Jamie and Steve: the wedding

Jamie and Steve's wedding

Jamie and Steve should win some kind of award for the BEST thank-you note I have ever received. It was so heartfelt that I teared up while reading it. They are truly a wonderful couple and I loved working with them!! They were my first wedding of the year and I couldn't have asked for anyone better to start 2009's wedding season. Without further ado ... here are some of the images from their wedding day ... complete with a slideshow at the end of this post ...

I loved this book I saw in the couple's hotel room ...

the girls dresses were pink ... which is MY favorite color!

Jamie getting her makeup done ...

the veil hanging over the back of the chair ...

getting packed up to leave ...

I love this shot of Jamie fanning herself before leaving for the ceremony and seeing Steve for the first time ...

getting the dress on ...

seeing herself in the dress for the first time ...

the groomsmen admiring Jamie in her dress ...

Steve got ready at the hotel with the guys ...

Jamie having a moment before the ceremony ...

Jamie got a little emotional reading the card from Steve ...

a few shots of the couple ...

one of my favorite wedding party shots ... ever!

the bouquets were gorgeous!

Jamie seeing the cake ...

while the guys goofed off outside ...

Jamie's dad seeing her in her dress ...

Steve getting ready to walk down the aisle ...

Love this shot of Jamie and her dad getting ready to walk down the aisle ...

the kiss!!

the look on Steve's face is priceless right after they are pronounced!

Mom checking out the new 'bling' ...

first dance ... version 1 ...

version 2 ...

a toast ...

I loved this cake shot ...

and a little dancing to end the evening ...

Jamie and Steve, CONGRATULATIONS! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!!

SLIDESHOW

a thank-you to Karen for shooting with me yet again this year!

My B-DAY

Happy birthday to me!

Last night I ordered my personalized pair of Jack Purcell's for my birthday! I have been wanting a pair FOREVER! Of course, now I have to wait 2-4 weeks for them to show up .... tick tock

Headed out in a few minutes to shoot 1 of 2 weddings this weekend - super excited about BOTH couples!!

Hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend kicking off summer 2009!

Lucas: the 6 month photoshoot

Lucas: the 6 month photoshoot

This was my 3rd time working with this family and I have to say that I absolutely adore them! The last time I saw Lucas, he was only a week old - wow has he grown! He is such a little man with an amazing disposition. His smile lights up the whole room.

I am only posting a couple of photos from our session because I decided to test out the new slideshow software on Lucas! So, please check it out at the bottom of this post. And now ... onto the pictures!
He was fascinated right from the start with the camera. This first photo was taken immediately upon my arrival.

Then we headed up to his room for a few more photos ...

and some play time ...

I do have to say that for the most part, the cats don't seem to mind Lucas grabbing for them ... in this case though ... I think Tibbs may have gotten caught sticking his tongue out at the baby.

This photo might be my favorite from the whole shoot.

To see more pics (set to music) from our lifestyle session, click HERE. I have found that it is best to let the slideshow play out on its own without clicking through the images. Besides, the music is great ... so it gives you time to listen :)

The lovely blog award ...

Julie Schmidt of Cincy Event Planning awarded me the 'Lovely Blog Award'! Thank you Julie!!!

The rules of the accepting the award are:

1. accept the award

2. post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.

3. Pass the award on to 5 other blogs that you enjoy following

Don't forget to let the recipients know they have been chosen so they can continue the links and awards!

Here are my five:

1. Emily Style - I'm not sure how I started reading her blog, but I love it. I check on it twice a week. She is always so 'together'. I love the 'what to wear' entries that she does too.

2. Point B and Beyond - Jen Swendiman's blog who has helped me organize my life! She has helpful tips on how to stay organized, fun recipes to try and a nice peek into her life.

3. Frolic - Love the vintage styling that Chelsea does as well as the color combinations she chooses.

4. Cincy Chic - Amy's blog is a great peek into the life of an editor-in-chief. She's such an amazing person and is always inspiring.

5. Iconography Studios - Jason is by far my favorite videographer in the area. My brides love that he shoots in vintage films. Needless to say, because of this, we've worked together a lot. I love looking at his latest work.

- just a side note - I also check out Nancy's blog (Brideface) a lot too, but since she had already won the award, I thought I would link to some others.

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. It is a day when we tell our mothers thank you for being so wonderful (not that we don't do that every day), but it got me thinking about my mom and what an amazing woman she is. It got me thinking about how I have always wanted to be just like her.

So in light of that ...

I thought I would take a moment to share some of the many things that my mother has taught me in my life:

She taught me to look both ways before crossing the street.
She taught me that you don't 'have' to color in the lines ... they are merely 'suggestions'.
She taught me that you don't always have to say exactly what is on your mind.
She taught me how to share.
She taught me how to be a friend to others.
She taught me how to cook.
She taught me that a good education is key to getting ahead in today's world.
She taught me that money is not the most important thing in life.
She taught me not to be afraid to try something new.
She taught me to believe in myself.
She taught me to be a strong, independent woman with a voice of my own.
She taught me to embrace all of the things that make me unique.
She taught me that the challenges we face in our lives are there to build character.
She taught me that the mistakes we make are there to learn from and are not to be regretted.
She taught me to be a passionate person who treats others the way I would want to be treated.

She did all of these things, sometimes without knowing it. She did them by just being herself and in doing that ... she taught me the greatest gift of all:

She taught me how to be a good mother.

Happy Mother's Day

A couple of things ...

So, I realize that I have shot a couple of wedding already this season and still have not posted images. Well, here's why ...

I am looking at using a new software for my slideshows and I am still in the process of getting that together. Once I am up and running, I will start posting weddings - woo hooo!!

This means that I will more than likely be taking down the other shows a few at a time as they will be replaced with updated weddings from this year.

Laura and Josh: the engagement

Laura and Josh's engagement

We had the best weather for Laura and Josh's engagement session at Ault Park. They have a son, Alex, who joined us for the first bit of the session. And even though he had absolutely no interest in being photographed ... we still enjoyed his company :)

Then we left him with grandma and grandpa and headed out for some alone time ...

a little sun flare ...

love this one ...

I can't even tell you how many times I have been to Ault Park ... and I have NEVER seen these wysteria! I had no idea they were there. Gorgeous! This park never ceases to amaze me.

We had such a pretty sunset that it seemed a shame to let it go to waste ... hence, the next photo.

love this one too!!!

Laura and Josh, I can't wait for the wedding! I had a great time spending the evening with you!

Susan and Grant: the engagement

Susan and Grant's engagement

When Susan and I talked about the engagement session, she mentioned that she would like to do it at their home. I loved the idea. As well as the idea of incorporating their vintage MG in the shots. Susan had her hair done by the fabulous, Sarah Stear of Eros Salon. They live on an adorable cul-de-sac and the houses have so much character. It is a little secret hide-away in the city tucked neatly away from the hustle and bustle of the city. These two are such a loving couple and were so easy to photograph.

Susan's garden was blooming and the colors were stunning ...

They even had this adorable picket fence surrounding their backyard ...

Susan and Grant, I already know that your wedding day is going to be full of artistic vision and I can't wait to meet the rest of your families!