market cookbook for people to sign next to their favorite recipe

*No favors at the reception – in lieu of gifts, they made a donation to Make-a-Wish and to the Kellie Duggan Foundation (Jim’s cousin passed away of pediatric cancer, and Megan is a Pediatric Cancer Nurse Practitioner)

*At the top of the back stairs, there was a table with pictures of every married couple at the wedding – “shining examples of why we believe in marriage,” Megan said, adding that, “this was one of our favorite parts of the planning – compiling these awesome pictures (some of which people hadn’t dug out in years – and said it totally made their day).”

Crazy amount of details, right?! That’s Megan, right on top of it all.

BUT- the day wasn’t just about the details… it was about a beautiful wedding and an awesome party. I hope the pictures do both justice, showing the details and their importance right next to the personalities and happiness of Megan and Jim.

The Details:

Wedding Coordinator- Melanie from  the Red Lion Inn

Hairstylist – Charlotte Phinney

Makeup- Charlotte Phinney

Dress Designer(s)–Galina Signature with Sposabella Lace, redesigned by the bride&Irene Rocha

Veil Designer(s) – Heirloom – was the Bride’s mothers

Officiant – Reverend Gary Ritts

Florist – Nancy Smith

Cake – Kondeitor Meister

Limo – Ciras Photography- jk!

Wedding rings – Kent Jewelers, New York City

Band – Men In Black

Invitations: Delphine Letterpress, with personal ribbon monogram designed by Megan McLachlan

Boutonnieres – Bohemian Bouquets by Gina Pagano-Rose

I love the movement in this one!

Love this and want to know more about hiring us?! Email Heather at cirasphotography@yahoo.com

Here’s the crowning jewel of my long list of favorites from 2012…

Candids are what we’re about. Unobtrusive, natural… We try so hard to really capture the nature of our brides and grooms, and the feeling of the day.

Here continue my favorite photos from 2012…

I used to think that portraits weren’t all that important. Not that we didn’t snag one or two during the day, but I like candid photos so much better than people smiling at the camera. As we got more experienced (that’s code for “older”! haha) I began to understand the importance more, and began to realize that portraits didn’t mean static or staid or even traditional.

I love all of these portraits (and about 8,000 more) from 2012. I love them because they show personality and love, and that is what I try to capture in all my photos, not just the candid ones.

Cindi & RJ in Mexico!

Evan & Deanna at The Harrington Farm in Princeton, MA

Paula & Patrick at the Millenium Bostonian Hotel in Boston

Jeanne & Frank at the Borsari Gallery in Dennis, MA

Jen & Kevin at the Omni Parker House in Boston

Christina & Steph at the Mile Away Restaurant in New Hampshire

Nicola & Shawn at Hamilton Hall in Salem, MA

Noah & Laura at The Fairmont Copley

Talmadge & Alan at Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge, Ma

Nadine & Shrikant at The Red Lion Inn in Cohasset, MA

Megan & Jim, also at the Red Lion Inn in Cohasset

A few from Nadine and Shrikant’s New Year’s Eve Eve wedding!

Getting ready is one of my favorite times during the wedding day – there’s a buzz, an excitement. Sometimes it gets a little crazy, but, honestly, our couples are usually quite relaxed, so we don’t see any bride or groomzilla stuff

I also love the surprise of the photos Jesse gets of the grooms getting ready… it’s so funny to juxtapose what is going on with the ladies and the guys at the same time. Brides have so much more work to do!!

Since we’ve been shooting for 7 years as wedding photographers, we go in with a plan, we don’t just shoot and hope something comes out! There are a few objectives I have with the getting ready period, which I think go for the whole wedding day: get beautiful portraits, some artistic photos of the couple, some photos that show the mood (relaxed, excited, silly, whatever), get some photos that show the emotion and connection between the bride/groom with the people that surround them. If you’re there for the getting ready process, then you’re a trusted member of the inner circle. I want to make sure that I not only get photos of everyone participating in the process, but the connection with the bride or groom.

Wow- it’s hard to do favorites… there are about 5,000 more I want to add.

For instance, here are a few of my favorites that show connection. The first is Jeanne and her mom as her mom helps her get ready, the second is Cindi and her bridesmaids… they were posing for some photos and it erupted into laughter.

Here are some photos that show the mood and emotion:

Laura and her mother were very chill, and there was just a few people in the room…

RJ and his guys were a freaking riot. This is the first (and quite possibly the last) time we got a photo of a groom and his groomsmen on a trampoline!!

This is a common scene in groom’s rooms- chilling out, having a drink!

These photos tell a story… I love to pan out a lot and capture the whole scene.

And then some more artistic photos…

AAnd some cool, flattering portraits: