I recently met with Kristen Brogna-Taupier of Weddings by Kristen, a wedding consultant in the greater Boston area. We had a great time sharing our wedding experiences and chatting about the industry, and before I new it we had spent an 1 1/2 hours in the Barnes & Noble cafe.

While some couples enjoy planning the wedding, some couples might be stretched for time…overwhelmed with decisions, a consultant might be for you. Consultants can provide some valuable advice and expertise, particularly if your ceremony or reception site does not provide a coordinator for you. They typically offer different packages, much the same way photographers do and can provide services ranging from vendor selection assistance to complete wedding planning services, which I think would be extremely valuable if you are planning a destination wedding.

This is our cat London. He was a stray cat that had been living in a friends barn and we took him in just after we returned from a vacation in London (which is obviously where he got his name). He is the most affectionate cat I have ever owned and when we come home he comes running to the door, if you are sitting down he has to be in your lap, and he actually likes to chase balls, although he is not very good at bringing them back:) When we were living in Maine he was an outdoor cat and was a very good hunter, always bringing little presents to the door. Since our move to New Hampshire he has become an indoor cat and has adjusted quite well.

It’s hard to believe but it’s time to start booking your senior portrait session to ensure you get the date you want. Can you believe your junior year is almost over and you will beginning your final year of high school? You will have a lot of exciting changes and decisions to be made over the next year and half. I love photographing senior portraits. I used to work as a high school librarian and had so much fun working with young adults. They have an energy that is contagious:)

This is Ashley last summer. I loved working with her and we had a great time. We went to several locations (as well as different outfits) which resulted in about 50 images that she could choose from. She had a really hard time deciding which picture to use for the yearbook:) I’m glad she was so happy with the results.

If anyone has placed a request for information about my wedding photography services through www.wedj.com in the past week and you have not heard from me, please contact me directly at jennifer@jstonephotography.com It appears the form that they are using was not sending the information to me. I apologize for this…I was not ignoring you. I typically respond to requests within 24 hours and I would love to hear from you:) Wedj.com has corrected the problem and I am now receiving requests.

My last wedding of 2005 took place on New Year’s Eve. Katie & Rick got married at Bethany Chapel in Manchester, New Hampshire and their reception was at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua, New Hampshire. They had the most amazing first dance at the reception. The DJ wasn’t sure how it was going to go over, but I thought it was beautiful with Rick dipping and twirling Katie around the dance floor.

They were such a great couple to work with. They were expecting their first baby and Katie was due in March so she definitely was showing. Although the dress did a great job of hiding the fact that she was pregnant, they really did not want to hide it. They wanted pictures to show their boy/girl that they were at the wedding too, which I thought was so sweet.

The toasts at the reception were hysterical! Usually I am concentrating so hard on capturing the moments that I don’t really listen to what is being said, but for some reason this toast really caught my ears!

The DJ did an awesome job of getting everyone on the dance floor and even Katie’s father was burning up the dance floor. The dance floor was always crowded and I got some great pictures. I think the DJ is extremely important for the flow of the reception and keeping everyone dancing and having a good time. The other thing that is really important is the bride and groom being out on the dance floor; if the bride and groom are dancing, a lot more people will be out on the dance floor.

Congratulations Katie & Rick!

“May your hands be forever clasped in friendship and hearts joined forever in love.”

I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of my studio sample from AsukaBook (www.asukabook.com). I designed the album using pictures from Althea and Scott’s September 10th wedding and submitted it about a month ago for printing and binding. It takes about 4 weeks for them to process the order and last week I received an email that it had shipped. I was tracking it’s progress across the country by UPS and it finally arrived yesterday and I LOVE it. The album came out better than I could have imagined. I can’t wait to show potential clients and also design some albums for upcoming weddings:)

I also offer Renaissance albums, which are the traditional matted album, but I feel they are very limiting in telling the story of something so special as a wedding day. In the coffee table album you can really get creative and use lots of pictures, graphics, colors and text to tell that story.