Jackie’s Armenian Baptism

I have featured this beautiful family on my blog before, so it is very exciting for me to be able to also share this momentous occasion with you.

Jackie’s Armenian Baptism was nothing short of beautiful. The Armenian culture is one with a huge focus on family, and that is something that I learned very quickly throughout my time photographing various milestones with this family…It was inspiring to see how supportive and loving everyone is of each other. Family flew in from all over the world to be there and support Jackie as she was baptized at Holy Cross Armenian Church.

After the baptism we made our way over to 90 State Street Events for a beautiful gold and creme themed reception.

Loved the stained glass windows in the church!

Time for the Godmother to get baby Jackie all ready!

There were so many beautiful details in this church ceremony…

Jackie was really scared at first…

such an emotional moment for mom and dad

Once Jackie hit the water though, she calmed right down…

I even got a little smile from her!

The raw emotion on Grandma and mom’s face here…there are few things more beautiful than the love of a mother for her child.

In this part of the ceremony Jackie was anointed with oils, the emotions were still running very high for everyone involved…

We made it through the tough parts! What a proud Godfather!

Such a cute moment between the parents!

And finally, that gorgeous smile of Isabel’s that we love so much!

I couldn’t resist sharing this one outtake from between family formal pictures!   I thought that the single orchid plants on each table were super classy and really let the room and high ceilings stand out as the decor stars of the reception.

Now for one of my favorite parts!  This absolutely gorgeous dessert bar!

After capturing some shots of the room, we made our way up to cocktail hour where everyone was letting loose and enjoying the delicious food catered by Mazzone Hospitality.

Sweet little Jackie was so worn out from her ceremony, that she needed a little nap…

After cocktail hour it was time for speeches from Dad and the Godfather.

I loved seeing the faces of the Godparents while dad gave his speech.

Time for a little kiss from the guest star of the speeches!

Finally mom and dad took a few minutes to themselves to reflect on the experiences of the day while Jackie was napping.

I took them outside, where we used Downtown Albany as our backdrop for some portraits.

This one might be my favorite, every time I photograph this couple I like to make them kiss…this was Isabel’s reaction to my request <3.

It was time to wake up baby Jackie for a few pictures and to get her ready for some dancing!

Proud dad!

I really just love the dynamic between this couple!  They are so much fun!

And of course we needed to grab a shot of the star entering on her red carpet!

In the Armenian culture, there is a tradition where the baptized is lifted into the air while everyone is dancing…this is when the fun and dancing really takes off…

They had a really cool drummer that rallied the party.

And as Isabel promised a lot of “Pinky Dancing.”

Jackie had a long day, but we still had to cut the cake.

As any mom knows, sweets are quite good at bringing out baby smiles 😉

Thank you to Isabel and Dave for inviting me to capture such an intimate and beautiful occasion in their lives.  Also a special thank you to Alice Corey for second shooting for me!