I have known Molly Wood for the vast majority of my life. Our families spent a great deal of our childhoods together during that amazing time in our lives when everything was an adventure and there was comfort in knowing you had wonderful people to share it with. As we got older we went off to different high schools and then colleges in different states. A lot has changed between now and the days of swimming until it got dark and racing wooden boats down the brook. I am now married. Molly's brother and my brother are both married with beautiful daughters. Molly is an extraordinary woman. She is talented, determined, sweet and thoughtful. She is a chef, a nurse, and, in her father's footsteps, a member of the town fire department. She and Kenyon risk their lives to help others. It might be that quality that binds them so tightly.

A year ago I received an excited message asking if I would be interested in taking engagement photos because Kenyon had just proposed! I was thrilled at the invitation and excited to meet the man who had made my friend so happy.

Our engagement session was wonderful. Molly had the same contagious, bubbly giggle that she has had since she was 5 and Kenyon opened up as our morning of photos at one of my favorite secret spots unfolded.  Through all of the posing and smiles and goofiness it was apparent that Molly and Kenyon were crazy about each other.

Last weekend I met Molly to take pre-wedding photos. I walked into the house where we had spent so much time as children. The house was warm and cozy thanks to the stove that used to thaw us after long days spent playing in the snow. A swarm of bridesmaids and flower girls buzzed around in a sea of tulle and blue. A black cat entered the room to investigate the dress I was photographing while another lazed on the bed, taking in the scene. It was as if nothing had changed and everything had changed.

I took pictures of stunning Molly in a wedding dress next to the bannister we used to slide down. I took pictures of Matt's gorgeous little daughter in the house where we used to play hide and seek. As I was editing images of Molly in the parlor a lump formed in my throat and I thought about her father sitting in that room listening to Bye-Bye Miss American Pie.

In the exuberant adrenaline filled atmosphere there wasn't much time to think about anything except getting the bride ready and out the door to meet her adoring beau. Now, as I am going through the images the memories are flooding back to me.  

Periscopes and puppets, swimming, sailing wooden boats, playing kick-the-can (often times with their amazing Grandmother Goodie-Good Wood), filming news broadcasts and commercials with Matt, riding to piano lessons in Dave's old minivan with the wonky speedometer, Matt and Molly harassing their father to put the siren on the roof and turn it on just for a minute...and Dave, sitting in the parlor listening to Don McLean sing about the day the music died.

The wedding was perfectly Molly and Kenyon. With the help of loving friends and family, they transformed the Cornish town hall into a little wedding oasis. Mason jars, hand-made napkins and glass milk bottles adorned the tables. A table full of candy greeted guests at the door and beckoned them toward the guest book/photo booth, complete with goofy props. Molly's father's old fireman's jacket sat alone on a chair at the family table surrounded by those he had known and loved. Lines of pale pink rose petals formed the aisle where Molly would be escorted by her mother to the place where Kenyon stood, waiting to see his beautiful bride for the first time.

The ceremony was short and sweet but poignant and heartfelt. The day was filled with laughter, hugs, dancing and giant infectious smiles. Kenyon Lord has an amazing smile; one to match that of his beautiful wife. They are two peas in a pod; two people made for each other. They are bound by love and strength and honor. They are fearless and selfless and will continue to be heroes not only for the people they help and the lives they save, but for each other. I am so happy that my friend has found her counterpart and I wish them many years of love, happiness and adventure.

I love weddings. Ten years ago I never could have imagined that I would be photographing weddings. I was a self proclaimed nature photographer specializing in underwater critters. People (as subjects) weren't even on my radar. If I was going to an event, I didn't even think about bringing a camera. If I was going diving, I packed every ounce of camera gear I owned and rarely had room in my bag for much else.

Oh how things have changed, which is why I had to laugh at myself this morning when I realized I was positively giddy with excitement to go through images from Elizabeth and Jake's wedding.

This weekend was my second time working with the Benoit family. I had the pleasure of meeting them last summer at their son's wedding. Now, after an entire weekend with them, I can honestly say, they are extraordinary people. It was wonderful to see familiar faces at the wedding and even more wonderful to be treated like family ourselves. The groom's team turned out to be a dream to work with as well. The Hanley/DeLucia/Cimmino family was simply awesome. We couldn't have asked for a better crew!

So what do you get when you combine two awesome families, amazing people you have worked with before, amazing people you just met, the best wedding band of all time and 80 people from all over the country at the top of a mountain in a lodge you can only get to by gondola???

Epic Danceparty.

Every single Auntie, Uncle, Cousin and Grammy was out on the dance floor moving like a pro. At one point I looked across the room and noticed Mike "photo dancing" (which is my new term for the phenomenon that occurs when the music is so good that even the photographers can't refrain from shaking their hips and bobbing their heads). I think it's safe to say that everyone in attendance had a fantastic time (including us!)

Now to bring it all back around... I love weddings. I love weddings because of the warmth and contagious, electric excitement I feel when I am in the midst of a group of people who are genuinely thrilled to be together. I love seeing two families come together in celebration of two people they love more than anything in the world. I love knowing that I get to capture beauty, hugs, tears of joy, and moments of genuine emotion. I love knowing that the bride and groom will be able to look at my images and catch up on the moments that flew by when they were caught up in the locomotive power of their wedding day. I also love epic dance parties. 

Cheers to the Benoits and to Mama DeLucia and all the Aunties for a perfect wedding weekend!

This Friday marks the official start to Swoyer Photography's 2014 Wedding Season!

My wonderful husband and I will be venturing north once again to the beautiful mountain town of Stowe, VT. Our bride and groom have requested our presence at the rehearsal dinner as well as the wedding day events. I have to say, I am extremely excited to be completely immersed in this event and to be able to capture the whole thing, from start to finish.

Weddings are one of the biggest, most exciting parties we will ever have. Back in the day your family may have lived right down the street from your fiancé's family and you probably got married in the town church and had a reception at the town hall. These days family and friends are spread out all over the world. It is much more difficult to get everyone to the same place at the same time. We live in an amazing time for travel and weddings seem to have taken on a life of their own.

When my husband and I got married we decided to make a week-long party out of it. Our friends and family were spread out from New England to Hawaii so we chose a location in the middle. It was one of the best weeks of my life! Our friends and family came together in Ventana, Mexico and we spent the week playing in the ocean, diving, snorkeling and hanging out all together. It was amazing to see our favorite people in the world meet each other and form new friendships. With everything we did that week the actual wedding ceremony seems like a small blip on the radar but luckily we have beautiful photos taken by our photographer and friend Andrew McNeaney of Andrew James photography.

When I look back at the images Andrew took of the ceremony there is one thing that makes my heart very happy. Our guests were focused on us. It was amazing thing to have all eyes on us and to be able to see the emotion felt, not only between my husband and I but throughout the entire group. Not one single face was hidden behind a camera or cell phone. 

In the digital age it is tempting to post everything. There is something addictive about checking Facebook to see how many "likes" an image has received. It has become a way of quantifying our value and social standing. I am just as guilty of the next person as showing off all of the fun I am having all the time but where do we draw the line?

The night before the wedding Mike and I gathered our friends and family, thanked them for coming and told them we wanted to try something. We asked that during the ceremony people put down their cameras and phones and just be in the moment with us. They had travelled thousands of miles to celebrate with us and we wanted them to truly be present.

It was powerful. I have been a guest at dozens of weddings and always feel distracted when people are darting out into the aisle to snap a photo,  looking down at their camera back to see if they got the shot or posting photos of the bride before she has even said "I do".  I was elated to have our friends there with us, taking in the beauty, feeling the ocean breeze and even shedding an errant tear with us.

After the ceremony people talked, drank and took photos with each other. It was perfect. I love looking back at the photos that our friends took and posted of the reception and I really love the photos that Andrew captured of our friends not taking photos during the ceremony.

This weekend our bride and groom, Elizabeth and Jake will ask their guests to put down there cameras and phones and immerse themselves in the moment that they travelled so far to be a part of. I can't wait.

Here's to unplugged weddings!

Somehow 2014 crept in and booted out 2013 with an unsurpassed ninja stealth that only seems to be growing as I get older. Christmas went by in a blur and Chanukah snuck in and out before I even realized the holiday season was upon us.

The good news is that I had 2 wonderful sessions to wrap up 2013 and make the snowy, slushy, chilly end of the year as memorable as the warmer seasons. 

A few days before Christmas I met with the Madden clan at one of the coolest houses I never knew existed in Guilford, VT, where they converged to spend a few days all together as a family before they diverged for the remainder of the season. They were patient, hearty (we held the session outside), and most importantly, photogenic. We managed to capture 3 generations of charm and good humor. 

My final session of the year took place in Windsor, VT where I spent the afternoon with the Kreiger family, documenting gingerbread baking, and the interaction of 4 generations. We ended with a family portrait next to the fireplace with Great-Grandma in the rocking chair surrounded by her loving family. 

It was a fabulous way to usher out 2013 and get ready for a new year of photography!

Two days ago I met a couple at Scott Farm, in Brattleboro, VT. They had driven all the way from Colorado to get married in our beautiful state. Because planning had taken place over a long distance, our conversations had been brief and to the point. We were meeting to find the perfect location to hold a small ceremony that would take place the next day. Shortly after I arrived, they pulled in, with energy to spare after a day of adventuring and road-tripping up around my old stomping grounds farther north on the VT/NH line.

When I meet a client for the first time after only having spoken over the phone and through email, it is always interesting for me to find out if the person I have created in my mind matches the person I am meeting in real life. These two were wonderful. They were warm, kind, vivacious, and humble, with a rather extraordinary energy that I aspire to.

We cruised around the area and finally found the perfect spot, in an orchard, overlooking the river valley. 

Yesterday afternoon we met for the ceremony. Donna's sister Sue officiated, while her brother-in-law Jerry and her sister Mary Carol stood in support.  The ceremony was short, poignant, and perfect. Sue did an amazing job of saying everything perfect and relevant without diluting the intimacy and significance of the moment. After fourteen years together, Donna and Paula made their union official amongst three of their family members on a serene, picturesque hill in Southern Vermont. It was an amazing afternoon. I love my job!

I can't believe that once again it is the time of year when the days get shorter, the nights get cooler, and in an act of visual splendor, Mother Nature releases the most stunning, vibrant, incredible colors we ever see here in the North East before packing up and settling in to the starkness of winter.

Last weekend I had a portrait session in Ohio with the beautiful Jeffers family. There were a few yellow leaves here and there and some reds and oranges on the ground but I was shocked to see the hills ablaze upon my return to VT only four days later. Fall colors wait for no man so for anyone thinking of taking advantage of what are, most definitely, the most beautiful, colorful few weeks of the year, don't wait! Soon it will be too late!

This summer has been awesome. I spent some time teaching marine science, snorkeled with kids in long island sound, photographed some really fun people, and now, for the week, I am surrounded by 50 of my favorite people in the world in one of my favorite places in the world. My fiance Mike and I met in the marine science field. We have travelled and lived in some amazing places and have met incredible people along the way. We decided that for our wedding we wanted to go somewhere meaningful - to us and our friends and family. A year ago we arrived at a decision and right now we are hanging out in the Sea of Cortez, surrounded by our most adventurous friends and family members. 

We have been in the water everyday diving, snorkeling, swimming, and paddling. It has been epic. Yesterday was one of the most fun dives I have ever been on. It started with sea lions and eels and ended with a whale shark gliding silently overhead while we watched from 50 feet below. 

For anyone planning a wedding, here is my advice. Surround yourself with people you love in a place that you love. It really doesn't get any better than that.