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August, 2012:

Kari and Stephan’s wedding

Aug 29th, 2012
by kpikephoto.
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Kari and Stephan were married last month at Basin Harbor Club on one of those gorgeous sunny July days. For Kari, it was like coming home. Born in Monkton, Kari moved overseas with her family when she was 9-yrs-old.(her parents taught at international schools). Though she has lived out of the U.S. for most of the last 15 years, her family has always returned to Vermont each summer to vacation on Lake Champlain.

Kari and Stephan are actually high school sweethearts, but their high school was in Israel! To make their romance even more international, Stephan is German, raised in Germany, and now, the couple lives in Doha, Qatar! That’s right-Qatar! Quite a commute to Vermont to get married!

The couple looked stunning, with Kari in a form-fitting white gown (and bright blue shoes for a touch of color!) and Stephan in a sharp navy suit and light pink tie. The gardens at Basin Harbor were in full bloom and we definitely took advantage of that as a setting for their pre-ceremony portrait session.

All of the details were perfect, of course, and Basin Harbor outdid themselves with the food, with appetizers like yummy figs and prosciutto and nori rolls and then dinner which including salmon, filet and an amazing pasta bar!

The bridal party was a hoot-including many who came from various countries to celebrate with the couple! And, since everyone speaks the language of love, there weren’t any apparent communication issues!

This was a partying crowd and the dance floor was busy all night, with the help of DJ Jim Companion from Top Hat Entertainment.

I love this picture of Kari and Stephan’s moms and a family friend channeling their inner “Mama Mia” and singing ABBA songs into their makeshift microphones!

I hope you enjoy this fun slideshow, recapping this glorious wedding celebration: (Slideshow is FLASH, so you cant see it on your Ipad or Iphone. Quick, find a computer!!)

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If you’d like to see all the photos from Kari and Stephan‘s wedding day, please click HERE (but you’ll need to get the password from the bridal couple in order to view the gallery)

Mattison and Jill’s GRAND wedding

Aug 22nd, 2012
by kpikephoto.
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Jill and Mattison were married last month at the Grand Isle lake House and I’m so excited to finally get this wedding on my blog! This celebration was a long time coming, as Mattison had proposed to Jill countless times over the years and finally, SHE SAID YES! This became Mattison’s mantra during their next 12 months of wedding planning.

Look at these gorgeous rings from Von Bargen’s by designer Todd Reed.

Everything at the Grand Isle Lake House was perfect- as always- and all of the food by Executive chef Sheryl Eddy was as beautiful as it was delicious. Dinner at The Lake House is a foodie paradise (And I am a big time foodie!)

Jill and Mattison both looked elegant in their white summer outfits and Jill carried a stunning bouquet of flowers by Gwen and Minner Hobbs at Flowers In Season. (the table centerpieces for also jaw dropping!) Gorgeous hair and makeup were done by friends Shelby Ferland and Ashley Black.

The ceremony was heartfelt from beginning to end. As Jill walked from the front of the inn to meet her betrothed and continue on down the aisle together, Mattison and all of the guests serenaded her with Train’s “Marry Me”. Accompanying the group on guitar was the talented John Sochin (who also performed during the cocktail hour!)

Oh, how I love doing the big group portrait!

The cocktail hour and dinner was fun, funny and festive– Everyone had a ball and the laughter and smiles were infectious!

I took Mattison and Jill down to the beach after dinner to take advantage of the beautiful end-of-the-day light.

It was over 90 degrees, even in the shade, and guests kept as cool as possible outside with the supplied parasols and fans. Once inside and dancing to the great songs played by DJ Rob Douglas, the sweat started to pour and everyone just embraced the heat and let themselves go. It was a great party (and probably- once my camera and I were gone- some late night skinny dipping to cool off!)

I love to travel with fun props and my favorite MOBILE FRAME for some giggle pictures.

Mattison’s SHE SAID YES banner hung from the cupcake table for a final reminder to all! The Cake and Cupcakes were made by Liane Mendez of Let’s Pretend Catering and they were AMAZING!!

Here’s a super fun slideshow of Jill and Mattison’s wonderful wedding day, to a mashup of Train‘s Marry Me and Ingrid Michaelson‘s Everybody:

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If you’d like to see all of the photos from Mattison and Jill’s GRAND wedding, please click HERE (password available from the wedding couple)

Much love to you both, Mattison and Jill, and congratulations!

Jessica and Grey’s E session

Aug 16th, 2012
by kpikephoto.
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Before I left on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I met with bride-and-groom-to-be Jessica and Grey for their Engagement portrait session. Their wedding is quickly approaching– September 29th!–so we barely snuck in the E session!

It was so great to meet them and have an afternoon to get to know one another before their big day next month.

They are fun and easy going and it is obvious how much they love each other and cant wait to be married.

I had to leave for vacation without getting their portraits up online, so Here I sit with a Grande Americano at the Starbucks in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada, uploading their photos and writing this blog.


Since there is little time to chat, I will just present the great pictures of this beautiful couple and say that I can’t wait to photograph them at their celebration. See you soon, Jessica and Grey!

Here’s a fun video slideshow of Jessica and Grey’s Engagement portrait session:
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If you’d like to see all of the photos from Jessica and Grey’s E session, please click HERE (and this is a password-protected gallery, so you need to get the secret word from the couple).

Felicia and Dana: A story of True Love

Aug 16th, 2012
by kpikephoto.
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“Sonny, TRUE LOVE is the greatest thing in the world-except, maybe, a nice MLT (mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich), where the mutton is lean and the tomato is ripe.”
–Miracle Max, ‘The Princess Bride’

This is a story about True Love.

Once upon a time (1975ish) in the land of far, far away (Newton, Massachusetts), a young princess (13-year-old Felicia Sanchez) entered Warren Junior High School, where she met a young prince (13-year-old Dana Lukens). While the princess spent much of her time playing flute and acting in school plays, the young prince was busy with Track team and soccer. Still, each watched the other from afar, becoming more and more enchanted as time went on.

Like many storybook romances, however, the prince and princess each got swept up by other events in their lives and they were both too young and shy to reveal their true feelings to the other. In 1980, they graduated from the royal Newton North High School and each went off to different kingdoms to pursue their dreams.

Years went by (about 33 of them!) and the young prince and princess had grown into amazing and vibrant adults, with interesting lives, thriving careers, beautiful castles and, for Dana, 2 wonderful sons (this is a modern fable so, yes, both had married along the way but realized that they were not with their true loves ).

MOST importantly, as we come to the climax of this story, they both had Facebook pages.

Author’s Notes:

A. Felicia (who, as kids, we all called “Leachy” ) is one of my oldest and dearest friends, from as far back as elementary School and we have remained close until this day.
B. Dana and I were friendly back then, but I remember him more as the boy who Leachy thought had great legs.
C. Dana and I reconnected a couple of years ago on Facebook and have become friends.
D. I love to play matchmaker (“So, Dana, you should really connect again with Leachy. She’d love to hear from you…”)

On July 28, 2012, Thirty-five years after Leachy wrote in the Warren Jr. High yearbook that she’ll always “remember D.L.”, I drove with my wife to Portland, Maine to attend their WEDDING!!!!

Now how’s that for a Love Story?

I hope you enjoy this slideshow of the royal couple’s celebration, which I made with love, accompanied by Maxine Nightingale singing her 1976 hit, “Right Back Where We Started From.”
(note: slide show is in flash, so you won’t see it on your iPad!)

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Congratulations, my dear friends and, like the storybook says, may you live happily ever after.

To see all of the photos from Dana and Felicia’s celebration, please click here:

Holli and Corey’s Wedding

Aug 9th, 2012
by kpikephoto.
12 comments

Holli and Corey are the definition of the phrase”perfect together”. They have known each other since grade school and they are so comfortable together and so happy with each other that everyone around them cant help but be happy also.

Their wedding was held at the Quechee Club, on a gorgeous day at the end of June. The bride was stunning in her white gown– and a snazzy pair of Cowboy boots!- and the groom looked like something out of GQ in his Calvin Klein suit and Fedora. It was a party from beginning to end and everyone had an amazing day. From the time Holli and Corey met and did their portrait session until the last cupcakes were gobbled down and the music stopped for the night, they never stopped smiling (except to cry a few tears in Church when they said their vows).

And, with the help of my great second photographer, Jennifer Kiewit, we managed to shoot way over 2000 photographs. I edited them down to about 1200, and that was tough! So, since I am eager to get these photos online for Corey and Holli, I will forgo my banter and just let the pictures speak….





Here’s a super fun slideshow recapping this awesome day, accompanied by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros singing, “Home”:
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If you’d like to see all of the 1000+photos from Corey and Holli’s celebratory, please click HERE (and get the password from the couple!)

Dragon Boat Festival 2012

Aug 6th, 2012
by kpikephoto.
2 comments

Without a doubt, one of the most inspiring and rewarding event to photograph is the annual Dragon Boat Festival at Burlington’s Waterfront Park. sponsored by Dragon Heart Vermont. Dragonheart Vermont’s mission is to promote breast cancer awareness and to provide hope to all cancer survivors and their families. They hope to inspire every person who sees them to live a life full of wellness, exercise, and joy.

And, without a doubt, one of my favorite clients is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, because they help sponsor amazing events like this one, and have me cover them as well! They honestly live up to their motto, “Signs of as Healthier Vermont” and I love being part of that and documenting the events they support AND participate in (yes, the Blues had
a great paddling team and ALMOST made it into the finals!)

But it’s not really about winning the race, just being a part of the action! And, like every year, there was plenty of action–as well as laughter, and zumba and drumming and ….fun!

Enjoy the following slideshow that recaps this inspiring day:
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Helen and Toni’s Wedding (and 25th anniversary!)

Aug 4th, 2012
by kpikephoto.
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Helen and Toni have been a couple for 25 years… So, what better a way to celebrate that milestone than to get married!

Yup, these two southern belles– accompanied by about 25 of their closest friends and family– traveled from Kentucky to Woodstock, Vermont for their long awaited LEGAL exchange of marriage vows.

It was a gorgeous June day and the ceremony took place on the front lawn of the enchanting Woodstock Inn. It was short and sweet (very sweet!) and then it was time to get down to the business of celebrating– not just the wedding day, but also 25 wonderful years of love and joy together.

A very happy matron of honor:

The flower girls were too cute for words!

They just had to do it! :)

Here’s a really fun video slideshow recapping Helen and Toni’s celebratory day:
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If you’d like to see all of the pictures from Toni and Helen’s Woodstock wedding celebration, please click HERE (and be sure and ask the brides for the secret password to the gallery)

(check out the m&m artwork below!)