Fiona and Ian Say I Do! Sun. October 26, 2008 i do
I met Fiona on a cold, rainy day in New York last year while I was in town for some reason or another. Over lunch, she shared with me her plans for her wedding, the reasons she loved Ian, her then-fiancee, and a little bit about her past. One subject turned to another, and I remember asking her when and how she knew that Ian was the one for her. She may not even remember this conversation, but she said something then that I never forgot and have thought of often since. She told me that when she was in college she had a boyfriend with whom she had a lot in common, but who ultimately wasn't right for her. She said, "I don't doubt that my college boyfriend loved me, but it was nothing like this. With Ian, I never have to worry--I am the center of his world".
This is how I knew that I liked Ian before I ever met him.
The night before the wedding, I stopped by the church in Memphis where the wedding would take place the next day. With all the hustle and bustle that was going on, Ian took the time to introduce me to himself, his family, and his groomsmen, who are as awesome and diverse as he is. They flew from literally, all over the world to stand up for him in his wedding.
I am so honored to have been chosen to photograph this wedding. I feel that after spending time with this couple, I know more about what love should look like, and I hope that I was able to capture that for them.
Onto the photos!
It's always good to kick things off (pun intended) with a blingy pair of shoes:
Fiona's other bling:
This whole look was so gorgeous. The gown was by Reem Acra and fit her absolutely perfectly:
Mom's first proud look at her only daughter:
This is what she saw--she certainly is gorgeous, isn't she??
Ian and his hunka hunka burnin' groomsmen (hey, it was a memphis wedding, and with these glasses, I couldn't resist)
Fiona helping dad out before he walks her down the aisle:
Fiona fought me tooth and nail before the wedding. Although it was going to be dark after the ceremony, she was firm that she wanted Ian's expression as she first appeared to walk down the aisle. Turned out she was right--he was excited!
This church was so beautiful and I loved the traditional but beautiful feel of this photo:
Right after the ceremony. Tech info--no flash, 3200 ISO, 1/60th of a second, shot BW in camera:
Of course we had to stop off at Beale Street on the way to the reception!
The party was held at the famous Peabody Hotel. Gorgeous, isn't it?
I was impressed with these moves!
One really cool thing about this couple is how into each other and aware of one another they were. It was never hard to find them together to capture private moments like these:
They had a killer bluesy band play:
One the way to cut the cake--I love their excitement!
Right after cutting--an impromptu kiss.
Fiona and Ian, thank you for sharing your day with me. You are wonderful!!! Also, a VERY VERY BIG thank you to my good friend Crystal Goss of Arkansas for driving all the way down to shoot this with me. Love ya girl!
Thea & Nilsson Say, "I do"! Fri. October 17, 2008 i do
Wow, this month has been crazy! I have tried to figure out the best way to get all caught up here, but really the only way to do it is to start at the beginning and work my way through.
A few weeks ago, I made my way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for Thea and Nilsson's wedding extravaganza! I've actually been looking forward to this wedding all year, because I knew that it would be an absolutely beautiful event and I could not wait to work with this couple. I was certainly not disappointed.
The morning of the wedding, Thea kicked it off early with her hair and makeup, but she was in amazing spirits all day. There's nothing better than a bride that is genuinely happy and excited to be getting married!
We headed back to Thea's parents' beautiful home so she could put on her gown. Fun fact about the gown--it was designed by Austin Scarlet from Project Runway for Kenneth Pool
Getting a little help from Mom, Gail and Sis, Isabel:
Is she stunning or what? Seriously, she belongs on the cover of a bridal magazine:
I LOVED this bouquet! The sparkle, the purple...yum!
The contrast of the girls dresses and those flowers made the colors POP:
After spending all morning with the girls, I headed over to the guys. Let's face it, they're really, really, ridiculously good looking:
And funny!
One cool thing about the ceremony was the choir that came down the aisle singing. It added a touch of drama!
The light as the girls were about to walk down was so beautiful:
I love this moment between Thea and her dad:
First kiss!
Again, that beautiful light...
Woo hoo!
Thea & Nilsson have a classic look. I loved this shot in BW:
Talk about location! The museum where the reception was held was absolutely killer. How many people can say a giant plane hung above their dance floor? Plus, check out the capitol building lit up outside:
The coolest element of the wedding--not one but TWO Sylvia Weinstock cakes. Every element of both of these cakes is edible. Those flowers are made of sugar and are so incredibly detailed:
Everything from the flags to the rocks and shells on this grooms cake was made of sugar also:
It was a shame to cut it but it was GOOD!
The first dance was fabulous. Thea is a star dancer, dancing her way on the dance team all through college. I was very impressed with Nilsson's skills too!
That dress just floated:
This couple is just so in love and happy to be together. Getting to spend the whole weekend with them, their friends, and family was an experience I will never forget. One of my favorite moments was listening to the toasts at the rehearsal dinner and getting to know this couple through the eyes of their closest relatives and friends.
Thea & Nilsson, thank you SO much for allowing me to be a part of your day!
I have to give a special thanks to my friend Kyle Barnes for coming to shoot this wedding with me. I love this shot he got of me--thanks Kyle!!
Happy Birthday, Slugger! Thu. October 16, 2008 my life
For those of you who don't know, today is the 25th anniversary of Becker's 10th birthday! For those of you who are math-challenged, he is the big 3-5. In honor of such a special occasion, here's a little snapshot from about 25 or so years ago that I lifted from his house recently:
There's not much he loves more than birthday wishes and Amazon Gift Certificates so swing by his blog *RIGHT HERE* and leave him some love today!!
**it's always fun to get gifts from The Something Store or of course, QVC if you have a hankerin' :)
Yes, even more updates! Tue. October 14, 2008 people
Looks like I have a few more shoots I need to update you on! Did I mention I had a blast at Image X workshop in New Orleans? I've mentioned before that I don't do much teaching, but I had such a great time that I think I may open my private consulting back up later this month--anyone interested? Just leave a comment below if you are!
In New Orleans, I did manage to do a couple of non workshop related shoots. I did a shoot for an amazing couple, Kortnee and Ted who were in my Image X class. They were looking for some fun shots of the two of them, as well as some website-worthy ones. We got to talking about the big rebrand that they're doing, and I absolutely can't wait to see what they do. Check it out--they do a lot of tricks also, but you'll have to wait for the full post for those :)
Two cabs is better than one:
I also photographed Rachael Sizemore, Victor's wife. Rachael has some modeling experience and she sure can work it! Tons of these are fun also:
At Image X, we had really amazing models, this is Allison and Ricky:
Jamie and Rick:
Did I mention that a month or two ago, I shot a session for my friend Chenin? It was so cute and fun, and if you haven't seen her killer new blog, you should check it out RIGHT HERE
Photographers make great models, don't they?
Last but certainly not least, I shot a very special wedding for Anna and Chris in Monroe, Louisiana this past weekend. I can't wait to share this one with you, because it was really an incredible experience:
Whew! One more shoot today, a wedding in Hawaii this weekend, a trip to NYC next week, a wedding in Arizona the following week, and then a whole slew of Christmas/Holiday sessions, a likely trip to the Dominican Republic, a visit home to North Carolina, a cruise, and finally a New Years' Eve wedding in Atlanta, then I can call it a year and spend a few weeks sleeping!
Ah, the perils of traveling! This blog--dead in the water. My sleeping schedule--erratic at best. I do plan on making up for lost time as soon as I return back home in a couple of weeks. For now, here's a few updates on where I've been and what I've been doing, and a little foreshadowing of blog posts still awaiting you in your near future....(cue fugue music)
Thea and Nilsson were married on Oklahoma City in an absolutely spectacular wedding. The details of this one were awesome, the location unforgettable, and the kindness of their friends and family was overwhelming:
And they managed to shoot a day after session with me at 6am the next morning--isn't the light at sunrise amazing?
The miracle of life occurred! Baby Larkin Olivia was born to Kamee and Jaren, and she is a gorgeous rockstar baby who sleeps all day and parties all night. Case in point:
Ian and Vivien are going to be getting married on Kona, the Big Island of Hawaii next weekend which I will be shooting. I shot their engagement session last week:
I also made a trip to Memphis for Fiona and Ian's fabulous wedding! They were a gorgeous, emotional, beautiful couple and I can't wait to share these photos with you:
Monday and Tuesday of this week, I taught two days of classes at the Image X seminar, and shared photography and knowledge with over 60 awesome photographers.
All in all it was an exciting, whirlwind couple of weeks. This weekend I'm in Monroe, Louisiana for a very special wedding, which I can't wait to show you either. Internet access is very spotty here (there's no 3G network for my connection), but on Monday, regular long posts will resume! Thanks for staying with me!!
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