A Whirlwind Of Weddings - Photos, Photos, Photos!

It was one of the first weddings that I ever photographed. This man came up to me at the reception, somewhat drunk, and asked me why I was a wedding photographer. His attitude reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld in the episode "The Big Salad" when he found out that the girl he was dating had previously dated Newman, his slimy archenemy.

Jerry confronted the woman and said in shocked disgust, "You went out ... with Newman?"

She answered, "Just a few times."

Then Jerry, with an unadulterated look of revolution on his face, asked, "Why?!"

"Why?!"

But back to the drunk guy.

He had once been a wedding photographer and absolutely hated it, he told me, which explained why he was so stunned that anyone could actually enjoy it. Honestly, at the time, I wasn't sure if I enjoyed wedding photography or not. It was still a new venture for me, and, plus, it made me extra money, so, why not?

Today I would have to say my attitude toward wedding photography has only grown increasingly enthusiastic. I love it! And I had the privilege this past August to shoot a wide variety of weddings that, as always, offered a plethora of people, places, and photographs. From honky tonk crowds to Hampton Beach to classy clients from New York. It's been a whirlwind of weddings!

This blog post is a celebration of all the happy couples I was able to get to know, and a glimpse of the many, many wonderful photographs I had the opportunity to shoot!

Click any of the photos to enlarge.

Rhiannon and Anthony

I loved the honky-tonk vibe at this wedding, the wild times at the reception, and the juxtaposition of beautiful girls and beautiful dresses against 4X4 trucks at the county fair grounds. Did I mention the bride did her first ever keg stand? This was a crowd that wasn't afraid to have fun, which is the sort of crowd that keeps me on my toes.

Cady and Garrett

This was a very traditional wedding with some of the most friendly people I've ever worked with. Since the bride and groom had never kissed, their family and friends did everything they could to make sure the young couple did plenty of smooching at the reception for everyone else's amusement. The result? Hours of hilarity!

Rebecca and Jason

I don't think I've ever been surrounded by so many classy-looking people who weren't afraid to act really silly. This was a very upscale wedding at The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH, but the groom had a terrific sense of humor which unleashed a whole load of goofiness in many of the guests. And did I mention the most heart-meltingly adorable flower girl EVER?!

Abigail and Chad

There are two types of brides—those who give me little direction and just want me to snap pictures at will, and those who come prepared with long lists of very specific photographs for me to capture. Abigail is the latter, a bride with very specific tastes! She knew exactly what she wanted and came prepared with props, photographic examples, and a large time slot for post-ceremony photos, which made my job a breeze!

Beth and Peter

I've done several weddings for middle-aged couples and they're always unique. Such couples approach the whole wedding from a very different point of view than the younger ones. Young couples tend to focus more on details and aesthetics while making sure they have a perfect wedding day. More mature people usually focus on family, friends, and comfort in a more relaxed atmosphere. It's always a nice change of pace.

Olivia and Chad

I won't lie, this one was my favorite! But, I'm biased, because the groom was my cousin. Still, it takes the cake because I've always wanted to do a beach wedding, and, fortunately for everyone involved, we had beautiful weather for it! Chad and Olivia had also never kissed, and so the anticipation leading up to the big moment was evident on both of their faces. They were a very affectionate couple with obvious passion and love, which makes for nothing but amazing photographs!


Know anybody who is getting married? I work all throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. Message me, or visit my website, www.isleofturmak.com.

Short-Circuiting Self-Sabotage To Win At Financial Recovery

To me, the hands-down best episodes of the hit sitcom Seinfeld are the ones where Jerry and George get to make a TV sitcom for NBC, and fail in spectacular fashion—though ultimately the failure is not their fault.

True to form, it's the slow-witted George Costanza—who believes that God will never allow him to be successful—and his self-sabotaging antics that nearly ruin their chances at fame. First he tries negotiating with the network for more money, which results in him and Jerry actually getting less. Then he gets involved in a romantic relationship with one of the show's producers, whom he ends up despising, but he's too afraid of losing their sitcom to he breaks up with her. Then he begins irritating the cast members. Then he has that "white discoloration" on his lip that he's convinced is terminal cancer. All of his nervousness over the possibility of success make almost incapable of actually becoming successful. In fact, he is pretty much the quintessential example of a hopeless, self-sabotaging individual.

Self-sabotage happens a lot with financial recovery. After a few months of disciplined budgeting and careful spending, some people start to miss the excitement of shopping, swiping credit cards, eating out, or entertainment. So they find themselves wandering the aisles of the mall "just to look," but in actuality they're feeding the growing urges to spend. Or they might start borrowing money from one area, like grocery money, to splurge in another.

Over time these little decisions short-circuit the entire budget, cause the person to get discouraged, and throw in the towel because they "just can't do it."

If you can’t break your addiction to financial excitement, you’re never going to achieve the kind of financial life that gives you peace.

True, spending money is exciting, and, yes, it's true that getting out of debt can be a total bore, but nothing good ever came from lazy behavior. Words like "discipline," "steadfastness," and "structure," are words that successful people are very familiar with. You want to loose weight? Discipline! You want to change your lifestyle? Steadfastness! You want to be rich some day? Get structured!

Here's another word: routine.

When it comes to getting in better physical shape, for example, I've noticed that the people who actually succeed at doing this have established routines. They don't work out every single day because they feel like—although sometimes they may feel like—they just do it.

How should paying off debt and building wealth be any different? How do you create more routine with money, and, most importantly, how do you stay on track when you're feeling bored or resistant.

Here are some ideas:

• Like Dave Ramsey always says, make a list. Even if the first item on your list says, "Make list," at least it will help you feel like you've accomplished something. Try listing your smallest debts first—credit card, car, house. Make a list of weekly budget-related tasks—Get groceries: $100, Get cleaning supplies: $20. Until you give yourself structure, you won't have any at all.


• Hold regular budget meetings. For the first year after FPU Dani and I met faithfully every week to go over our budget. Once we felt more confident in the process, we started meeting every couple of weeks. The point is, we meet and go over the budget together on a regular basis because there is no "one size fits all" budget. It has to be revisited every month, or seasonally at least.


• Dani and I have learned that we make better progress when we have hard and fast goals. We got more work done on the upstairs renovation in three days than we had in a month because we found out the realtor was coming to show our house on the weekend. And, in the past, whenever we have been adamantly focused on paying off a debt we have succeeded more quickly than we anticipated. Having goals works!


• Having fun is key to staying sane throughout this whole process. So what can you do to have fun that doesn't involve spending money? Dani loves to go to the beach. I like to chill in my hammock and read a book or write on my laptop. During the holidays we like to go look at Christmas lights. Museums. Parks. Parades. There's lots of fun, affordable entertainment to find if you look for it.

It can be hard to shift your mindset from over-spending to something as mundane as list-making and budgeting, but you have to believe that this is what will have the biggest impact on your level of financial peace. The more routine you establish, the better your chances of nipping those self-sabotaging behaviors in the bud.

Keep pinchin' :-)