Recent Adventures at alyson levy PHOTOGRAPHY
I had such fun with Serena and her family at the Hoyt Arboretum last weekend. Portland treated us to a dry, sunny winter day, and we took full advantage of it. It seems like only yesterday I was photographing her mom and dad’s wedding, then their maternity session and her newborn photos… I can’t believe she’s already a year old! Kids are a great reminder of how time flies, and I love when I get to see them for photos along the way.
I’m having such a blast visiting with baby Mayda and her family to document her first year! For her 6 month session, I met these precious little girls and their adorable parents at the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island near Portland, Oregon. It was a beautiful early fall morning, and the Patch was still dry and lovely – a perfect day for picking pumpkins. I can’t believe how fast little Mayda is growing up! Happy Fall, everyone!
I couldn’t have been more delighted to spend Sarah and Becca’s big day with them. These two lovely ladies met in elementary school, so it was fitting that they should tie the knot at McMenamins Kennedy School, a converted elementary school in NE Portland, Oregon. After a beautiful wedding ceremony in the courtyard (during which – I admit it – I joined in on some of the happy tears), the celebration in the school gym was lively and fun, filled with laughter, love, beautiful people and beautiful things. As a side note, this was only my second time photographing a gay wedding (and my first here in Portland) but I hope to photograph many more in the years to come!
Meagan and Cody are from the Seattle area, but decided to make Portland, Oregon their “destination wedding” – and I’m so glad they did! They got married in a beautiful ceremony at McMenamins Edgefield’s Blackberry Meadow and followed with a lovely and fun reception at Blackberry Hall. I think my favorite part was when we stole away during dinner to take some photos with just the happy couple in the Edgefield vineyards during the last, golden light of the day (though the amazing, colorful Voodoo Doughnuts display was pretty awesome – and a very Portland touch!).
I’m so excited to photograph Becca + Sarah’s wedding later this month! When we met up at Mt. Tabor Park in SE Portland last weekend to take some engagement photos we got to see a beautiful sunset, snuggled with their adorable pups, and generally had great fun. I’m so happy with the way the photos turned out! Stay tuned for more with this adorable couple.
Ben + Leora got married this summer on a beautiful, windy day in late August. Despite having to roll with a few punches, weather-wise, it was an amazing day, full of friends and family, live klezmer music, delicious Tastebud pizza and decadent Baker & Spice cake. It was lovely to get to celebrate with these two, and to see some familiar faces from Leora’s friend Neon’s wedding, which I photographed a few years ago. (I love it when my clients tell their friends about me! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.) And even the tricky weather was mostly a win for me, since I love those dramatic skies in my photography. Congratulations, you two, and thanks for having me!
When Riki and Jacob contacted me about photographing their wedding, they were living in Jerusalem, visiting family and learning more about their Jewish faith and heritage, so I was very excited to work with them – I love weddings with different stories and traditions. I think my favorite thing about Jewish weddings (and Jews in general) is the propensity to break into songs of celebration (I tend to break into song a fair amount myself, but it’s hardly ever the case that a hundred people in the area join me, though I wish they did). The wedding took place on a sunny but somewhat smoky day just outside of Portland, Oregon at the Arbor School, where Jacob attended as a kid. It was such a fun place for a wedding! Add beautiful DIY dried flower and ribbon decorations all over the grounds, delicious food and two different great live bands, and it really was quite a party.
Bethanie and Daniel are an Army couple, so they planned their Cape Horn Estate wedding remotely. Bethanie also folded over one thousand origami paper cranes and strung them together on threads with beads to decorate the wedding venue, which sounds a little crazy, until you see them. Then you say, wow – that was totally worth it. In the end, they had a beautiful, intimate wedding ceremony officiated by an Army Chaplain friend, with their friends and family looking on. Such a great day! Congratulations, you two!
