Happy New Year!

WOW....is it just me or did this year fly by? It has certainly been a crazy year for many people. When I think of 2009 several things come to mind: The first African-American President, the Recession, the many celebrities we've lost, the foreclosures, the companies that have had to close their doors...the list goes on. It's been a rough year for many.

I am thankful to NOT have been affected by the recession too much. I was able to go part time at my corporate job and pursue my photography on a full time basis. Many people probably thought I was crazy for going part time during a recession, but I am glad that I did.

I got to photograph so many wonderful people this year and attend so many beautiful weddings. So with that said...I wanted to do a post to thank all of my wonderful 2009 clients. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your lives.

I'd also like to say thank you to all my family & friends for your continued support and to my blog readers (even though you never comment)!

I hope 2010 will be a FABULOUS year for us all!

Here is a highlight of almost all of my 2009 weddings.
The only one missing is Sarai & Jose which will be posted soon so stay tuned!



*SIDE NOTE*

THERE WILL BE A PRICE INCREASE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 15, 2010.
IF YOU WANT TO LOCK IN OUR 2009 RATES, WE MUST RECEIVE A SIGNED CONTRACT AND YOUR RESERVATION FEE BY THIS DATE.
PLEASE CONTACT ME TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

Ann Marie & Scott {Engagement Session}

I think I have found my new favorite spot for photos. It's on the Phenix City side of the dam. This particular day we couldn't get as close as I normally do because all the recent rain had raised the water levels. But Ann Marie & Scott's images turned out to be some of my favorites!

Unfortunately I won't be photographing their wedding as they are getting married in their home state! I am sure the wedding will be beautiful!

Best Wishes to you both!



Click HERE for slideshow.
*slideshows expire in 60 days*

Lita & Greyson {Family Portraits}

These are Mother & Son Portraits of my friend Lita & her son Greyson. I think my favorite shots are the UNPOSED shots. Any time I had them do the traditional poses, they would burst into laughter because "that is so not them."

Sometimes the best shots in life are the ones that come naturally!




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*slideshows expire in 60 days*

Happy Anniversary Samantha & Dana!

Happy 1st Anniversary!



I hope you have many more!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas!

We are throwing a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party this Saturday! I am SO excited! To encourage participation, we ordered a trophy for the person with the ugliest sweater!

Check back next week for pictures! :)

Jamie & Greg {Wedding- Part 2}

Part 2 of Jamie & Greg's wedding was the traditional American ceremony. They chose Oakhurst Farm...which is so beautiful! It happened to be one of the coldest and rainiest days though, so unfortunately they had to move the wedding indoors and we didn't get to utilize the Oakhurst property as planned.

It still worked out well though, because Oakhurst Farm is beautiful inside and out. Plus there may be a part 3 to this blog in the Spring of 2010 as we might go back out there to do additional photos!

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*slideshows expire in 60 days*

Thanks to Emma Steinmetz Photography for assisting!!

VENDORS

Venue: Oakhurst Farm
Cake: The Cake Lady- Fran Papenfuss
Florals: Designs By Mayumi
Caterer:
DJ:
Dress:
Tux:
Hair & Make-up:

*more info on vendors to come soon!<p>

Jamie & Greg {Wedding-part 1}

*long blog alert*

I was so excited to photograph Jamie & Greg's wedding!! I've known Greg's family for over 10 years so it was obvious that my gift to them would be their wedding photography.

This is part 1 of their 2 part blog. The day started at 8:30am! So this was the LONGEST wedding day ever! The Vietnamese Ceremony was first. We started with the "Receiving the Bride at her house." There is a procession from the Groom's house to the Bride's house. There is a specific order in which everyone must be lined up. The first person is the representative of the Groom's family- and this is not necessarily the parents. In this case, it was Greg's uncle.

In the procession, the groomsmen carried decorated tins covered in red cloth. Inside the tins are gifts that are presented to the Bride's family which represents the wealth that the Groom's family will bring to the Bride's family. There was also a roasted pig!

This permission ceremony usually takes place in front of the bride's ancestor alter- in this case because Jamie is not Vietnamese- this step was not done. Instead we went straight into opening the gifts that were brought, asking the permission, and introducing Jamie's family.

We then proceeded back to the groom's house to repeat this. Here, we did start with the ancestor alter. Greg's parents and Jamie & Greg both burn incense sticks asking permission from the ancestors to bless them.

From there we go into the tea ceremony. Jamie & Greg served tea to both sets of parents. The parents then give advice to them about marriage- along with any gifts. Afterwards various family members come up to present the couple with gifts.

Finally it's time to relax and eat. We went straight into formal-non formal pictures in the house. Everyone looked so beautiful in their traditional Vietnamese attire. Jamie looked so cute in her Vietnamese wedding gown and headdress!

I sooo enjoyed being a part of the ceremony and witnessing something so unique!



Click HERE for slideshow.
*slideshows expire in 60 days*

Stay Tuned for part 2!

Rebecca & Davy {Engagement Session}

The location for Rebecca & Davy's engagement session was Rebecca's grandmother's property and the property for their future home. Since the property is so big, we had a lot to work with. From horses to ponds, and trees to land...it was beautiful. The dogs even joined in for some of the photos!

Here are my two favorites from their session:


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June & John {Wedding Reception}

June & John were married October 29th. They opted to go to the courthouse and were surprised by their children with a wonderful lunch/reception at Red Lobster.

They did a beautiful job with decorating and ordering special wedding cakes for the newlyweds! Iris of Funky Monkey Cakes outdid herself with the Groom's cake! It was a custom Army hat!

June looked stunning in her turquoise dress and John was very handsome in his suit with matching hat!

You don't always have to have an extravagant wedding or reception...the point is marrying the person you LOVE. And I think June & John did just that!

Best Wishes & Congrats to you both!



Click HERE for slideshow.
*slideshows expire in 60 days*

*Thanks to Dominica for photographing their special day!

Catching Up

So my week started out great! As you know I have been busy working on getting my magazine started. Tuesday I had the pleasure of meeting with Sales Manager, Vanya Coleman of Hyatt Place North.

Vanya is so sweet and invited me for breakfast and a tour! She showed me one of their meeting rooms which would be the perfect place for a bridal shower or baby shower. She offers group rates as well for out of town guests...your guests will seriously THANK YOU! Their rooms are clean and modern.

This location is not big enough to hold a reception unless you are having a very small reception (less than 50 people). But I do urge you to check them out when you're looking for hotel rooms for your out of town guests and for small parties.

In other news, I held a Scentsy Party last weekend. I had never heard of Scentsy but my friend Iris of Funky Monkey Cakes is a consultant so of course I was happy to host a party for her.

Now, let's all be honest here. We've all been to lots of these parties. From candles to make-up, etc. I know lots of you dread getting that invite, but personally I love going to them! I may not always buy something, but I think it's fun to have girl time and try things on and hang out.

But, when I say Scentsy is the BOMB...I am NOT exaggerating. It is a flameless, fireless, wickless way to scent your home...and it works. You basically buy a warmer and the wax, and it's powered by a light bulb! You plug it up & you can leave it on even when your gone. Just like you would a lamp. It's only a 25watt light bulb and if you think about it...many of us leave a lamp on at night when we leave the house, and those are usually 60watts plus!

The wax itself is scented- all the way through. It comes in these little containers & it looks like ice cubes but smaller. You break just one off & stick it on top and let it melt. It is amazing! And when you're done, you can pour the liquid back into your container! Voila! It's perfect! And bonus: The wax refills are only $5!

I haven't been excited about a product in so long like I am with the Scentsy! I urge you to take a look at the website & contact Iris to host your own party. You will NOT regret it! You'll love Iris too, she's so sweet and professional!

Here's the one I ordered. It's pretty & neutral so it will go in the living room.Here is the one I want for my fun side! Gotta love the Zebra!


Moving along in with other news....I have a bit of a rant. Last month my mom was driving in the Veteran's Parkway area and some guy out of no where side swiped her & kept going! Didn't even stop to check on her! Luckily she was ok but he took her side view mirror with him and dented her car. So I just have to say THANKS A LOT to the driver who left her with that bill. That was so nice of you. :|

Ok, so enough of that...

I have lots to share soon. I've been so busy editing, designing albums, & placing orders that it has made me a bad blogger. I have one last wedding next weekend which will end my 2009 wedding season and then I have some more mass editing & designing & bookkeeping to finish up so if I'm absent for a while don't worry!

Coming Soon: John and June's reception, Rebecca & Davy's engagement session, Jame & Greg's wedding (2 ceremonies), & Lita's family session!

Have a great weekend!

Amber {bridal}

Bridal sessions can be shot either before or after your wedding. Most brides prefer to do this after the wedding...just to prevent anything from happening to the dress (such as getting dirty, tears, etc). Plus once the wedding is done, bride's feel much more at ease about sitting or laying down for photos in the most expensive dress they've ever bought for the most important day of their life!

Amber's bridal session was shot at Columbus Botanical Garden which is the same location as her wedding. She was just as beautiful as she was on her wedding day!



Click HERE for slideshow.
*slideshows expire in 60 days*