We met up at Hampton State Park — one of my favorite beach locations on our tiny NH coastline.   It has a very Nantucket sort of feel and these 3 matched that feel perfectly.

 Ella was a perfect model in her blue and white china pattern dress.  And the toes.  I love the little criss-crossed cutie toes!!

 The whole family joined in the fun.

 What a gorgeous crew!

 Seriously?  Quintessential precociousness!

 I believe she’s saying to me — why do you need to take my picture again?!  I told her because she was so cute I couldn’t stop!  It’s more than obvious how much she’s adored.

 And then — this happened  I’m not sure what catalog she came out of, but I’ll take one!  I would also make these a giant double canvas set!

 The bird behaved, but every time a wave was going to crash, Ella would turn around and look at it. LOL.  I still love it.

 It’s spectacular when parents have fun with their kids.  Thanks for being such good sports guys!!

 Dad with his sons & his wonderful wife

 And grandparents doing what they do best — whispering surprises in little one’s ears.  Even great-grandmother got in on the act!

 I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my time with this special family.  Generations are huge to me.  I have a photo of my Great-Grandmother (who’s name happened to be Ella!) holding my son, her great-great-grandson.  And I have vivid memories (and photos to back them up) of me and my great-great-grandfather.  The photos are so important to me because it helps me remember it happened — that it wasn’t just a story someone told me — -

How many generations are in your story?

I was so excited to meet these two and shoot my first elopement.  What I didn’t realize is that it would be such an amazing experience.

From the moment I arrived at the boat launch at Odiorne Point there was perfection every where I looked, and when Danielle and Nathalie arrived, and headed off all nymph like into the forest, only to arrive at the most serene beach, at sunset well — it was like our own private utopia.

The beach was not kind to their adorable shoes though; so they were quickly tossed to the side, a most excellent decision if I do say so myself.

Once they picked the spot it was time to begin -

The ceremony was so personal and emotional. It was impossible not to get caught up in the moment with them.

In a beautiful tradition they each picked 3 rocks representing their past, present & future and built them into a small stone wall together to represent the foundation of their union.

The sun behaved perfectly -

Then the marriage was sealed with a kiss!

Mazeltov!

We stole the last few moments as the sun hovered over the horizon to take a few portraits, but really they were just completely in love with each other and I was privileged to watch and capture it.

As we were heading back to the cars (the park closes at dusk!) a kind hearted woman approached.  She’d seen the whole ceremony from afar and wanted to wish her blessings on these two well deserving women.  It turns out they’re all healers — it couldn’t have been more kismet!

More kismet? No, just a lone shoe we spotted on the walk back.

A few more shots as the sun flitted away from us leaving the most amazing glow.

Or maybe that was just Danielle & Nathalie’s love. (I don’t care how cheesy that sounds, it’s entirely true.)

As I edited these photos; a song we once performed in high school popped into my head and sort of overwhelmed me.  It was the most amazing soundtrack for these two in their moment and in their lives.

Now I Walk in Beauty, traditional Hopi Prayer - Now I Walk in Beauty. Beauty is Above me. Beauty is behind me. Above and below me.

They’re truly fantastic JP, Jeanne, was a wonderful officiant — if you’re in need of a Justice of the Peace you can find her at Willowyn JP.  Her husband Richard snapped some photos also and snagged, and kindly shared, a few of me in action!

If only I could shoot all my weddings barefoot on the beach!

  I had so much fun at this private affair — I can’t wait to do more elopements!    Thank you all so much for such an awe-inspiring experience.  It was an absolute privilege to be a part of it!

Mary is in a class by herself.  Completely content to just wander the beach and eat the sand.  Not a care in the world but fully aware of the love around her, particularly from her big sister, Hannah.  Every time I see Hannah I’m struck by how mature she is.  How she handles herself and her family.  She is someone to know.  Someone to learn from.

These four kids wouldn’t be who they are with out their parents — a force to be reckoned with.  Sometimes you meet people who you know could conquer the world and you wonder if they’re wearing superhero costumes beneath their street clothes, ready to duck into a phone booth, ready their alter ego and leap tall buildings in a single bound (please excuse me if i’ve mixed my marvel metaphors…) but I hope you at least get the point.

It was so great to catch up with this family again briefly before their end of vacation picnic.   Super-hero dad is nearing the end of yet another deployment and I sincerely hope we can get together at the end of summer for some more family photos of the complete set!

They were the first of my engaged couples to come out of winter hibernation and take on April spring.  And a beautiful morning we had!  They had fierce down to a science right out of the gate.

Angie is so adorable — she’s got these crazy blue eyes that you can’t quite believe are real.  And Russ is a sweetheart and so totally smitten with Angie.. as it should be!

A self proclaimed photo nerd, she came full accessorized and ready to rock out.  Don’t be afraid to color your shoot YOU.  Bright colors, headbands, sass and spunk — all things fully welcomed in an MKP session!

We had a blast at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation -

And I KNOW we’re going to have the.best.time at their wedding this October!

Thanks for braving the uncertainty of spring in New England — it totally paid off!

On a late fall day on York Beach I found out a few things about Nicole & Shawn.

They are creative & fun-o!

They are also full of infectious smiles…

And quiet loving moments.

Braving the beach in October.

Shawn wasn’t so sure about this whole “engagement photo” thing, but being a good fiance he followed along with his wife-to-be’s wishes; and I’m certainly glad he did.

And he was a good sport about it (my favorite!)

And those smiles again! Every time I see these two I grin right along with them.

Nicole & Shawn — thank you SO much for meeting up with me to roam around the beach.  Just a few more months til we return to the scene of the crime on York Beach for your wedding! I’m super excited

Don’t wear yourself out with all the day-caring and pizza-making before then!

~melissakoren

The boys are getting so big!

Still Hugging <3

Deep in thought.

They really are such a great family.

So in love with each other and their boys — this must be where they learned the hugging from

I wish for everyone to have photos of them as kids being silly with their parents.

And sharing moments like these.

Thank you, again!

~melissakoren

Awesome pics, its going to be tough to decide on just a few to hang on the walls. ~ John

]]> http://melissakoren.com/2011/02/07/lockner-family-10-02-10-hampton-nh-family-photographer/feed/ 0 http://melissakoren.com/2011/01/21/bethany-w-class-of-2011/ http://melissakoren.com/2011/01/21/bethany-w-class-of-2011/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:50:20 +0000 melissakoren http://melissakoren.com/?p=3312 Bethany is a beautiful girl full of great charisma and enthusiasm!  I met up with her, her father & sister at Great Island Common in New Castle on a Saturday morning in September to get those ‘pesky’ yearbook photos out of the way. The weather was perfect and we had a great time wandering around the island and using some ANTM poses

Fierce!

I’m sooooo funny sometimes

Thanks Bethany for allowing me the privilege of taking your photos!  I hope senior year is treating you well!

~melissakoren

As I looked around their apartment I noticed this photo on the bookcase near the door.  What an amazing way to propose!

A few detail shots:

Their wedding was very 20’s themed and I loved the old windows and the trunk from her childhood that echoed the theme so well.

Finally she arrived, and the wait was well worth it — she looked stunning!

Then we hurried off to Fort Foster in Kittery, ME to meet Josh and commence their ocean side ceremony.  How dapper everyone looks!

Sam & her dad make their way down the path to meet up with Josh.

When they arrived at the gate it was opened and Sam & Josh were given their blessing by her father.

And they’re married!

Because of the time crunch in the beginning we did the formals in three parts, some quick shots of the great looking bridal party and some family before dinner, a few family after dinner, and then and adventure with Sam & Josh after the reception was over.

I said ok guys, Jump!  You’ve got to love her conviction though!

On the left is right after the ceremony, on the right is after the reception.  All the different nooks and crannies and trees made for great lighting all day!

It was really awesome to have a live band at this outdoor venue!

Sam’s gram (I think I’m remembering that correctly) made this amazing turretted castle cake!

And this cake topper couldn’t have been any more representative of how they interact with each other!

Well… except maybe when she throws cake at him

But here they are back at their first dance, so in love!

The pavilion at Fort Foster is a GREAT place for an event!

A dance with her daddy…

and an ever watchful mum.

Then some good ol’ letting loose!

A quick garter and bouquet toss off the balcony…

And the reception was done!  As I’d mentioned earlier I took this time to wander around the grounds with Sam & Josh and ensure that they had some time for photos of the two of them.  The more we explored, the more I was so thankful for our “happy accident” of not being able to take them right after the ceremony!

Samantha is exquisite and fearless.  Two qualities you don’t always find in the same place at the same time, but Josh certainly has hit the jackpot.

As much as I loved them together in the tree, when I asked Josh if he would mind stepping aside for a moment Sam positioned herself a big taller and left me with the most amazing shots!

And so it goes, the -

Wedding of Sam & Josh.

Thank you both for finding me and inviting me along for a glimpse of your lives.

~melissakoren

And Sam just posted a lovely review on weddingwire — thanks for taking the time Sam! Hope you’re well!

Melissa was nothing short of AMAZING! Even though I was running late on the day of the wedding, she had already photographed my dress and many other things before I got there to save time. She helped me calm down and kept her cool despite dealing with a very cranky and overtired bride (me). She even helped put on the groomsmen’s boutonnieres when we got to the venue. In our opinion (my husband and I), the best part and most fun part of the whole wedding was when she took us away to do our photos together.
Despite all this, the photos are incredible! Every time I look back at the pictures from the wedding, I see something new and think, “wow,” it’s like she was in ten places at the same time. I highly suggest Melissa to photograph your wedding.

After a few weather mishaps we finally met at the beach on an early Tuesday morning for our shoot.  Ryan didn’t seem the slightest bit disgruntled that we’d gotten him out of bed super early in the last few days of summer freedom.

Eileen drove us up the coast a bit — it was kind of nice having a chauffeur

My brief time with Ryan left me with the impression that he was an easy going, personable, respectful young adult — very much like his older sister.  Many kudos to them and their parents!

I hope the last half of senior year is going smoothly!  Thanks for waking up for our adventure!

~MelissaKoren

Hello Melissa — The photos are beautiful, lots to choose from! Thanks again we are thrilled. ~Eileen

After everything we’d been through already including engagement photos last August, I knew that this Plymouth fabulousness extravaganza was going to be a blast.  Liz called me from the house they’d rented where I’d be staying the night and said it was fabulous.  When I got there I couldn’t agree more!

Each level held different wonders and nooks & crannies.  Like the one I found for the stunning dress.

Liz arrived home from the salon with some time to relax and so I headed over to the boys at the motel down the street.

Jon is demonstrating his best GQ shoe tying.  Meanwhile the ring bearer looks so nervous.  And his little white socks melt my heart!

Marylou’s Coffee is a staple but I’m not sure what Jon and his groomsman is doing.

A pep talk before the walk.

The things I learn — in the cup is a ‘manmosa’ none of those girly mimosas!

Then I headed back to the house to catch Liz kicking the stunning up a notch!

Getting in the dress was a multi person job —  There are so many people trying to get Liz in that dress you can’t even see Liz!

Here she comes, pinky first!

Dear Santa, for Christmas I could use a thesaurus because Liz is so gorgeous she renders my vocabulary useless!

Then  it was up the street to the church!

These two are so emotive they tell their own story <3

The get away vehicle!

And get away we did — to the same home where we’d gone for their engagement photos.  What a gorgeous crew!

History repeating itself. <3

The simple but jaw dropping hot pink hydrangea accented the wedding perfectly.

And one with camper, a little more conspicuously, but we couldn’t leave that memory out too!

Then we headed down to the beach (with out 300 stairs thank goodness)

Finally it was time to party!  More hot pink & sea theme.

Man & Wife! Booya! (really? booya? ok…)

The photo on the right makes me feel peaceful; and I’m just a bystander!

Speeches.

I can’t remember what happened but going through the photos it looks like Jon fed Liz and Liz said seeya so Jon had to feed himself too.…

But at least they kissed and made up!

Parent dances

And there goes Jon again — the ladies man for all ages.  On the left was probably the biggest hubub of the night.  After the parent dances Jon went over and got Evie, the woman who owns that sweet cottage, and gracefully glided with her across the dance floor.  We were all in tears.  Heck, I’m in tears again just typing about it!  Chivalry is not dead my dears, not dead at all.

I’m not sure how Liz has Mark’s tie around her waist and not around his neck, but she does!  And once the walk was over, the ring bearer perked right up and tried to compete for my job!

If I had to guess they’re singing Mazel tov!

But I’m pretty sure they’re not doing the hora…

Sorry Liz, I love you so much, I had to post this photo — so much concentration for the bouquet toss!

All this preparation…

And so little action.  And also? Jon? Did no one teach you the behind the head not looking technique!?

I call this one, Joe and the legs that go on forever.

What a spectacular wedding, thank you Liz & Jon (and Kate & Marcus and Melissa & Lonnie and Jenn & Hammy too) for making me a part of this wonder!

The wedding ended early evening and we went back to the cottage, gathered up a few things and headed down .. 150? steps to a beach bonfire after party.  Way make the most of your day!

I can’t wait to see what’s next from these two

~MelissaKoren

Hallie and Shaun are a.w.e.s.o.m.e.

Shaun is my good friend Jenn’s cousin — I’ve known them … forever (well since I was 15 but that may as well be forever!)  (He’s also Corey’s cousin, but he wasn’t a wee bitty when we met.. but still younger than me) (so is everyone these days) (are you tired of my parenthesis yet?)

Hallie assumes the captain over Shaun. As it should be.  These two are in love.

They are gorgeous.

They are brave and romantic. 

Poised & Comfortable  

Stunning 

And she absolutely thinks his tractor is sexy! 

 Hallie & Shaun are also MARRIED!  They tied their proverbial knot 07.31.10 at the Abenaqui Country Club.  

I was >this close< to getting them blogged before they got their wedding photos.  Oh well, if I were perfect I’d have much less to strive for!

I had such a great time tooling around the coast with these two!  Thank you Hallie & Shaun for allowing me to share in a few moments of your relationship excitement!

~MelissaKoren

Hello dress. You’re lovely!

 Jason is part of the Air National Guard so Rachel had a little surprise for him to go with her “something blue”. 

 Strike a pose. 

The flower girls were ADORABLE.  I couldn’t get enough of their dark eyes & curls!  This little one was very very very intent on helping with the dress.  She did a great job!

 But it was definitely a team effort.  

Perfection!  And the colors in the flowers are just stunning.

Off they go!

 And off I went and found Jason patiently waiting. (And looking very dapper!)

They were so serious about their job!  The little one was so worried about keeping her flowers in the basket beforehand she forgot to toss them when it was finally time.  Too cute! 

Shiny shoes, hidden tissues, and an awesome wood ceiling! 

 with this ring! 

 Their parents came up on ‘stage’ to wish them well - it was a totally unexpected overwhelmingly emotional moment (well unexpected for me )

 Sealed with a kiss.  Rachel is SO EXCITED!! 

 The Guard was there to give them a proper exit — - and if you look at the bottom photo carefully - a thwap on the bum for good luck! 

Sunlight in October gets tricky so we rushed over to the pavilion to take some photos.  It was getting very chilly very quickly though! They all found their own ways of keeping warm.

I’m pretty sure Rachel’s brother is stealing her warmth, not keeping her warm! 

I’m also pretty sure that kissing keeps these two warm. That must be why they were doing so much of it! Right?!  

The sun was setting fast so after some family portraits inside the church they toasted and hustled into the limo (do the hustle do do do do…ok, nevermind)

We tried to beat the sun to the beach but it just wasn’t happening.  Thankfully, my Canon 5DMII had come in the day before and with the help of light for night construction on the beach & my 50mm 1.4 we still found a patch of sand to make their journey from engaged to married by the beach complete! 

First dance!  I love how they touch foreheads.  

Ok, so I posted this photo on facebook as a teaser because it was just so sweet it made me tear up.  While, as I was going through picking blog photos and saw it again, there were full on tears.  Because..well… they love this little girl SO much, you can just see it.  And in 12+ weeks, they’re going to have their own little girl to love!! (ok, crying again. sheesh!) 

You may recognize this butterfly masked boa guy from last week’s wedding as the best man .. or you might not.  That was probably his plan.  Oops, sorry Randy! 

Ok, so, after the parent dances and “formalities” of the event were done, it got weird. Um, sir, you dropped your cell phone.

No — really weird — like everyone was kung fu fighting — -  

And this guy was on the floor again.…   

And Randy was… shuffling off to buffalo?  The flower girls seem very amused with him though..  

Aside from all the crazies (and I say that with love) Rachel and Jason still found a few more moments to blissfully revel in their new relationship status & the family there to celebrate with them!

I’m so happy to know Rachel & Jason.  And I’m so excited for the new little one coming to the be the “other best thing that ever happened to Jason!”

Stay tuned for more from these two this year!

~MelissaKoren 

Way to sass it Em! I love love love the photo on the right — its on my new discount/business cards.  

I love this weathered bench.

Due to my blogging deliquency Emily has since graduated from High School and I’m sure she’s ready to tackle whatever life throws at her!

Congratulations Emily!

~MelissaKoren

We met up on a weekday morning at the beach and Dominique totally rocked it out.  This girl has mad plans — but because I’m such a slacker blogger I can’t remember what they are!  All I know is that come June she’s going to take over the world so you’d all better watch out!

Sass & Charisma.  It’s the perfect combination.

Also — she was game for my silly little tricks.  ;)

These next two are my favorites — I sat on the rock first to make sure it wasn’t going to make her filthy, but what I didn’t know is that once she was all up in position, she would have to use all her might to keep from sliding down it.  It was a riot!

Our time together was over all too quickly but I loved working out an early morning session at the beach for this 2010 graduate!

Congratulations Dominique!  Schools almost over! I wish you all the best

~Melissa Koren

]]> http://melissakoren.com/2010/04/21/dominiques-senior-photos-08-25-09/feed/ 0 http://melissakoren.com/2010/02/01/andrea-toto-part-i-08-08-09/ http://melissakoren.com/2010/02/01/andrea-toto-part-i-08-08-09/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:03:21 +0000 melissakoren http://melissakoren.com/?p=1272 After their awesome engagement session, I was more than a little excited for their wedding ceremonies.  Part I happened on the most beautiful of August mornings.   I arrived at their house and was greeted by sweetness everywhere I looked.  Andrea was giving and receiving finishing touches, meanwhile her youngest daugther Eva was all ready to go!

In the other room the bridesmaids were helping each other tie their sashes on.  I love the blue/cream combo.

After her hair was done she went up stairs and put on her *stunning* gown. 

We all drove over to Great Island Common in New Castle, NH for the ceremony.  The guys had gotten up very early in the morning to get to the gates and reserve a prime spot, they were 5th in line and could not have had a better location!

There was no real privacy though so walking from the car to the site the girls were trying to hide Andrea — a bystander offered up their picnic quilt and it made things much easier (and more amusing)

I love these — Eva was being kept company by one of the bridesmaids daugthers — they were adorable.   Deja was checking on her mom, trying to help calm her nerves. 

Andrea was waiting in the tent they’d constructed for her.  I grabbed this quick shot of Toto and his girls and I LOVE it! 

A few more shots while we waited for the last of the guests to arrive.

There was a lot of last minute cramming of their vows in the last moments before the ceremony.

Then it was time to begin! 

Toto had a lot of to smile about.  The girls, his bride, and his father-in-law following closely behind carrying the little one.

Did I mention that Toto found the BEST spot?  I may have understated.  It was litereally picture perfect.

That’s the whaleback lighthouse so nicely decorating the backdrop.

And the kiss! They’re married! For these high school sweethearts it had been a long time coming!  They were ecstatic.

We took some group shots — and we had fun with it.

Then we wandered around the park to take some newly-wedded photos!  There are so many great locations on that island!

As we were walking back from our shoot another family stopped us and wanted to have their photos taken with bride and groom.  It was super sweet and Andrea & Toto happily obliged.

The morning was pretty much over at that point — Eva had changed into her traditional thai outfit, practicing for Part II — and they had this yummy cupcake tower out with their home made bufett.

Just before I was set to leave they remembered they wanted to toast!  Well Toto got a little over zealous with the shaking and neither Andrea nor I were expecting it when it “went off!”  Unexpected but fully delighted!

I can’t wait to share Part II with you — a traditional Thai ceremony and then a rocking reception for nearly 400 people! 

~MelissaKoren