There is something magical about Martha’s Vineyard.  Maybe it is the boat ride over to the remote island that makes you feel like you are officially “getting away”, or the tiny fishing villages along the skirts of the ocean.  Whatever the case, for Kelly and Eric it feels like home.

Kelly has been coming to Martha’s Vineyard with her family for over twenty years now.  She still remembers the year she was ready to bring Eric along on their summer vacation.  They were high school sweethearts, and even at such a young age, Kelly knew there was something special about Eric.   Staying in the gingerbread houses in Oak Bluffs and spending the hours before sunset in the small town of Menemsha, Kelly and Eric fell in love with the island and with each other.

Years later, Eric knew he wanted to spend forever with the girl he fell in love with in high school.  On a romantic trip to Paris, Eric got down on one knee in front of the Eiffel Tower and asked Kelly to be his wife.  Kelly happily agreed, excited to marry her best friend and the man she truly loves.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of capturing Kelly and Eric’s Martha’s Vineyard engagement photos.  Check out a few of my favorites below!

We took Kelly and Eric’s Martha’s Vineyard engagement photos in their favorite fishing town, Menemsha!

After kicking off their shoes, Kelly and Eric set off to explore the sandy white beaches and rolling dunes.

Eric, you did an amazing job at picking out the PERFECT ring for Kelly!

One of the most romantic things to do in Menemsha is to grab a bottle of wine, pick up clam chowder from The Bite, and watch the sunset on top of a grassy dune.

LOVE.

Kelly, you are GORGEOUS!

Kelly and Eric, thank you so much for an amazing day in Martha’s Vineyard!  Good luck as you continue to plan your wedding for next year.  I know it is going to be such an incredible day filled with love and I am so happy for you both!

 

There is nothing better than getting a GREAT surprise in the mail.  And today’s surprise?  AMAZING!  Not only did I find out one of my sweet couples for next year had WON a honeymoon to Jamaica, I also found out they decided to use one of the engagement photos I captured for the feature!  Congratulations to Katie and Mike for being Manhattan Bride’s honeymoon winner.  You guys are going to have a blast!

Katie was so kind to send me three copies of Manhattan Bride magazine in the mail, along with a sweet note informing me my photo with credit was inside.

Congratulations again Katie and Mike!  I am so happy for you and am already looking forward to capturing your gorgeous wedding next June. 🙂

Being a business owner allows you the opportunity to wear many hats.  Photographer, office manager, website designer, blogger, marketing team, album designer, editor, the list goes on and on and I love it!  I enjoy having the possibility of doing something new everyday.  Now if only I could create a machine that would make each day 48 hours instead of 24 hours and would make sleep an option instead of a necessity… 🙂  That would be AWESOME!

This weekend I set aside Sunday to film the first part of my new promo video!  I have a lot of surprises in store and I can’t wait to see this project come to life.  For now, I will leave you with a sweet note from one of my  brides who plays an invaluable role in the film, Tara.  Thank you for making my day. 🙂

Hi Amy,

Thank you so much for asking Kris and I to be a part of the event yesterday. It was so wonderful to spend time with you and Mekina, and it was fun to meet the other couples and the film crew! 

Kris and I are always happy to do whatever we can to help you continue to build and develop your business. We truly believe in you as a professional and as a person, and we cannot tell enough people how thrilled we are to have worked with you and gotten to know you. We truly want to do whatever we can to support you as your clients and your friends. 

Although there is a value on the pictures you provide, the experience you offer and the way you make people feel are invaluable. Not every photographer offers the intangibles that you do, and that is a true testament to who you are as a person. You and Mekina exude such joy and love in all that you do, and that impacts everyone around you in such a profoundly positive way. You two are more than just “photographers” and that is what makes working with you such a unique experience. 

The next time you come up with an idea for a new way to promote ARP, whether through another video, or a photo shoot, or whatever else you come up with, please know you can count on Kris and I as willing participants. 

Hopefully we will see you before November 8th, but either way we are so excited to shoot with you again!

Best,

Tara 

And because every post is better with photos, here is a behind the scenes look at part one of the shoot. 🙂

A big thanks to John of JMA Visuals and his crew for doing an amazing job!

I always love spending the day with Mekina.  Thanks for taking all of the behind the scenes photos!  And for just being awesome.

All the filming took place on the terrace at 320 Studios.

I’m not going to lie…one of my favorite parts of the day was sitting in the director’s chair!

Most importantly, a big thank you to Tara + Kris, Alyssa + Michael, and Kristen + Will for taking time out of your Sunday to support me.  I appreciate it more than you will ever know!

It wasn’t long after Andrew met Morgan that he was head over heels,  falling for her contagious smile and obvious love for life.  Their relationship began at Clemson University and has grown over the last five and a half years.  After Andrew graduated, he moved away.  For the last two years Morgan and Andrew have seen each other as much as possible, making the long distance thing work.

This past April, Andrew invited Morgan to join him for a Jazz Festival in New Orleans.  The trip was amazing!  The morning Morgan had to catch her plane back to Florida was beautiful.  Sun shining brightly, Andrew took her for a walk in Jackson Square, getting Morgan her favorite dessert for breakfast, banana’s foster. Recognizing it as the perfect moment, Andrew got down on one knee and asked Morgan to spend forever with him.  Morgan happily agreed, beyond excited to marry the man she loves so much.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Morgan and Andrew’s gorgeous Divine Park engagement session in Spring Lake, NJ.  Enjoy a few of my favorites below!

Morgan and Andrew brought their sweet puppy along for the photos!  She was very happy to be invited. 🙂

Morgan, you are seriously STUNNING!

LOVE.

After some pretty photos in Divine Park, we headed down to the beach for a little fun!

There is nothing more relaxing than sticking your toes in the sand and watching the sun set.

Morgan and Andrew, thank you so much for an incredible day!  I am already looking forward to your beautiful wedding next August. 🙂  HAPPY FRIDAY!

There is nothing quite as much fun as a GREAT photo booth at a wedding.  What better way to capture hilarious images of your guests having a blast on your special day?  I began including a digital photo booth in the a la carte section of my collections over two years ago and they have easily become some of my favorite photographs to go through after the wedding.  How does my digital photo booth work ?  Let me explain… 🙂

My photo booth includes a large 10×12 backdrop (where many guests can pose at the same time), a vintage trunk filled to the brim with fun props (large frames, chalkboards, lips and mustaches, boas, etc), and a third photographer to capture high quality images.  There are three backdrops to choose from:

Simply White: A plain white backdrop.  Great for a clean, classic look.  Feel free to personalize it with your own custom banner from Etsy!

Sweet Chevron: A fun, neutral backdrop.  This grey and white chevron backdrop is graphically interesting and goes well with any color scheme.

Glitz + Glam:  MY FAVORITE!  Large, rosy gold sequins make this backdrop oh so glamorous.  Guests are guaranteed to be drawn to these gorgeous sparkles.

Along with including all the props for your day, I hire a third photographer to work the photo booth for the evening.  This not only allows you to see every photo booth image captured on your wedding day,  it also provides you with high quality images.  Inviting guests to use the booth, assisting with props, and letting people know where they can download their photographs are only a few perks of hiring a third photographer to work the photo booth for the day.

Guests will receive their images the next day on a personalized website just for you!  Although they will not be given a printed copy of their photo at the wedding, they will have the ability to download their favorite images for free or upload them directly to Facebook.  Check out a sample gallery here.  The process is super simple and a great way for guests to digitally share their photo booth images with their family and friends.

…and because Mekina and I can’t resist a great photo booth, enjoy a few of our favorites in front of each backdrop! Which one is your favorite? Feel free to leave your comment in the box below! 🙂