We might do a post about the name change… we’re thinking to even include a little background on how the new branding evolved, but that’s the subject for another day.  Today we’re excited to show you the very first product to sport our new branding … and it’s something we’re very happy about since it’s the highest quality, nicest Wedding Guest Book we’ve ever done.  Which is kind of the point with the new branding anyway

So let’s start off with that logo… for the very first time ever in print:

And here are some shots that show off the wedding guestbook:

we can fully customize the incredible canvas cover with photos from our client’s engagment sessions, or with their Wedding Photography if the book is being purchased as an add-on coffee-table book to have ready for your friends to browse through.

Notice the spine allows for lay-flat viewing

Here you should be able to see a detail of the amazing textured paper. It’s fantastic for your Wedding guests to write on but it’s also just an incredible tactile experience even for a coffee book that will not be written in.

and a few of the spreads…

as you can see we designed some of the spreads for your wedding guests to write in and some are simply display spreads featuring images.

This guestbook is a 14″x11″ horizontal layout, the largest, most amazing one we offer our Wedding Photography and Portrait Photography clients. We also offer smaller sizes.

If you thought this was neat please consider clicking the Share button hovering on the left. Thank you!

We entered the room to a warm welcome, captured some of the moments prior to her slipping on her dress and returned to find her glowing in her gown

her mother and one of her Maids of Honor helped her with her final touches

as I had a chance to photograph some of the details and the two princesses

After finishing up with the bride and the bridesmaids we drove across town to the Tree of Life where James and his groomsmen were getting ready, and where the ceremony would take place.

I had never met Cathy before the wedding, since our Wedding photography business is based in Broward County, across the state. But I had met James twice. He seemed like a very nice guy when we’d met and I was looking forward to photographing their special day. I walked in to find him nearly ready, surrounded by his friends, serious, pensive… he looked like what some people describe as an “old soul” (for those who never heard of that before… it’s a good thing ).

Now, keep in mind… I said an “old soul” … not an “old, boring soul” … check this sock action here:

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in for more of that throughout the day

It must have been minutes, but it felt like seconds… and suddenly we were in the middle of a ceremony… beautiful bridesmaids entered with some guys … a gorgeous flowergirl…

and… here comes the bride!

It was a very moving ceremony officiated by two pastors. Near the beginning they projected a video of the couple. I’d seen videos before but was particularly touched by this one. I think it was filmed (very well I should say) by a friend of theirs. But unlike most videos that usually tend to be recreations of previous moments and somewhat of an ode to the past, this one was more of a look to the future. The Bride and Groom spoke about each other, about the preparations they made for their marriage… not just for their “wedding” … it was good, Cathy, James, congrats!

And then the fun began.

As the pastor announced that James could kiss his bride, I quickly, ninja-like got in position to catch the forthcoming kiss. But… ahem…. no. No dice. James gave his bride the “hold on a moment” look and moved over to his groomsmen… Who brought out all sorts of “prep” stuff… towels, breath spray… to get their Man ready for this very special kiss.

I was worried the photos would come out blurry as I was laughing along with the rest of the guests… it was hilarious!

And then, he kissed her

and the seriousness of the moment returned

but only for a few minutes, before they danced down the aisle…

…and…

off to shoot the bridal party and the romantic portraits…

An awesome group….

Some sassy ladies

Some cool cats

and more fun in groups…

and alone

We flew to the reception at St. Johns’ Cathedral where they jumped straight into their first dance

and started an awesome party that included toasting, dancing, cutting cakes, throwing of bouquets and garter belts…

but also some awesome sneaker action

and a fantastic dance routine by the groom and his guys

as time permitted I stole them away for a few more intimate portraits…

and closed the evening by taking this photograph Cathy had asked me for many months before.

Cathy, James….

Thank you so much for making us part of your special day and for trusting us to create an everlasting record of your memories. It was a pleasure to share the day with you, we hope you love seeing our photographs as much as we loved taking them and developing them.

All the photos are now on our proofing site, enjoy!!!

Ciao!

Alessandro and Lisette.

And one last thank you goes out to Deborah Cull who put Cathy and James in touch with us. Her and her husband Matt are not just awesome people, but awesome Naples Wedding Photographers. If you’re looking for amazing work and you’re in that area of the state, look no further than those two.

Just finished The Studio Sample album for Jaelin and Dave’s wedding in Aspen.

While I often find some photos that I really like from every wedding, I never really fall in love with them until they come to life in the Artbook Album. Maybe it’s because from the moment I flip the switch on the first camera as the bride begins her day to the moment I flip the switch off on the last camera at the end of the day I’m constantly thinking of finding that next image that will help me tell the story of the day in the album. Maybe it’s because I love seeing the images next to one another, contrasting themes, contrasting color versus b/w … I don’t know what it is.

What I do know is that the moment I place my logo on that very last page and then leaf through the completed album to see my work presented in the way I always intended it to be seen, I get a silly smile on my face and I get energized about shooting the next love story.

Jaelin and Dave. I had a fantastic time shooting these two wonderful people’s engagement session back in early ’09 … and I was honored to join them for their wedding in Aspen in mid January.

I hope their family and friends will see this studio sample album and relive that magic day.

Jaelin and Dave, one more time congratulations and best wishes on a very very long and happy marriage.

You can see the whole Studio Sample album here in a convenient page-flipping interface. Enjoy and please let me know what you think in the comments!

Many thanks go to my photographer friends who offered valuable suggestions in helping me make this my favorite album to date.

You may remember Jaelin and Dave from the South Florida Engagement photography session we did in Deerfield Beach. They were down here from Colorado planning a wedding in the Bahamas at the time… and if life hadn’t intervened you probably would have seen a Bahamas wedding sometime in the next couple of months. But life did intervene and plans changed, and I had the amazing opportunity to bundle up and fly out to Aspen to photograph this fairy tale of a wedding.

Yes for my fellow Floridians who weren’t following along…the bride is indeed standing on snow… and yes she is indeed completely sleeveless… and believe it or not she’s wearing regular bride shoes under that gown. Let’s just say Jaelin can probably make ANYTHING look easy

Before I go any further, a heartfelt thank you to Mark Arnold from the big D down in Texas, who flew up to Colorado to second shoot for me. Mark was a pleasure to work with, a fun guy who fit right into the group, and a talented photographer on top of that. Development choices, cropping, and post-processing of all the images was done by me and all photos were shot by me unless otherwise specifically identified in the text.

Yes… definitely NOT South Florida

The second photo above is the view from the window of my room. Jaelin and Dave rented a fantastic, huge house in Aspen, which served as home base for all the activities of the days, sleeping quarters for most of the guests, and the location for cocktail hour and the reception.

Did I mention that Jaelin has awesome taste? Proof is in the pudding… check out this wedding dress! Elegant… simple… and perfect for showing off how stunning she is!

Those are the shoes she wore all day. Including in the snow. If I told you I had bought patent-pending waterproof socks that go up to the knee… and wool-coolmax wicking/warm socks to go under those… and Timberland Pro-Level guaranteed waterproof, ultra-insulated boots would you at least begin to imagine how silly I felt when I saw HER shoes?

Nicole helps Jaelin into the car.

riding home to see her groom to be…

Oh yeah… that above is the expression of someone who has just been told by the Valet that they have… get this… LOST HER CAR. No really. I thought I’d heard them all. The Valet actually had to use another car to drive Jaelin’s mom and Nicole to the house … yes they eventually found the car

Meanwhile back at the house… Dave is transcribing his vows onto holdable cards…

photos in collage below: Mark Arnold

and then he waits…

…and waits…

and it was definitely WORTH THE WAIT!

A quiet moment for the soon-to-be new family…. Jaelin, Dave and Scrappy! Scrappy was awesome! he rode with Dave and me from Denver airport to Aspen and he was super-friendly and incredibly well-behaved. He was also featured prominently in a gazillion photos, though you’ll only see him in a few here

Ok, everybody’s ready to go… let’s head to the ceremony!!!!

But what should we ride?!?

Oh yeah … of course! Horse drawn sleighs! We do that ALL the time down here in So-Fla

The “official” sleigh with the Bride and Groom and the immediate family…

And the “cool cats” sleigh with the rest of us… what a fantastic group of people… it was as if I were around my own friends, great people, super-friendly … all about having a great time! Thanks guys for making Mark and I feel like a couple of guests (weighed down by absurd amounts of photographic equipment)!

We’ve reached our destination… the ceremony begins

photo below: Mark Arnold

Jaelin trying to keep her composure while reading her vows…

united by two rings…

…and sealed with a kiss

right under their favorite mountain… I don’t know about diamonds… but mountains are certainly Forever. Certainly a humbling place to start a new life together.

photo below: Mark Arnold

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Mayer!

as we’re sledding down the mountain their guests hop off the “cool cats” sleigh and write messages in the snow for the newlyweds

Back at the house it’s time to get serious with the formals…

uh … could someone roll back that reel… I said time to get serious with the formals…

No more formals for now… the rest will be in the proofs gallery in a few days…

Ok, I have to confess… I don’t think I’m the first photographer ever to take a shot like the one below.

But I may be the first to ever post the “How to get down from that once you’re done” … thanks Dave for demonstrating for us!

Since they had a small group of friends and family Jaelin and Dave chose to skip some of the more traditional things like tossing bouquets and garters etc… but I wasn’t going to have any of that…

photo below: Mark Arnold

some of you may have already noticed the twist… as she holds her bouquet ready for the fake launch, behind her I lined up….

All the men at the party!

as you can see even Dave is back there… hold on a minute… didn’t you JUST GET MARRIED?

I’d really love to show you a lot of the photos from the reception. Jaelin and Dave hired a word-class chef to prepare an exquisite meal (ask me how I know <grin>) and serve it to their guests. However I’m quickly running out of internets here… so I’m going to have to leave those for the proofs section.

Here’s a sampling of the food/details from the reception room:

photos in collage below: Mark Arnold (I think all of them)

the first dance … Dave’s mom and sis looking on, teary-eyed… lots of emotions at this wedding for sure!

a quick dance with the parents…

and then on to the final event! The Aspen Fireworks!

And that is where the curtain falls.

I hope you enjoyed those photos as much as I enjoyed photographing them and developing them.\

Jaelin, Dave… thank you for making me a part of two very special moments in your life. You were outstanding hosts, your family and friends opened up to Mark and I in a way I could not have dreamed of beforehand. I hope you find the photos to be a good way to help you remember these special days in your lives 100 years from now.

Oh… Mark and I hard at work while the ladies get their hair done (I don’t need to specify who took the photo, do I?) I’m the incredibly good looking one in the picture, of course

Patricia and Michael, gorgeous on the outside, awesome on the inside! Congratulations guys!!!

We started out at the “W” in Fort Lauderdale. It’s a good thing we had watches with alarms set to move us along, otherwise that place is a photographer’s paradise… what a gorgeous, gorgeous hotel! That, however pales in comparison to how incredibly cool Michael and his groomsmen were about the shoot. I suggested a playful mocking of the typical “Bride getting reay” shots and they were ALL FOR IT. Ok… cue the photos….

The incredible invisible photographer:

A pool shot…

…and another pool shot

Even the Church itself seemed to know love was about to be celebrated within it’s walls….

ok, if you missed the reference above… check out the reflection of the stained glass!!!

Michael’s first glimpse of his bride…

..as her father proudly walks her down the isle

my favorite photo of the day: “Reflections about Love”

The Bride may indeed have been the most beautiful woman in the world on this day… but she sure had some stiff competition:

Some of the gorgeous details…

The First Dance

Patricia’s mom reacting to the toasts…

…And Michael’s dad doing the same

The Parent Dances…

Tony… hard at work

In Marie-Antoinette’s words… “Let them Have Cake!”

Papa… Papa …. Paparazzi

Dancing with an angel…

Anna and Sean’s Studo Album is done, and ahead of schedule! (What is a Studio Album and how is it different from the couple’s Wedding album?)  Keep reading and you’ll find a link to see the whole album in an online page-flipping interface.  Above you can see one of my favorite spreads… I just LOVE Anna’s expression as she looks at herself in the mirror in her wedding gown for the very first time.  Truth be told, with brides this gorgeous my job is way too easy!   I also really like seeing the bridesmaids getting ready and the killer shot of their awesome kicks!

This one below is one of Nadia’s favorites, featuring both Anna and Sean’s first dance and their dances with the moms, a wonderfully moving moment of their special day.

 
We expect to have all the proofs up by the end of the week as promised, hopefully sooner.

In the meantime please enjoy Anna and Sean’s Studio Album and of course, Please let us know what you think in te comments – it means a lot to us to hear your feedback!

Once again, a big Thank You to Anna and Sean for the honour of shooting your wedding and to your families for being so warm and inviting

We hope you enjoy these photos, please let us know what you think in the comments below.

the “Third Photographer”

Uncle Milton: the life of the party

Finally two out-takes, the first one featuring yours truly, the second one Nadia

Here’s a first look at Anna and Sean’s wedding, which took place last night at Royal Fiesta in Deerfield Beach. Nadia shot with me, great times!

Anna and Sean came down from New York for their destination wedding in sunny south florida. They had a very moving ceremony followed by a reception with great food and dancing. Here are two photos from the portraits session we took betewen the two events.

We had a great experience shooting this wedding.  Anna and Sean took charge of their portraits session by both selecting the location, and coming up with a few of the setups (Sean, the Abbey Road shot came out great, we’ll post it up in the next few days).  Their families were really warm, they joked with us, called upon us constantly for fun portraits and were really terrific.  A wonderful joining of two great groups of people!  Best of luck to Anna and Sean on a fabulous marriage.

If you’d like to see more photos from this great event either subscribe to the blog, or check back every few days.  If you’d like to be notified when all the photos are made available in the proof section, send us an email at info@manymanymoments.com and we’ll let you know.

Finally a big thank you to Carol and Ted, from Ted Barry Tuxedos in Deerfield Beach.  We stopped at a sandwich place to grab a bite to eat before starting to set up at the location.  A rogue piece of gum that someone must have kindly stuck to the chair I was sitting in stuck to my pants and proceeded to create a very elaborate pattern of white goo.  Nadia an I got most of it off with some ice cubes and patience, but some refused to come off.  I stepped into Ted and Carol’s store and they saved the day!  From what I could see while there they have a nice selection of tuxes, you might want to check them out, especially if you’re having an event at Royal Fiesta, since they’re right across the street.

We are so excited!  This was one of the funnest weddings we’ve done.  Ahyde was gorgeous!  Check out Denis’ expression when he first sees her coming down the isle accompanied by her son!  The bridesmaids looked great in their orange dresses, and the guys were great!  they all had a great sense of humor … you have to see the football sequence (Denis is a big Jets  and Dolphins fan).

We were very happy with all of the spreads.  We had a hard time picking favorites to show you here.

Lisy really likes this one:

After long deliberations, I’ve decided to post this one as my favorite:

Be sure to check out the whole album available online now by clicking here.

All the photos from the beach wedding and reception were taken at the Yankee Clipper in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The engagement photos were taken at T.Y. Park in Hollywood, Florida.

We just finished going through the ceremony and just had to post this one shot of the bride:

Photo taken on the beach in front of the Yankee Clipper on Fort Lauderdale Beach.