Jenn and Clay...... Say What?!

A lovely note and a fun card from my friends Jenn and Clay.

We have the most thoughtful clients!

Inspiration from Emily + Juaquin

I love how Emily had her bridesmaids wear the same dress but in three different colors, very fun! They had a beautiful August wedding, and the pictures to prove it....

A Moment with Melissa

One of the opening lines of the movie "Goodfellas" is "As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster". Replace gangster with photographer and you have me! As far back as I can remember I've always loved taking pictures.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you some old photos that in a way shaped who I am today. They are all old and scanned into the computer so please excuse the quality.

The first camera I got was a Kodak Disc Film Camera. I saved up my money to get it in 1983. I started taking still life of my toys. Here is one of my 1000 piece E.T. puzzle and one of my Garfield, Annie and unicorn stuffed animal...

A photographer is born!

After that I know you're all thinking "I need to hire Melissa to do my wedding!" BUT WAIT! There's more...

I started getting creative with the kids in the neighborhood. I was trying to take wacky photos and play tricks on the eyes. Like this one for example! Who is upside down and who is right side up? I was a thinking man's photographer...

This one really makes me laugh! I mean these girls must have thought I was nuts! I told them to tilt their heads but then I tilted the camera so in the actual picture the heads are straight! Brilliant, right!? This will have to be "my move" next wedding season... Just kidding!

Around freshman year of high school I discovered black and white film! The picture below is not a good picture, but at the time it was a huge turning point in my life. Written next to this photo in my album is "Photography begins". Something clicked when I took it. I started to think maybe photography could be an art for me instead of something silly.

I decided to approach the yearbook advisor about becoming the student photographer. She was hesitant because I was young and usually they didn't have student photogs. She gave me one roll of film and sent me to a football game.

Here was my favorite picture of the day. Again it's really not that good, but I loved it! I thought she looked so happy and natural.

When the film came back I went to see the advisor. She said "Looks like we have ourselves a budding photographer." Can't tell you how proud I was! Here I am sorting through photos at 14! You know you love my hair!

Here is a photo of my parents. It's one of those photos that will always be special to me. I think a lot of the photos I've taken over the years have meant a lot to my family. I took this with my first "real camera". My dad bought it for me from a classified ad in the newspaper. Thanks, Dad!

Here's another day or roll of film that will always mean a lot to me. My friends and I skipped school one day in senior year. I took so many great pictures of my friends that day. Here is one. It was the 90's and we were SO "alternative"

When I got the photos back from this day my friends went crazy for them! I had to make copies for everyone. To this day they all remember these pictures and this day. One of the biggest reasons that I love photography is it gives me the chance to give people beautiful memories. That plays into my personal and professional life now. I do it when I take a picture of my daughter and when I go to shoot a wedding. It's an amazing feeling and one of the many reasons I love my job!!

Dish with Trish No.4

So when you think baby shower you think brunch...and a drag show, of course!!! My very dear friends Molly and Stephen are expecting their first baby in a few weeks, so we all gathered to celebrate and shower her with lots of baby crap! But she's not a traditional girl, so a non-traditional shower was in order. I think this fit the bill! As usual I was snapping away and thought it would be fun to share with ya'll here on the blog, it's just too good not to!

The DownCity Diner has this show a few times a month and it is such a blast! You must check it out if you find yourself in Providence on a weekend...or go for dinner any night of the week. It's next door to the new Hampton Inn right in the middle of down town Providence.





Molly and the ladies. She fell and broke her hand recently at work, so it was pretty sad to watch her trying to open gifts, not to mention that she had to wear that cast!

They found the 'Swaddle Me' blanket particualry hilarious...

Of course I made a scrapbook. The book is done except for the photos of course, they will take a photo of the baby with the sock monkey once a month and then just pop the photo into the spaces provided and then wa la! they have baby's first year album done. I love making albums as gifts! I also love the idea of seeing the baby get bigger in the photos with the same thing over the years. I wish I had done that with Isaac...but the cobbler's shoes need fixing as they say.

Molly's Dad and Stephen join the party at the tail end as they were instructed to arrive late and load the car with gifts...after being part of the entertainment for a bit of course!

The Ladies did a combo of funny banter with the brunch goers and a few singing numbers, very entertaining! They work really hard, and I would imagine their feet are aching like crazy at the end of the 2 shows! Lucite heals are NOT a girls best friend! And everyone knows that babies love drag shows too!

So if you get the chance be sure to check out their show at DownCity! The restaurant is open 7 days a week and they have great food and a fabulous atmostphere, run don't walk!

Aisha and Dave........Say What?!

Trish got this beautiful thank you note from our friend and snap! bride Aisha. Aisha just got her album and I think she likes it. Here's what she has to say:

I have been meaning to email you to tell you that we got our album and we love it so so so much!!! It is the most beautiful album that I have ever seen and I am sooooo happy that it happens to be ours!

I am honestly obsessed with it. Dave laughs because I ve looked at it so many times since we got it. I like to sit on the floor with it in this specific position with my face like 3 inches away from it so that I can examine every detail of every photo. It takes me like 5 minutes on each page. HaHaHa! There is something new that I see every time that I love! I never imagined that the photos would be so clear, they pop so much more than they do on the computer and I wasn't prepared for that!!! The chronology and the placement of the photos are absolutely perfect!

Everything really is beautiful about it, the leather is so pretty (and has such a great smell), the picture on the front, the high resolution photos. Oh, and you were definitely right, the bigger size was the perfect choice for us! Those photos that span both pages and are huge are my fav, the size has such an impact. They are more beautiful then I ever could have imagined. I look back at so many of the photos and it's amazing how they really captured the exact feeling that I was feeling in that exact moment. I can look at the photo and it immediately brings me back to that feeling. I love it!

Every time I look through our album it tells the story of our wedding and allows me to relive the day over and over, which is the best gift I could ever ask for! It is truly our first family heirloom that we can share now with our parents and we will show our kids and grand kids in the future, and cherish forever.

Thanks for doing such a great job! ~ Aisha

Gillian and Adrien at the NY Historical Society... Part Three

Gillian and Adrien making their way into the reception. This is a great venue and an interesting space. The event coordinator Brooke, planned the party to perfection!





Gillian and Adrien used 4 VERY long banquet tables for their guests. Love this idea.



So sparkly.

What a dramatic space!

A bird's eye view of the room...

I love miniature food!

Place cards in the gallery being overseen by these ladies...

There were many lovely historical paintings in the building...we thought this one was fun.

Love this one.

Gillian and Adrien had 4 very funny and heartfelt toasts.

Gillian's dad spoke about how Gillian was always a little shy but now Adrien helps her break out into more adventurous activities, including swimming in shark infested waters... what?!

This is good because?!

Everyone was chatting and enjoying the fabulous meal... I think this is just what Gillian and Adrien envisioned.

Who wouldn't enjoy being a part of this festive evening?!

Sisters sharing a laugh like only sisters can.

and the best man...

Gillian and Adrien planned to have these fun cakes set out on the tables after dinner. The couples married the longest got to cut the cakes.

Gillian is just gorgeous.

Cake time!

The cakes were a major hit. They looked so delicious and smelled great too.

I love me some frosting!

MMM. Red Velvet.

Dancing was in a separate room, so Trish snuck in with them for a few photos before the festivities began. Meanwhile, I am keeping an eye on the cakes.

This is the library, swanky!

The intros...

Trish is getting the view from above...very above!

Awwww....

Party time!

My competition...

Such a fun party, everyone danced their butts off.

Gillian and Adrien were pretty good dancers, they had some nice moves!

The End. Time for the Snappers to head back to their beloved Rhody....

Gillian and Adrien, thank you so much for inviting us to be a part of this wonderful day!

You were not only fantastic to photograph but a real pleasure to get to know. Best of luck in your happily married life!

Friends and Family: Register HERE to see all of the photos when they are ready.