The bride and groom happen to be personal friends of ours, so I was also technically a guest, which any photographers out there know, means you really just get to sit and eat with everyone instead of at the “help table” hidden in the corner! LOL  I still had an amazing time as both a guest and a photographer!

It was a foggy morning heading up the mountain to the Osborn Castle in Garrison, NY.  We were all crossing our fingers that the rain would hold out, and hopefully we’d get a peek from the sun at some point.  Katie, the bride, was one of the most relaxed and casual brides I have ever met.  She wore white Rocket Dog wedge flip flops under her wedding gown, and the groom, Ryan, wore a navy suit sans the tie.  Ryan’s best man was his long time friend Joe, and Katie’s Maid of Honor was her sister Michaela.

The hard part about shooting a friends’ wedding… keeping your emotions hidden and getting the job done.  When I started snapping pictures of Ryan’s face during his first glances of his wife-to-be heading down the aisle, it was hard not to have tears welling up in my eyes.

Once they joined hands at the alter the smiles could not be wiped from their faces.  You could not only see the love between them, but you could feel it in the air.  Again, I was choking back tears of joy to see two friends so happy together and just beaming  in front of all of their friends and family.

Ryan and Katie wrote their own vows to each other which were written beautifully.  Not only was it a beautiful ceremony, but the venue was simply gorgeous.  The charm of the castle was perfect, and the colors and flowers she chose fit perfectly to add simple beautiful touches.  Her flower choice was daisies, and she made all of her place card holders by hand, as she is an art teacher!

One final shot for now… Katie and her father while we were doing the traditional family portraits.  These two have such a beautiful relationship that I can’t even explain it in words.  I think this picture portrays it very well, and is one of my favorite shots from the entire day.  The bond they share is visible to anyone who sees them together.

If you want to see a few more pictures from the Guarcello-O’Connor wedding, visit my Wedding Gallery!!

I love this time of year because the ocean is so much more exciting.  Besides just watching the waves, the local surfers are in their glory to finally have something worth riding.  Here are a few of the pictures that I took from this past weekend, although I have about 350 more images to edit that will be posted at a later date (sorry, moving this week, and haven’t had time to do much with my photos!).  I hope you enjoy them!

Long Beach, NY (Indiana Street)

Long Beach, NY (Indiana Street)

Long Beach, NY (Indiana Street)

Long Beach, NY (Georgia Street)

Long Beach, NY (Georgia Street)

Long Beach, NY (Georgia Street)

Long Beach, NY (Lincoln Blvd)

Long Beach, NY (Lincoln Blvd)

Long Beach, NY (Lincoln Blvd)

Check back at a later date for plenty more photos!!!

We got together one night with a bottle of vino (to calm her nerves a little, LOL), hair done, makeup done, and outfits picked out.  We decided to research a few different boudoir photography websites to get some ideas as far as poses, props, etc.  We gathered our ideas, and just let it roll…

All I can say is that I could not believe how comfortable and relaxed we were doing this shoot (of course it helps when it’s friends and not complete strangers!).  Laura is a natural infront of the camera, and knows how to change up the poses without me having to stop shooting and re-pose her for every different shot.  When I got there, I think she had about 8 different outfits to use, meanwhile I think we wound up only doing one wardrobe change, and then of course the bubble bath shots!  Here are some of our favorite shots from the shoot.  Any feedback is always welcome!

KISS Cancer Goodbye (kisscancergoodbye.net) and Cancer Gifts and Ideas (cancergiftsandideas.com) was started by a dear friend of my family, Dana Bonanne.  Here is her story…

“I was inspired to create this website and my company due to my mother’s diagnosis on April 24th 2007. My mother who had never smoked a day in her life was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. To my surprise this is not uncommon. According to National Lung Cancer Association, 15% – 25% of lung cancer patients are non-smokers. When they caught the cancer, it had already metastasized from the lung, to the liver, to the adrenal glands, to the lymph nodes, to the spinal cord, and eventually to the brain. On April 18th at 6:15pm my mother died in the arms of my father and myself in the comfort of her own home. She fought a long, courageous battle with dignity and grace. For those who know my mother, she was a pure, selfless, poised, considerate woman who lived for her occupation, teaching. Although the last two years of her life she was retired, she continued to teach through her compassion, faith, and immense determination. My father, my extended family members and I joined her in the battle against cancer and time. We cherished every moment we had with her and were by her side when she passed. Cancer has given us a gift. It has made our last two years together very special and treasured.

It is my goal to continue my mother’s legacy by holding cancer awareness events to raise money in her name and give back to the cancer community that treated us with such kindness and compassion. I have already organized two successful events within the last 3 months entitled Kiss Cancer Goodbye and look forward to orchestrating more in the near future. Please visit our Upcoming Events page for more information.

We hope that you will find comfort, support, and love throughout our website. We welcome your feedback and participation in our site. Thank you for visiting and please come back again.

With all my love,

Dana Bonanne, The Proud Daughter of an Amazing Woman

Founder of Cancer Gifts and Ideas

Board Member of Salaine Cares Memorial Fund

All I can say is I am so proud of my dear friend, for the strength and love and all of the time that she has taken to make all of this a reality.  Her mother was so full of life and love, and Dana is the exact same way.  It truly is an honor to call her my friend.

The walk was co-sponsored by The Cabana on the corner of Beech Street and Georgia Street in Long Beach, NY.  Registration began at 10:00am with complimentary breakfast in The Cabana’s parking lot, and I could not believe it that people were lining up to register at 9:30am!  Just the sight of that alone made me think that the day was going to be a huge success.  The walk started at 11:00am and the route was from Georgia Street, down to Oceanview Street, to the Long Beach Boardwalk and back to The Cabana for more food and fun. There were various vendors set up, including Cancer Awareness Apparel Company, Chico’s and Coldwater Creek Jeweler, KPrints Photography, and Twinkles, who donated time and proceeds, as well as face painting, giveaways, DJ Kimmie spinnin’, and a live reggae band, Groundswell Creation (http://www.myspace.com/groundswell1), for entertainment throughout the day.

The amount of raffle prizes that were donated to this event was overwhelming.  The support from our community really shone through for this walk, and I don’t think we could have asked for anything better.  Our goal for this walk was to raise money for cancer education, research and funding, and I am so happy to say that we raised around $4,000!!!

I want to take this time to thank EVERYONE who made this event possible, including all of our wonderful volunteers, participants, and sponsors:

• The Cabana (Long Beach, NY)
• Speakeasy Restaurant and Bar (Long Beach, NY)
• The Inn (www.thelongbeachinn.com)
• Minnesota’s Grill & Bar (www.minnesotasny.com)
• The Beach House (www.thebeachhouselbny.com)
• The Sunset Yogurt Factory (Long Beach, NY)
• Pinup Clothing Boutique (www.pinupclothingboutique.com)
• NEXT (Oceanside, NY)
• T & A Construction (516-921-2152)
• The Pampered Princess (www.pamperedprincesses.com)
• F M O’Rourke Hardware (Long Beach, NY)
• McQuades Neighborhood Grill (www.mcquadesneighborhoodgrill.com)
• Jildor Shoes (www.jildorshoes.com)
• GM Coastal Grill (www.georgemartingroup.com)
• EJ the DJ, Inc. (www.ejthedj.com)
• The Saloon (Long Beach, NY)
• Sutton Place (www.suttonplacelb.com)
• Artie’s Collision (www.artiescollision.com)
• Ooh La La (www.oohlalaboutiques.com)
• Swingbelly’s Beachside BBQ (www.swingbellysbbq.com)
• The Whale’s Tale Seafood & Oyster Bar (www.awhalestale.com)
• Synergy Fitness Club (www.synergyfitnessclubsli.com)
• Tiki Bar (www.tikibarlbny.com)
• Dr. Leo – Chiropractic Life Center (www.docleo.com)
• Bally Bannon (Long Beach, NY)
• Long Beach Wellness (www.lbwellness.com)
• Cancer Gifts and Ideas (www.cancergiftsandideas.com)
• Travel By Jen (www.travelbyjen.com)
• FDNY

***A special thanks to Bally Bannon for donating bagels for all of our volunteers and participants!***

Once I get some pictures of the event I will add them to this blog post!

After we were all full, and needed a change of scenery, we all decided to walk down the block to the beach!  How lucky we are to live on such a beautiful beach, all year round.  We brought some beers, the dog, and a frisbee… what a night.  Here are just a few of the pictures that I took!  I hope you enjoy them!