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daily mantra:

By your own soul, learn to live
And if men thwart you take no heed.
If men hate you have no care.
Sing your song, dream your dream,
Hope your hope and pray your prayer.

{parkenham.beatty}

well….i have spend the last year trying to find what works best for me as far as coffee table books and i have finally found it. the pictures really do no such justice to the stunning quality of this album. ultra thick pages, beautiful color, and just an over all luxurious feel.

for clients who purchase albums, i offer a slideshow so they can view it directly on their computer or tv and check out every little detail of their book and photographs before ordering.

check out Brian and Melissa’s slideshow by clicking the link: http://labellavitablog.com/brian_n_mel/index.html

daily mantra: “the only way to prove you that you have lost your inner child is if you don’t laugh when you hear the word “poop”. { someone named Amanda that is NOT me…I swear}

sooo……

not holding back. i suck at two things related to motherhood in general (that i will readily admit to, that is). first, i am an awful mother when flu season comes around. (the throwing up, can’t make it to the bathroom flu…and even though i know there is a genuine amount of shame in this confession, i will tell you that if i even get a  flu rumor via Facebook, i am keeping the girls home from school).

the other thing is…..potty training. first…i love diapers. am i the only one who LOVES them?! i really like the aroma of a freshly changed, or a freshly opened package of Pampers diapers. i like the way that diapers personify me as a mother in the shopping isle like nothing else does (other than bags under my eyes). i like the Velcro sound they make coming on and off and how good it feels to wipe and diaper and powder a baby bottom. that is right…a BABY bottom. but, buying Pampers size 5 diapers feels like buying too much candy when you are above the age when ‘too much candy’ is forgiven.  guilt. i was able to overcome this guilt when i was running off to shoot a wedding every weekend this summer, but now the potty training drill sargent (i.e. my darling husband Michael) has turned up the heat.

something as silly as diapers is bittersweet, huh?  Katie is fine with it, of course. only one mistake since Sunday, which means she was probably ready for this months ago.  it is me with the psychological wish wash (official term). i called my mom today and when she asked if anything was new i told her about the potty and she cheered on the other end of the line…but stopped, because she got it. (she always does)

the good news, no more diapers. the bad news…no more diapers.

when my husband and i left our little city life to move to Rumford 5 years ago, we were basically starting over from scratch. we had no immediate or distant family in the area, we had no friends…not even acquaintances.  to say the least, it was isolating. however, over the last couple years we have melted into our small, mountain town life as if we have always lived here, and our newly found friends have molded into more of a family than we ever expected. whether it was simply just hanging out for fun, or help with the girls, or moving {you really find out who your friends and family are when you  move}, or helping us paint, scrape, babysit, our close friends have sincerely made our life here a genuine home. brian is definitely a huge part of our family life and day to day existence…Mike works with him every day and our girls simply adore him. and when melissa came into the picture a few months ago, she too was instantly welcomed and loved as a very wonderful addition to Brian’s life…and in turn our family.

to: brian and melissa.  with all my love and all my soul… {mandy}

daily mantra: “love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. it’s not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end.”  {unknown}

words cannot begin to express how excited i am about my 2010 couples. yet again, i feel blessed with amazing brides, all unique and amazing in their own ways, and next year promises to be diverse and magical. i was so glad to meet up with natalie and kier, an August wedding couple for next season, on probably one of the last days we will have such warm sunshine here in Maine. they are such a genuine and beautiful couple, inside and out, and i can’t wait until next summer!

Andover is a beautiful little town just 15 minutes from my home…tucked securely under a belt strip of mountains, all glowing with fall color.

{i.love.love}

daily mantra: love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It’s not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end….{unknown}

daily mantra: once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale…{unknown}

dear Mikki and Katie…

i received this amazing care package from my high school girlfriend, Kristin, just this weekend. when i read the note, i puddled nostalgically. 10 years has passed since our close knit group graduated from high school and scattered to corners of the wind. there is something to be said about the people who watch you grow up and evolve into you. oh girls…there is truly nothing in this whole world that compares to the warmth of a handwritten note from a friend. i feel that the internet has spoiled a bit of the wonder for us, but also made them all the more precious.

in the package, she sent me a book. which, of course, you know i love. i love all books, but have a great appreciation and passion for books written for children. where can you get a life lesson in a few pages? even adults sometimes need to be reacquainted with moral guidance once in a while (or all the while), and you just aren’t going to get that from the latest nonfiction drama of an adult book. The Paper Bag Princess is priceless…a quick tale of a princess who did everything to outsmart the merciless dragon to save the prince she was supposed to wed. during the battle she lost her beautiful clothing, and perfectly straitened hair, only to be reduced to wearing a paper bag. but in losing the material (literally and figuratively), she found herself. also, she found out her prince was, and i quote, a “bum”. Kristin, you just get me like the Pandora music page…

and, as it turns out girls, this is going to be the topic of my Whistle this week. {Katie, stop rolling your eyes, you know i am long winded…}

don’t marry a “bum”….period. don’t even date one. don’t kiss one. don’t let one kiss you. save yourself some time and just…don’t.

before either one of you marries {which according to your father is when you are 35 going on never} mommy has words of advice…shocking, i know….

1. love yourself:

i always have kept this quote from May West in the back of my head…it’s silly but great all the same; “I don’t love myself, I’m crazy about myself.”  if there is anything i have learned in my 30 years on this planet it is that you can search the world looking for someone who is more worthy of your love and affection than you are yourself, and you will not find that human being anywhere.

2. recognize the power of love:

love is super, girls…unbelievable, exquisite, magical, delicious, and divine….but it is NOT a cure for all of your emotional hangups.

3. get {you} together:

the world owes you nothing. no one person owes YOU… not your boss, not your parents, not your partner. this is blunt, but nonetheless true. thinking that an individual owes you something will not create a lasting and loving relationship.

4. love unconditionally:

its the only love worth having.

5. ask for what you need:

your partner is not going to be mind-reader and neither are you; ask and you shall receive. however, be reasonable. {most of the time}

6. don’t overindulge in the negative:

we all get wrapped up sometimes in colorless contraries and negativity. my Grammy always said that negative people are unimaginative and i think this is right to some degree. sometimes, couples are forced to redefine their love. this can be scary, even when you have been with someone a long time. all i can say is that working together and being positive will lead you through to the other side of change.

7. don’t cast the first stone:

guess what? however perfect mommy thinks you are {wink} you arn’t. your partner won’t be either. people make mistakes. learn from them, and move on a little more wiser.

8.  compliment often and freely:

always.

9.  don’t let your fears control you:

fear is normal and understandable and real. don’t keep your fear a secret from your partner…two heads are better than one.

10. don’t marry, be with, be in a relationship with, co-habituate with, and/or kiss a bum:

i was 16 when my first love dumped me after a year of being together. my life was inevitably over…i moped around the house for weeks, cried myself to sleep, wrote depressing and awful love poetry, and basically was pathetically helpless in the drama of it all. as i was standing lethargically with the fridge open one morning before school, deciding which piece of pity pie to have next, Grandpa turned me around and grabbed my shrugging shoulders firmly, looked me strait in the eye and said…”Mand….he was a bum…move on”. now, he was probably trying to save himself at this point, but he was right. and although i am sure both my ex boyfriend and me were pretty immature at that point, he was a real jerk in general, especially towards the end. {where ever he is, i am sure that he has outgrown his ‘bum’ behavior…i hope}.

and finally….

11. always, always, always have a few really good, really true, really brave, really crazy, really smart at math, really fun, really loving, and really supportive GIRLFRIENDS…

oh you’re going to need them…and they will need you too. love is not for the faint at heart.

all my love darlings,

mommy

p.s: “one man all by himself is nothing. two people who belong together make a world.” {hans.margolius}

on Saturday morning I woke up to a shocking surprise. something beyond comprehension in the realm of my wedding season. something…..bright. it was the sun. after a very rainy spring and summer, the fall had blessed Jamie, Shane, and {ME} with the warmth of its presence.  Jamie and Shane met over 7 years ago, so their relationship is proof that love works and perseveres through it all…through growth and change, college and jobs, good times and bad. i could not think of a better way to end my wedding season this year, than with this amazing couple.

i just loved their stunning rings….simple but all about them…

every detail of this wedding was perfection…right down to the shoes….

not everyone was happy to see Jamie married off…

gorgeous flowers…calla lilies are my absolute favorites!

{the.ceremony} took place in probably the most gorgeous church i have ever been in. Moody Memorial Church is the place that Jamie dreamed of getting married since she was a little girl….i can definitely see why…stunning frosted and stained glass windows from floor to ceiling, the smell of mahogany intertwined with old paper and books….it was heavenly.

Jamie and Shane had such an amazing wedding party….up for anything!

you guys know how much i love animals so when i heard that Remington, Jamie and Shane’s puppy, was at the wedding, i couldn’t resist getting a few shots with him too. the other pup belongs to bridesmaid, Carolyne, and is Remi’s brother… i LOVE puppies….

{jamie.and.shane}

one last {wedded} kiss of the season…..

daily mantra: ” a jouney of a thousand miles begins with a single step”….{lao.tzu}

The morning starts out as all wedding mornings have this season. With rain; me assembling my emergency weather kit,  my husband checking the weather radar in fifteen minute intervals; my brides sending emails in panic. But today, the rain didn’t bother me. I knew I would be shooting at one of my favorite locations, with a very special couple, and enjoying delicious and amazing company the entire time. Chelsea and Jason were referred to me by Lindsay and Jared (see 4 weeks back to their beautiful wedding); Chelsea was her maid of honor, and Lindsay was Chelsea’s…so this was a homecoming of sorts for me.

Chelsea had her own flair to her beautiful, classic attire….

I just loved this sentiment on Chelsea’s ring! {from.the.heart}

Let me just say that when Chelsea told me almost a year ago upon booking that she was getting a trolley, I started counting down the days of her wedding…

it doesn’t get any better for a photographer than a trolley…seriously.

{the.ceremony}

Married….

{mr.and.mrs.smith}

dear Chelsea and Jason…

when i got home and uploaded all of your photographs, i was instantly brought back to your truly beautiful day. there has never been a ceremony more genuine and emotional. my heart was so touched by the obvious love that you two share together…a connection i know will last a lifetime and beyond. Chelsea, I have watched you and Lindsay, Jason and Jared…share so many profound moments this year, and i just can’t feel any more blessed than i do right now as a photographer, and as a person.

all my love to you both,

amanda

daily mantra: put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard…{anne.sexton}

all weddings are special. every single one is different and timeless in a different way. but, this one…this wedding…is beyond special for me. not only did i get to go back home to shoot a wedding, but i get to do it for one of my amazing friend Kali and her soon-to-be hubby, Matt. after my rough weather last weekend, it was blissful to awake on saturday morning to nothing but blue skies, sun, and a gentle sea breaze.

i traveled all over downtown to find the perfect spot for too shoot these gorgeous flowers (notice the small yellow flowers??? its DILL, so all i did was want to snack  on the bouquet the whole time i was photographing it). i found a beautiful door in the Farmsworth Museum area. notice the number….

i just loved Kali’s tattoos on her wrist. obviously…ready for marriage in every way…the two most important elements permanently placed on her body and in her soul.

did i mention it was a perfect day….

she is such a gorgeous bride…you could see it on every man’s face in at the wedding {even Noah’s…the ring bearer}

they literally glow…

anyone who knows Kali, knows what a great sense of humor she has. i think she is going to fit right into this family…

{as a side note, i will be photographing Matt’s sister and her finance this fall…she is seen at the bottom of this set. i can’t wait!}

its so amazing to watch someone you have grown up with…someone who you have seen change and succeed, find the love of their life. 

daily mantra: love is what dreams are made of….{anonymous}

RECEPTION PICS TOMORROW…..