Vanessa & Chip's wedding

Vanessa and Chip, who live and work in our nation's capital, Washington D.C., and Vanessa being a Dartmouth graduate, couldn't have picked a better date for their Hanover, NH wedding. July 4th. The red, white and blue banners, the flags, even the town celebration on the green made it feel as if the entire town was in on their party.

Getting ready. Justin, Chip's groomsman, made it his job to know how to tie a bow-tie and single-handedly put the final touches on the outfits of all the groomsmen and the bride and groom's fathers.

The groom and his dad.

The porch of the Hanover Inn is the prime spot in Hanover to sit and watch the world go by, as generations of Dartmouth alumni can attest. On this day most everyone was watching this handsome fellow and his friends.

The flower girls, taking a minute away from the formal photos to check out the view.

The guys head off across the Green to the ceremony site.




Rollins Chapel, inside and out.

It rarely happens that the groom has a moment in the church before all of the guests arrive.

(As an aside, I think that this is one of those instances that illustrates the power of still photography. As compared to a movie, for instance, there is something riveting about how a solitary image, a single moment in time, can speak volumes. We humans are creatures raised on stories, and our brains are wired to automatically supply the missing narrative. What is he going through at this moment? All of us who are or have been married know just how intense your feelings can be before the ceremony. Is he excited? Nervous? Prayerful? Absorbed in the details of the next hour, or visualizing his life's path for years to come? It's all there for us to guess at, chew upon, wonder about, because the camera has pulled this single moment out of the stream of onrushing time and set it aside for us to contemplate.)

Chip takes a minute with the minister, a family friend, before the service.

Vanessa was a great sport about the day's uncooperative weather. Most of the formal photos were moved inside as the rain wouldn't let up. We did what we could inside and under the awning of the Hanover Inn, but she never gave up hope that the rain might stop long enough for the wedding party to walk Rollins Chapel. And, amazingly, it did let up - just in time.

Let the party begin...

The Daniel Webster Room, where I actually used to wait tables in my undergraduate days :)

The Hanover Inn is a really wonderful place to have a reception. With the covered patio, Vanessa and Chip were able to have their cocktail party outdoors even with the rain. There are many sites for formal photos both inside and out. Alanna, the event coordinator, attended to every detail of the day and was a real joy to work with. And, last but not least, the food was absolutely incredible.








The dance floor was full all night. Certainly, Chip wasn't going to be out-danced by these flower girls, up far past their bedtime. Chip and Vanessa each have an amazing family, and together they have a wonderful group of friends. As the evening unfolded, we were able to talk to many people. We discussed photography, we learned more about Vanessa and Chip and the people who played a part in their wedding day, and we were thanked repeatedly by various people just for being there. By the end of they day we certainly felt like part of the family.









Chip and Vanessa said their goodbyes and slowly left the reception. Once again, the rain let up just long enough so that they could stroll through town and continue the party at the Canoe Club with their large group of die-hard friends. It was the perfect ending to a spectacular day. Congratulations, V-Chip!