Winter weddings are my new favorite thing to photograph.  Sure, it can be a little chilly taking portraits outside, but snow makes everything prettier, and it is a wonderful natural reflector, making everything – and everyone – glow.  I’ve been really lucky this year to secure several winter weddings, and my first was just over a week ago, at Grace Restaurant in Portland, ME.  Christina and Robby are an awesome couple living up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  They drove all the way to Boston to meet with me back in April, and I completely fell for them at that first meeting.  They’re fun, outgoing, stylish, with just the right amount of geeky thrown in. And they own a ridiculously cute pup called Gus (who sadly couldn’t be with us at the wedding).  Perfect!

I started my morning with the girls in their room at the Portland Harbor Hotel. Christina’s cousin was doing her makeup, but I love this photo of Christina finishing up her lips:

In the next room, Christina’s best friend and maid of honor Aimee was practicing her toast – love this!

Love the homemade ring box:

One of my favorite photos of the morning: a candid capture of Christina checking herself out in the mirror after getting dressed – she was beaming!

I also got to spend a little time upstairs with the guys. Their bright mustard yellow bow ties were awesome!

We held their first look inside the hotel in one of the public spaces – special thanks to Robby’s groomsmen for acting as bodyguards for their private moment! Robby was quite nervous …

There were a couple of tears then plenty of smiles.

We braved the cold weather for the portrait session, and I’m so glad we did. And how gorgeous is Christina’s borrowed mink stole?

Snow boots are a must for winter weddings – Christina borrowed hers from her mom … they’re thirty years old!

After a little while, we headed back to the hotel and rounded up the wedding party for some portraits around Portland. We started out on Wharf Street, opposite the hotel:

Such gorgeous flowers by Emily Carter:

These guys were all SO awesome to work with, and such troupers – it was not warm out!

And a few final couples portraits – such cuties.

The ceremony was held in the basement room at Grace Restaurant. It flew by (it was just under nine minutes long according to my exif data!) but there were still some great moments:

The rest of the evening was spent upstairs in the main restaurant. It is an amazing space; the restaurant was originally a church, and many features have been preserved, including the stained glass windows, and the pulpit (now used as the hostess stand). It was crazy dark in there, but candles offered a soft and pretty light:

Christina and Robby opened dinner with their first dance to Moondance, and they had some great swing moves. I love Robby’s face in this next photo – and also that you can see his brother laughing at the far left of the frame:

Aimee giving her (well-rehearsed) toast:

And some great parent dances:

The rest of the evening was spent dancing like crazy as Nate Oinonen of White Label DJs spun his magic. Hopefully I’m forgiven for posting these next few photos …

Thank you Robby and Christina, your awesome wedding party and fabulous families, for the incredibly warm welcome and super fun evening. We absolutely loved working with you all, and hope that you enjoy these teasers!