Riley Photographic

Molly and Tae were married a couple weeks ago at the Eastland Park. Other than the fact that it was a gorgeous day and the people at the wedding were a lot of fun there was a piece of this ceremony that stand out. Tae is Korean and he and Molly wished to have a traditional Korean wedding ceremony as part of their celebration. In honor of Tae’s heritage, but also to honor his parents and family he arranged for them to have a traditional ceremony on the Friday before the actual wedding. It was a real treat to be there to witness and capture it. The costumes and decorations were both ornate and beautiful. The ceremony was elegant and yet simple.
A big thanks to Molly and Tae for having me be there to capture both days events and for being so welcoming. You have wonderful families and I had a lot of fun with you both. Here are just a few images, the remainder are in your online gallery.

A couple weeks ago I had the fortune of capturing Dana and John’s wedding at the Tupper Manor. Their wedding was not only elegant, beautiful, and a great celebration but also a coming together of two wonderful families. There was a great deal of emotion, a few tears, and a whole lot of love flowing around the place. It was great fun to be there amidst all their friends and family and to witness the connections the two of them have created. My personal high-light of the day was their choice of wedding favors and the way they presented them. Dana and John gave all of their guest a real Hawaiaan Lei that had been flown in the day before for the wedding. They personally presented them to each and every person along with a big hug. It was really heartwarming to watch. There is a lot more to tell about this wonderful couple, but for now I will leave you with a few images from their day.

Read back a few posts and you’ll read a little blurb about a fantastic couple that I have been fortunate enough to come to know over the last couple months. Laura and Dan contacted me because their original plans for having their wedding captured weren’t going in the direction she was hoping for. We met for drinks and instantly the three of us hit it off. Since then it’s been a pleasure on every level to work with these two people. I just can’t say enough good things about them. They chose to marry and celebrate at the beautiful Migis Lodge in Casco Maine. Migis sits on the shores of Sebago Lake and is an idyllic spots for an outdoor wedding, a wedding with a real Maine feel. It combines the elegance of a high class destination resort, the ambience of a summer retreat and a lakeside setting where one is never short for anything to do. Migis also has more than ample lodging for all wedding guests in their lakeside cabins. The food is excellent, the staff are eager to please their guest and the grounds are meticulously maintained. On the morning of the wedding the owner and his wife were even out and about with rakes and other garden implements making sure the finishing touches were to their standards. Enough however about Migis – this is about Laura and Dan.

Laura wore an exceptional gown that she had made by a dressmaker in Paris. It was simple elegance in it’s purest form. Dan’s Dad (a native of France) as a gift to his son, had one of the finest suits I have ever seen made especially for the occasion. He found a designer that is well known as one of the chief contributors to a major European brand. Dan wore the suit with a traditional Ascot and an off-white vest that had the most detailed embroidery on the front. He looked rather sharp to say the least. The men wore wool suits and Laura provided her ladies with fabric and each had a dress made to fit their own style.

The day was a success on all levels. The weather cooperated. The guests enjoyed themselves, and Laura and Dan exchanged vows and started this next chapter of their lives together in fantastic style. It will most definitely be a day that they will cherish for their entire lives.

For a more in-depth view of the entire day have a look at their slideshow.

Megan and Jeff clearly live under a lucky star. Aside from the obvious luck of having found each other they managed to plan their wedding for the only day of sunshine during a really bad stretch of weather. Over two weeks of rain cursed the Northeast and almost smack in the middle of it they found the only glimpse of sun and warm weather. It was a fantastic day and truly a classic Maine Wedding. Megan prepared for the day at her parents home and the home where she grew up. The energy and anticipation was great to be around and we were all excited. We met the guys on the West End of Portland for photos and then proceeded to the Eastland Park Hotel where they had a fabulous wedding ceremony in the Grand Ballroom, followed by a reception that was filled with heart warming toasts, great friends, and a lot of dancing. Megan and Jeff, thank you for having us there to capture your wedding. It was an honor to be there and to be part of your amazing wedding. Here are some of the highlights of the day. More photos and a special slideshow to follow in the coming days.

A little over a week ago I kicked off the 2011 wedding season with a great event at Cruiseport in Gloucester.  I met the couple through a friend and after meeting them was super excited to shoot their wedding.  They were so laid back, excited to have fun and even more excited to share their ceremony with the gathering of their close knit community.  The ceremony was performed by a close friend from their time living in San Diego.  Alex performed a heart felt ceremony that had more than a few in the crowd reaching for a tissue.  The real surprise however was the entrance of the bridesmaids; they made a grand entrance dancing down the aisle to the sounds of a popular hip-hop song.  It was fantastic and the look of surprise on Chris’s face as the first of the girls made her way down the aisle was priceless.  As the last of the girls danced her way toward the front of the room, Chris’s expression changed from one of amusement to that of anticipation.  The flood of emotion that washed over his face as Angela rounded the corner with her Dad was a tell all.  He couldn’t have been more excited to share his vows and marry the girl of his dreams.
The folks at Cruiseport put together a fantastically run affair and were incredibly helpful.  With a challenging weather forecast I was really worried that we were not going to get outside for a few photos.  Fortunately the rain held off and we were able to get down onto the docks for a few images of the wedding party.  Gloucester is one of the oldest and most notorious sea ports on the New England coast so it seemed more than appropriate to use the docks and the ships on the dock as our background.

Elizabeth contacted me about a 8 months ago to shoot her wedding this August in Portland Maine.  We had just started to get to know each other and started talking about the details of this summer when I got an email out of the blue from her.   Could I make myself available to shoot the wedding with very short notice?  The new wedding date was 3 weeks from the time I got the email.  I was a little blown away, but all I had on the calendar for the new wedding date was a day of skiing.  After reading her email all the way through, there was very little that was going to keep me from being there that day.  Elizabeth informed me that her father was battling cancer and that she was worried he wouldn’t make it to summer for the original wedding date.  It was an emotionally intense day for everyone, including yours truly.  Elizabeth and Matt got married in a beautiful catholic church in downtown Concord, N.H. and shared an intimate reception with close family and a few chosen guests.  The night was full of laughs, stories, and everything that a wedding day should be full of, especially the father of the bride walking his beautiful daughter down the aisle.

Okay, so both Tim and I are dreadfully behind on our blog posts.  Its un-excusable, but if you must  know we have just been plain busy and its one of those things that gets forgotten in the midst of crazy season.   I’m excited to be catching up over the next month or so and making as many entries as possible about all the awesome weddings we did this year.   I’m even more excited to break the silence with images from Tyson and Kara’s wedding this October.  They were the last fall wedding I had on my books and it was an absolutely fantastic way to end the “season”.   A big beautiful cathedral, a beautiful old Bentley, the remnants of fall foliage that somehow held fast to the trees almost as if it were a gift to the couple, and a reception with hand done decorations were some of the highlights.  For me however the highlight was the time that I got to spend with Tyson and Kara between the ceremony and reception.  They had planned a solid chunk of time to capture some images of just the two of them and I was in heaven.  With gorgeous afternoon light, and a landscape with way too many options it was a gift.  We spent the better part of an hour cruising the grounds of the reception site taking photos together and although it was rather chilly we managed to stay warm and have a lot of fun together.

Kara wore a stunning dress made by a most famous designer and dress maker… her Mother!! I was so shocked when this dress came out of the bag – the woman has some serious talent!!   Tyson also brought his own piece of flare to the occasion.   An artist and graduate of RISD, the man is a hound for details and creativity.  The handmade custom yellow Nikes that he had made for the occasion were something to behold and added a nice touch of color to his black suit.

Here are just a couple images from the time I got to spend alone with Tyson and Kara.

Read a few posts back and you’ll read about my first meeting with Gus and Alicia.  As if I didn’t just love these guys enough when we first met!  Well, needless to say their wedding day was just that much better!  These two make a habit out of jumping through rings of fire together.  Only in this case the rings are placed in their path by others around them.  I think at this point they are either immune(which I know isn’t true – they are way too “sensy”) or they have learned how to leap quickly and keep on running.

Alicia and Gus got married on what I am now referring to “a summer day…. in March”.   They clearly had some karma cash to spend and they used it wisely on their wedding day.  We had one of the most epic days of the spring.  It was 75, big puffy clouds, and a warm land breeze.  I felt like I was in the middle of an August wedding without all the greenery and leaves.   The whole day was amazing from the very first moment I showed up in the salon, right through to the dance floor mayhem.   I want to throw a huge shout out to the Eastland Park Hotel.  I work there often; Kim and her staff are outrageous and really go the extra mile for their guests and clients.   I also got to enjoy the rhythms of Kahootz.   Kahootz is a band out of Boston that occasionally plays up here in Maine and when they do, they really bring the house down.  I’ve worked with them a handful of times now and each time their performance is fresh, energetic and hugely dynamic.  Chris and the Kahootz crew put on an excellent show and they kept the dance floor packed the entire evening.

Usually I attach a couple of images to my blog postings, but in this case I’m trying something a little different.  Many of you have probably heard of photo-fusion; A blend of both photography and video.  It’s really not all that new, but it’s taking on a new meaning in the photography world and is becoming a trend certainly worth paying attention to.  Way way back I was really into video, so this is naturally intriguing to me.  Long story short I shot a little video footage during their reception and have added a few clips to their slideshow.  Enjoy and let me know what you think.  It’s kind of a large file so give it some time to load.  Play Video.

Alicia and Gus, you guys are amazing.  You’re story continues to bring a smile to my face and the adversity you have dealt with in your lives together will absolutely make your marriage stronger both now and in the long run.   My heart goes out to you and I hope your road gets smooth very soon.

This March I had the opportunity to spend 4 days in Antigua capturing Audrey and Bob’s wedding celebration.   When Audrey called me a year ago to ask me to accompany she and Bob and all their guests to Antigua I was very honored.  You see, Audrey is an event and wedding planner in Southern Maine.  She has the most impeccable taste and is known for putting together the very elegant weddings.  I had worked with her a number of times in the past and have always enjoyed the experience of working alongside someone that is so good with both details and people.   Anytime another professional in the industry asks you to be one of their vendors for a personal event, it is the ultimate compliment.   So, clearly I was blushing when Audrey asked me.    Fast forward a year and I found myself in an airport with a fantastic group of people that were warm, inviting, and ecstatic for 4 days of sun and partying.  Before we even touched down in our tropical paradise I had made new friends and was even more excited for the next few days that would be turn out to be a whirlwind of adventure, great parties, fun group events, wonderful food and a sun-soaked paradise.   I can’t put into words how much fun I had; I was instantly just one of the guests(that just happened to always have a camera at the ready) and was made to feel very welcome by all.  Thanks Audrey and Bob!!!  Enjoy just a couple images from the trip – many more to come.

I have the coolest clients, REALLY!! I’ve always thought that I was blessed to have generally very cool people as customers; I was proved right this past week on a huge level. The last week has been insane. It’s the off-season and I am busier than ever bouncing from place to place, meeting to meeting, shoot to shoot, etc. etc. I’m not complaining, but this is supposed to be the mellow season. Last Friday I had a commercial shoot, went home and packed for a huge photography convention, and spent the last hours of the day with my 2 boys.   With a scheduled departure of around 2 the next day, I wanted to get in a morning shoot that had been canceled twice already due to weather and crazy schedules. It couldn’t have gone more perfect. I arrived to meet Gus and Alicia around 10 am down by the water in South Portland; it was the perfect spring morning. In 10 minutes we were talking like old friends and sharing stories that only friends can appreciate. I’m so impressed by these two.  If for one second anyone out there reading this thinks that they have had a tough road leading up to their wedding – ya got nothin! Gus and Alicia take high honors for what they are dealing with and even more so for the way in which they are dealing: heads held high, arms tightly wrapped around each other, pushing forward and mowing down everything in their path that even resembles a hurdle. My hat is off to you both!

I hope you had fun and thanks for taking the time to chill and share a bloody mary together!    I’m really looking forwad to next weekend!