Angela and Jay's Wedding

One of my best friends in the whole world was married on May 16, 2009! For those of you that don't know Angela, she is such a fun person with a ton of energy! She is very eccentric, loves to sing, wear vibrant clothes and can light up any party! That being said, I knew this wasn't going to be a drab wedding in any way, shape or form!

Some of the highlights were her Mia Solano gown which was a fitted trumpet style dress with a beaded bodice and short layers of satin and lace. She also wore a marabou feather in her hair, teal shoes and the bridesmaids wore vintage inspired gowns by Jim Hjelm in all different colors (teal, kiwi, raspberry, mango, and violet frost). Her husband Jay, who she has been with for 10 years, has a love for hats. He wore a white suit, accompanied by a black top hat and made a handsome groom.

The ceremony and reception were held at East Wind Estates in Wading River, NY and it was an extravagant event! She decided to have her reception in the Veranda Room which isn't normally used for wedding but she chose it because she loved the modern feel. She had centerpieces made of branches, orchids and crystals and a DJ and live percussionist to get the party going! Overall it was an amazing wedding and I am so excited I got to be in her bridal party and take pictures at the event. Her wedding photographer, Jayd Gardina, is very talented and was sweet enough to give me some shooting tips and pointers! I had a blast that day and am so happy for Angela and Jay! CONGRATS!

A special thanks to the talented Christine and Erica at Head Rush Salon who did our hair and make-up! Thanks for making us all look fabulous!

I had to throw in a picture of my glam hair style!

These next two shots were set up by Jayd Gardina

Best Friends Forever

A Beautiful Family

I met this family at Janessa and Eric's Wedding and felt the need to post this picture because they so beautiful! The baby had gorgeous eyes and such an adorable headband! I am hoping to get their email address from Janessa so I can send this to them!

Janessa and Eric's Wedding - Part I

Eric and Janessa are married and I feel so lucky that I was able to play a part their special day! They were married on May 15th in Rye, NY with a reception following at the beautiful Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown, NY.

I have known Janessa pretty much since we were out of the womb. Our mothers are best friends and went to high school and college together. Janessa is an accomplished gymnast competing at the Jr. Olympic level and collegiate level at University of Michigan. She is beautiful person both inside and out and there is something about her always sparkles. She met Eric on a trip to Florida and it actually turns out they went to college together! Eric played football at University of Michigan and now plays professionally for the Montreal Allouettes. He also played for the Miami Dolphins in 2004! He is 6'4'' and and such lovable guy! His laughter and smile are contagious and he can light up any room. Him and Janessa compliment each other so well and and I am very happy for them.

Earlier this month I had asked Janessa if I could tag along and take some pictures on their wedding day and she said yes! She asked if I would go over to the hotel and take some pictures of Eric and his groomsmen getting ready. Here are some of my favorite shots! More to come!

Lily Rose

Carla's daughter, Lily Rose, is such a cute little bundle of joy! She is normally all fun and smiles but I happened to capture this one shot of her being serious and almost adult-like (if that is possible)! I feel as if she is about to give me some words of wisdom or a life lesson!

Maternity

I got to shoot some maternity pictures of a good friend and shot along side Leslie Simmons! I am pretty happy with results! Thanks for all your help Leslie!

Cake Decorating and Baking 101

Both of my sisters are well know for their excellent baking skills and their beautiful cake decorating techniques so I decided I wanted to "try" and follow in their foot steps! Maria (known as Betty Sr.) and Dana (known as Betty Jr.) got me a ton of baking supplies, spring pans, muffin pans, a cake decorating kit, etc for my bridal shower last year and I put them to use this past weekend on an Irish Carrot Cake. Well, lets just say I made a mess and the cake came out dry and a bit sloppy looking - but hey I tried! I think I am better at cooking but I refuse to give up baking yet.

On a side note - I made these cookies back in December and they rocked!

Max

Maximus, aka Max, aka Max-Trax, aka Maxie, aka Maxie-Moe and the list of nicknames goes on but he all I can say is he is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet! He is my parent's 4 1/2 year old mutt who was born in the woods and rescued as a puppy by a shelter in Connecticut. He is believed to be part Lab and part German Shepherd (or what we call a "Shepador") and his personality shines through as both of those breeds. He is very loving, mushy and eager to please but also a great watch dog and has a bark and growl that can scare away any mail man or UPS guy! He loves to go on long walks and especially loves running with Dana and can do about 5-6 miles at a time! He takes very good care of his family and often does circles or rotations around the house at night to make sure everyone is safe in their beds! We love him with all of our hearts and how couldn't you - just look at that face.....

The most shoes you will ever see!

Nicole, aka Hesse, aka "Nikki at Night from Party 105.3" has the biggest shoe collection I have ever seen! Her and her roomie Christine (my hair dresser) have around 350 pairs!

Check this out...

Here is a shot of Christine at her salon (Head Rush) working on Nikki's hair

Dana's Playoff Soccer Game

St. Joe's vs. Farmingdale

This was one of Dana's last college soccer games and it turned out to be action packed and a bit dirty with a ton of fouls from the opposing team. It was a tied game most of the time but unfortunately ended in a loss for St. Joes :( Dana played really well and I was glad I got out to see her play!

On a side note, this was the 2nd weekend using my camera and I had a lot of fun but decided sports photography is VERY stressful and not for me! It was still fun to take pictures but not many of them were anything that interesting! I guess I was just not fast enough!

Dana is # 11 below