couple walking through gate at saltwater farm vineyard wedding

Best Wedding Photos 2016 – Boston and Beyond (Part One)

Feb 21, 2017 | Weddings

couple walking through gate at saltwater farm vineyard wedding

I’m trying something a little different this year; instead of a best-of slideshow, I thought I’d write a little about what I liked about my favorite photos from my 2016 weddings. It’s turned into quite a long post, so I’ll start with the getting ready through ceremony, and end with reception photos in a few days. Each wedding is featured at least once or twice over the two posts. Apart from that, there was no rhyme and reason to my choices, just photos that I remembered for one reason or another.

I photographed weddings all over New England this year, and one of my favorite return spots was Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, CT. It rained on and off throughout the day, but spirits were high as Krista and Brian walked through the iconic gate after their outdoor ceremony. Thanks, wine.

bride being fed during hair and makeup

A little humor goes a long way, as wedding days can have some stressful moments. Love this moment when I caught Melissa mid-bite, being fed by her friend while her hair was being finished up.

ring detail with new england lobsters and clams

I had two couples wonder how I made some delicious ring photos this year. I felt this was a fitting shot for a very Cape Cod wedding at beautiful Wychmere Beach Club.

two grooms getting ready together

Peter and Josh got ready together at the Mandarin Oriental before their beautiful winter evening wedding at the majestic Boston Public Library. I love that their two pups were watching the process unfold.

bridesmaid preparing wedding dress for photo

I’m not a huge one for detail photos, I’d always rather there was a human element – this photo tells so much more of a story than a shot of the dresses all hung up (although I got that shot too).

bride in corset getting dressed with all her bridesmaids

I adore this photo of classic beauty Sarah surrounded by bridesmaids as she got dressed for her wedding at her grandmother’s property in Chatham, on the Cape.

latina bride portrait with lips

Yvette is a beautiful soul, inside and out. Most of the moments I captured of her she was beaming or choked up with emotion, but I loved her quiet beauty and her elegant pose here. She was making the final touches to her outfit when I snapped this.

bride getting ready with help from her friends

Among the things I’m looking for throughout the day is expressive hands. This photo is so simple, but it tells me so much about Sarah’s relationship with her closest friends.

wianno club wedding bride getting dressed with bridesmaids

Kristin was surrounded by her wonderful friends all morning, and they had a great time hanging out in the bridal suite at the beautiful Wianno Club. I love when it’s all hands on deck to get the bride into her dress, and I’m always looking out for those final touches with a perfectly poised hand.

bride taking a moment before ceremony playing with veil

Kristin was such a stunning bride; an elegant, classic, not-quite-portrait while she made the finishing touches to her veil felt like the perfect way to capture her during one of the few quiet moments of her wedding day.

fun moment during pre-ceremony toast

Thanks to some unusually speedy hair and makeup artists at Sarah’s wedding, there was a little time to kill before heading out to the ceremony, so there were a couple of impromptu toasts. I love that I caught Sarah dying with laughter, surrounded by her best friends.

emotional bride and bridesmaids crying together before ceremony

One of my absolute favorite wedding moments of the year: Kadie, her sisters, and best friends bawled their eyes out after watching a slideshow that groom Allen had put together.

choked up bride seeing father for first time on wedding day

Julie teared up when she saw her dad for the first time after getting dressed for her Seaport and World Trade Center wedding. I love documenting the most emotional moments of these sweet relationships for the families I work with.

bride and bridesmaids use umbrella to stay dry as they walk up steps to first look

I always tell my couples how I secretly love rain on a wedding day. If it had been bright and sunny out, this photo of Elise being helped up the steps to her first look with Chris wouldn’t exist.

first look at a boston world trade center wedding

A grand wedding on New Year’s Eve at the World Trade Center deserves a set of grand first look photos. Jesus waited patiently on the bridge over from the Seaport for bride Julie.

emotional first look atwychmere beach club wedding

Kadie and Allen win the prize for most emotional couple this year! They were such a joy to photograph. The spot for the first look had the worst light but the absolute best possible moment. And I also got to work with them at another wedding as they are videographers themselves!

couple hanging out at boston city hall plaza before their elopement ceremony

Anna and Mike wanted to get married at “the ugliest building in Boston” during the “ugliest time of year” so that they’d always have something to celebrate during the darkest months each winter. This was one of my favorite photos from their sweet elopement, and I really loved the challenge of finding beauty at City Hall.

bride and her dad fist bump before ceremony

Yvette was one of several brides to have a “first look” with her dad. This was after the emotional stuff was over – a totally-them fist bump pre-ceremony.

portrait of bride and groom under arches of old south church gordon chapel

Julia and Koroush got married at Old South Church’s Gordon Chapel. I captured this photo as we were waiting for their car to pick them up for some portraits during cocktail hour.

bride and bridesmaids in pink on comm ave in boston's back bay

Hillary and her bridesmaids were absolute perfection in white lace and soft pink, and Comm Ave was the perfect spot for some sweet and simple wedding party portraits.

phantom 3 drone wedding photo at mountain top inn vt wedding

This photo of Kiri and Alfonso in a canoe on a lake at the Mountain Top Inn was a collaboration with my good friend and second shooter James Collier. He flew my drone while I “art directed” – I was too cold, and slightly too anxious, to fly it myself! Thanks to this awesome and adventurous couple for getting up at the crack of dawn for some wonderfully fun day-after photos.

classic boston skyline wedding party portrait in the seaport district

I discovered a love of chairs this year as I worked with several large wedding parties. I was trying to channel my inner Annie Leibovitz for this. OK, so maybe I’m not quite there yet, but it was fun trying, and I think Rachel and Toby and friends had a great time.

bride laughing as weil catches in the wind

Moments that happen between portraits are so much more fun to capture as they tell a little story, or reveal a little about your couples’ personalities. Lauren was such a delight, and this moment was one of many favorites from her gorgeous Jewish wedding at the Fairmont Copley Hotel.

bridesmaids walking in sync down the steps of the church

Another moment captured after portraits were over – Elise and her girls were, miraculously, perfectly in-sync as they stepped down to the trolley.

bride and groom classic black and white moment walking through downtown boston

Andres and Yvette walking through downtown Boston – this might have been a throw-away … except for the perfect twist of Yvette’s foot as she takes a step.

bride and groom walking together after ceremony

Elise wore such a fun dress for her wedding – it begged to be thrown in the air and twirled around, and that’s exactly what she did as she and Chris walked through Fan Pier Park after their wedding party portraits.

wedding party photo at boston harbor hotel arch

I love making a classic backdrop – in this case the iconic arch at the Boston Harbor Hotel – feel fresh and relaxed; it’s all about getting great expressions from the wedding party. Elise, Chris, and friends made my job easy.

mountain top inn fall wedding party leaving house for ceremony

I think of photos like this as adding texture to the day. The little moments between the big moments. Kiri and Alfonso got ready in a couple of fantastic lodges at the Mountain Top Inn, then took the shuttle over to the ceremony. It was pretty cold out, but Kiri – ever the fearless one – went without a jacket. You can just see her white leather Sperry Top-Siders peeking out under her dress.

father of bride kisses her during ketubah signing at jewish mandarin oriental wedding

The father-daughter relationship is one of my favorites to document on the wedding day, and this sweet moment between Hillary and her dad happened just before the ketubah signing.

classic ketubah signing photo at boston mandarin oriental wedding

An alternate view of the ketubah signing in one of the second floor rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Boston. It looks so formal and elegant here, but it was actually a pretty fun and funny ceremony.

bird flying over piano club ceremony spot on lawn

I always try to get a photo of the ceremony setup before guests arrive (easier said than done, it doesn’t always happen!) I am of the opinion that these photos are MUCH more interesting if you put a bird on it (or at least, flying over it).

rainy wedding ceremony at saltwater farm vineyard

My second shooter took the aisle spot for Krista and Brian’s beautiful but rainy Saltwater Farm Vineyard wedding ceremony, allowing me to get a photo of Krista and her parents surrounded by guests with cheerful umbrellas, and the vines beyond.

winter evening wedding at boston public library courtyard

The Boston Public Library is my favorite venue in Boston, I think in part because it can be such a challenging place to shoot. Josh and Peter’s evening ceremony in the courtyard was so beautiful, and sweet, and fun. I wanted to take a photograph to showcase the architecture, while simultaneously capturing the entire congregation.

sweet moment during ceremony reading at connors center retreat wedding

Jonathan whispers into Jessica’s ear during a reading by one of their friends, at their Connors Retreat wedding. Moments like this are fleeting, so it’s always pleasing to capture them. I’m always curious about what is being whispered.

amazing floral arch at mandarin oriental wedding in boston

Zak and Hillary’s florals were spectacular – Poppy Floral designed this incredible rose chuppah arch for their traditional Jewish ceremony in the Mandarin Oriental grand ballroom. I gasped when I saw it!

fun moment during ceremony at a vineyard wedding

It was raining throughout the ceremony, but Krista and Brian had lots to enjoy. I love Krista’s laughter here, and I also like that you can make out a few drops of rain.

expressive groom during evening wedding at winter garden wedding at the seaport hotel in boston

The vows are often a more serious moment during the ceremony; Jesus’ personal vows were pure performance art however, and he had the entire room laughing. I loved this! It was in perfect contrast to the beautiful but formal decor by Orly Khon Floral Boutique.

birds fly over during a Wianno club wedding ceremony on the lawn

A quiet moment during Marcus and Kristin’s Wianno Club wedding ceremony, made ever better by the birds flying over.

bride giggles during formal Jewish wedding ceremony at Fairmont Copley hotel in downtown Boston

Lauren and Kerran had a great time at their wedding, and they were beaming all day long. I love this little giggle I captured from Lauren, as Kerran was saying his vows. I also really love how the parents and siblings are such a strong presence at Jewish weddings.

guests watching ceremony at Fairmont Copley wedding

I usually have one eye watching guests during the ceremony, hoping to capture some kind of emotional reaction. This family was wonderful to photograph; they were really in the moment throughout.

chatham wedding ceremony under trees

Sarah and Garrett got married under a huge tree in the front yard of her grandmother’s amazing Chatham property on the Cape. The light was challenging but beautiful, and I loved the feeling of being surrounded by trees.

tearful moment at outdoor wedding ceremony in berkshires

Mike and Rachel had the most wonderfully emotional ceremony, and family was a huge part of their day – they are both incredibly close to their own families, and to each other’s families. I took lots of close up photos of moments like this one, but I really loved the framing here, with the ring bearers on the left, and best man and maid of honor on the right.

fun ring exchange moment at fairmont copley wedding

It wasn’t just Lauren giggling during her and Kerran’s ceremony at the Fairmont Copley; Kerran and his parents were too!

sweet moment at city hall wedding with grandpa

This was such a sweet moment: Anna’s grandfather got choked up at the end of their Boston City Hall elopement, and the city clerk went over and took his hand, while Anna crouched next to him with her arm around his shoulders.

excited couple at end of wychmere beach club wedding ceremony

Kadie and Allen were SO EXCITED to be married!! I love all the raised hands and fantastic expressions on the girls, too.

belle mer wedding photo happy couple exiting ceremony

Melissa and Dave had such a beautiful evening ceremony at Belle Mer in Newport, RI. Melissa’s huge grin says it all here, and I love seeing all the guests smiling in the background as they exit the ceremony.

couple exits their gordon chapel summer wedding

Julia and Koroush exited the Gordon Chapel in downtown Boston to cheering guests and eco confetti. I’m a huge fan of making the exit a little more ceremonial and eco confetti is a great way to go. I’ve also seen little flags used in this same spot, which was also so much fun.

hugs after wedding ceremony at wychmere beach club

Kadie and Allen hugging and kissing friends as they walk away from the ceremony; Kadie’s brother is trying to get in on the action with one of Kadie’s bridesmaids, and this is such a funny moment to me because it is so him.

saltwater farm vineyard wedding ceremony bride and groom

Brian might look like he’s playing up to the camera here, but this is pure, unfiltered Brian expressing joy. I love it.

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  1. BEST WEDDING PHOTOS 2016 – BOSTON AND BEYOND (PART TWO) - […] you missed part one of my favorite wedding photos of 2016, you can find that here. Part two is…

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