emilie inc.

world's Tallest groom

2007-07-12T15:44:00.000-04:00

The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun, who stands at 7', 8" married 5', 6" Xia Shujuan at a public wedding ceremony in China today. Wow!

J has a great friend who jokes that he is a bit on the shorter side. So when photographing taller couples, he has his assistant tote around a stool, which he has dubbed his "man-maker," to give him a height advantage. I bet he would have needed a ladder to take this portrait (AP).

Kriss Cosmetics

2007-07-11T10:27:00.000-04:00

I met Kriss Soterion (of Kriss Cosmetics in Manchester, NH) as she was applying make-up to a bridal party last fall and adored her instantly- she's outgoing, witty, sassy, fun- and talented! She has received national recognition in the past, but was recently lauded for her application on Sen. Clinton at the Democratic debates on June 3rd (Kriss' work on the right). CNN was so impressed they have hired Kriss and her team for the rest of the 17-month presidential campaign! Wow! Many congrats, Kriss. This notoriety couldn't have happened to a better artist!

* Beth and Brian

2007-07-10T20:36:00.000-04:00

Beth and Brian met in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Brian was the chef at a resort and Beth worked in the spa. He used to send her treats from the kitchen to get her attention. ;) They now live in Maine and planned a beautiful seaside wedding for their guests in York.

Here are a few images from the busy day:

Getting coiffed.
Beth adjusting the rings on the ring bearer's pillow at the Harbor Crest Inn.
You don't often see children as readers at weddings. I loved this line-up of readers during the ceremony, and how the microphone goes over the little girl's head at the podium. Too cute!
Married!
The wave on the trolley.
Mr. and Mrs.
Surrounded by friends and family on the dance floor, having a blast!
The girls lined up these chairs for a booty-shaking routine to Outkast's "Hey Ya."
The reception site, The York Harbor Reading Room, at night. Brian is a chef at the club.
This is Beth with Kelly, a friend of mine who I met at 6th grade camp! Beth and Kelly became friends during graduate school. It was such fun to have a familiar face among all the guests!Thank you so much for having me, Beth and Brian!! Your wedding was such fun and I appreciated all the thoughtful details of your special day. Have a great honeymoon!!

* Alisa and Coley

2007-06-28T17:13:00.001-04:00

Alisa and I have become friends over the course of the year planning her wedding. Phone calls, emails... I've even eaten breakfast at her parent's house. And toasted over a beer in San Francisco together! I feel very lucky to have met Alisa and Coley and I am somewhat sad their big weekend is over.

And what a weekend it was! The festivities took place at the Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor- a favorite spot. J and I photographed the rehearsal dinner on Friday night. The next morning I had the privilege of joining the bridesmaids for a sail. The weather was somewhat chilly and windy at times, but the rain held off for their most lovely of nuptials on the lawn later that afternoon.

As you can imagine, there are a TON of images (2200!), so treat yourself to a few minutes of this abbreviated, albeit lengthy, slideshow of the weekend (set to a tune featured on their wedding weekend CD). Notice how thorough the coverage is because there were two of us photographing! J is available to photograph with me at any wedding, so if you are interested just ask!

Guests were treated to a fabulous LL Bean tote bag filled with goodies and a hand-written note. Virginia peanuts (Coley is from VA), Stonewall Kitchen's Maine blueberry jam, personalized m&m's and salt water taffy in the wedding colors. Yum!
If you haven't been to the Spruce Point Inn, this is what it looks like after sunset (rehearsal dinner night).
Getting ready!
Alisa's father was very emotional all weekend, especially the moment when he had to give away his daughter (click the image to enlarge).
Just after they walked up the aisle.
The beautiful bridal party. Check out those stunning flowers!
The dock is a favorite spot for portraits. Anyone know what happened to the owl statue that used to perch on the frame?
This is definitely my favorite image of the day. Timeless.
Florist: Alda Stitch
Band: Tony Boffa Band
Stationer: Laura Grant, Peach Designs
Cake: Steve Watts

Thanks again for having us share in your special weekend, Alisa and Coley! Both of your families are so lovely and made us feel so welcome. We definitely enjoyed capturing all the special details of your big day!!! We hope your honeymoon to the Bahamas and your extended honeymoon (let's see if I can get this right) to Italy, Croatia and Africa this summer are amazing! Take lots of pictures!

Thanks, DJ!

2007-06-24T23:57:00.000-04:00

Today, J and I had the pleasure of spending both lunch and dinner with the notable David Jay of west coast wedding photography fame (and the creator of those fabulous online slideshows you have all enjoyed viewing). He was in town to shoot a wedding for the weekend and we toured a few local sights today, pausing for lunch at our fav, the Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, and again for dinner at Fore Street after a drink at the Top of the East. For those of you who haven't met DJ, he's one of the sweetest, warmest people I have met in this industry. I have loved watching, with awe, his race to the top of the market.

Come back again soon, DJ, and next time we insist that you stay with us!

* Kara and Eli

2007-06-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

Wow! A beautiful sunny, breezy and bug-free day was the perfect combination for Kara and Eli's Kennebunkport ceremony and Biddeford backyard reception (at Eli's mother's home).

There are too many pictures from the day to post here, so be sure to check out the slideshow (the music is Patty Griffin's "Heavenly Day," Kara and Eli's first dance).

I was so surprised when I showed up 2.5 hours before the ceremony and Kara was already dressed and ready to go! This was a sweet moment when Eli slipped her a note, without peeking at her (she's giggling because he wrote it on the inn stationery).
The guys getting ready.
Kara, an art teacher, made their program out of a vintage postcard of the church she found on eBay and a love letter Eli's grandfather wrote to his grandmother in the 40's.
Kara and Eli rode from the church to their reception in a '57 Bel Air from Classic Convertibles in Freeport.
The wedding party in one of the beautiful gardens at Eli's mother's home. The bridesmaids wore the neatest wrap dresses from Calypso.
Guests walk to the field for the reception in the gorgeous Sperry Tent. Sperry just opened an office in Portsmouth (hooray!) so be sure to check them out if you are hosting a backyard reception.
A sweet moment as Kara enters her reception.
There are many fun dancing pictures in the slideshow, but I had to post this silly one of the best man playing air guitar. Glad I didn't get kicked. ;)Kara and Eli's beautiful hand-painted save-the-date and invitations, seen on the slideshow, were made by ILEE in Seattle.

Thank you SO much for having me, Kara and Eli. I loved spending the day with you and your family. You all made me feel so welcome and I had a blast! Can't wait to hear all about your honeymoon to Italy (Kara and Eli registered for their honeymoon online at thehoneymoon.com. What a great idea!)!

stationery seminar

2007-06-14T22:23:00.000-04:00

Ellen Knipe and Lauren Watkinson of Signed, Sealed & Delivered hosted a wonderful a wedding stationery seminar at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport this evening. Thanks so much for having me photograph the event!

* Rosie and Andrew

2007-06-12T10:53:00.000-04:00

School teachers Rosie and Andrew were married at Deephaven Camp on Squam Lake (where Rosie worked during her summer breaks in college) in Holderness, NH. It was a hot, sticky day, and we managed to avoid all but a few forecasted raindrops!

Thanks to fantastic wedding planner extraordinaire Kate Parker and her team for her impeccable organization, fabulous flowers and reception lighting, too!

Below are a few images from the day, but be sure to click here to view the slideshow for more.

Getting ready in one of the cottages.
Rosie wore her great-grandmother's dress (center) and it was also worn by her mother (right). Her great-grandmother got the idea from the cover of Bride's Magazine (left).
The ceremony setting.
There was a funny moment just before the ceremony started where a few raindrops came down. Click to view this series of images where one guest's umbrella was turned inside-out. Oops!Rosie makes her way down the path w/ her parents.Both Rosie and Andrew's fathers married them- a very special touch!
Many congrats, Rosie and Andrew! Looking forward to seeing you again in Portland, and perhaps J will join you surfing soon, Andrew!

I've been blogged

2007-06-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

Blogging has become hugely popular in the wedding industry. Each week, I visit more than 200 blogs for inspiration and for fun. I recently stumbled across Weddex, the new blog for wedding and honeymoon consultant Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts based in Florida. It has quickly become one of my favorite blogs. And today, she featured my new liveBooks website. Thanks, Rebecca!

Trashing Vera Wang

2007-06-10T11:30:00.000-04:00

Very excited to see a recent trend finally make the pages of the New York Times today: trash the dress! It's very popular for destination and west coast locations for brides and grooms to have a photo session the day after the wedding (or later) in their wedding formalwear for some unique photos splashing around in lakes, streams, fountains or at the beach. Popular opinion is that having these creative portraits hang on your walls is much more valuable than having that dress just hang in the closet for years to come. I offer these sessions, so if you're interested please inquire for rates and availability!
Check out the slideshow from the making of the picture above by del Sol Photography.

contest- results!

2007-06-09T10:05:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Amelia for winning the Father's Day Top Pop contest w/ 49% of the 875 votes cast! I'm looking forward to meeting this 10-month old cutie and photographing her with her great dad. Thank you all for taking the time to vote!

Passports

2007-06-08T22:11:00.000-04:00

Planning your honeymoon or vacation to someplace outside of the US? Be sure your passport is current. And if it isn't, apply for a new one early!

Carolyn and Todd missed their Dominican Republic honeymoon after their April wedding because new passport laws have clogged the usual routine w/ more applicants than employees to process them. Even tho they submitted their paperwork three months ahead of time, their passports still didn't arrive in time! As of today, lawmakers have temporarily waived some of their passport requirements hoping to ease some of this travel frustration.

invitation seminar

2007-06-08T14:19:00.000-04:00

Friends and talented invitation vendors Ellen Knipe and Lauren Watkinson of Signed, Sealed & Delivered are hosting a wedding stationery and reception seminar at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport on Thursday, June 14th at 6p. The free seminar will include presentations on current trends in the invitation industry, wedding stationery, etiquette rules and tours of the inn.

Current prospective brides and grooms are encouraged to attend. Space is limited. Call 207.504.6603 to register.

emilie inc. will be there, too! Hope you can make it!

Emilie on TV

2007-06-04T14:08:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning to a phone call from Jim Keithley, friend and reporter for Channel 8 in Portland, excitedly asking if he could pass my contact information along for a NECN story on young business professionals in Maine following an article published in Kiplinger's Magazine about the city's appeal to those in my age bracket.

So, New England Cable News reporter Elissa Burnell and her photographer Dave came over to interview me about living and working in Maine. I have no problem giving a glowing review of Portland, why I moved here on purpose and why it appeals to me and my business! The story is slated to run on the 6:30p news tonight across New England, so tune in if you can (Channel 42 locally).

Watch the video from a soggy day in Portland by clicking here.

* Trish and Jason

2007-06-04T12:41:00.000-04:00

The theme of the day was music for Trish and Jason's wedding. Their Portland wedding ceremony at the State Street Church featured soloists and a choir and even a sing-a-long at their Portland Club reception. It was a pleasure to witness such a thoughtfully planned day and the obvious affection Trish and Jason have for each other.

Getting ready at the Eastland Park Hotel. Trish's sister made her wedding dress!
Checking her eye make-up... my favorite preparation image of the day!
Trish gets a sweet kiss from her dad in the limo on their way to the church. Too cute!
Looking down on the ceremony.
Trish and Jason wanted to go for a quick stroll on the Eastern Prom before the reception.
Sweet emotion at the reception.The best man, left, and groomsman gave one of the more interesting toasts I have ever seen. Here they are pretending to be Care Bears. Really.
Glow sticks livened up the dancing at the reception!
Thank you, Trish and Jason! I hope you both had a fantastic getaway to Canada!

Green weddings

2007-06-03T11:49:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of all things green, check out this article from A Fresh Squeeze in Chicago for suggestions on how to plan your wedding and not have an impact on the environment.

Want to calculate the CO2 emissions from your event? Click here.

bridal confessions

2007-06-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

This website is a little, um, different than the usual wedding site, allowing brides to post comments anonymously. Some are quite funny, others are a little more disturbing (and use some colorful language, beware!). What do you think of this?

* Erin and Craig, online

2007-06-01T16:36:00.001-04:00

Awwww... Erin and Craig are featured on theknot.com Real Weddings section online. Exciting! I am not a member, so I can't tell if the vertical images are cropped into squares? Hope not!

(Their September wedding is featured on my new website, too, the mountaintop slideshow).

got cake?

2007-06-01T14:41:00.000-04:00

I stumbled across the blog of a cake maker, Margaret's French Bakery, in California who posts pictures of the different cakes she bakes each week on her blog. What a great idea! Even if you aren't in California, this site is a great spot for inspiration if you're still looking for that perfect wedding cake.

(click on the image to view larger)

A few other fun wedding websites and blogs:
Here Comes the Blog
Weddingbee
Style Me Pretty
Something old, Something new
Indiebride
Bridesclub.com

contest- time to vote!

2007-05-31T22:58:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for your Father's Day Top Pop entries. Please vote for your favorite essay from the finalists below. The winner, announced June 8th, will receive a portrait session with their dad!

Entry #1, Amelia (10 months) submitted by her mom:

The first person who ever saw me take my fist breath was my father, and it is a moment that has bound us forever and something we will both never forget. After I was wrapped up and a funny hat was put on my head, I blinked at my dad, he introduced himself and gave me a kiss. Less than an hour later, he was gently washing my hair, and giving me my first bath.
My dad has to work long hours at the hospital, but no matter what time he comes home, no matter how many hours he has been on call, he is still there to feed me and give me a bath at night. It is my favorite time of day, we sit together, I splash in the water and talk nonstop about my day. Dad is always patient and lets me sit in the tub until I become a prune, even if he is hungry and is still wearing his scrubs from work.
The other morning, I was up really early, and mom brought me into bed with her and dad. I was a little cranky, but turned my head and saw my father and said , with a big smile, “Dada!” Daddy was pretty tired, but after that, he was ready to start the day with me.
I have not done or seen a lot in my short life, but I know what that I have learned some of the best examples of unconditional love from my father. He puts me (and my mom) before anyone and he is always happiest just to sit on the floor and read to me (the same book over and over) or play with Elmo. He never acts impatient and he always gives the best hugs. I cannot say how much I love my Dada!

Entry #2: Nathan (22 months) submitted by his mom:

My name is Nathan and my Daddy is very special to me. In my 22 months of life my Daddy and I have become very close! Well actually, it all started before I was even born. My Daddy read Goodnight Moon to me every night while I was growing inside my Mommy’s belly. It’s one of my favorites now.
I was a sad baby and cried a lot and never really slept at all. They call it colic. I’m glad it’s gone now but when I had it my Daddy helped me to feel better. My Daddy held me on his chest and slept with me in the recliner. When he got home from work, he’d hold me and pace up and down my street until dark because it made me feel better. Then when I was one, I had a bad earache and toothache and the only way I could fall asleep was to go for a ride in the car. My Daddy spent a lot of long nights driving me around and once I finally would fall asleep, I just wanted to sleep. So my Daddy would sleep in the mini-van with me. (I’m not kidding! This was for several nights too!)
For my first birthday Daddy made me an Elmo birthday cake from scratch for my party because I love Elmo. We spent my first birthday day together. He took a vacation day! We went on a train ride to the next town for a special treat and he took me to the store and let me pick out my very own birthday balloon. I picked Elmo of course!
My Daddy does a lot with me now that I am getting bigger! We have silly games we play together. He crawls around the house chasing me, lets me feed the dog (I always give her too much but Daddy doesn’t care), and dances to my Baby Einstein CD with me. He takes me for walks and lets me bring home rocks from the grader truck that is working on the road. We have a rock garden now!
Three days a week, Mommy goes to the gym and I get to spend time all alone with Daddy. It’s the best! He lets me vacuum with the real vacuum, play with the cell phone and even pretend to drive the car. I even get to add all the ingredients and turn the mixer on to make my Saturday morning pancakes. Mommy would never let me do those things! He takes me to playgrounds, the beach and the library too. I love the times when it’s just me and Daddy!
Daddy is very helpful to my Mommy and that makes her happy. He doesn’t mind changing diapers and cooking dinner. He gives Mommy a break so she can go shopping and do Mommy things. He does lots of projects around the house. He made me my nursery. (He had to finish off my entire upstairs of my house-it was a big project and it’s really nice now). Right now, he is painting a little table and chairs for me and when he is all done he is going to make me my very own sandbox.
I am one lucky little boy to have such a special Daddy! I love him very much and I know he loves me. He shows me all the time. Happy Father’s Day Daddy!

Entry #3, Nelson (8 years old) submitted by his mom:

My name is Nelson, I am 8 years old. My daddy is the best because of many reasons. He is a hard worker all week but always takes Sunday as our Family Day. 2 of my baby sisters first words were "Fammy Day!" because daddy makes it so special for us. He even says no to golfing with his buddies on Family Day. Any chance he gets he asks me what I want to do with him. Sometimes we throw the football around, sometimes hit a baseball and run the bases, sometimes kick a soccer ball around. In the winter, he always takes us sledding. Lately we've been playing Frisbee. He always finds a way to include my baby sister who is almost 3 years old (even though she makes it hard sometimes!). Once he took me to see a movie and we were the only ones in the theater. Before the movie started, daddy had me cracking up so much because he went up on the stage and was doing a really silly dance. I was hoping someone would walk in to see him!! I wish I had a picture of that ! On my birthday, he took me and 5 of my friends to see Meet the Robinson's--that was so much fun.
My dad loves my mom SO much. There isn't a day that goes by that he tells me and my sister how wonderful and beautiful our mom is. He makes sure we appreciate everything she does and that we treat her right.
The picture is my dad helping me make my first pizza, which we did one family night. I think I put too much cheese on it, and making it was more fun than eating it. We've made lots of pizza since then, usually me and Maya make them now and mommy and daddy eat them.
These are some of the reasons I think my daddy is Top Pop!

"Webbed Bliss" article

2007-05-31T16:17:00.001-04:00

Webbed Bliss... love that phrase. And love this article from the Wall Street Journal detailing the trend of brides and grooms posting everything about their courtship, engagement, wedding plans, even streaming video from their actual wedding day, all online. Thanks for sharing, Sam.

* Rosemary and Adam

2007-05-31T09:35:00.000-04:00

Bostonians Rosemary and Adam are so in love and their wedding day reflected every ounce of their affection and adoration for one another. I had a warm fuzzy feeling inside being around these two all day long.

It was a busy day, starting with shaves at a barber shop for the guys and hair & make-up at a hotel for the ladies. The ceremony and reception were at the State Room in the financial district, with gorgeous panoramic views of Boston Harbor at sunset. Many thanks to Rachel, Eliza and Vanessa from WedBoston for their hard work on organizing this beautiful event.

If you can believe it, these two don't think they are photogenic! Funny, because I think they are one of the most expressive couples I have ever photographed! They certainly aren't camera shy! They didn't want any portraits, per say, but luckily I was able to convince them to go outside into the courtyard for a few!

Below are just a few images from many fun pictures of the day. So be sure to view the slideshow.

This was definitely a party crew, so it seemed appropriate to shoot their rings on shot glasses.
The guys were sluggish to start on the wedding day at the barber after a late night. Technically, this isn't the best photo, but I couldn't resist capturing the moment.
The guys get prepped for their shaves.Beautiful Rosemary is ready to go!The kiss!
The pretty cake. Green was the accent color of the day.
Stealing a kiss in the photo booth (they used the pictures for their guest book).
Tired toes!
The fabulous vendors (an all-female crew!):
Florist: Roses & Thistle, Tracey Scott
Lighting: High Output, Kate Henry (very cool, dramatic up-lighting for the reception. Looks great in the photos)
Photo Booth rental: Sutton Entertainment
Ceremony trio: Anima, Vanessa Holroyd
DJ: Denise LaCarubba aka DJ Deja

contest- last call

2007-05-23T15:48:00.000-04:00

Entries for the Father's Day Top Pop contest are due by next Thursday! Be sure to submit a brief explanation on why your father is the best (moms can help with the submissions for children), and don't forget to include a photo! The winner receives a portrait session with their dad.

Dakota lookalikes

2007-05-22T13:33:00.000-04:00

I knew I adored the LaCour folks when I met them, and I just learned another reason why! Mark and Erin have a dog, Wylie, that looks very much like Dakota. Long-lost relatives, perhaps?

(This is a video of Dakota chewing on LaCour's ShootQ promotional frisbee they handed out at a recent photo convention. I don't think they intended to have it be eaten by dogs, but Dakota really, really enjoyed it.)

And Pat Callahan, the evening news anchor for the NBC affiliate here in Portland has a dog, Winston, that gets mistaken for Dakota when he's out and about in town.Below is a video of the sister to the pug who was a finalist in the dog contest (you know, the one with his tongue hanging out) waiting for the mailman, as she does daily. Too funny!

wedding stamp rate

2007-05-14T15:15:00.000-04:00

As of today, the USPS increased the price of a 1st Class stamp to $0.41. But the price of the 2oz wedding stamp has decreased from $0.63 to $0.58. Cool. I spotted the new stamp designs online and thought I would share. They should be available for purchase mid-summer. Thank you, Margaret, for the wedding stamp blog tip!

My friend and brilliant marketer, real estate agent Scot Aubinoe sends his top clients monthly surprises in the mail- jams, Starbucks gift cards, movie passes, seeds for the garden or tips for general household maintenance. It's something fun that I look forward to in the mail each month and definitely keeps his name in circulation. Today, his note outlined the change in stamp hike, and included a sheet of $.02 stamps to help ease the transition. Thank you, Scot.

Who's daddy is Top Pop?
	Amelia
	Nathan
	Nelson

Free polls from Pollhost.com