Sara & Adam’s wedding was my last wedding of the year and my final trip to Florida.  Here’s a few of my favorites from their wedding.

Jessi & Hampton were married on October 8th. But before I talk about the wedding…I have to say:

As most of you know, I have worked with Yuliya Callahan for quite some time now.  She has been a second shooter on many of my weddings and I have had the pleasure of being a second photographer for some of her weddings.  I’m sad to say, that Jessi & Hampton’s wedding was the last time I will be working with her…that is, unless she comes up to North Carolina for a mountain wedding. (Hint, hint, Yuliya).  So, for all my Florida followers…if you need a photographer, please see Yuliya.  Not only does she do great work…but she’s easy to get along with. I just adore her.

Now…back to Jessi & Hampton’s wedding.  Before we went to the hotel to meet Jessi, we stopped off at Orange Park Presbyterian Church (where the ceremony was to take place) to see what we had to work with.  While we were there…we found these:

The we headed over to the hotel to meet Jessi for hair and makeup.  And, like all brides should be on their wedding day, Jessi was all smiles.

There was the emotional letter from Hampton to Jessi.  Only they know what it said…but I think it’s awfully sweet when couples do this before their ceremony.  It does mess up the makeup a bit, though.

There was also a small boutonnière mishap.

It was a very rainy day and I really loved the way the church windows looked from the inside.

The way they look at each other says it all.  Doesn’t it?

Jessi had plenty of help keeping dry…

The groom’s cake.  Hampton is a Legislative Correspondent with the United States Senate.  Maybe he’ll be President some day.  Then I’ll be the one who photographed the President’s wedding (as if that will be important).  You just never know…

And the grand entrance!

Everyone got on the dance floor.  And I mean everyone.

The cake cutting was cute…mostly because of the facial expressions.

Hampton’s parents:

And Hampton’s dance toward Jessi to remove her garter was great!

And the end of a fantastic evening:

Jennifer & Tim were married on September 3rd in Jacksonville, Florida.  We started at Beach United Methodist Church…

We did some shots of the guys while we were waiting on Jennifer to arrive.

Something happened that made everyone laugh – and I can’t remember what it was!

Jennifer arrived shortly after and I was super happy with her choice in shoes (I love pretty, colorful shoes)!  Plus, her dress was gorgeous.

Getting ready – tons of smiles.

The ceremony was beautiful…

The reception was at Mayport Naval Base and we had a little time before they had to be at their reception…

And then on to the party!

The DJ (DJ Thundercat…who was absolutely the most AMAZING DJ I’ve worked with in my 5 years of doing this) had the crowd busy and laughing with fun games.

And there were some touching words…

And there was cake….beautiful, beautiful cake.  It was on the table…but ended up on faces.  And check out this awesome shot Yuliya got of their cake…love it.

When the sun started setting, we all broke away for a few more photos on the beach…and look at how beautiful these two are!

And there wasn’t a dull moment the rest of the night…this was a great reception!

Thank you, Jennifer & Tim, for choosing us to photograph your wedding!  We had a great time!

Have you ever thought you did something…and then come to realize that you really did NOT do it?  Well, that’s what happened to this post about Megan & Justin’s wedding.  I thought I had blogged about it…but guess what?  I didn’t.  So here it is!

Megan & Justin were married in Lake Lure, NC at Rumbling Bald Resort – which is a beautiful location for a wedding.

Megan has the cutest facial expressions!

Isn’t she adorable?!?!  I loved photographing her!

Isn’t this the MOST amazing location to get married?

I still can’t get over just how beautiful Megan is – she was a model bride!

The love in this family was so heartwarming.  It’s not something you see everyday.

Sneaking a peek. 

Oh, and can ALL wedding kisses be like this, please?  {love}

If all married couples looked at each other this way, there would be no divorce.

And their first dance was fun to watch – because they know how to dance!

Kimmie and James were married on July 9th at Springmaid Mountain in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.  It sprinkled on and off during the day – but no real rain and the day turned out absolutely perfect for a wedding.

And wasn’t her dress absolutely gorgeous?

And her boots were awesome!

Plus a cute Mickey Mouse watch given to her for the wedding by her grandmother.

Now, there was a swinging bridge that we used – and I’m glad we did.  I didn’t even know it existed – so thank you goes to my lovely assistant, Mollie, for pointing this out.  And yes, the bridge actually swung.  And yes, my nerves were shot.

And my wonderful assistant, Mollie, with the bride.  (They are friends).

This look says it all.

Thank you, Kimmie & James for choosing me to photograph your lovely wedding!

I’m late posting this up on the blog because I’ve been so preoccupied with other business happenings lately.  Cassie & Evan’s wedding was absolutely wonderful…not to mention the couple themselves were a pleasure to photograph.

Now this is going to be a LONG post.  I’ve decided that I’m going to start including MORE of the wedding day in my blog posts.  And here it goes:

Let me start by saying that blue is my FAVORITE COLOR and has been since I was probably 4 or 5 years old.  So, I was thrilled to see that Cassie chose blue for her shoes and other accessories.  LOVED IT!

OK, now the story behind this next photo is quite funny.  Well, it is now.  You see, we (me and my second shooter, Yuliya) had taken a few other dress photos when she mentioned hanging the dress over the water.  Now, I immediately got the sweats and starting shaking – it was instant anxiety.  Why, you ask?  Because I had visions of the dress falling into the water.  And I just KNEW that with my luck that the wind would blow it in.

Despite my fears…we did it.  And I’m glad we did.  Of course, Yuliya was right there just in case.  And I mean RIGHT THERE.  So when the wind did pick up a little, she was quick to grab it.  Thank goodness.  And we got this wonderful shot of Cassie’s beautiful dress.

And there’s one thing you’ll notice in these photos – Cassie laughs A LOT.  It’s great!  She’s happy – and should be.  And I can’t say it enough to future brides – please smile and laugh and enjoy yourself on your wedding day.  It’ll show later in your photos.  You’ll be disappointed later if you don’t smile – and I can’t photoshop that.

More blue!

The guests were kept busy with fun puzzles – a very creative idea.

And the happy groom, Evan.

And she’s ready to go.

Cassie & Evan decided on doing a “First Look” before the ceremony.

And check out these awesome eco-friendly “green” centerpieces.  This is a very popular wedding trend.

And all they do is smile when they look at each other.  It’s perfect.  Yep, that’s what love looks like.

And Cassie made such a beautiful bride.

Cassie looking at Evan as she walks down the aisle.

And, Evan, looking at Cassie.  (And Evan’s mother looking at Evan in the background….love this one!)

And the beautiful Gallagher family.

The intimacy between these two is just beautiful.  They are so in love and it shows.  I predict a long and happy marriage…

And these are the lovely ladies of the Garden Club who created the beautiful centerpieces!  (Evan’s mother, second from the left).

Lots of dancing – the reception was a great party!

So, that pretty much sums up the entire wedding day.  Long post, huh?  Well, it isn’t over yet.  The next morning we met up in St. Augustine to do a “day-after” session of the two of them.  And we got some great photos.  Here’s a few:

Thank you, Cassie & Evan for allowing me to be a part of your special day!

Tammy & Shawn were the winners of the Wedding Giveaway.  You can view their winning entry here.  We had some wonderful businesses and individuals come together to make this happen for Tammy & Shawn.  Here’s a sneak peek of their wedding.  But first, I want to thank everyone for doing such a great job in coming together to give this couple a wonderful wedding day!

Ceremony: Crown Point Baptist Church

Reception: Selva Marina Country Club

Wedding Day Coordination: Tabbatha of The Wedding Day Assistant

Makeup: Kimtasha

Hair: Paul Mitchell  School of Jacksonville

Cake: Metro Custom Cakes

Reception Decor: Tina of Weddings by Tina

DJ: David Champagne of The String Group Professional DJ Services

Invitations: Amanda Randall Designs

Flowers: Bold Blooms

Appetizers: Mai Oui Gourmet

Photography:  Why me, of course!

And here’s the gorgeous (and delicious…yes, I had some) cake from Metro Custom Cakes.  Trisha always does an amazing job on these cakes and I have to say, she is my preferred cake vendor.  I recommend all my brides use Metro Custom Cakes.

The flowers, done by Bold Blooms, were stunning!

Tammy and Shawn looked great!  Tammy’s hair and makeup were both perfect!

The food by Mai Oui Gourmet looked fabulous, of course.

It was a great wedding and I, for one, was happy to be a part of it!

Here’s a few of my favorites from Amanda & Michael’s wedding in December.   Their reception was held at the Hilliard Mansion.

So, I’m a little behind in blog posts.  No, I’m A LOT behind.  Here’s some of my favorites from Chris & Holly’s wedding in late November.

Holly made a gorgeous bride!  And, she was such a natural at posing.

Here’s a great shot of the guys that my fantastic second shooter, Yuliya, captured.

Another great shot from Yuliya…of the stunning cake from Metro Custom Cakes.

I have had Christine & Ted’s wedding booked since October 2009 and I’ve been counting down the days!  A New Orleans wedding in the French Quarter was too exciting.

So, let me start off by talking about their awesome wedding and then end with some more awesome stuff about the city..when I took my time to be a tourist.

I met up with Christine at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel where she was getting ready.  Now, Christine and Ted’s favorite holiday is Halloween…so it was no accident that they were getting married on Halloween weekend.  In fact, New Orleans has a major party in the French Quarter for Halloween.  Even during the day, people are walking around in costumes.  It’s a nonstop party and it’s extremely entertaining just as an observer, I must say.

We didn’t stay there long…because she wanted to do photos and head over to the ceremony and reception location: The Musee Conti Wax Museum.

We arrived there, but decided to use some of the surround scenery to do some photos of the bride and the bridesmaids.

Christine was absolutely stunning!

And her bouquet was filled with peacock feathers.  I LOVED it!

And, the more I got to know her, the more I realized (and fell in love with) her animated and genuine laugh and smile.  She didn’t hold back.  It was a contagious smile with laughter…I found myself smiling just watching her.

The cake was just beautiful – and it was the first time I had ever seen a cake like this.

Of course, the first dance:

And it was dark out by the time we had a chance to do some photos of the gorgeous couple, so we took advantage of what was there.

OK, now here is the part where being from Florida is NOT an advantage.  LOL.  I was watching the coordinator pass our handkerchiefs to the guests.  She was also holding a very decorated white umbrella and black umbrella.  I asked her what this was for, and she said they were going to dance around with them.  Huh, I thought, should be good for some photos at least.  Well, after talking with another staff member and one of the police officers downstairs (who were hanging out outside), I found out what that was.  This other staff member asked me, “Are they going to do the second line?”  I said, “What?”  (Cause I heard him, but I doubted what I heard because it didn’t make sense.)  He said it again and still I’m lost.  Figuring he was referring to something that I have every right to not know what it is, I admitted I had no idea what he was talking about.  He laughed and asked if I was from here.  After admitting was a foreigner, he told me what it was.  Apparently it is a tradition for New Orleans weddings – it was pretty cool.

The DJ played the “Second Line” song (wanna know what it sounds like?  go to http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1280468/a/Mardi+Gras+Party.htm and play #4) -  and the bride and groom lead, waving their umbrellas, while everyone follows dancing in a line waving napkins in the air.  It was a nice end to a very cool wedding.

Now, the next day I was able to be a tourist.  We checked out some of the old cemeteries that were just outside of the French Quarter.  Of course, all cemeteries are above ground in New Orleans.  There were old tombs…

…mixed in with new tombs.

And there was one tomb that was unmarked (at least with a name) – but instead was marked with “XXX” all over with stuff that people had left either at the base of the tomb or on it.  It was a wide variety of stuff – coins, flowers, sometimes even chapstick.  It was odd.  However, I looked it up later and found it is Voodoo-related (both the X’s AND the offerings.)

While in the cemetery, we met a couple who were about to be married on Halloween day – in costume.  They were kind enough to let all the people passing by take their photo.

The architecture in the French Quarter is beautiful.

There were many street acts.  This guy literally didn’t move.  I mean I stood there and couldn’t even tell he was breathing.  Amazing.  There were also street bands, magicians, and palm readers on every corner.