I absolutely love how adventurous Jenna and Ethan are! Not only did they choose a gorgeous location for their Fall engagement session, and dress to a T, but they love hiking and doing things outdoors and had not problem galavanting through the woods with me. I even got a little lost at first because I haven't been to this park in a few years and totally got thrown off! However walking through the woods in a gown and a suite did not phase these two and we had a great time. I can't wait for their wedding in 2018 and to capture more of their moments! Congratulations Jenna and Ethan!
Mount Hope Farm Engagement | Cassi and Mike | Rhode Island Wedding Photographer
Thanksgiving day has gone, Christmas is in the air (and on the radio), and the end of the year is quickly approaching. I'm, so thankful for all of the beautiful couples that have trusted my vision and allowed me to capture their most special moments! We've worked with and met so many adorable couples this year, and can't wait for the 2018 wedding season! You've probably heard me say this before, but I love Fall! The colors, the snuggles, the smells of pumpkin and apple (candles for the most part, unless my mom bakes!) it is all so comforting!
One of our favorite (ok, their ALL my favorites!) Fall engagement was with Cassi and Mike at Mount Hope Farm, in the quaint seaside town of Bristol, RI. I love this location from its bright and cheery farmhouses, quintessential New England stone walls and history, and sweeping fields and trees. The foliage was near peak and we found the perfect area of bright leaves to create a cozy atmosphere. They even brought the most adorable plaid blanket to snuggle up in! I can't wait to capture their vows next Summer, congratulations Cassi and Mike, you two are just adorable!
xo,
Alicia
The Haversham Wedding | Michelle + Brian | Rhode Island Wedding Photographer
I met Michelle last Halloween when I started a new freelance graphic design job and we bonded almost instantly over our complete and utter obsession with Harry Potter. When I say fans, we are some special kind of fans! When I went to the Wizarding World in March for the first time, I legitimately CRIED upon entering Diagon Alley! On top of that, she was super excited because she was engaged and planning her wedding for 2017 (You can see their adorable engagement session here)! Unfortunately for business Alicia, she already had a wedding photographer booked, but still wanted to do engagement photos with us, and we were guests at her big day full of Harry Potter details (wait until you see the card Brian made Michelle that looks like the Marauders Map!) and I got to shoot the two of them getting ready! Thank you for having me be a part of your magical day, Michelle and Brian! Mischeif Managed!
Rhode Island Ballet Photographer | Providence RI | Katy
Ballet and dance has had my heart since I was a little girl who refused to take off her first performance tutu twirling to "Animal Crackers in my Soup", which my mom still has on VHS. I never pass up a chance to take ballet class even as an adult (that's a whole seperate blog!), or photograph!
We began at one of my favorite spots in Providence, The Temple of Music at Roger Williams Park. Not only does the temple have a beautiful backdrop, but the marble floor gives a nice and slip-free texture to dance on. Unfortunately the main part of the structure is undergoing some restorative construction so we had to utilize a tiny area in the back corner of the temple.
Thank you so much Katy for letting me combine two of the things I love at this wonderful shoot, and congratulations on your upcoming roles in the Nutcracker with Spindle City Ballet!
Magical Peter Pan Maternity Portraits | Rhode Island Portrait Photographer
When Jenny told me her vision for her maternity session was a magical Peter Pan inspired adventure, I knew it was right up my alley and was flooded with ideas! We went to one of my favorite locations in Warwick where the light is just gorgeous and magic is in the air. We incorporated some fun props and a little bit of magic and a little treat of some Dells Lemonade and made the vision of the magic of motherhood come to life!
HMUA/ Assistant: Jenn Pierce @Jennifer_HairDesign
Cozy Home Engagement Session | Victoria and Brandon
There's no place like home, home is where the heart is, you always lead me back home...there are a million sayings that revolve around love and being home with your family. Victoria and Brandon spent so much time and love on renovating their beautiful home that they couldn't think of a better place to share their engagement session! From all of the charming details, including a super sweet sparkley wedding count down (which has since lost some numbers!) they were perfectly at home and proud of their hard work. Thank you for inviting me into your home Victoria and Brandon, I can't wait to capture your wedding next year!
Connecticut Boho Bridal | Sam and Pat | Coogan Farm Mystic
As summer comes to an end and the gorgeous Fall wedding season begins, there is nothing more exciting than a bohemian inspired bridal shoot with amazing vendor collaborations! Our shoot took place at Coogan Farm in Mystic, Connecticut on a balmy summer evening. The farm will soon be hosting weddings and events, and has miles of walking trails and fields perfect for photography in any season. Getting to shoot one of my favorite couples again, collaborating with awesome creative minds, and exploring new places is the ideal way to end the summer. Time to get cozy in sweaters and boots and all things pumpkin spice and kick off the Fall season!
Vendors:
Furniture/ Flatware: Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals
Flowers: Michelle Jeanne Floral Design
Venue: Coogan Farm
HMUA/Bridesmaid Model: Jenn Pierce
Dress: Lulus
Suit: Express
Cupcakes: A Piece of Cake
Photography: Alicia Ann Photographie
Connecticut Sunflower and Harry Potter Engagement Session with Michelle and Brian | RI Wedding Photographer
I met Michelle when we were both freelancing as graphic designers last year, and we bonded instantly over our obsession with Harry Potter! When she asked if we could incorporate wands and a Wizarding theme into their engagement session I was more than happy to oblige! I've been wanting to do an engagement session at Buttonwood Farm in Griswold, CT since last year, but unfortunately I was too late and the sunflowers were no more when I went to check out the field. I knew this had to happen this year and that Michelle and Brian were the perfect couple to frolic through the flowers with! We had the most beautiful weather and delicious ice cream after as well! Congrats guys, you are completely magical!
xx,
Alicia
©2017 Alicia Ann Photographie www.aliciaannphoto.com
Boston Wedding Photographer | Eric and Jeremy's Fourth of July Wedding at the Arnold Arboretum
There's no better way to celebrate the holiday known for it's fireworks than with a wedding! On a hot (I mean HOT! it was over 90 degrees!) summer day, Eric and Jeremy had a small and tight-knit ceremony on top of Bussey Hill at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Surrounded by their tight-knit group of family and friends, and their too cute for words ring bearer a puggle named Stewie, they made a meaningful journey to the top of the hill to recite their vows. I love intimate weddings because I feel like I leave with a group of new friends, and had a blast at the funky south end restaurant Cinquecento for cocktail hour! Congrats again Eric and Jeremy, wishing you a lifetime of happiness and fireworks!
xx,
Alicia
© 2017 Alicia Ann Photographie | Rhode Island and Boston Wedding Photographer
Bridal Styled Shoot | New England Wedding Photographer
Assembling a team of creative minds to partake in creating something beautiful is one of the best things about being a photographer! After finding the perfect place for a styled bridal shoot at Bancroft Castle in Worcester, Massachusetts, I knew it would only be perfect to enlist the help of my favorite model/ makeup artist Jenn Pierce, my friend Briel Delmonaco of Uniquely Chic Vintage Rentals (http://uniquelychicvintage.com/), and assistant (and next bridal model) Samantha Bourbeau, to create the perfect romantic and early 1900's vibe. I've been wanting to shoot an Bancroft Castle for a very long time, since I saw how beautiful it was there, and between the gorgeous furniture from Uniquely Chic, lovely light, awesome location, and stunning flowers from The Flower Pot (http://www.theflowerpotri.com/) I'd say my first bridal shoot was a success and I can't wait for the next one coming up in August! A huge thank you to everyone who made this vision come to life!
xx,
Alicia
Furniture: Uniquely Chic Vintage http://uniquelychicvintage.com/
Flowers: The Flower Pot http://www.theflowerpotri.com/
Dress: Adrianna Pappell http://www.adriannapapell.com
Location: Bancroft Tower
Flower Crown: Alicia Heaney
HMUA/ Model: Jenn Pierce
Newport Engagement Session | Liz and Nick
On a windy and warm Spring day, I met Liz and Nick, dressed to the nines down at Sachuest Point. It was so hot that day, but was breezy and cool down by the water, and as soon as I met them I felt like we were old friends right away! Her center stone in her ring is also a family heirloom, that Nick had set in a gorgeous Tacori mounting, how sweet and special is that!? These two were up for a little walking adventure, as we stopped at some of my favorite places around the wildlife preserve. I've hiked here for years and always thought it would be a beautiful sunlit setting for couples portraits.
Congrats on your engagement and your wonderful future ahead Liz and Nick!
Flowers: The Flower Pot (www.theflowerpotri.com)
Dress: Lulus (www.lulus.com)
Images ©2017 Alicia Ann Photographie
Aurora and Tim's Newport Engagement Session | Rhode Island Engagement Photographer
I met Aurora and Tim down at the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI on a chilly Spring day (I had hoped it would have been warmer!) for their engagement session. They got engaged on New Years and are so excited to celebrate and were such good sports braving the wind, and boy was it windy! During Spring time Newport celebrates Daffodil Days, when the thousands (millions?!) of daffodils bloom all over town. There are lots of festivities (including a rhode race and a doggy parade!) and beauty of viewing the daffodils in bloom. Besides the iconic Cliff Walk, I wanted to take these two to stroll though the Daffys! The field of blooms at Easton's Beach was in full color, bright and cheerful. There are small paths through the field that allow people to walk through them and experience being surrounded by flowers. Congrats Aurora and Tim!
Rhode Island Spring Engagement Session | Sara and Andrew
Every Spring I'm forever driving by beautiful pink and white trees blooming all over Rhode Island. Most of them tend to be on the side of the highway or street, which isn't the prime location for photography. So this Spring I made it my mission to find some gorgeous cherry blossom trees and set up an engagement shoot. I drive by Roger Williams Park all the time, and knew it had a Botanical Center and lots of beautiful garden grounds. So I took a ride through and found the Japanese Garden fully blooming! There were plenty of trees and all of them were in full bloom and lovely. Unfortunately they don't last long, so I knew we had to act fast. Thankfully, Sara and Andrew were totally game to dress up in my vision of blush and pastels and have their engagement session among the blooming trees! They were complete naturals in front of the camera as well, and so much fun to walk around the park with. Congrats Sara and Andrew!
Monday Musings | A Labor of Love
Love.
When most people think of love, they think of relationships between a couple. Love doesn't have to just be for a person, it can be for a place, an object, an activity, a hobby, a lifestyle and is so much more than a lustful whim. The saying "the labor of love" is one that I feel directly connected to with photography. I didn't just wake up one morning and thing "I think I'll be a photographer today!" (anyone get the Legally Blonde reference)! It took me years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears (sometimes literally) and thoughtful, conscious decisions to launch my passion and career.
My first love was for dance and movement. As a dancer and gymnast since childhood, I came back to dance as an adult while in art school. We had to do a project that was a series and I wanted to figure out how to incorporate dance into it somehow. So armed with my point and shoot camera I headed down to the beach with some old pointe shoes and a rickety tripod and took some photos I dubbed "Urban Dance". They weren't well received by the other students who thought I was just vain. I went to Starbucks and cried to the barrista, second guessing my entire final project. However, I remembered that art is subjective. I loved my project, and just other didn't like it didn't mean it wasn't successful.
Here are some of the photos from the project circa 2012 (because I'm not afraid to show progress!):
Now these images are completely not a representation of my current photographic style, but I still love them because this moment was when I started to create with a camera and that is special.
I didn't give up. Fast forward about a year, when my boyfriend got me my first DSLR, a Pentax K10D. Again, I was drawn to photographing dance in outdoor places, and mostly self portraits because I couldn't afford models and didn't know how to reach out to people. Some of those images:
I mean, check out my rockin Zapfino watermark!
I kept going. Just last year I did one more shoot:
The reason I'm sharing this is passion and love. Years of practice that shows progress, both technically and artistically. Love is something that can be cultivated with time and nurturing. Sure, anyone can pick up a camera and say "I love photography!", but until you work, fail, work harder, fail, work harder, fail, work harder, fail...repeat! Does it drive you past those roadblocks that seperate lust from love, and profession from passion. If it's handed to you and you never have to experience the hardships that drive the passion so deep into you, the labor of love and learning won't be the same.
Keep pushing, keep driving, keep reaching for those goals. Pursue them with learning, experience, failure and persistence. Work hard and dream big!
Happy Monday!
Alicia
Engaged! Now what?! 5 Tips for Starting to Plan Your Wedding | Rhode Island Wedding Photographer
The love of your life proposed, you said yes! Congratulations! This is one of the biggest moments in your lives, and a reason to celebrate. You will feel excited and maybe a little anxious as you think about planning your wedding. There are so many resources out there to help with your planning, but where do you begin? As a wedding photographer I often talk to brides about much more than just photography. It’s almost like we become such good friends that photographing their wedding seems more like just being an honored guest that gets to capture it all, and I’m always down to bring you a coffee to your bridal suite!
1.) Get Organized
I love buying all kinds of fun notebooks and folders, especially the ones with pretty designs and typography on them. It helps to have a folder with receipts, print outs, and things you rip out of magazines for inspiration all in one place. Notebooks are handy as well to write down ideas of anything that you want to remember to do.
2.) Plan a budget and stick to it
Next, you want to do is sit down together and plan how much you want to spend on your wedding in total. Keep everything in mind from venue, to dresses and suits, to décor. Also keep in mind if you want to include the cost of your rings (including the engagement ring) in this budget. Try your best to stick to this because the last thing you want to do it start your marriage with an enormous amount of debt over your head as newlyweds and being stressed about it.
3.) Venue Search
Before you book anything else you need to nail down your venue and date. This in itself can take a lot of time, but the best research can start online. Many sites like The Knot (www.theknot.com) and Wedding Wire (www.weddingwire.com) have reviews by real brides on their venue and vendor sites, as well as cost (stick to that budget!), and loads of pictures so you can think of décor and what you want your theme to be. Don’t worry if you don’t have or want a theme, your theme could always just be pretty wedding! Make sure you see your venues in person, speak to the coordinators, read the contracts and find out all the details. Now would also be a good time to hire your wedding planner if you are using one and they will take care of all the fine print for you. Think of how you want your photographs from your day to look while choosing your venue. If you love bright and airy images, don’t choose a place with no windows and dark wooden walls, floors and ceilings. Time of day matters as well, here in New England it’s not the best idea to have a 4:00 wedding in December with no first look if you want bright and well lit portraits after the wedding since it will be dark.
4.) Choose Your Bridal PartyOne of the greatest things about planning your special day is planning to share it with your closest friends. Both of your should choose your bridal party and think of a color theme that will be present in the décor and bridal party outfits. You can even ask friends to be a part of your bridal party with hand lettered cards and homemade gifts to add a special touch to it. Do some searches online to get some great ideas for some crafty fun, and start to imagine what your wedding day will look like!
5.) Dresses and InvitationsNow that your date and bridal party are set, you can shop for your dress and the dresses for the ladies! This is such an exciting and special day to share with your closest family and friends. Start looking for invitation designs at this time or hire a designer. Etsy (www.etsy.com) and Minted (www.minted.com) are really great resources for finding some beautiful invitations.
Now get ready to plan your big day! Get organized, set your budget, research and book your dream venue, gather your friends, say yes to the dress, and send those save the dates. Planning a wedding should be exciting and fun but is no doubt going to get a little stressful at times. The best advice I can give you is to enjoy the process. If things don’t go as planned, step back, take a breather and remember to enjoy planning your day together. It will all come together, and any issues can be overcome. Ready?! Go!
Alicia
www.aliciaannphoto.com
Rhode Island and Cape Cod Wedding Photographer | Kristin and John | The Lighthouse Inn
I'm always up for an adventure and exploring new places, a wedding by the sea as summer ends was a wonderful way to end the season. Kristin and John were married right by the ocean at the Lighthouse Inn in Dennis, MA (Cape Cod). Since they love being by the ocean this venue was perfect, from its seaside charm and beautiful lighting. The cabins for the couple to get ready in were just adorable, it would be so much fun to stay here by the sea! We decided last minute to do a first look, and the docks by the ocean made the perfect backdrop for this as well as family and bridal party photos. Congratulations Kristin and John, I had a blast capturing your big day!
Venue: The Lighthouse Inn http://www.lighthouseinn.com/
Music: Full Service http://fullservicemusic.com/
Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wedding Photographer | Narragansett Engagement Session | Kristin and John
Wedding Photography in RI, MA and CT
Engagement Session
I've always wanted to do a shoot in this gorgeous patch of open space in Narragansett right next to Narrow River. So when Kristin and John decided to do an engagement session I knew it would be the perfect place. One, because it's beautiful and near the beach, and two, because there is river access where these two paddle board all the time and they wanted to incorporate their favorite pastime (and how he proposed!) into their session. Perfection! The light was gorgeous just as I expected and it was so difficult narrowing it down to my favorites. Next up will be their wedding!
Check them out at http://paddleboardri.com/ !
Rhode Island and Connecticut Maternity Photographer | Sleeping Giant State Park
Maternity Photography in RI, MA and CT
Maternity Session
I'm not too familiar with many parks and places in Connecticut but am always up for an adventure. When Danielle suggested Sleeping Giant State Park, with the promise of beautiful views and a castle, I was all for it! Her little man just loved the idea of seeing a castle and eagerly participated in the session as he awaited his moment of being a big brother! Thank you for taking me on a fun adventure and congratulations on the new addition!
Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wedding Photographer | Megan + Mike
Wedding Photography in RI, MA and CT
Wedding Photography
I was completely honored when Megan, one of my college professors, asked me to photograph her wedding in August! The ceremony was held at St Lukes in Westborough, Massachusetts, one of the cutest towns I have ever seen. The reception was held out of state later so I didn't cover it, but had a great time capturing this adorable couples I Do's!
Dress: www.bhldn.com
Jewelry: Kate Spade at www.renttherunway.com
HMUA: Bride/ Maid of Honor
Flowers: Handmade by the Bride!
Shoes: www.davidsbridal.com and www.bananarepublic.com
Suit: www.bananarepublic.com
RI and CT Maternity Photographer | Jamie and Alex
What an amazing Spring day for this lovely couples Maternity Portrait Session! After exploring several locations, we decided that Cotton Hollow Preserve in Glastonbury was a great location! With its history, natural beauty, bubbling brook and cascading waterfall, it projected the most perfect backdrop for this expecting couple! Congratulations Jamie and Alex, on your beautiful baby boy!
