Li Ward photographer of pets and weddings. Fat Orange Cat Studio is a fresh and candid boutique photography service in Boston, Massachusetts.

I recently second shot with Lisa Rigby on a steamy afternoon in Bristol, Rhode Island. The ceremony venue was Colt State Park. So many beautiful things to photograph! Colorful silk drapes and saris, hand-made dresses, emotional reactions, and a blend of cultures that included a baraat to start off the ceremony and a “jumping of the broom” to end it.

^ Del’s frozen lemonade, a true sign of summer in RI!

The bride was kept out of sight all the way to the alter. Here she is with her parents waiting to proceed down the aisle. I stuck my lens in between the curtains of silk sheets to steal a behind-the-scenes peek.

Apparently stealing the groom’s shoes is a Very Big Deal. The bride’s brother was the one to accomplish this feat. Or feet. Ha ha.

Reception at CAV Restaurant in Providence, RI. The decor in this place…

The below photo is when the DJ busted out “Glory of Love” through the speakers. I don’t know what it is about this song but it hits this weird nerve in your brain, a nerve that has been laying dormant many years, and suddenly you’re shrieking OHMYGOD and it’s an onslaught of 1980′s memories whirling through your head. Rollerskating rinks, jelly shoes, Jem and the Holograms, your 3rd grade crush, RALPH MACCHIO. So much nostalgia in every line! And yet, it is truly a horrible, horrible song, the best horrible song ever recorded. But the reaction is nearly universal: everyone immediately stopped dancing and huddled close so they could concentrate on singing every word with the emotional gusto it deserves.

WE DID IT ALL FOR THE GLORY OF LOOOOOOOVE

Here are more calligraphy items I delivered the last couple of weeks.

Save the Date envelopes for Michele and Freddy’s intimate beach wedding that I’ll be photographing in October. Michele owns a hand-made invitation business and made these cards herself. The envelopes are Kraft-like from Paper Source. She let me do as I pleased (they all did really, yay!) so I went with a mix of cursive and script.

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Justine and Chris’s “In lieu of favors…” sign with illustrations. From top left going clockwise, they are Figaro, Clive the Springer, Lita the Chihuahua (the bride’s dog) and Freddy the Norfolk. Only Figaro spent time in a shelter :)

I just photographed their wedding this past weekend, and caught a couple of young guests studying the sign. One asked the other, “Can you read that?” Ha ha.

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Signs on faux chalk boards galore! When wedding planner Jennifer Cox of Esq. Events asked me if I’d be game to do these for her sister’s wedding, I thought, Why the hecks not? I have never written with chalk ink before – should be interesting. And it was! The only thing I didn’t take into account was how much time this would take. I thought I’d scribble these all out over a World Cup match. Match over, and only 5 boards done. 28+ more to go. Uh oh. Anyway, this was a mix of writing and drawing. I wrote the words in cursive, then drew and filled in the thickness on each letter. Jen gave me plenty of pens and I pretty much used up every single drop of chalk ink.

So we have various signs, table numbers one through twelve which will be inserted into the floral arrangements, main menus that will go on each table, and a couple of hors d’oeuvres menus.

I cannot wait to see how all these look in their final settings!

I met Willow and Nala recently for a photoshoot on a lovely almost-summer’s afternoon. Willow is a happy Jack Russell mix with Pippi Longstocking ears, Nala is a pretty calico with supersized thumbs. They’re moving to Chicago soon, so I was glad to be able to document a day in their South End home before they say farewell to Boston.

Hey now! A lot going on here at the studios of Fat Orange Cat. I’m excited to share some calligraphy work I’ve been commissioned to do. So far all my work has been confined to my growing stacks of notebooks. When it’s time to write “for real,” I am suddenly shaking with excess adrenalin. And admittedly, the first 3 envelopes or so ARE a little wobbly. But then pretty soon my arm is gaining some muscle memory, I’m getting into a rhythm, I’ve figured out the whole pen/paper/ink/pressure combination (different papers=different inks=different nibs=different pressure), and I’m all woohoo lookitmemommy I’m calligraphing like a big girl!

Well, not quite. I’ve used up pretty much all the extra envelopes I was given due to mistakes or clumsy smears. But I’ve jumped into the deep end so it’s sink or swim. Luckily, everyone so far has given me free reign to write how I want, so that helps calms the nerves. A lot.

First up, envelopes for Max and Bailey’s backyard wedding in Cambridge, MA, which I will be photographing {can’t wait}. Their friend Travis of Park Life Press made simple letterpress invitations on a really thick and creamy beveled card. Their guest list is small, so this was a great primer.

Next up, calligraphed envelopes for Amanda and Warren’s downtown Boston wedding, with a much bigger guest list. They found me through Rob of Goosefish Press here in the South End.  I found Rob recently myself while strolling through SOWA last month. Rob letterpressed their invitation suite on very soft cotton paper (made by Crane’s of Dalton MA, my favorite stationer). Inks tend to bleed easily on this paper, especially if you dilly dally, but luckily I found a nib and ink combo that kept the ink flowing nice and clean. And with 130 some-odd envelopes to calligraph, I eventually got the hang of it. I loosened up enough to even incorporate flourishes that didn’t look like I had suffered a massive stroke mid-stream.

Ink blot above was an accident. I like it, but rewrote it in case the clients didn’t.

More to come, including chalk boards and illustrations!