Marilyn and Carlos Maternity session

Marilyn and Carlos' maternity session was the very first shoot I did at my new house! We had booked for the week before but boxes were still everywhere and not enough set up so I was lucky they were flexible and came the following weekend. Shoobs is what the expecting couple nicknamed the belly dweller through out the pregnancy and they were pretty sure the name would stick so they thought it would be fun to incorporate this into their session. I adore the way it looks in the wooden blocks and with the soon to be parents in the background snuggling just makes my heart melt.

Isn't this the most beautiful belly button you have ever seen? I adore the way the her linea nigra (had to look that up!) curves around her piercing - I have never seen that before but think it looks like a piece of art - just gorgeous. I have in the past tried to photoshop out that line, but I now think it is just so special and so leave it, especially in this case! And I adore how her naval frames the sweet flower jewel that dangles so perfectly on top.

Baby Marcus was a healthy 8lbs, 15 ozs at birth and 21 inches of pure love - congratulations to you both. Happy to hear the family is thriving.

Baby Jaylen

Darling little Jaylen was born 5 weeks premature, and had to stay in the hospital until after his due date. In fact was in with sweet Baby Keira at the same time so their mama's became friends. Colby and Jeffrey had planned on doing a maternity session and then a newborn shoot in his first 2 weeks to capture the beginning stages of his life to remind them always of this special time. We were scheduled to do the maternity shoot on 8th March but Colby rang to say she was heading into hospital. When I heard from her again, it was to hear her beautiful boy had been born a couple days later. So by the time they were out of hospital and settled enough to plan the newborn shoot, Jaylen was already 9 weeks old. I was actually quite reluctant to shoot a baby older than 2 weeks, even though officially, he was probably close to that age anyway if he had come on his due date. This is because after 2 weeks, babies tend to start to wake up more and so it makes for those mad sleeping poses much more tricky. Luckily, after a little persistence from Jaylen's mummy, I agreed to try the shoot anyway and I am so glad we did. Although Jaylen did indeed spend much of the session awake or in light sleep so we couldn't shoot some of the more typical images of the babe in a vessel of sorts, we were still able to capture some magic with the family all enjoying these first weeks together at home.

Jaylen's room was decorated around his adorable bedding set. The walls were painted by his daddy and grandpa to match the sheet set and his mummy cleverly designed the art on the walls by photographing details on the bedding set and having them mounted on canvas - so brilliant. And the final touch was Jaylen's name above his crib in the elegant band of rich brown - just beautiful.

Due to Jaylen having to be in the hospital for so long and Colby having to part with him at night time, they grew accustomed to snuggling together while walking up and down or rocking him to sleep before they would have to leave and this has carried on since they are all  home.

I adore adore this image below of Jaylen clasping the cross that his daddy wears every day.

And I think this could be my fave ever series of newborn baby sweetness - that rosette of hair on the top of his head, those dimpled knuckles and tiny hand compared to his Daddy's, his tiny toes wearing his parents' rings, and that sweet little ear with the hint of wolverine fuzz on the tips of the ear and shoulder - just could eat him up!

Congratulations Jeffrey and Colby on beautiful Jaylen - he is such a sweet thing and so happy you are all home and happy and healthy. Thank you for inviting me into your home to capture your love. xx

Melanie & Ed Wedding - Elbow Beach, Bermuda

Melanie and Ed chose Bermuda for their destination wedding due to its proximity to New York City, not to mention they had always wanted to get married on an island and the gorgeous pink sanded beaches were just too dreamy to pass up.

This dreamy dress was designed my Romona Keveza and was found at Kleinfelds.

Melanie's fabulous Kate Spade shoes were to die for. She has searched long and hard to find the perfect pink shoes, and although she had originally wanted a dress with some pink in it, I think the splash of colour that occasionally flashed when she walked was just sensational!

This wedding was meticulously planned by Nikki at  Bermuda Bride and Melanie cannot say enough good things about her nor could she possibly have pulled off the wedding without such attention to detail and amazing service. Nikki had also recommend Marguerite at Petals who provided the sumptuous flowers.

Vernon Gerstner did the bride's hair and make up and make Melanie feel gorgeous. He also provided the bride and her attendants great moral support in the hours leading up to the wedding and Melanie admits she owes her new found love of port to Vernon!!

Ed and Melanie decided to have an intimate first meeting before their ceremony. They believed this would be a special, private moment that they were keen to keep between just the two of them. I love it when couples see each other before hand as it allows us to capture some tender moments before the excitement of the day and they feel less rushed in the couple shots as they do not have guests waiting at the reception yet.

Both Melanie and Ed were quite emotional at the moment when they first saw each other that day. They day they had been planning for so long was finally upon them and they were able to speak, touch and express their intense emotions privately rather than remain quiet during the ceremony.

The couple chose to hold their entire event at Elbow Beach since the property is utterly beautiful and the hotel offered to allow the couple to throw a big welcome barbeque on the beach the night before the wedding, which was a wonderful way for their guests to experience Bermuda on their first night.

Melanie was a very wise bride and rented her stunning diamonds from Adorn Brides, and although she was crushed to have to return it all the day after the wedding, she was thrilled to be so sparkly on her big day.

As the guests arrived at the ceremony site, they were greeted by trays full of Kir Royals which they were able to sip in the shade while taking off their shoes before heading out to the stunning ceremony location on Elbow Beach. Even Melanie was able to sneak one down before heading down the aisle to meet her groom and although her bridesmaids were terrified she would spill some on her dress (that little bit of pink she had been looking for?), the bride remained pristine throughout her wedding day.

I am just smitten with the movement of Melanie's train as it caught the breeze - just so delicate and feminine and beach wedding-ish!

Randy Lambert played the classical guitar throughout the service and he learned the song, "Always better when we're together" especially for the recessional. So as we were heading off to do some group shots after the ceremony, he spontaneously came up and serenaded the couple with their song which was a huge hit.

Nikki of Bermuda Bride helped the couple choose the Lido and she had told them that it was the perfect restaurant for big foodie people. The guests were thrilled with the exquisite menu and outstanding service.

The bride ordered this pretty guest book on Etsy from a lovely woman in England who has a company called Sarah Louise Designs.

The couple's first dance was to Sarah McLachlan's "Ice Cream" which was quirky, fun and romantic. Ed chose it because they have both always loved the artist's music and it was also a bit cheeky given bow obsessed Melanie is with all things foodie.

The cake was created by Lido and was exactly in keeping with the elegant beach theme of the wedding, in all white with seashells. Each layer of the cake was a different flavour - the first was rum and chocolate chip with chocolate icing, the second was red velvet with cream cheese icing and the top tier was mocha with vanilla butter-cream icing - such a lovely detail and I hope the couple were able to taste each layer!

Melanie and Ed - thank you for allowing me to capture your love and I wish you all the best in your future together! xx