We shot Stacy’s Bridals in the beautifully restored O’Donnell House on Tuesday.  How I wish I could post some…..but I have to wait until after the wedding!!  Stacy looked amazing, and has the best smile ever!! She just lights up when she smiles!   I am glad that I am working with Stacy - She is very excited about the photography for her wedding, which in turn, excites me!  I love it when I get clients that are just as passionate about their images, as I am about creating them!  Originally, I had already marked off Stacy’s wedding date in my calendar, as a “rest” Saturday for me, because it was right in the middle of a long string of weddings , but when she called me and told me how she felt about her wedding images and how excited she was and that she really wanted to use me… I caved.   Who needs to rest anyway? Haha!!!  Thanks Stacy for being so much fun to shoot!!! 

Autumn is a friend of mine that I used to work with.   You know in my “about me” section on my website where it says that all my co-workers talked me into shooting my first wedding…. well she was one of them- haha!!  She, Randy and their two kids- Wyatt and Avery met me for some family pictures!  I can’t believe how big Wyatt is- I remember when he was born!!!  Thanks Autumn and it was so great getting to see you and your family again!!

Wedding Season is upon us….well upon ME that is!   In just three short weeks, my weekends will be a crazy, hectic rush of wedding gowns, churches, cakes, families, rings, little flowers girls who don’t want to walk down the aisle, and my fabulous Brides and Grooms!   I have been trying to get all aspects of my life in order before the wedding season kicks off- because once it starts, there is little time for anything else.  Wedding “Season”- kinda sounds like a sport huh? haha!!  Well, it kinda is for me!  I will be starting off the season with 14 weddings straight in a row ….yes, say a little prayer for me!  Then I will have a few weekends free before I get geared up for the Fall weddings- whew!  Crazy?- yes, but I LOVE it!!  

With all this talk of weddings, I decided to post some information / ideas about different aspects of the Wedding day that I found while surfing around on the internet - Enjoy:

On Formal Portraits: (Copied from http://www.ourweddingplus.com/blog)

There she stood. Center stage. The overhead spotlights pointed down on the soft curls that draped her shoulders. She had been smiling for so long her cheeks looked exhausted and the creases along her eyes became pronounced. Her new husband rubbed her neck as she waited for the next round of family members to take their places on each side of her and the groom. Once everyone is arranged, the camera crackles a few times and documents the moment…for only the bride to look and count at least six more groups of people who are waiting for formal portraits.

This is not merely a story. It’s a scene that is played again and again at weddings across the nation. So often the bride and groom lose precious time together and/or enjoying the simple moments of their day to the notion that formal portraits with many people is a necessity. As a wedding photographer, I encourage my clients to keep family formal portraits to a bare minimum…and by this I mean keeping group shots exactly that: group

Often times there’s a silent pressure to capture every possible portrait combination (i.e. Groom with aunt and uncle, Groom with aunt, Groom with uncle, Groom with maternal cousins, Groom with paternal cousins, etc.), but in reality those pictures are harbored away because people don’t want to remember a single person in a single moment, they want to remember everyone captured as a sliver of their wedding day

I encourage brides to set aside a large portion of time to spend alonewith their groom and photographer. During your first few moments as husband and wife, make sure the photographer can capture the joy and elation of the day without pressure from family members rushing to get to the cocktail hour. Afterall, most couples want a wedding album with a mix of candid and traditional photographs of them on their wedding day…and not pages of formal pictures and poses. A wedding album is the first heirloom a couple will create for future generations, so I want to stress the importance of giving enough time to relax with the photographer and capture timeless moments as husband and wife.

Be sure to take a step back and decide in advance exactly what formal portraits you want captured…and then set aside time to enjoy your wedding day with your new spouse and photographer. You’ll be able to look back at see the delicious fruits of your decisions for years to come!

On Detail Shots: (http://www.ourweddingplus.com/blog)

Here are a few helpful tips in planning a little detail time for your wedding photographer:
• Have everything you’d like photographed (e.g. dress, veil, rings, shoes, etc.) ready and organized for the photographer. This will make things so much smoother and time effective.
• Try to allot ten minutes before the grand entrance so the photographer can capture table shots—images of your centerpieces and favors—and seating arrangement details before guests place personal items on their seats during the reception.
• Be sure and talk with your photographer about special touches and sentimental considerations. For instance, are you wearing your great-grandmother’s broach? Are you releasing love-birds? Are the groom’s cufflinks an heirloom?

On Hair piece trends: (http://www.ourweddingplus.com/blog/2010/01/)

Well, it is official the birdcage veil which was all the rage in the 1950’s is definitely one of the hottest wedding trends in 2010. I wasn’t a fan at first but, after attending a bridal fashion show this weekend I’ve changed my mind. One of the models wore a birdcage veil and she looked chic and elegant in every gown she walked down the runway in. Her veil came to the edge of her chin and was attached with rhinestone hair clips on each side, and let me just say, it delicately framed her face beautifully.

 As with many fashion trends Hollywood happens to be our inspiration and this certainly holds true with the birdcage veil too! The top photos are of Katherine Heigl and Jamie Presley at their recent weddings and the bottom photos are movie weddings with Jessica Alba in the Fantastic Four and Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama.

Now there are many versions of the birdcage veil, for instance it can be adorned with silk flowers or feathers or it can come to the chin or just cover the eyes. But just keep in mind with any style I suggest you sample them all. You never know what will look best on YOU until you give it a try.

If you do decide on a birdcage veil I personally recommend you keep the gown on the simple and elegant side and definitely wear the veil with confidence.

Check out this website to find your own unique Hair piece- made by one of my 2010 Brides- ANNA!!  Primandposies

I met Courtney and Evan downtown on Friday, to start off their engagement shoot in my favorite alley…..but it was soaking wet!!!  And with Courtney’s beautiful WHITE dress- that just wouldn’t work.  It hadn’t rained, but every alley was wet, so apparently they wash the alleys downtown???  News to me- but looks like they do!  So after that ruined my plans, we moved along to an old house that is owned by Evan’s family.  They have been working on it for a number of years, and it is gorgeous!!!! I would’ve plundered around that whole house if I could, but there work to be done!   We shot in a couple places in and around the house, then moved on to location #3 for some cool shots with a cool car! Love it! Thanks guys for a great shoot!!  And see Courtney- you DO have a great “No” smile!!!!  haha!!  : )

Here are some of my favs from Kris and Jessica’s engagement session, last thursday!

I cannot believe that Ella is already 1 year old!! She came to the studio yesterday for her one year pictures and was soooo cute, as always! It seemed like she wanted to jump and run so bad, but wasn’t quite there yet- so she entertained me with her dancing instead- haha! I loved the one image of her standing by the pedestal- it looks like she’s screaming “rock on”- hahaha!!! Thank you so much for letting me document Ella’s first year!!

And here is a special slideshow of Ella- from pregnancy to one year!!! 

The last button on the right shows in fullscreen!!

Amy brought her two little ones to the studio this morning for some pictures……however, like every other kid their age, they had no interest in pictures whatsoever! haha!!!  It’s amazing what a football will do though!   At one point, both the boys bumped heads and Amy exclaimed “welcome to my life” - I thought that was so funny! And I love the images that resulted from that “head bump” - although i”m sorry they had to get hurt in the process- haha!!  Thanks Amy, Walker and Reese!!

I met Amanda and Justin downtown yesterday for their engagement session. I must say, Amanda was a trooper in that short sleeve shirt!! Every time we got ready to shoot, she took her coat off and endured the freezing wind!! Now that is dedication!  I was bundled up all warm in my fleece- haha!!!   We also found a great old building  that I had never noticed to shoot in (see the last set of images) - I loved it!!   Thanks you two- it was fun!!

I shot Morgan’s B-sesh last Thursday. We started out at the O’Donnell House - which has been beautifully restored and is back in business for receptions, etc- check it out!  Then we headed to Beaufort to Sheldon Church Ruins- one of my all time fav places to shoot!   The lighting always seems to be perfect at Sheldon for some reason! It was nice and overcast and just perfect!   Morgan looked absolutely stunning (makeup application by Savanah Davis of N Salon and Spa)…. too bad I can’t show you any images yet- you will just have to check back after her wedding to see them!!  Thanks Morgan- it was so much fun and you were so beautiful!!

Caleb came to the studio yesterday for his 1 year old photo session! And he got a big surprise- his mommy had the biggest cupcake for him to enjoy! and boy did he! He had icing everywhere!! haha!! I just love this little guy’s smile!