I always wished I could have been one of those girls that never thought about planning their wedding until they actually got engaged. But blame it on TLC’s, A Wedding Story that I watched daily between high school and cheerleading practice, I had every detail of my big day planned years before I had met my husband. I’d get married in my hometown, with a beautiful string quartet playing in the background (just like the school teacher marries professional hockey player episode) and all of my 20 bridesmaids would hold big bouquets of sunflowers (I should note, this was back in the late 90’s when I wouldn’t leave my house without at least ten quick squirts of Clinique’s Sunflower perfume). There would be tons of dancing and we’d leave for our honeymoon by boat, under a sky of fireworks, but not before I’d dramatically run back to give my dad one last kiss goodbye. But due to a family health emergency, my plans were turned upside down. Three hundred miles from where I grew up, Alex and I got married in a small, private ceremony in Boston’s North End, with only our immediate families in attendance. There was no string quartet, and no fireworks, but we were able to eat dinner in the same restaurant where we had our first date and drank in every single second we had with our guests. And while the big, loud, sunflower-splashed wedding was what I always dreamed about, the small, intimate gathering turned out to be the wedding of my dreams. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t feel blessed to have been married in that way.

That day was remarkable in many ways, including that it also started me on my journey into photography. The pictures that we have from our wedding are so special that I wanted to be able to do the same for someone else. So, when I was asked to photograph Kate and Gary’s intimate family wedding, my heart literally leapt and it felt like the stars had aligned and I was exactly where I was meant to be. When I first spoke to Kate on the phone, I felt as though I was talking to myself three years ago: the details of the day weren’t what she was focused on. She knew the only thing that mattered was marrying her best friend.

And that, my friends, is the end of my sappiness for this post. Now I want to move on to the part where I gush about how much I love the bride. Ready?

Kate. Kate, Kate, Kate. She is gorgeous, she is sweet, she is fun, she is laid back, she is everything I could have imagined my very first bride to be. I met Kate at her hotel room at the Taj in Boston and as she opened the door, I was literally blown away by how gorgeous she looked. And by blown away, I mean jealous that it’s possible for a woman to look as beautiful as she did without a drop of makeup on. Kate’s the type of person you feel like you’ve known forever, and as she got ready, we gabbed about how she met Gary and how excited she was to be marrying him on the anniversary of their first date. I loved everything about this girl…including the fact she was up for taking pictures in the 10 degree weather.


And Gary! Gary knew from the day he met Kate that he was going to marry her, and he could not stop talking about how excited he was to see her. We did a quick first look in the lobby before heading out to the Public Garden for some pre-ceremony pictures.

I literally saw a man’s jaw drop as Kate walked by.  Can you blame him?

Kate and Gary’s ceremony was filled with laughter and happy tears, and I hope they felt the love that was pouring out of that room.







Kate now has five sisters. I don’t think they could have been prettier!

Kate and Gary, congratulations! I hope you have the happiest life. Thanks for letting me share in your day…I’ll always have a soft spot for your wedding!

And if anyone is ever debating between a big wedding or small…go small.  You will not regret it!