brett alison photography blog » historic wedding venues massachusetts

andrea & jamie || peabody essex museum wedding

brett — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:06:00 +0000

Yay! My 10-10-10 wedding – a very popular date, as you might imagine! I had been looking forward to this date for awhile – not just because of the numbers aligning, but to see Andrea and Jamie again – I knew it would be a good time after their awesome engagement session in the North End, and also my first chance to shoot at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. It was a bit crazy, being Salem in October, and as you can see in one photo, we ran across the zombie parade on Salem Common.

Otherwise, I went a little crazy shooting in the musuem – all the different architecture, lighting and of course amazing art everywhere you turn. I would’ve spent a lot more time dragging Andrea and Jamie around the museum, but I know they wanted to get to their guests and have a good time! And a good time was certainly had by all – as I hope you can see in the photos. The last montage is the girls vs. guys that the DJ set up – very fun! I can’t believe how many people he got on the dance floor screaming and singing.

Ceremony: St. John the Baptist Church, Peabody, MA
Reception: Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA

Florist: Flowers by Lorraine
DJ: Perfect Parties
Caterer: Vinwood
Hair: Avancea
Makeup: Genna Rizzo

Share on Facebook

julie & keith || wedding at willowdale estate, topsfield massachusetts

brett — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:43:37 +0000

Oh my goodness! I hope this blogpost doesn’t crash your internet connection, because it is loooong… There were so many details, moments and images I wanted to share from Julie and Keith’s wedding. I can’t believe they planned the whole thing long-distance from Chicago! Very impressive. And it was so wonderful to finally meet them on the day of the wedding.

Ceremony & Reception: Willowdale Estate, Topsfield Massachusetts

Florist: Audrey’s Flower Shop
Band: As You Like It
Hair/Makeup: Lauren Fasolino
Rings: Bella Cosa
Cake: Konditor Meister
Videographer: Sean Mitchell
Officiant: Anna Bacall
Dress: Paloma Blanca

Share on Facebook

makenzie and jay’s wedding || hawthorne hotel salem massachusetts

brett — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:13:40 +0000

Makenzie and Jay had a very memorable wedding! Not only did their wedding day fall on the day that the remnants of Hurricane Earl blew through town, but they had so many great moments throughout… The rides to and from the Hawthorne Hotel on the Salem Trolley, a surprise visit from the couple’s cute doggie after the ceremony, taking photos in the rain at the location of their first date – Bella Verona restaurant in Salem, Jay’s brother performing for everyone, and last but not least (and a surprise to all their guests) – the Bruins’ regular national anthem singer, Rene Rancourt showed up to sing! He did both the US and Canadian national anthems, and then some classic standard songs as well.

Although we were all nervous about the rain, thankfully it held off mostly – enough for some photos on Salem Common, in and around the gazebo.

Ceremony: St. John the Evangelist Church, Swampscott, MA
Reception: Hawthorne Hotel, Salem, MA

Florist: Flowers by Darlene
Cake: Montilio’s
DJ: Nu Image
Hair/Makeup: Euphoria Esthetics
Transportation: Salem Trolley

Share on Facebook

lisa & chris – married! northampton wedding photographer

brett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:09:06 +0000

I had such a great time at Lisa and Chris’ wedding! I was able to photograph both the bride and groom getting ready, which is always fun. And then I walked with the guys through the (very neat) town of Northampton to the church. It took a couple of tries, but we got that Abbey Road shot, I think! And then of course the arrival of Lisa and the girls in the red VW bus… Although I wasn’t able to shoot during the ceremony itself, I caught Lisa and her dad walking down the aisle, and then the very end. The VW bus was definitely a focus of many of the photos afterward – Chris had a great idea to get a shot of them in the hubcap – kind of a mini-fisheye look! And then we were able to go out for a few minutes during the reception to take a couple of photos around town – I think the Calvin theater shots were worth standing in the middle of the road.

At the reception, many of the details were handmade – the table signs, placecards, favors, and cake topper, to name a few. And once dinner was over, the Chicken Slacks kept the party going into the night – if you’re looking for a band, definitely check them out!

Ceremony: Unitarian Society of Northampton
Reception: Hotel Northampton

Florist: Durocher Florist
Cake: Chef Deb at Hotel Northampton
Band: The Chicken Slacks
Hair: Salon 241

Share on Facebook

clodagh & john – married! wayside inn wedding photographer

brett — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:56:16 +0000

Clodagh and John opted for doing the “formal” photos beforehand, so we were able to go around the grounds of the Wayside Inn a bit to multiple locations. I’ve only been there once before, and that was just at the chapel during the winter, so I’d never really gotten to see much of the rest of the place. Of course, it’s gorgeous! Too many places for photos – we started at the grist mill, went to the actual historic inn, and also the old orange schoolhouse and the meadow in front of the chapel. The details of everything were just lovely, and the couple was so calm and collected throughout the day! I’m glad to have been a part of it.

Ceremony: Martha Mary Chapel at the Wayside Inn
Reception: Wayside Inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts

Share on Facebook

megan & zach – married! glen magna wedding photographer danvers

brett — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:02:09 +0000

Wow! What an amazing way to start off my “official” wedding season! A beautiful location that I’ve never shot at before, a wonderful couple who put so many little touches into their wedding, a fun wedding party, and a band that kept all of their family and friends on the dance floor all night long (and family & friends who can really party!).

I can’t believe I’ve never shot a wedding at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers before. I lived in Beverly for over three years, just one town over! Well, I’m glad to have rectified that now. Apparently we were really lucky (not only with the beautiful weather), because the flowers bloomed early this year – the wonderful purple glow above the couple during the ceremony especially was just perfect. I was a little pressed for time because there are just too many wonderful spots to take photos at Glen Magna. Thankfully Megan and Zach didn’t mind going across the property to a few different spots – aren’t they so cute? They look like they’re straight from a magazine… And no, you’re not seeing double – Zach’s twin brother was his best man – and had some “twin humor” in his toast – how much wisdom he’d gained as the older brother (by one minute!).

Thanks you guys for making my job easy! I hope you enjoy the sneak peek… This is a pretty long one! So much to share.

Ceremony and Reception Location: Glen Magna Farms, Danvers Massachusetts

Flowers: Audrey’s Flower Shop
Cake: Cakes for Occasions
Band: Groove Authority
Caterer: Vinwood

Share on Facebook