Beach Blanket Memories: Bright Blue Breakers Beauty

When it comes to the beach, any day is a good day, even when it's a cool, crisp day in early spring. I photographed this at The Breakers Hotel and Resort, that lovely iconic property that makes brides-to-be and golfers, alike, swoon. But, on this day, it was all about the blues - of the sky and of the water - and the bright snap of yellow of the flag mounted on the lifeguard stand. 

Photograph by Shannon Finney, West Palm Beach, Florida, March 2013

Beach Blanket Memories: Sea and Shadows

As we approach summer's end, and the first anniversary of super storm Sandy, it's nice to think back to memories from summer's past, especially to those summers I've spent in Spring Lake, New Jersey. After a day on the beach, the setting sun marks the start of another favorite beach past time - walking the boardwalk. And while Sandy left its marks on the Spring Lake boardwalk, it can never destroy these surf side memories.

Photograph by Shannon Finney, Spring Lake, New Jersey, August 2010

Getting Wed With a Little Help from My Friends: Foul Weather Friends (Yes, There's a Happy Ending:)

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor derecho with drenching rains, nor downed trees and power outages could keep this bride from having an incredible wedding day! Brittany and her BFFs braved the aftermath of a brutal storm to pull off a beautiful wedding day. With friends like these, I'd be all smiles, too:)

Getting Wed with a Little Help From Their Friends: Bethany and Cam Go Back to School

For Bethany and Cam, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC served as the backdrop for their wedding celebration, and their friends pitched in, doing everything from catering the wedding feast, baking the wedding cake, providing music for the ceremony and reception, and making this a too-cool-for-high school wedding day!

Getting Wed with a Little Help From My Friends: Kate and the Delta Zetas!

For Kate's Old Town Alexandria, VA wedding, there was no shortage of well-wishers - from family and church members to classmates, you could feel the love. But, the most fun group of all were Kate's sorority sisters from Delta Zeta. Dressed in fun jewel-tone dresses, the ladies hit the dance floor with their newly-married BFF, proving, once again, that your big day is big fun when your friends are there to share it with you:)

Let Them Eat Cake: For This Cake Cutting, Any Ski Doo Will Do!

When Shannon and Chris got married, they incorporated the lush reds of Chris's family Tartan into every element of the wedding day, including Shannon's red sash, the flowers on the wedding cake, and, other accents. What they didn't plan on, though, was incorporating a little bit of Scotland into the cutting of the cake! As the couple approached the cake table and the guests assembled around them, there was something missing - the cake knife. Ever resourceful, Shannon noticed the ceremonial dagger, called a Sgian Dugh (and usually pronounced skee-doo by us non-Gaelic speakers:), that her groom had tucked into his sock. There never was a more handsome cake cutter:)

Let Them Eat Cake: Not Even A Wedding Cake Catastrophe Could Slow Down This Couple

When Kelly and Yves were planning their wedding day, I'm sure that the one thing they didn't anticipate was a wedding cake disaster, but that's exactly what happened when
the wedding cake they ordered never showed up at their reception. Luckily, the couple's reception venue, the Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, VA, was on the case. Their kitchen flew into action, whipping up a multi-tier cake on the day of the wedding - no small task!