so, all that said, i am ending my blog hiatus. i didn’t really announce that i was going on one, i just did. i had to. i had so much to do that i had to let some things wait for a while. during my hiatus, i photographed some incredible weddings, events, births, and everyday life which i hopefully will be able to share eventually.

so, for my first, welcome back to your blog Rebecca, I will share one of my most favorite images of all time, which is also one of a series of images that made it to the brand new 2011 WV WEDDINGS Magazine Cover!

Here is the cover image:

A great way to start the new year! If you haven’t seen the magazine yet, go out and get a copy! There are tons of beautiful weddings featured and many resources for wedding vendors in our beautiful state!!!

There are so many incredible details that I just love from this wedding, I can’t wait to share the entire thing. But, for now, a few select favorites of the two of them….

The rest are coming soon!!!

When I arrived the girls were in their room getting ready and on the table was a card from John to Beverly and quite simply inside was a message, something blue………….. His gift to her…..there were actually a few and they were all thoughtful and beautiful…….like her…….  (I generally associate a thoughtful man with a caring and thoughtful mother……. Bev, you are so lucky!!!)

It is hard to summarize all of my favorites, so I have been liking these collages…….

We did mostly all of the photos prior to the wedding, so this was their special first look. This is pure bliss:

And, shooting in the full sun on a sunny summer afternoon is not a personal preference, but sometimes you have no choice, so we found some places that would work and it was worth our little “hike” through the woods since we were able to capture a lot of great shots of these two…….. Beverly was truly stunning:

And, then, I asked them if they would mind just a few more shots at sunset, how could I resist doing this on top of that mountain???

I love this photo, it is just a candid, but they were like this the entire day…. just so happy!!!

A personal favorite actually set up by the DJ, who did a great job, how awesome is this?????

And, a sweet photo to finish up the post, but WATCH THE SLIDESHOW, CLICK HERE!!! I love all the photos. I loved the entire day. Thank you thank you thank you for having me, I loved every minute of the day.  I hope you celebrate many more days just as sweet together!!!

Alex and Roy dated FOREVER. Almost, at least. They started dating in high school, then through college, then through pharmacy school, and into adult life……. I think that they are pretty sure about their decision to be together. Watching their exchange of looks as Alex was coming down the aisle was very moving. I can only imagine how many times the thought of that moment came to their minds prior to that day. It was beautiful, and one of my favorite parts of the day.

Alex is one of those incredibly thoughtful, detail oriented, well organized, and well planned people. She thought of every detail that I have ever seen together at one wedding. I had to condense my blog post photos into mini collages to feature all of my favorite photos!!! I’ll try to explain them individually though…….

The water bottles at the reception site were a big hit in the heat, plus they looked just darling!!! I thought that the baskets on the aisles were just too perfect and added a special touch to the ceremony site. The tables inside, incredible!

I love all of the photos in the next collage, but one of my very favorites is the one in the middle with the logs, very different type of photo to stumble onto at the resort! Lucky for us they were doing some maintenance on the grounds! I think it looks more like a forest than a parking lot……..

Alex and I met up for some pre-bridals at the Alumni Center the week before, and although we were worried we would get rained out, we didn’t! I just had to share the photo of Alex kicking her leg, wow! I wondered if she was doing ok walking in those 4 inch stiletto’s and she assured me she was, then further demonstrated the kick. I would have probably broke both of my legs by attempting something like that……..Just for size comparison, I added the photo of all of her wedding shoes. Heals from small medium to large.

The three of us are going on a super fun after wedding shoot soon…….I am so excited I can barely stand it!!! There is an airplane involved…………

Watch the highlights of the day, they are wonderful!!!CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM…….

Alex and Roy, thank you so much for having me, I have loved every minute and can’t wait to see you guys again soon!!!! Congratulations and I hope you have even more happy years together than you already have!!!

Sarah had the cutest details, another custom hanger, but this time with her new last name, so sweet!

I generally encourage brides to get ready early, so that we can take more photos of them while we have a little more time and good light to work with. It was a little sunnier than I would have liked it to be, but we made it work. Sarah, you are BEAUTIFUL!!!!  I have always thought Sarah was beautiful, ever since she was a young girl, but she was stunning on her wedding day. She had the talented girls from LKHA out of Morgantown come down to Pete Dye Golf Club to pretty them up for the wedding, and all the girls really looked incredible.

I asked Sarah to climb this big hill so that I could take this photo of her. I loved how it came out and I had to post the photo beneath it just so you can see how big it was. Especially when you are wearing a heavy (and hot) wedding gown with 4 inch high heels. Oh yeah. Wasn’t she a trooper? (as was her very dear bridesmaid who made the climb with her…. )

I saw this and couldn’t not help but stop her for one more photo:

And, because the post can not all be just about the bride, we must include the handsome groom and the also very handsome ring bearer, Sarah’s son Maddie. Also note the groomsmen’s socks, just fabulous!!!

Then, some reception details, the cake by Bake N Memories, plus the tables and flowers by Blooms:

The ceremony site:

Here comes the bride. I love this photo of Sarah looking at Andrew, I would love to be a mind reader to know for sure, however, I think I have an idea of the thought she is having at this moment:

And, now, enter to the crying part. Sarah and Andrew both exchanged vows to Maddie, and I was crying so much I could barely see. I could hear so many sobs that I’m pretty sure mostly everyone was crying. It was one of the most tender and heart felt moments I have ever witnessed in a wedding ceremony.

And, then, we were off to take some photos of the happy couple after we did the formal family photos! I could have spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with them, but they had to go to their reception to complete the celebration, so we had to get as many as possible in!!!

Sarah’s brother made these signs, this makes my heart happy!!!

And, one of my most very very favorites from the entire day:

Congratulations to you both, and thank you so much for having me. I am beyond thrilled to have shared in such an important day in your life. I wish you the most happiness and a long and prosperous marriage!

To watch the slideshow, CLICK HERE!!! ENJOY!!!

This wedding was extra special to me since I have known the groom for several years. We actually spent a lot of time running together a few years ago when we were both training for marathons. When you run for hours, you have a good chance to get to know someone quite well. I know that Shawn will be an awesome husband and friend to you Natasha, and I’m sure he will be a great role model for your boys. Marathon runners are dedicated, driven, and know how to keep working at something when needed. They go the distance! (ha ha!)

For the shorter time that I have known Natasha, I think that together you will make a beautiful couple, with like minded interest and your kind souls.

Natasha, you are beautiful, indeed:

Natasha has this great big laugh, I LOVE IT!!!

Happy Couple:

Shawn, you are looking pretty handsome as well. When I was editing these photos I determined that up to this point, I have only ever saw you in running clothes! You clean up good!

I loved their intimate ceremony, and I loved their wedding singer! Natasha’s niece who sang the song that I linked to the slideshow. One of my new favorites. She has this great coffee shop voice.

And, a totally random photo that I really like, the boys at the end of the day! They were done with those dress clothes!!! (I sometimes feel the same way)

And, a collection of casual portraits, I really loved them all!

Congratulations to you both, I am beyond happy for you. I hope you stay as happy as you are right now, forever!!!

To view the highlights/slideshow from the day, click HERE.

Thank you for having me, I was so thrilled to be there!!!

It seemed to be one of the rainiest springs that we have had for years because we went for about three weeks with constant downpours. Although the forecast was rain and big dark clouds hung around, the rain held off for the entire day! To be on the safe side the wedding was moved indoors, but it was still beautiful and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

I love these hangers, so perfect for hanging your dress on!

A note from the groom on his gift, isn’t that the sweetest?

The bride and the groom during their pre-wedding photos, not taken together. A beautiful bride and a handsome groom:

Amy’s walk down the aisle with her dad:

Andy was liking what he was seeing:

One final look from dad to make sure he could give her away at this moment:

Seems like he felt pretty good about it, so they proceeded on:

Amy, you are a lucky girl, check out the way that boy is looking at you!

I have never saw a room with paper lanterns hanging that I didn’t like:

And, I couldn’t let this post go without this photo. Often during weddings I have a mom or two, maybe an uncle taking photos, but both dads, this was a first. They were diligent the entire day. Amy and Andy, should you have children someday in the future, I can assure you that they will be the most well documented lives I have ever heard of.

And, last but not least, a few of the many beautiful casual portraits from the afternoon:

And just for fun! How could you look at these ducks at the end of the pond and not pose with them???

To see the highlights from the day, CLICK HERE! Amy and Andy, THANK YOU!!!! You are both wonderful people and together you make a beautiful pair. Congratulations!!!

( side note: I still need to blog a few from last winter though, so if you see one from winter, don’t be alarmed…….)

Wedding Venue: Black Knight Country Club, Beckley WV

Getting Ready location: Glade Springs Resort

Wedding Planner: Tanja from Tanja and Company

Florist: (I need to find this out!)

I didn’t meet Wendy and John until the day of their wedding, so I really wasn’t sure what they were like or what to expect. Wendy told me that they would see each other before the wedding, which is fairly common, but they were so relaxed about it, it was incredibly easy to be with them throughout the day. John said that they really didn’t like to get their photo taken (or maybe he didn’t…..I can’t remember for sure) but I told them I could certainly appreciate that since I really hate to be on the other side of the camera myself. It is not that I mind the actual photo taking, it is generally when I see what comes out that bothers me……  When I was going through the photos I loved that we got some really sweet shots that reflect their personalities together.

It was hard to pick my favorites, there are a ton! Since they really didn’t have a bridal party we were able to spend most of our time just taking photos of the two of them. I think that they could make a really nice wedding photo collage wall……

Here are some of my picks!

A sample of the table decor, feathers! How could you not love feathers????

Wendy, her craftiness, made this beauty for the names/table numbers:

And then the bouquet, incredible:

I love rings with engraving. If this were mine I would make this big and hang it in my house somewhere:

And, here is something I have never seen before, but it was perfect and very sweet. Wendy decided to have John help her zip her dress…………. ah……….

Then we headed off for a few pre-ceremony photos:

This photo is more of John than Wendy, but I like the whole look of it:

Wendy had this amazing amazing dress by Vera Wang. It had the perfect mix of modern + vintage. I am pretty sure that she is going to sell it since she is only getting married this once and won’t be needing this beauty again…..(in case anyone is interested this is a shameless plug to help Wendy sell the dress…..say yes to the dress!!! HA!)

After those photos we headed off to the church for the getting married part of the day. I have to say that I am pretty certain that I have never seen a bride this happy to get to the end of the aisle. John, you are a lucky man.

The next two photos are two of my very favorite from the day. I think that this is so pretty:

And, then this is a perfect example of how playful these two are with each other………

And, back to being pretty:

And, really pretty:

John is from my understanding a very good golfer. I think he was happiest for photos in a place of familiar surroundings. With Wendy. With the golf course.

Then, for fun, some photos of the weddings workers:

Me, taken by Emily. Too bad she is off to Physical Therapy School, I’m thinking that she is getting good at taking photos……………

Then, here is Emily. I’m sure she always wonders what I do with all of these test shots of her…….Someday I may make a collage in her honor………..

And, finally, Tanja! Tanja the wedding planner extraordinaire!!!

To see the highlights from the day, CLICK HERE.

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful day, best of luck to you John and Wendy!!!

And, because my husband and I like to do crazy things it seems at the start of each wedding season, we bought a house across town and are currently knee deep in moving. Moving in my opinion (and everyone else I know) has always been a real pain in the neck, but moving with kids puts a whole new meaning to it. For the last week or so we have been running back and forth, taking things over slowly while working on small projects that needed done. Finally we had enough of that and decided that we really needed to sleep here now. (And because our cable/internet/phone was transferred from our old house to the new one and we really can not be without!) So, I called my dad and he brought over a big trailer and we loaded up our bed and now we are sleeping here. Thankfully one of our friends had an air mattress that we could borrow for the kids. (thanks christa!) Now my kids think that they are camping out and couldn’t be happier. I don’t like camping so this is as close as they will probably get to camping with me, but, that is an entire other story……………..

Our furniture is going to be moved in next week. Thankfully…….

And, since a blog post without a photo is boring, here is a before photo of our living room.  Part of my creative nature makes me want to paint things, all things, and I really couldn’t wait to paint the house. I personally am not the best painter, but I like to do it. Since it is wedding season though, and we have a bunch of kids, and we needed to get packing and un-packing, we thought it would be best to leave the painting to a professional. The color blue that is on the wall is not actually the color we ended up going with but it is a little bit similar. I will post an after photo once the room is put back together, but for now here it is:

In my opinion, I thought that the walls had a good bit of yellow tones and with the flooring, I really wanted to do something different, so I picked a color that I call “cornflower blue”, but it has a real name. I’ll have to check the paint can and update that with the after photo. Beyond the paint, I would L O V E  to take down the fan. I am dreaming of a very modern white pendant lamp of some sort or a very modern chandelier, however, my husband likes fans. a lot. we’ll see…….

Honestly, I don’t know where the time goes. I have this problem that if I can’t do something all the way and if it can’t be perfect, well, then, maybe I just don’t feel like doing it. So, that leads me to a whole bunch of perfect wedding blog post that I am behind on. And, these are beautiful weddings!!! I can’t believe I haven’t blogged them.

Here is the skinny on what has been taking up all of my time:

1. Moving “officially” moving my home office to my real office. I still can’t believe that I did this. I have had my studio space for years and I did work here a good bit, but all my computer work, editing, filing, invoicing, etc. I did from home. It was really making me insane having items in both places and I felt it was hindering my productivity. So, after finally getting all my kids into their respectful school/daycare programs, I moved. I actually love it and it has worked out far better than I had even imagined.

2. Getting work done!!! This year my goal was not to go into the new wedding season with outstanding un-designed albums. We only have a few left from the fall that area awaiting design. This past year I started using a design service as well as a local graphic designer and together they have made things so much easier and a lot less stressful!!! This is one of the list toppers that I am most happy about!

3. Working on a new website. I really hate that I have not updated my main site for a while and a new one is coming. I really wanted to have it up and live months ago but I really put it to the back seat of getting all the albums in order.

4. I have done several weddings over the winter months – post to come soon (I SWEAR!!!) and they were all incredibly beautiful.

5. Portrait sessions – I am dying to share some of those as well.
And, of course my personal life:

Having a new baby always makes life a little more interesting……She is getting so big though, almost ONE!!!

My little big girl, all covered in baby drool:

And, I have never shared the photos I did for my personal holiday card. I’m going to share some of the out-takes as well as some of the final ones we used. I always hear about how lucky I am to be a photographer and take photos of my kids. Well, I’ll tell you – it is not easy! They don’t listen to me at all. They fight and cry and throw fits. This is how I build my patience to photograph other people’s children:

This is me trying to persuade my 4 year old to sit still for 2 seconds. I spent the entire morning getting their clothes ready, finding hair accessories, and making sure they were fed so we could avoid a complete meltdown.

Again, Sophia, always making things a little more interesting:

At this point we were laughing. Someone is always crying or something:

My husband told me that this photo shoot was stressing him out…. really babe? How do you think I feel……. None the less, we got an adorable photo of them which I have in a pretty frame on the kitchen counter.

This is one of my most favorite photos of all time. This is a perfect example of Sophia’s personality:

Here’s to a happy Friday!!!!