Two Saturdays ago (how time flies during the busy season!) I headed back to one of my very favorite Boston venues, the Four Seasons Hotel, for Jess and Derek’s beautiful wedding. We were greeted with a beautiful day, and had a star-studded cast of vendors to work with: Emilie at Pink Orchid Weddings orchestrated the day (she is so great to work with – always cool, calm and collected, and so incredibly sweet); Jenna and Sue of Naomi’s Studio & Salon in West Hartford, CT, did a phenomenal job of hair and makeup; Mimosa created the amazing florals; and I finally had a chance to work with DJ Ari Rosenfield, owner of Beat Train Productions. I arrived a little ahead of schedule to photograph Jess’ gorgeous details … and here’s a little preview of the amazing hot pink bridesmaids dresses too:

Jess was in high spirits, and looked serene while having her makeup applied:

The girls looked SO cute in their floor length fuchsia gowns (I love this color for summer!)

Silver Jimmy Choo shoes for Jess – perfect!

Some close family friends came to visit Jess during the preparations, and there were some emotional moments:

Once Jess was ready, we held the first look on the grand staircase at the Four Seasons:

I had a super star second shooter with me that day, the incredibly talented Kip Beelman all the way from Seattle! He got some amazing shots, including this moment as Jess and Derek headed out to do portraits:

We headed out into the Public Garden for couples portraits, and were joined by the wedding party and families for some group photos.

I love this candid photo by Kip of the guys hanging out:

The ceremony was held in the Grand Ballroom at the Four Seasons, and it’s such a great room – the walls are clean and bright, the decor is beautiful, and the room is filled with lovely light.

The ceremony was led by Justice of the Peace Gayle Smalley. She officiated another favorite wedding of mine back in August last year, and I was so happy to work with her again! She brings both humor and emotion into the ceremony … it was perfect:

I hope Jess doesn’t mind me posting this funny moment, mid-tears, when she very happily accepted a Kleenex from her maid of honor, Amanda:

Dinner and dancing were held in Aujourd’hui at the Four Seasons. The tables looked amazing! The next shot is by Kip, the two below are mine. I love the guest favors – miniature bottles of Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur. Derek and Jess spent their honeymoon in Italy, and held their rehearsal dinner at an Italian restaurant in Boston’s North End … so there was a theme going on here. 🙂

Some lovely first dance moments:

A couple of photos from the wonderful toasts:

The parent dances were just wonderful. One of my favorite moments from the entire reception was Derek holding his mom tightly during their dance together … so sweet!

Ari of Beat Train Productions kept the dance floor packed all night – it was such a great party! Thank you Jess and Derek; you, your friends, and families were so welcoming, and we had such a great time documenting your day! I hope you’ve enjoyed the teasers, and I’m excited to share more over the next couple of weeks!