Beachy-keen!

We just returned from a relaxing and fun-filled week in Martha's Vineyard. We were quasi-camping in a cute little cabin at a family-friendly campground. The kids loved zooming all around on their bikes at camp and roasting marshmallows, but everyone's favorite activity was playing at the beach!
Enjoy some of our vacation snapshots...

happy feet...playing in the surf at Moshup Beach....
shadows are fun...
on our way to our very FAVORITE BEACH...
it definitely wasn't bath water...
happiness is a great beach with my family..
the sand man
nesting Osprey at Long Point Wildlife Refuge
we took a quick ride on the Chappy ferry to look for shells and seaglass at this beach...
who can resist with a sign so cute...
loved the hydrangeas and the white picket fences in Edgartown...
lovely Summer...
we read Harry Potter #7 obsessively and finally finished the day after we returned...it was SO exciting!
Martha's Vineyard is soooo photogenic...I had to behave myself...

the kids waited in line to ride the nation's oldest merry-go-round, called the Flying Horses Carousel

did anyone out there see the movie Big with Tom Hanks?
Oak Bluffs has tons of these super-cute gingerbread cottages...
amazingly, the next 3 photos were taken when the sun had already set...the beauty of digital!

Andy isn't crazy about this photo, but it was the only family photo I had to choose from. Unlike the point-n-shoot that was in the car, the The Canon Mark II weighs a ton and isn't easy to take self-portraits with...sorry Andy...
the end...

A little R & R

Hi everyone!

We are taking off today for a week of fun in the sand and sun at Martha's Vineyard.

I won't have any computer access while I'm away, so I will be super behind on my blog...however, there will be so much to look forward to when I return...fabulous weddings, fun e-sessions, vacation photos, and some news about a new fuzzy family member we'll be picking up at the end of August! yahoo!

Have a terrific week!

xo daria

Jessica + Peter's Lucky Day!

Jessica & Peter officially became one of the near 40,000 couples to get married on the most popular wedding date ever, July 7, 2007!!

We began the day in Woodstock at the gorgeous Lauren Inn with beautiful Jessica and all the girls, then we headed out for the cermony at the Murphy Farm, a property owned by the classic Quechee Club, where we ended up for the rest of the night for a fun-filled reception!

The two newlyweds were even so lucky that it rained right across the other side of the lake while the ceremony at Murphy Farm stayed dry! The two of them planned a romantic revisit of some of the locations where we photographed their e-session, so we had a blast cruising around downtown Quechee by the river, waterfall and covered bridge.

And for us? We were lucky to photograph such a fantastic couple for this magical day!

We wish them a life full of happiness and good fortune!

the gorgeous gown...
the finishing touches...
Peter and his groomsmen having some pre-wedding fun...
heading off for some portraits before the ceremony...
one of the prettiest bouquets I've seen...
Jessica and her darling flowergirls think they smell pretty too...
just beautiful!
uber cute!
so handsome!
I love this moment when Jessica was looking out to see everyone gathering for the ceremony.
true love!
This is a really fun portrait, because when we were at this spot last summer during their e-session, Jessica and Peter were only dreaming about this day!
cheers!
Jessica's grandparents danced together after she honored them with the most heartfelt speech. It was so sweet!
A little romance under Quechee's covered bridge...

Kelly + Josh e-session

I met up with super adorable Kelly and Josh in Burlington recently for their engagement session. We had a blast running around near Battery Park, which overlooks Lake Champlain. It was really fun getting to know them and hearing about their wedding at one of the most beautiful places to be married in Vermont, The Round Barn Farm.

They'll be tying the knot on August 3rd and Andy and I are so excited to photograph their wedding festivities!

See you two soon!
xo

Kristy + Jason's perfect wedding day

Kristy and Jason were married on one of the most beautiful days of the summer: a crisp blue sky, big puffy clouds, not too hot, kind of day. The marriage and celebration happened at The Ponds, a great new spot at Bolton Valley ski area. The building and setting are so beautiful and private and it's only 20 minutes to Burlington. And one of the perks of having a wedding there is working with Vivien because she is awesome!

Kristy and Jason are crazy in love and were so easy and fun to photograph. Their day was just perfect in every way! As Andy and I drove home we couldn't stop talking about how lucky we are to be wedding photographers!!

Kristy just sparkles. I love this moment as she's getting ready. Kind of Marilyn Monroe-ish...

I love this...in lieu of favors, Kristy and Jason made a donation to the Vermont Cancer Center in honor of Jason's father.
Kristy and her cousin/best gal, Elise, have some pre-wedding fun...
the gorgeous bride and her beautiful mom, Sue, just moments before they walk down the aisle...
Kristy's parents, Sue and Tony, did the sweetest thing...look how they held hands behind Kristy as they walked her down the aisle...
a sweet moment during the ceremony...
The flower girl was too cute for words...and if you are wondering who made this adorable flower basket, it was the super sweet Alison with Floral Artistry...
Nope, you're not seeing double...it's the handsome groom and his identical twin brother, Shawn. Thankfully, Jason wore a blue tie so I didn't mistake them...
we didn't have to walk far to find some great backdrops for Kristy and Jason's relaxed portraits...


a fun cake cutting moment...
the end of a perfect day...

Natasha + Michael's Grand Day!

Some people just have luck on their side. Natasha and Michael would fit into that category. It rained the whole drive up to Grand Isle and miraculously, just a few miles from the Grand Isle Lake House it stopped and it stayed nice the whole day. Surrounding areas weren't so fortunate. Like I said...lucky!

The Lake House is at the end of a quiet road and the lake setting is so perfect for weddings. The ladies from A Schoolhouse Garden did a wonderful job with the flowers and made the place extra pretty.

It was such a beautiful day and Natasha and Michael are so in love and are so adored by their friends and family. The toasts even had me wiping my eyes behind the camera.

I know they are going to have a great life together!

how cute are these shoes?!

Natasha peeks out to see the guests arrive...

the ring bearer did an excellent job...

here comes the bride...

some relaxed portraits...



isn't Natasha stunning?

Mirabelle's bakery did a fantastic job on the cake...

showing off the ring...

please forgive me for posting this one...this found detail was just too amusing...

a little romance at sunset...

the party begins...


Andy captured me in action in this fun party shot...

Small town fun on the 4th

I hope that you all had a fun and festive July 4th!

I photographed our little Williston town parade for the Burlington Free Press this year. I posted a few of my favorites below, but if you would like to see the ones I submitted to the paper, click HERE!

Candy!...
Oops! wrong holiday...
Mary Siple and her big tractor...
Baxter, Summer and friends...
My neighbor, Dave, with his fancy new lens...
Pug-a-licious!


For the first time, my family hung around long enough to participate in the annual Frog Jumping Contest. One hundred thirty-four kids entered this year which was a new record. I had no idea how popular it was...or how fun it could be to photograph!
Pucker up!
Do you see what I'm up against with this kid of mine?...
Summer was convinced that size didn't matter...
I loved this container: Owen + Nicole's super-duper, jump higher, leap further "my frog eats your frog for breakfast" frog jumper team
Dave photographs his son after his frog won its heat in the contest...
I just love the kid in the background...
the kids...
ok, so I slipped a little while trying to catch frogs with the kids before the contest. And no, he got away...


And last, but certainly not least...

My friend, Steve, sent me the funniest thing this morning. Andy and I were in stitches over it! I am a little embarrased by it, but it's just too good not to share. You can view it as a slideshow, but be sure to read the captions! CLICK HERE!
(And in case you are wondering about "The Observer" references, it is the weekly paper that Steve freelances for and I freelanced for once upon a time.)

Thanks Steve! :-)

Happy Campers!

For the last few years we let the kids pick a week-long day camp of their choice. Summer is a horse fanatic so it's no surprise that she has chosen a horse camp for 3 years in a row. The first year she came home from camp enthusiastically telling us about the benefits of a "partial lease" on a pony. yikes!

Baxter's choice this year was a skateboard camp. According to him, all the kids did from 9 til 3pm was skate on boards or inline skates. Baxter was beyond tired each day, but every morning he'd put on all his gear and sit and wait for me in the car. The sign of a great camp! Parents were banned from the skating area, so I don't have any documentation of his camp, except a happy, grubby faced kid on Friday afternoon when we picked him up.

On the last day of Summer's camp they had a little dressage performance for the parents, so I snapped up some photos. Enjoy!

Summer and Willow...
Summer ready and waiting to be picked up for camp on the first morning...
Summer gets some assistance through the obstacle course...
Summer decorated Willow's mane for the performance...
Mia on her horse, Sundance...
Summer and a pony pal, Amelia...
Mia and Sundance...
Mia and friends...
A good week at camp for Baxter...

p.s. I just found this photo on my point-n-shoot and had to add it...Our two new buddies from the Trek/VW Pro Mountain Bike Team, Zack, on the right, is the team manager and Chris is the team soigneur (massage guy). They were hanging out at Motel Bishop this past week and they deserved to be mentioned here because they went above and beyond the call of duty as house guests. They won me over when the kids asked if they would visit their camps and they enthusiastically said yes! And they took us to an awesome dinner at Leunigs! Fun times! You guys are welcome anytime! :-)