Abby & Jimmy :: Married!

Not too long ago, Abby contacted me, telling me her and groom-to-be Jimmy were pulling together a short notice wedding and asked if I was available to be the photographer!  It just so happened that the day they needed me, I was!  And I am sooo glad I got the privilege of being their photographer on their big day!  I can't imagine a more fun, relaxed, undeniably in love couple to shoot for!!  I was able to relax and enjoy myself while getting all the shots I could dream of!  And they treated me like a valued part of the day, which made it so nice. 

Abby and Jimmy held the ceremony at a close friend's home, and the decor was Christmas-themed and beautiful! 

Abby made a gorgeous bride!  Her bridal portraits are stunning!  Here's a sneak peek:

And, of course, you need to see a couple of pictures from during the ceremony!

Jimmy is starting to get teary-eyed as he gazes at his brand new bride below.

One of the best moments of any wedding ceremony . . . "You may kiss the bride." 

  Abby chose to go with a red dress for the day.  With this choice, I found it interesting to learn a little more about the historical colors of wedding dresses.  A friend told me red dresses used to be very common on wedding days.  According to wikipedia, "White did not become a popular option until 1840, after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe Coburg. . . .  The tradition continues today in the form of a white wedding, though prior to the Victorian era, a bride was married in any color."  Go, Abby! 

The home had a beautiful sun room featuring a large window overlooking a lake.  This made for possibly my absolute favorite picture of the day!

After the ceremony and posing for indoor shots, the lovely couple headed outside to capture more of the emotion of their day.

To sum up all of the wonderful feelings of the day, I want to share with you some of their story!  Abby says they met through a mutual friend.  They happened to be hanging out with the same group of people one day, and she thought, "Who is that guy?!"  It turned out that they worked in the same building!  She ended up stealing her friend's phone and texting him later. :)  She says they started talking and just never stopped.  They are clearly very happy together now, and deeply in love.

Congratulations to a wonderful, happy couple!  I wish you two an awesome, long-long-long marriage! 

V is Very, Very Extraordinary . . .

This afternoon I had the pleasure of shooting some family shots for the Christmas cards of the Villalobos family . . . also known as "the Vs."

I know the Vs because they are one part of my boyfriend's amazing (and huge) family!  Melissa is Nick's sister. :)  Her and husband Jim are so warm and kind and just fun to hang around!  They lead the community church group I attend, and I also get to see them regularly at family get-togethers.  Let me tell you, I had no idea what I was getting into when Nick told me he had a pretty awesome family, but I have been so blessed that that was not an understatement!

They're pretty photogenic, too, as you can see!   

 Berea was very excited about taking pictures outside in the snow . . . right up until it was time to open the door and walk outside!  Nevertheless, she posed a little bit for me :)

 Also, I'm pretty convinced this little guy, Titus, keeps getting cuter every time I see him!  Below, we asked him to cover his eyes and play "dark."  He would do this for about half a second, then immediately open his arms and say "light!" with a smile.  It was too fun :)

Merry Christmas, guys!  Thanks for letting me take your pictures!!

Cookies, Ribbons, and Ladders

I have to admit, this is a professional blog.  It's used for "professional" purposes . . . like updating followers on my latest photo sessions and giving clients a sneak preview of the pictures we just took!  But I don't see a boss in this job who tells me not to mix my personal life with my professional life a little :) 

Ok, well, that's kind of a long introduction just to say that I am making a personal blog entry!  It has honestly been 2 years and 10.5 months since I have made a personal blog entry or facebook note!

Without further adieu . . . last Saturday I had a very fun time!  My very great boyfriend and I spent a whole day just decorating for Christmas!  A trip to the store a couple of days before prepared us for all that was to come (well . . . mostly).  Christmas lights, extension cords, tree ornaments, sparkly ribbon, sugar cookies, and icing were the artistic mediums of the day!

First, we started by lighting up the house.  Nick climbed to the roof, and I adorned the bushes.  A little windburn later, we were in glow business!

Truthfully, this picture was taken after a lot of the indoor decorating was done, but it had to go at this spot in the story!

Next, we were on to decorating the tree!  Nick and I had disagreed a little on themes for the tree, so we had to come up with a satisfying compromise.  He wanted colorful and fun, while I had had an elegant tree in my mind utilizing only a couple of colors.  We arrived at a scheme that made me more than happy!  Here's a taste of the look of the tree:

The last part of our day, besides cuddling up to a little TV before parting ways, was decorating sugar cookies!  I had a lot of fun, but we had different ways of thinking again!  My designs tended to be simple, while his were pretty elaborate! 

Check out one of Nick's masterpieces:

And one of my mine, with a peppermint theme:

Sooo much fun!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

One of the best times of the year to get family photos has got to be Christmas season!  Who doesn't love lots of red and green, twinkling lights, poinsettia, and warm happy feelings?  Ok, maybe I'm getting a little cheesy, but it is a great time for pictures!  And little girls dressed in cute Christmas dresses just make it that much better!  Josie, James, little Violet, and I ventured around the indoor area of Botanical Gardens and happened upon beautiful scenery. 

 Violet is only 6 months old, but it already seems quite certain she will be a heart stealer.  Don't just take my word for it, though.  All of the other people walking around took notice too. 

 Josie and James are clearly loving parents, and they all make quite a cute family.  I had a fun time!  Thanks for picking me!