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Jessica and Billy’s Engagement Session

Monday, December 28, 2009 Posted in Weddings, engagement sessions

In anticipation of the rapidly approaching new year, a year filled with new weddings and new beginnings, I bring you the photos from our engagement shoot with Jessica and Billy. Clearly the weather was a bit warmer back in October when we met for our photos, but I was holding off with these special moments of two very special people so that we could all dream together about the Summer of 2010, the sun and the surf and Jess and Billy’s wedding.

But first, a little bit about the two of them. They grew up in neighboring Connecticut towns and both ended up at separate colleges in Maryland (Jess at University of Maryland and Billy at Loyola), but their paths never crossed until they met at their first jobs out of school. Jess was assigned to the same client as Billy and they quickly became friends. They began dating three years later (what took them so long?) and Billy proposed on a surprise trip to Newport, RI in the Spring of this year. Could their be a more romantic place?

We started our photos on the streets of South Norwalk, CT. Billy owns a condo on Washington Street so they both have a special place in their hearts for Sono. And while we didn’t exactly ask permission to take a table outside of Strada 18, their favorite Sono restaurant (and which also happens to have my all time favorite “heart chairs”) how cool are the people there that, sensing the purpose of our pictures, they brought Jess and Billy complimentary glasses of wine.

From there we headed up to Fairfield and this wonderful little stretch of private beach and the little yellow cottage that Billy’s grandfather, mother, aunts and uncles and their children have all enjoyed for years. Talk about great locations, spots that not only allowed us to capture these very special pictures but locations that have great meaning to both Jessica and Billy as well. Otherwise known as the perfect engagement session.

So to all you followers of my visual diary that we call my blog, I send best wishes for a healthy, happy and peace filled new year. The winter to come may at times seem dark, dreary and endless, but keep in mind that the Spring is only months away, followed soon thereafter by a summer of love, weddings and shoes filled with sand. Love and peace to all. Bruce

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Beth and John’s Wedding

Sunday, December 20, 2009 Posted in Weddings

Sometimes it takes a “late autumn” December snowstorm for us to settle in and catch up on life, family and story telling. And long overdue is the telling of the story of Beth and John’s fabulous October wedding at the beautiful Country Club of Fairfield (Connecticut, of course). As always the amazingly talented arrangements of Peter and Chris of Elegant Effects Floral significantly brightened up the day. And while the weather conditions that day were nothing like the ones we’ve been hit with this present wintry weekend, it wasn’t the kind of weather you dream about for your wedding day, for sure. But rather one that tests the ability of all of us to rise above our expectations for that perfect Fall New England wedding weather with the autumn leaves and the golden sunsets. Which is exactly what happened on this windy and rainy day that was Beth and John’s wedding. Nothing could have gotten in the way of this wonderful celebration of the love shared between this amazing couple, and once again I think the story can best be told in Beth’s own words about the way they met and how their love for each other developed into something truly very special.

“John and I both ended up moving into the same department at Bloomberg within a few weeks from each other. These moves took place during big turning points in both of our lives. As we started at roughly the same time, we were on the same team and in the same training class together and we ended up partnering up together on group projects, exams, training, etc. Very quickly we discovered we worked very well together and that our strengths and weaknesses balanced each other out. Our efficient and successful working relationship quickly caused us to become good friends and we found we shared many interests. We started spending more and more time together in and out of the office. Whether we are hard at work in the office, traveling to new places, out on the town going to great restaurants, museums, and plays, or having a quiet night at home playing games, doing puzzles, or watching movies, our lives just perfectly fit together and we found together a new level of love, happiness, and joy with each other. Our relationship quickly blossomed into so much more. Looking back now, it seems like fate brought us together and we both feel as if we have found the one person we were truly meant to spend the rest of our lives with.

Our wedding day was the perfect celebration of our love for and committment to each other. So many family and friends were able to come together from all over the world to share in our special day. Their joyous ringing of the bells as we walked together down the aisle as husband and wife had us both grinning from ear to ear. Surrounded by the warm colors of autumn – brown, purple, green, orange, etc, the gorgeous flowers and decor took our breaths away and will forever be imprinted in our minds. The personal touches, such as the photo screen, the pumpkin carved with our initials, and the surprise of the gorilla on the dance floor made our wedding truly unique and so meaningful to us. The food and music were all sublime, and the dance floor was never empty! Everytime we looked around, we were thrilled to see all of our family and friends, laughing, smiling, and having such a wonderful time. We definitely did not want the night to end!”

The same was true for me, Beth and John. Congratulations, once again, to both of you.
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A True Love Story, In Their Own Words

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Posted in Family, Personal

Being in the business of photographing weddings on a weekly basis, the subject of never-ending and true love is ever present. What makes a marriage and relationship really work and last, how do you keep it fresh and exciting through the years, how do you forge and retain your own identity and meaningful life’s work and still be half of a life-long partnership? All questions we all think about at one time or another, knowing that the rewards are ultimately worth the efforts.

I would imagine most of us have a couple or two that we know who’ve truly found the answer, some are newlyweds who you look at and just know that they’ve found their soul mates and that they’re destined to be together “forever”. Others who have been together for decades (how about twenty-six years?), for whom their love seems to just keep growing. And finally, some of us are lucky enough to know that rare couple who truly have set the gold standard, for whom their partnership is not only the glue that binds them, but who actually show us the way with their example. And while there aren’t very many of us that will actually find our way to being married for sixty-six years, each of us in our way can use their example to strive on a daily basis to find love, commitment and meaning in our lives and ultimately make the world a better place than when we found it. But then, what better way to illustrate this than in “her” own words.

“We were friends since high school. Then came The Big War and he didn’t want to be drafted, and so enlisted sixth months after graduating and one month after Pearl Harbor. I was 19 and he was 20, expecting to be sent overseas soon. He wanted us to get married before he left. A five day furlough-a three day honeymoon-and one month later, he was literally on a slow boat to China!

We really learned about ourselves and discussed our future plans through the letters we wrote to each other for two years. I mailed him a letter every single day! They took a long time and sometimes two dozen arrived at one time. Our life has been very good. We have truly been blessed with two wonderful children, nine grandchildren and twenty-nine great grandchildren. We’ve tried to instill, by example, respect for each other. We’ve worked hard and sixty-six years later, we love each other more each day”.

Happy anniversary, mom and dad! We love you very much.

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