Daniel and I shot for Jaimie and Jeff (oh yes, these are the ones who got engagement photos done in a hardware store!!) and their amazing friends and family today… we had so much fun; it was a very ‘Boston’ wedding in a very unpretentious way. I got to ride in the horse and carriage with them between Park Street Church and the Boston Harbor, and their shipboard reception had fantastic food and a great view of Boston.

It will be a couple of weeks until the photos are edited, but I have to leave you with this funny one. Jaimie said she was looking for interesting shoes and didn’t really find any, so she opted for crazy socks instead! I love these guys so much. Have fun in London you two crazy kids.

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A few weeks ago I went to Long Island to shoot a wedding with Marina. While Marina was with the girls getting ready, I got to hang out with the guys. We did some fun photos in the trees next to the church, and luckily the weather held out for us. I was going through the photos this afternoon and had to laugh at the unusually high percentage of funny faces, blinks, and generally unusable images. Check out some of these funny ones:

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I’ve been enjoying kicking it slowly today with little redhead joshua and his family.

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After Jessie’s Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, I got a few hours of sleep and then took the first flight out to Akron, Ohio to photograph Katie and Vic’s wedding at Quail Crest Farm on Sunday. The wedding was so beautiful and local; I’ll write more when I have photos to show, but I was really impressed with the choices Katie and Vic made with their decoration and clothing options.

Meanwhile, I’m taking a couple of days off from administrative work (much needed!) since I had a double-header work weekend. We’ve been enjoying the farmlands of Ohio. It was lucky enough that the wedding is close to one of my best friends, and even luckier that yesterday’s work holiday meant that Ali got to stay out and enjoy the little vacation with me.

One of my favorite things to do out here is to go driving through Amish country. Sarah, who was a history major, is one of those people who grew up out here in the country and has that common sense understanding about most things. She gives the best tours, and knows just where to take me to see amish people out and about on their daily life - hanging out the clothes, taking a bike ride to the neighbor’s house, doing yard and farm work, and the kids playing in the yard. We have this quest to always find good amish bread and cheese, and we usually tear off large hunks of each and eat our way through the drive.

I’ve always been fascinated by Amish culture. I love that there’s an entire population who steadfastly refuse to follow American cultural norms. I love that they cook food that’s delicious and bad for you, and straight from raw ingredients without English preservatives. I love to see people who really dress like that and work the land, who give their young girls pony carts to drive around, and who cook and live without electricity.

It’s difficult to take photos of Amish people, out of respect to their culture and preference not to be photographed (you can see the pious disapproval on the face of the little girl on the right below). When I am photographing in Amish country, I try to be as discreet as possible, shooting from the car driving by or from behind. I really don’t want to be disrespectful but I can’t not bring my camera either. This culture is too rich and wonderful not to be documented.

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Today Meg and I had the pleasure of photographing Jessie’s bat mitzvah. All of her friends were wearing these beautiful, colorful dresses. It was a fun day. And the Codman Carriage House in Lincoln, MA is a really great place to have an event. I loved the grounds and the way the event space opens up into a meadow (seen above).

I have to give props to two spectacular vendors. The DJ, Paul Madden with A Goodtime DJ, was the best I have ever worked with on an event. They had all of these games and dances that really were cool and interesting, and he didn’t try to tell bad jokes or anything. He kept the kids active, laughing, and dancing for like five hours straight. You can tell DJ Paul is a sincerely talented guy who lets his personality come through when he is working, rather than just putting on a game face and announcer voice. We really liked the music he chose, too… although seeing 13 year olds bust a groove to that apple bottom song was a tiny bit eyebrow-raising, that was the only sketchy moment for Meg and I when it comes to today’s DJ, which says something.

And the food! You guys have no idea, Sue Zahner of Tastings Caterers really knows her stuff. I was excited to meet Sue because Jessie and her family had such a good experience working with her in the preparation of the event, but it wasn’t until I tasted the perfectly prepared, flavorful dishes that I knew for sure that if I was going to get married again tomorrow in Boston, I would hire her. There’s something about eating food that was prepared for 100 and feeling like somebody was trying to impress you by creating a gourmet table spread… everything was so delicious. If you’re still looking for a caterer, you have to give Sue a call. She’s got a great personality to back that food, too.

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June 7 is a popular wedding date for what should be obvious reasons. We’re going to be extremely busy, with three weddings to shoot! Gwyn will be in Belmont at my favorite wedding venue, the Habitat, and Meg will be shooting at a multicultural arts center in Cambridge, and I will be kicking it in Newport at a mansion with NYC’s James and Bokyung. Can’t wait to see what happens with all these special people on that special day.

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If you’re interested in scheduling a boudoir session, I am available on the following days. Sessions take place in the greater Boston area unless noted, but we travel to surrounding areas as well.

MAY
26/27 - Akron, OH

JUNE
still looking for an organizer for a June discounted group session

1
2-5
8 Newport, RI
12-16 Chicago
19/20
24
26-28

JULY
2-7 NYC or Long Island
9/10
11/13 Greenwich, CT
13
15
18
22, 24
26/27
31

AUGUST
1-3
11-21 Manchester, England
22-26 San Jose/San Francisco
27-28

Individual sessions are currently $250. You can reach me at rachel@mergeweddings.com for more information or to check availability.

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Hi Rachel,

I got it !!!!
Since the wedding is Saturday and we have family coming over today I decided to give it to him last night, there are no words to explain the look and smile on his face, he absolutely loved it !!!! He said it is the best wedding gift ever and the he is proud of me for keeping it a surprise because he had no idea !!

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!! It was a lot of fun and the album looks amazing !!! Looking forward to plan the trash the dress shoot !!!!

-Carol

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Two words for you, food poisoning. And another, ewwwww.

I’ve been in bed all day dealing with post-roadtrip sickness and the only ones I can blame are the wendy’s people at the junction of I-84 and 90E. Gah! I hate how weak and unproductive I am when I’m bedridden.

So, nope, I will not be attending bootie boston, much to my chagrin. Thanks for the invite, though, Micah.

Also, I think I am still trying to decompress from last night’s movie… Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp. I can’t figure out how they had me laughing so much, and then the next moment hiding my face from the violence and gore. Dear God, that movie is horrific and wonderful all at the same time. Weird.

And if you’re waiting to see some photos from a recent boudoir or photo session, please be patient! I am wading through thousands of images as we speak.

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I was delighted to make another friend - Puerto Rican beauty Cristina - last week for a custom photography session in Cambridge. Isn’t Cristina charming? She’s packing up her house in Boston for med studies back in Puerto Rico and wanted to leave her friends with something special.

Although I brand and market toward weddings, bridals, and Boston boudoir photography, I am more than happy to provide custom photography commissions for people who love my style. I especially love to give a fashion-editorial look to my headshot sessions. In fact, you might not know this but I offer complimentary maternity and newborn sessions to all of my wedding clients!

[ see more photos of cristina here. ]
(be sure to check out the throwing petals photos toward the end!)

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