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Happy day after Thanksgiving!!! Did you have a good one? I surely did. I ate so much that I’m still feeling it today. I honestly thought I was going to die yesterday from a food coma. But it was worth it!! I LOVE Thanksgiving… so sad it’s over. : ( It’s by far one of my favorite holidays and I’m already ready for it to be here again. I have SO much to be thankful for… one of the biggest things is my amazing clients. I am SO blessed by each and every one of them. And today I want to share another one of my fabulous couples… Meet Courtney and Justin.

They were made for each other. It’s so obvious how in love they are, that the shoot was completely natural from the moment we started. They are so cute and giggly together, and I absolutely adored every moment I spent with them. It was SUCH a beautiful day and I love the photos from their shoot.

Courtney and Justin – thank you both so much for everything. I am truly so thrilled and honored to be your photographer. Can’t wait for the wedding day!!! XO

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You may remember this incredibly adorable couple from their engagement shoot we did earlier this year. I explained how they are truly in love and have the most amazing chemistry. I assure you, this has not changed one bit. If anything I am certain it has only grown. Erik and Whitney were SO made for one another. This is so obvious to me and the whole world. Soulmates, without a doubt. They possess an undeniable bond… and they are each other’s best friend. I love these two. They are an inspiration to me and I know countless others. True love always inspires me to the very core of who I am.

The wedding day came and it was the most perfect fall day anyone could have asked for. The Jewish celebration was held at Whitney’s grandmother’s plantation, Glynnwood. I love this plantation, it is FULL of family history and incredibly quaint and intimate. I shot another wedding here a couple of years ago and fell in love with it’s magic. It was without a doubt the most perfect place for Whitney and Erik to wed.

I could say so much more about these two, but I will just let the photos tell the story.

Whitney and Erik: THANK YOU SO much for everything. You guys are wonderful. xo

Loved Whitney’s lace gown. Siigh.

Whitney surprised Erik on their wedding day by giving him this book. She had written a letter to him every single day for a year. Can we say ROMANTIC!?! In love with that.

Whitney and Erik opted for a First Look. (We all know, I am a HUGE fan of this. Best decision ever.)  I think Erik was a little excited as he knew Whitney was making her way to him…

Have I mentioned how much I love her lace, fingerless gloves??

The intimate moment you can share during a First Look is PRICELESS and by far one you will cherish the most about your wedding day.

After they had their private moment, we spend a little time getting some portraits of the two without any pressures of having to get to a cocktail hour or reception. Another amazing reason for a First Look.

Beautiful couple.

We were also able to photograph all of the bridal party photos ahead of time as well. This means we only had to do family portraits afterwards which makes everything flow so much smoother.

LOVE that all the bridesmaids wore a different dress of the same tone.

After the photos and a little freshening up… it was time for the ceremony! Love this shot Deirdre captured of Whitney and her parents right before.

The ceremony was beautiful, filled with Jewish traditions.

Mazel tov!!!

After family portraits and the cocktail hour, it was time for the c0uple to enjoy their first dance together as husband and wife!

Beautiful toasts were given by family members and friends.

Then, a huge surprise! Erik surprised Whitney with a trombone performance to begin the Hava Nagila dance (which is a custom Jewish wedding dance). He had been planning this for months without her knowing. After he began, 10+ friends came out to join him playing different instruments. It was an amazing moment!

Whitney and her mother were tearing up by this lovely surprise. It was such a beautiful and emotional moment that I was so honored to be a part of. I live for moments like this!!!

…and then the dance began!!

The rest of the evening was spent on the dance floor. That floor stayed FULL of people dancing the entire night. It was amazing!! Love it when people have a great time at weddings.

A couple of noteworthy vendors that were at Whitney and Erik’s wedding:

Valerie of Southern Fete Event Planning — www.southernfete.com — Valerie was there the day of the wedding to make sure everything went smoothly. You’ve heard me mention this girl before, she is awesome! HIRE HER.

Jordy + Chase of CF Weddings — www.cfweddings.net — AMAZEBALLS cinematographers for Whitney and Erik’s wedding! I had never worked with them before. But I truly enjoyed the experience and I have seen their work: talent all around!! You will love them.

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Oh my goodness, Terry had us laughing from the moment we started. He is SO FUNNY… a real character, and it really made the session so fun and completely relaxing. I can already tell the wedding day is going to be a complete riot with these two. Which I just adore. I had so much fun spending time with the happy couple. Can’t wait to shoot the big day next year!!!

Nikki and Terry – thank you for all the laughs!! I am so thrilled to be documenting this amazing time in your life!! See you soon. xo

Hair/Makeup by Courtney Davis.

The next two photos make me laugh so much!! Love how playful they are together.

I asked Terry to show me his dance moves… boy oh boy did he love that. haha!

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Miranda and Josh have the sweetest relationship. Josh is super kind and caring… always making sure Miranda is taken care of. Not to mention he is super funny and made us both laugh the entire time. He told me he had been practicing his poses before the shoot, haha! I discovered that Josh and I have an equal passion for space which is AWESOME. And Miranda and I both share a love of photography. Both of those things make this couple rad in my book. I loved getting to know them a little bit during their engagement shoot and cannot wait to shoot their wedding next year!!

Josh + Miranda, thank you for choosing me!!!! I am so excited to be a part of your wonderful memories. : ) xo

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Have I mentioned how much I love my brides? They are the RADDEST BRIDES EVER. Just sayin’. This past weekend, one of my amazing brides, Pam was married to her groom, Anthony. The wedding was beyond fabulous and I can’t wait to share her photos with you soon. What I am writing to you today about is the fact that the DAY AFTER her wedding (this past Sunday), Pam took the time to send me a message that truly brought tears to my eyes. I was completely floored by her thoughtfulness to take the time to share her heart with me about her experience with me as her wedding AND boudoir photographer. She was kind enough to give me permission to share her email with you.

I could never in a million years express what hearing this does for me. I take such huge pride in not only my art, but in making sure that my clients feel special, and taken care of. It means the world to hear praises and I cherish every single word in the deepest part of my heart. Thank you so much to Pam and all of my amazing clients who are constantly showing me such warmth, love and trust. I adore you all.

“So I am actually starting to get teary eyed thinking of how to thank you! I don’t remember exactly how I found your site, but when I did, I said to myself, this chic is truly a hidden treasure!! Probably not hidden, I just didn’t know about you! From the first time seeing our engagement photos on the blog, I have been singing your praises to everyone I know. Thank you for setting your blog up so that every can see everything you do because I never would have known about a boudoir shoot! The first look was truly amazing! I was initially on the fence about it, so I let Anthony read everything other grooms had written about it, and he made the final decision. I asked him this morning how he felt about it, and he said “I would recommend it to everyone”. I never had much time alone with him the rest of the night, so that intimate moment was amazing! And to be able to see the look on his face opening is gift,, that was truly priceless! If we would not have done the first look, I would never have seen him and known truly how excited he was! And we also have that moment captured now in awesome photos! So kudos to you for stressing this to brides! Also, thanks for making me feel so comfortable in my boudoir shoot!! I was nervous, as I’m sure everyone is, but i warmed up! I felt great bc hair and makeup was awesome! You really know how to capture not only what the girl wants, but what the guy might like. I let Anthony see all the photos online today, and his words were “oh baby, we gonna order some more of these… I’m gonna have a book of just ass shots!” lol!! Thanks to you and Dierdre for being patient with me, i do realize I can be indecisive and change my mind often. It is just so amazing to have vendors you can just put trust in and relax, and you were one of the people who I just trusted and I know everything will be great! I hope God continues to bless you to be so amazing at what you do, and to remain such an humble and beautiful person, inside and out! I think you and Deirdre truly compliment each other as a team! She actually made Anthony feel very comfortable also, (maybe it was the Hennessy, lol). I cant thank you enough… The only sad part is that you don’t do children photos and things like that so we can have you as our lifelong photographer for everything. But you have found your niche!!! May God forever bless and keep you!!! -Pam”

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Hello 11-11-11!!! I would guess this might be one of the most popular wedding dates for sure. It’s an awesome number and the weather today just happens to be perfection. I’m getting ready to head out and shoot a wedding but first I wanted to share another one of my amazing client’s engagement photos. Meet Rachel and Jacob!! I first met Rachel at another wedding I was shooting at Chesterton Square. She is one of the fabulous wedding planners there and I am so truly thrilled to be shooting her wedding next year. It’s always a huge compliment to be working for someone in the wedding industry and I am just so excited to be a part of her and Jacob’s story. Enjoy!

Rachel and Jacob: thank you so much for choosing ME! Little ‘ol me. : ) It means SO SO MUCH and I look forward to getting to know you both more and more.

Happy 11-11-11! And happy Veteran’s Day as well. Thank you to all of those who have ever served. I could never begin show my appreciation to you enough.

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Dearest DEAR… dra. ; )

I honestly don’t know how to express in words how much you mean to me. I know I tell you how much I appreciate you as often as I can, but I could never truly convey what a blessing you are in my life. I thank God all the time for bringing you to into my story… my life.

When you first came into the picture as my bride… you were completely wonderful from beginning to end. But it wasn’t until you began working for me that I truly realized what a special person you are. In getting to know you on a deeper level the past year and half, I have grown to cherish who you are more and more. Your soft, compassionate heart inspires me more than you realize. I love your passion for being the best version of yourself and I love your compassion for others in need. You are truly a beautiful person inside and out and it is a true blessing and joy to be able to work with you every day.

We have both been in past work situations where we weren’t appreciated or respected. I am so glad that we both appreciate one another because it is truly the reason why we have such an amazing work relationship AND friendship. I honestly sometimes have to pinch myself because I really cannot believe I am so blessed that you are in my life. You have made my life better in more ways than one and I hope you never forget how much I appreciate you.

I cherish all of the hard work you put in at the studio, all of the errands you run for me, all of laugh-til-we-cry moments, all of the treats you give my doggie, all of the encouraging words, and helpful suggestions. I love your drive to be the very best you can be at work. It is a rare quality that more people should possess. Your diligence, respect, honesty, appreciation, passion, drive, selflessness, happiness, maturity, positive attitude and so much more are all things I am incredibly grateful for. I appreciate every part of you Deirdre!

I really could go on and on, but simply put… you are evidence of God’s wondrous love for me. It blows my mind that He loves me THAT much to send me such a wonderful person, you. You should know that I am so so blessed by God, that you are in my life. I so look forward to all God has planned for us both. I know this is only the beginning and I am proud to have you as part of my business and my life. Never forget how much I appreciate you and how loved you are by so many.

Love,
Me

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