We've Retired! (... from blogger)

Come over for a visit at http://www.grazierphotoblog.com!

Thanks Blogger - you have served us well... but we were ready for a facelift!!!

Lauren & Steve

For Lauren and Steve's engagement shoot they suggested something a little different. They suggested going to the elementary school they both attended:) These two are total love birds who dated in school and through college and are now planning an amazing wedding at the Granite Links Golf Club and have Gabrielle Stone planning the event. We hit the playground, were denied access to the inside of school simply because it was locked up and empty, and then went to the nearby pond for the sunset. Lauren and Steve are having Enna design one of her custom guest books with images from this shoot and it is going to rock!

St.John, Virgin Islands

After Ann and Todds wedding we hopped on the ferry for a short stay at St. John's. All I can say is WOW! We loved this Island! We stayed at Maho Bay in a wood frame tent on the hill side on one one of the most amazing beaches in the world. Just off our beach we found sting rays, nurse sharks, an octopus, and sea turtles. Ollie almost went snorkeling - he didn't actually put his face under water:) Will loved the wild life, and Enna and I soaked in as much sun as we could. Here are a handful of images from the trip.

Nanna enjoying some time on the beach with the boys

Will loves animals and was not afraid to have birds on him

Will even feed the sting rays at the aquarium

Enna and Ollie looking for sting rays

The many steps from the beach to our tent

Ms Lucy's!! By chance we ended up at this amazing restaurant for their traditional full moon pig roast. Good food, good music, amazing location.

Will does not like to have his picture taken:)

Ann & Todd's Caribbean Wedding

Enna's mom remarried about 15 years ago. I'm sure she'll be quick to email me the exact number of years after I've posted this blog entry:) So we have only been able to meet Enna's step-brother Todd a few times since the marriage. When he invited us to his St. Thomas wedding I offered my photography as a wedding gift. There were only 16 of us total at the wedding, and for a guy who goes to one or two weddings a week with 150-300 guests at each, this was a nice change of pace!

I have only met Todd once before. He is a spitting image of his dad, in every way: Great guy! So for the months leading up to the wedding Todd humored himself with my curiosity about Ann's dress and what he was going to wear. Hey, this is what I do:) He was pretty excited to have us come and maybe even more excited to entertain Ollie and Will as he quickly booked us seats on a submarine tour (unfortunately it was canceled due to low visibility). Our planes landed at the same time and we by chance met up at the luggage carousel.

Ann, who we had never met or spoken to, is awesome. Congratulations Todd, you've got yourself a great woman! She has a great sense of humor and lives for the moment. During the days leading up to the wedding we'd meet for drinks at the resort bar and as soon as the topic of the photo shoot came up she said... "I'm going into the water with my dress!" Later she reasoned to her mom "It's disposable," simply meaning that she was only going to wear it once, so why not have fun!

Ann and Todd had a beautiful ceremony at Secret Harbour on Thomas. It rained a bit during the ceremony and about half way through when the officiant asked if they wanted to run for shelter they both grinned and said "no thanks".

Let it rain Ann and Todd :) But first there was some beautiful sun

Here is Ollie photographing his first wedding:) Unfortunately he didn't take any photos, he just liked watching dad work:) But he got a kick out of holding the flowers

Will crashed hard just before the ceremony

The next night Todd treated us all to a sunset dinner cruise. Guess who brought her dress!! Just before dinner they changed back into their wedding attire and literally took the plunge! We then hopped in the dinghy and went ashore for some shots with them soaking wet.

Noelle & Dane at the Charles Hotel

Noelle and Dane were such a great couple to photograph for the kick off of our New England wedding season! We wrote about their love for Cambridge on their engagement blog post, and we had a great time in Harvard Square photographing their wedding day at the Charles Hotel. The dance floor was rockin due to the great sound of Night Shift. Check out these fun shots from the day.

Bicycle Built for Two... Giving Back!

Many of you will remember our lovely couple Linsay and Ryan, who in 2007 made their wedding getaway on a bicycle built for two. Next month Linsay and Ryan are participating in a cycling event to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a cause which is very near to our own hearts. Our son Oliver is named for my dear cousin Ollie Henderson (1979-2001) who had Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. We will be honored and grateful if you will join us in supporting Linsay and Ryan's fundraising efforts - every little bit helps, and the MDA is a wonderful cause to support. The MDA supports both research towards a cure as well as direct support for individuals with Muscular Dystrophy and their families.

Enna and Matt

Here is Linsay and Ryan's fundraising letter:

Dear Family & Friends,

On Friday, June 26th, Ryan and I will once again be riding a “bicycle built for two” as we participate in the Trans NH Bike Tour. This three day, 250-mile cycling event benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The ride will begin on the NH/Canadian border and end three days later in Concord, NH after riding 100 miles, 75, & 75 respectively (with a few NH hills along the way J).

This year’s ride is dedicated to a young boy named Teagan House who was diagnosed with Duchenne MD at 3 years old. He is now nine, trying to live as “normal” a life as possible as his muscles atrophy away. There is currently no cure or even treatment to help slow the disease progression. This event is about the people of all ages and their families who fight each and every day to live with Muscular Dystrophy.

In addition to training for this grueling (yet rewarding) ride, we have established a fundraising goal of $3,500 in donations to support the MDA. Ryan has also opened the ride up to his students at Coe-Brown Academy and currently seven individuals are working to raise an additional $6,000 to benefit this cause. We are calling on the help and support of all our family and friends to make this possible. So, if you able to contribute any amount, please make a tax-deductible donation to the MDA and allow Ryan, myself, and our student team ride for this cause. All contributions go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Hampshire to fund research and help those affected with MD.

Donations can be made online using a Credit Card at: http://www.transnhbikeride.org/

On the right side of the page under "Donate With Moola," you will find "Ryan and Linsay Kaplan" in the list (alpha order by last name). This will take you to our fundraising page.

Stassia & Nate

Meet Stassia and Nate:) A Cape Cod couple that we met over a year ago. As many of you know Enna and I love getting to know our couples. Usually we get to know them best during the engagement shoot, but for us it happened while Stassia was searching for their photographer. The past year or so has been anything but easy for the two of them as they have dealt with some of lifes hard blows. Stassia and I had many emails back and forth before they officially hired us, and with each email I knew we had to be their photographers as we gained great admiration for their love and support. Now a year later, they have bought a beautiful house by the Cape, are settling in nicely, and their wedding is not far off.

Here are a few from their e-session. Can't wait to see them all dressed up on their wedding day!

Welcome Baby Sho!

Welcome Baby Sho! Check out Baby Sho’s gorgeous announcements! Sho’s mommy LOVES things from Paper Source, so she ordered some beatiful blue and gold paper to wrap around the announcement, which we had printed on pearl 5×7 cardstock.