[Caleb]

It's been awhile! Today I had the good fortune to work with Peter and Maggie and their little guy Caleb.  Caleb has been well trained to interact with the camera (I can't imagine why ;)   Every time I clicked, he smiled.  He is such a sturdy little fellow, making all of the adorable baby sounds and just being so darn cute...it's hard to remember such days when I look at my own kids, now 3 and 5. Anyway, he did an awesome job, as did his parents, and I can't wait to see him again soon!

[Jenna and Kenji]

the day finally came!! i had so much fun working with jenna and kenji during their summer engagement shoot that i just couldn't wait for their wedding day to arrive!  What better way to start the new wedding season (or off season, maybe?) with blizzard-like conditions and a beautiful bride and groom and their amazing families?  Not to mention, all the gorgeous little children, balloon animals and a paper crane carved out of ice?  Ok, I think we all could have survived without the wind and cold, but it all came together in the end for a really memorable evening for everyone.  Check it out!

Fox Valley is such a stunning place to have a reception...we took a little limo-bus ride to the barn for some quick pictures...

If you're going to have a winter wedding, you have to know that anything is possible in Buffalo!  I loved that the girls were totally up for some snowy pictures....

So many of the elements at the reception were made by the family.  Jenna's mom made all of the centerpieces, while Kenji's mom took care of all of the paper cranes.  And, all of the candles burning were so yummy and inviting...when you entered the reception the air was heavy with vanilla and warmth.  I am not a candle burner but I may begin!







And the ice sculpture was made by Kenji's brother So, who has his own catering business, and just happened to also be the guy who carved the ice hockey table at last year's Powderkeg Festival downtown. 

So also had a hand in all of the Japanese hors d'ouvres.

Instead of a cake cutting, Kenji and Jenna took part in a Sake Ceremony.  Traditionally, the bride and groom offer each other Sake and then to their parents to signify the formal bond of the two families.

Thanks you, thank you, thank you Jenna and Kenji!  You had a beautiful wedding day, and I am so happy I am so happy to have been there!

[Marissa and Matt, the engagement]

winters in buffalo can be a tricky thing...some years it is warm all the way through November, and then *BAM* it is suddenly Antarctica during the Katabatic Winds.  Imagine this as the backdrop for Marisa and Matt's engagement shoot.....ok, I am exaggerating....but damn was it cold!!  Somehow, Marisa and Matt both managed to look warm and sweet, despite the fact that our eyeballs kept freezing in our skulls.

I met with them in their hometown of Niagara Falls, where they met back in high school.  We started out with a few shots at home with their 3 doggies (!) and then continued to Hyde Park, where they plan to get married this summer.
















Matt and Marisa met while they were students at Niagara Falls, and they were also the last class to graduate from the old building.  Since then the building, still in much disrepair, has been turned into an arts and cultural center.  They wanted to visit the old school and take some photos there as well....







Inside, we wandered all over, and ended up in the theatre....an amazing bit of architectural history with its bent wood seats and art deco chandeliers....Matt and Marisa were both into drama when they were students, so it seemed fitting to end up here.






Hopefully my next get together with Marisa and Matt will be a much warmer one :)
Happy holidays, and I will see you in January with my first wedding shoot of the year!

[the Carroll Family]

I may have mentioned a couple of weeks back that it didn't get much better than photographing Laura and Greg's wedding at Park Country Club.....what is pretty darn close is getting to work with Laura's sister Kristen and her beautiful family.  Little Cameron was all sorts of sweetness with his cooing and smiling...I wanted to eat him for brunch.  Some of my faves....