Meredith and Brandon came down from Atlanta to enjoy the Blue Angel’s Beach show… and managed to fit in a fun engagement session in the always beautiful Downtown Pensacola area.  As soon as I saw them I knew we were going to have a great session. For starters- they are beautiful people. But even better, they are totally in love with each other, and enjoy laughing together- which makes for a great session!  Sadly I won’t be shooting their wedding- which is planned for next Spring in a beautiful vineyard in Northern Georgia- but I know they will have a wonderful day and their images will be phenomenal  (and can I say I’m jealous of their photographer??!!! I definitely am! ).  Because of their short stay, we planned for a morning session- and boy were they troopers for putting up with the heat and humidity! Kappie did a fabulous job of keeping us refreshed with water and having plenty of paper towels handy for wiping sweat away (ok- that was pretty much just for me… of course the beautiful people don’t sweat! lol).

Meredith and Brandon- Thanks so much for being yourselves and enjoying your session with us.  You were so much fun and definitely could be models! I know your children are going to be gorgeous- so you better call us for a family session if ever down this way again!

(I love this first set of pictures because Brandon was enjoying the view a bit too much… so Meredith had to set him straight about where his eyes are supposed to go)

When I met Ceara and Ben I knew I had to be the person to document their wedding as soon as I heard about Ben’s fire-breathing dragon cake!  Ben is a kindred soul- and Ceara is just a saint for putting up with him!  They planned an elegant wedding at Brent Baptist Church with a fun reception immediately following at the Lee House.   We started our day by meeting Ceara and Ben at the Lee House while they finished their preparations.  Chyrel and I thought it might be difficult keeping them separated (they definitely wanted to wait to have their first peek) but the Lee House proved perfect because of the different levels- we kept Ben downstairs while I did Ceara’s Bridals upstairs; then we switched, with Chyrel taking the groomsmen upstairs for their portraits while I finished up with the girls downstairs.    The Lee House made for a beautiful backdrop for the formal portraits- I have to admit its one of my favorite locations for weddings.  With Chyrel busy taking the groom’s portraits, I was able to finish up with Ceara’s family before we headed over to the church.   As Ceara walked down the aisle with her dad,  she looked lovely and very happy, and Ben was grinning from ear-to-ear!  After the ceremony Ben & Ceara left in the Limo and Chyrel hopped a ride and managed to get some really fun images.  The Lee house was the perfect location for their reception.  The food, by Nancy’s Haute Affairs, was Wonderful!!!  So we definitely need to give a quick shout out to their whole crew- they did a fabulous job helping coordinate the wedding as well as providing some crowd control while Ben got his cake cranked up  And the aforementioned dragon cake did indeed breathe fire!!!  Plus it was both scarily beautiful and yummy- but as with everything else, they picked the best-  Betty Weber designed the imaginative cake based on Ben’s specifications and it was definitely the hit of the reception (and, I was told, required it’s very own insurance policy!). Norma of the Lee House was quite accommodating… but still advised the cake be lit in a fire-free zone… so the street it was!  I have to admit it was the most exciting cake lighting/cutting I’ve ever witnessed (Ben  was allowed to behead his dragon inside ).

Ben and Ceara- you were a delight to work with from our first meeting  through your wedding!  I always love my clients (I’ll be the first to say I get the *best* brides and grooms!!! I’ve been very blessed in my career to work with the loveliest, sweetest, and most fun couples around!)… but you guys have a special place in my heart (OK- I’ll go ahead and out myself as a total sci-fi/fantasy dork lol ) and I loved your wedding so much!  Thanks again for picking us!

Angela and Brian came down from a lovely little town in Georgia to have their perfect beach wedding on Pensacola Beach.  The weather conspired against us and it ended up raining for most of their day- yet they still had a beautiful wedding surrounded by their family and friends, and everyone had a blast!  Brian is a hard-working policeman back home, and I felt honored to document his obvious love for Angela… what can I say, I’m a sucker for a big strong guy who tears up at the sight of his lovely bride  And Angela definitely made a gorgeous bride! Despite the weather, she never once showed any disappointment or stress- she truly enjoyed her day and smiled no matter what was happening… I wish everyone (including me!) could stay so calm and happy when things get a bit crazy!  But, as soon as I saw Brian and Angela together it all made sense- they are definitely a couple that will last! Brian teared up when he saw Angela walk down the stairs towards him; and she was overcome with emotion at the sight of him as well… I have to admit their love and emotion made me and Chyrel tear up a bit as well!  There is nothing quite as wonderful as seeing two incredibly in love people choosing to spend the rest of their life together!

Brian & Angela, you helped remind us that it’s not about all the trappings that go with a wedding… it’s about two people choosing to spend the rest of their lives together.  Seeing how you handled the obstacles on your wedding day (rain, squeezing 20 people onto a tiny staircase for pictures, rain, traffic jams, rain, lost family members, MORE rain lol)- I know you will always be there for each other- to make each other smile, laugh, and to just care about each other.  I know you won’t need it- but I wanted to wish you the best of luck in your life together! Thank you again for entrusting us with your precious memories- we are honored.

Before I begin I want to issue an apology~ I’ve been very busy working with/on my Husband’s boat as part of the BP Oil Spill Clean-up efforts, and I’ve been neglecting my blog terribly!  I owe several people blog entries and I promise they will be up within the next week!!!  So, to start with, here is the Lovely and Sweet Ashley & Dak- thanks so much for your patience!!

Ashley is the lovely big sister of our recent bride Whitney and I know we are going to have as much fun at her wedding as we did at Whitney’s! Ashley has a crazy, fun family and I’m sure Dak’s family is going to be great as well because they did a wonderful job raising their son! Dak and Ashley were so much fun to photograph- sweet, crazy, and definitely a lot of fun.  High School sweethearts, you can tell they are soul mates.  They had each other laughing the entire session, which made it a ton of fun for Chyrel and I!  Momma came along to help keep them in line, and she was a great help (I may start requesting moms to come along on every engagement session!  Not only did Ms. Kathy help schlep stuff around for us, but she made sure Dak and Ashley were enjoying themselves no matter how hot it was, and boy did it get hot!).  The beach was still lovely and pristine when we did their session back in early May- we definitely had perfect timing!  And I’m certain their wedding next March will be just as perfect!

Dak and Ashley- thanks so much for allowing us to run you all over town in search of the perfect picture! We had a blast and hope you did as well.  I can’t wait to see what your wedding brings next March!