Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 09:00AM just had to take a moment to wish my beautiful and lovely sister a happy, happy birthday!!! i am really looking forward to seeing her in just a week (so that we can celebrate for REAL)... but in the meantime i wanted to make sure she knew just how amazing and wonderful i think she is!
happy 23rd birthday little sister! i love you!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 09:00AM so, obviously one of the "perks" of owning a photography business with your best friend, is taking photos for each other. getting to photograph one of your favorite people, who just happens to have the best sense of style, lets you do her hair, has the cutest (and sweetest) family in the world, and is all around amazing... well, it's not work, it's a complete blast!
you'll have to excuse me, while i take a moment to write a "personal post" and share a little bit more about how jennifer/brooks came to be... and how much i heart the wilsons. and, by heart, i mean LOVE!
i think moving in down the street from them over 4 years ago, was one of the luckiest decisions i've ever made. a lot of people ask jen and i how we met, and it really all started over chocolate chip cookies! jen, being the sweet person that she is, baked cookies and brought them over to welcome me to the neighborhood one fateful day in september 2005. she came in and we chatted for over an hour, which is a stretch for me with new people (sometimes i'm a bit shy), so i knew right away that we'd get along. we bonded over the fact that we both had golden retrievers, and she offered to let my dog out while i was at work. i remember thinking to myself that the neighbors in nc sure were a lot more friendly and helpful than i was used to.
after that jen and i became pretty quick friends. she was about 5 months pregnant with her beautiful son at the time, so the two of us would go on walks at night to get some "exercise," and really end up standing in the driveway chatting about everything and anything for hours after our walk was finished (i pretty sure scot thought we'd walked 20 miles by the time she returned home)! jen and scot hosted me for many meals at their home and i always had so much fun hanging out with them. when caden joined their family, i couldn't have been more excited for them. i'll never forget the day jen called to tell me she was in labor with caden, and could i please let her dogs out for her!
over the past 4-plus years we've had so many amazing times together. the wilsons introduced me to the delights of tuna steaks, taco soup, the office, and the joys of baby boys (just to name a few things)! Together we've enjoyed trips to the beach, festivals, recipes, their new home in alexandria, concerts, wine, unbridled laughter, lots of sushi and starbucks, and building a business based on creativity and friendship.
jen has said to me many times, that she feels like i am a part of her family, and all i can say is how lucky i am for that.
love you jen, scot and caden (pacey & pheobe too)!
i am such a sucker for those eyes!
"puppy" is watching from up in the tree.
this running shot was scot's idea... awesomeness runs in the family.
i think this shot above is my favorite of the day!
Monday, November 2, 2009 at 03:41PM we met beth & her mom back in january at the VA wedding show. beth was one of our prize winners, so we met up in April to do her engagement session. after the session, beth asked if brooks & i travel for weddings. i already knew they were getting married in the dominican republic, so i didn't hesitate to say, heck yeah, we travel for weddings! :) besides an amazing location for a wedding, it was an amazing group of people to be around for 4 days. these guys knew how to have a good time! they were so welcoming & inviting, we felt like one of the crowd by the end of the weekend. what is really amazing is that kris owns his own company & has hired all of his friends to work with him. so, this really was a tight-knit group. and, they all were SO EXCITED for beth & kris to tie the knot. you can just feel the love these two have for one another, how could you not be excited for them. enjoy part 1 guys! still more to come... :)
one of beth's friends, melissa, is a make-up artist. she does great work, check her out!
love this shot of beth & her mom
cheers!
seriously, beth you are gorgeous!!
golf cart ride to the ceremony
kris as he watches his bride walk towards him
i love these next 2 shots...
mother & daughter
mom & son
we did a day after session with beth & kris, so there are plenty more bride & groom shots to come. just wanted to share one from right after the ceremony...
Monday, November 2, 2009 at 12:37PM we ended our 8 week wedding marathon (and wedding season as well) with a trip to the dominican republic to photograph beth & kris' AHHMAZING wedding. we'll be doing a couple of posts this week about their fantastic wedding weekend (that we felt so lucky to be a part of), but i wanted to share a few about this beautiful family that was created on their wedding day. kris is dad to two of the greatest kids you'll ever meet. they were both there for the wedding weekend & i have to say, proved to be one of the cutest flower girl & ring-bearer we have seen. what was so great for brooks & i to see was how loving this new family is. it is so apparent how much these kids love beth & she is absolutely wonderful with them. you guys are off to a great start & only have a lifetime of precious memories to create! of course, stay tuned for more wedding images to come! :)
the guys hung out together before the ceremony
while the girls were getting pretty upstairs
the new collo family!
Friday, October 30, 2009 at 10:40AM we met this fabulous couple back in january. they were our first client meeting after our 2 day NC wedding show extravaganza. we hit it off so well that breakfast lasted 2 hours & we were late for our next meeting (sorry betsey & jason!). brooks & i knew we were going to LOVE shooting their wedding. the amount of detail & planning that went into it was amazing. elliot will tell you that she was a budget-bride, but you never would have known. which is great, b/c we've heard that she would love to open a bridal store one day. so, all you future brides out there, keep your eye out. elliot does an awesome job. the shoe shot in the last post is proof! not only did the wedding look wonderful, but these two have some serious love going on for one another. never have we seen the bride & groom break out into spontaneous dance moves together (which did involve the "sprinkler" & "lawn mower"). you guys rock! enjoy the sneak peek! we're looking forward to the family pics with mrs. ari gold... :)
see, attention to detail! this was outside their house when we arrived to capture joel getting ready
joel helping his dad out
checking the time...
the girls turn
finishing touches
had to show it again! :)
right after the ceremony
the country club provided some golf carts for the wedding party so we could take pictures on the property
i LOVE this. elliot dancing in & joel getting a high-five. love it...
land's florist always does an amazing job
check-out the cake topper
comfy shoes for dancing
deciding on their next dance move :)
and here it is!
pretty nice get away car...
