In addition to some of the best chefs in Massachusetts, the event features local wine and beer makers like the Blue Hills Brewery and specialty food shops like Harvard Sweet Boutique.  There is indeed something for everyone at the Lamb Jam, even if you’re a vegetarian like me!

I find that every wedding cake is unique to the couple, their venue, the season during which they’re getting married, and the baker’s style.  Here are a handful of my favorite cakes with information about the person/people who made them.  All of these cakes were made by local, small businesses, who we love to support.  So if you’re looking for a cake vendor in the Boston area, now you’ve got lots of great suggestions. Enjoy!

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Katie and Bob were married at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, a full-service wedding venue who also provided them with their cake.  Their wedding cake was somewhat simple and traditional, but topped with these beautiful frosting flowers!  Of course, the colors matched the flowers that Katie and her bridesmaids were carrying.  So lovely.

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Sarah and Paul got married right after Christmas a few years ago (you can see that their colors were, appropriately, red and green).  They chose to have their cake complimented by these lovely handmade chocolate covered cherries!  Their close friends, Karine Santos and the Fagundes Family, made these delicious chocolates, which were so sweetly displayed.

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Megan and Kyle were married at their home in Somerville one year ago this month (how time flies!).  Their reception was at Precinct in Union Square and they had this unique-looking red velvet cake prepared for them by Hippie Chick Bakery in New Hampshire.  Hippie Chick emphasizes using local and organic ingredients, which makes their cakes not only delicious, but good for the earth!  They are also known far and wide for their ability to accommodate dietary restrictions, baking cakes that are vegan, gluten free, egg-free, etc.

I love the shape of this one – it reminds me of a castle – and it was surrounded by beautiful, deep-red roses.  And it was delicious!

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This next cake was perfect for Kelly and Andrea’s October wedding in their backyard in Southampton, MA.  It was made by Henion Bakery in Amherst, which produces a range of baked goods using local ingredients.  This one was a devil’s food cake with a ganache layer, covered with real butter cream mocha frosting and decorated with marzipan leaves.  It was a perfect fall cake and was a huge hit with all of the guests!  

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Sarah and Michael got married at the French Bistro Les Zygomates in Boston and the pastry chef at the restaurant made their beautiful cake.  Real flowers are such a beautiful compliment to wedding cakes, and I love when cakes, like this one, are surrounded with floral arrangements.

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This cake was made for Tekla and Calvin by Montilio’s Baking Company in Brockton, MA.  The intricate detail on this cake was incredible, and thought you can’t see it very well, the bakers put Tekla and Calvin’s initials on the right hand side of the cake (look carefully…).

I see lots of cakes that feature beautiful and bright colors – this one stood out to me for its lack of color, which feels elegant and clean.

And last but not least, Jess and Rich were married last spring at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station in Connecticut.  Their cake was made by Kim’s Cottage Confections in Durham, CT.  Kim has 20 years of experience as a baker and cake designer and says that you can bring her your “dream cake” and she’ll make it for you!  What more could you want?  Jess and Rich’s cake was so unique – I really love square cakes – and of course, Kim did an amazing job incorporating the exact color green that matched their linens and flowers.

]]> http://leisejones.com/weddings-2/wedding-cakes/feed/ 0 http://leisejones.com/weddings-2/print-sizes/ http://leisejones.com/weddings-2/print-sizes/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:44:03 +0000 Leise http://leisejones.com/?p=1950 I came across this image on Facebook yesterday and thought it was a great topic to share.  Most people don’t know that not all prints are created equal and the image below is a great illustration of the concept.

In the old days of traditional portrait photography, photographers used large format cameras (the kind where they had to put a cloth over their head in order to see the image) and the film was 4 inches x 5 inches.  Thus, the 8×10 was born.  It was a perfect enlargement from a 4×5 piece of film.  While lots of photographers still do use large format cameras today and shoot with 4×5 film, most of your portrait and wedding photographers are shooting with digital cameras.  Our natural image size is 8×12.

If the image that comes out of the camera is 8″ on the short side and 12″ on the long side, the most complimentary prints are 4×6, 8×12, 16×24 or 20×30.  At those sizes (see below), you will get the entire image on the page, with nothing cropped off.  Unfortunately, the most popular print sizes remain 5×7 and 8×10 – both of which require cropping into the picture and losing some of the image.  So when you’re ordering prints from your photographer, keep in mind that not all photos look great at 8×10 – you may lose too much of the photo.

Thanks to Rachael Myers Photography in Peoria, Illinois, for sharing this image and helping address some of the confusion around print sizes!  The first image, on the top left, is what comes out of the camera.  Perfect at 4×6, 8×12 and 16×24.  But when you crop it to 8×10, you lose the tips of her toes and the image doesn’t work as well.  Use this as a guide to get an idea if your photo will work at the size you want.  And when in doubt, as your photographer!  It’s our job to know these kinds of things

We had terracotta flower pots – like the teeny tiny ones for seedlings – and used the bottom trays.

We spray painted them bright colors and after they dried, we used Mod Podge to adhere some pretty paper to the inside of the tray.  (If you cover the whole thing with Mod Podge, you get a clear, shiny coating.)

Voila!  You have yourself a spoon rest.  And I can rest assured that I won’t get those icky coffee stains on my counter anymore!  Win-win situation!

First, we photographed Nicki and Bobby, the guys who own Polcari’s Coffee, which has been a fixture on Salem Street since 1932!  I posed them at the counter in the front of the store, surrounded by the amazing selection of dry goods and using mostly natural light.  They have so much personality and the store is so interesting, I wanted to keep it simple!

Second, we photographed Peter and John at DiPaolo & Rossi Meat Market, which they opened in 1974 when they both emigrated to the U.S. from Italy.  Neither of them were very comfortable in front of the camera, so I set up some soft lights and just clicked away while they worked.  This is one of my favorite shots of Peter.

Last weekend, we did two more portraits – you can see them below – and have several more lined up.  To read the latest stories and see the collection of photos that Jeanne has built, visit the project website.  If you have any old photos of Boston’s North End, or if you have a story you want to share, be sure to contact her!  And stay tuned for more photos and videos in the very near future.

Then they got into their sleek black limo (and I into my Honda) and we drove to Peter’s home neighborhood of Dorchester, where the bride and groom enjoyed a beautiful mass at Saint Mark Church.  I had never been to this church before – it is gorgeous!  The whole service could not have gone more smoothly.

Following the service, the bride and groom, their families and friends traveled just a mile down the road to Venezia’s On the Waterfront, a lovely restaurant and banquet facility that is, as it says, right on Boston’s waterfront.  Since it was dark (and cold) we only did a few photos on the deck and did most of the formal photos in the bridal suite upstairs.  But the hall itself was gorgeous, the food was delicious and the couple and their friends danced the night away!

The first thing that drew me to Chive when I first learned about them was that they are women-owned.  I am always looking to connect with and support other women business-owners, especially as the number of women-owned businesses continues to grow.  The second thing that draws me to them is their commitment to sustainability; in their words, a passion for “good food & quality ingredients from sustainable sources.”  I photograph lots of events, weddings, parties and conferences and I have never heard a caterer utter those words before.  Not only that, but Chive brings only compostable, reusable and/or recyclable materials to the events they cater (including forks, plates, napkins).  In other words, they don’t just say they are committed to sustainability; they prove it at every one of their events.  You can read all about their philosophy on their website and check out photos from past events.

I was honored to work with the women and men of Chive at the PBLN conference two weeks ago and I am delighted to share a handful of photos.  I hope you’ll look further into Chive and consider them next time you are planning an event, looking for a caterer, and otherwise wanting to support a wonderful local business.

Spinach and feta frittatas for breakfast

Sustainable Centerpieces

Compostable Forks!

Delicious Apple Muffins

The Refreshment Table

Writing out the lunch menu

Compostable plates and napkins, too!

I looked at some other magician’s photos and found a lot of top hats with rabbits coming out of them and people making silly faces while holding a decks of cards.  But I thought, does your picture need to communicate that you can physically do magic tricks and have all the appropriate props?  Do prospective clients really need to see you wearing a sequin cape to know that you perform?  Would seeing that you have cards and a top hat make people want to hire you to perform magic at their company’s Christmas party?  Or are people hiring you based on your persona, your charisma and your appearance?  After all, a magician’s website and promotional materials clearly state “I am a magician, hire me!” so the photos are more about personality.  Kayla and I decided that the personality traits she wanted to communicate are young, energetic, funny, interesting, dynamic and feminine.  So we mostly left the props out (although the throwing-cards-at-the-camera-shot is just too tempting) and made pictures that communicated Kayla’s amazing personality.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion. diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cups arborio (risotto) rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup roasted and pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp dried ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until soft.  Add the rice and the garlic.  Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two until the rice just begins to brown.  Add the wine and stir.  When the mixture is boiling, begin adding the vegetable broth 1/2 cup at a time.  Allow the moisture to mostly cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup.  Stir frequently.  Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.  Sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese and enjoy!