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As promised, here is part two of Megan and Eric’s wedding. The ceremony and reception both took place at the historic Casa Marina Hotel in Jacksonville Beach. It was a great location for an outdoor wedding and they easily made modifications for the rainy day.

I love photographing Megan- she is so expressive. Her excitement here makes my heart happy.

Catching a tender moment during the ceremony while the guitarist played “I Will Be Here”.

Mr. and Mrs. Spurling!

Megan was such a classy/elegant bride.

We braved the rain for a short while…

before taking cover inside the hotel to stay dry and snap a few more romantics.

To me, these images feel like they could have come from the viewpoint of another hotel guest.

A delicious brunch reception

Two of my favorite food shots, ever. OMG- the waffles were too good!

As were the cupcakes- probably the BEST I’ve ever had.

I quite like all the laughter and facial expressions going on here

Fave!

One of the best parts of this wedding? Guests who ACTUALLY danced- and boy did they dance. Enjoy.

Thank you Megan and Eric for letting me a part of your beautiful wedding. I wish you two nothing buy happiness in the years to come. Hugs.

Megan and I took a few classes/worked on projects together at the University of North Florida. When Megan graduated a year ahead of me, we lost touch until I found out that we had a mutual friend in Lowrie. Short Story- I had just bought my first camera around the time when I first met Megan back at UNF. I actually tried to get her to sit for me so I could practice portraiture, but we could never coordinate it. Nearly three years later, I finally got my chance.

I arrived at Megan’s historic Casa Marina suite before the sun even come up on a rainy and very dreary day- perfect for a wedding at the beach, yes? There wasn’t much natural light available with the combination of a one-window room and clouds blanketing the sun- but it ended up creating a really great mood for the photos.

No Bridezilla here- just a sweetness.

Megan’s dress was STUNNING. It sings (there’s no way it could scream) elegance. This was an example of a dress that was just meant to be worn on its bride. I am in love with the colors and slight grain (due to the darkness) of the left image.

Getting ready shots are my favorite part of the day- the way anticipation reveals itself in each bride is different. The next several images show it better than I can put it in words.

Her expression in these really says it all. These next 3 are some of my very favorite bridal portraits, ever. These pictures were taken in a near dark room, with the sun just rising up over the ocean and diffused by the clouds.

Can’t forget the groom- a handsome military man.

Sand dollars as place cards-genius.

More to come soon- stay tuned!

Yet another wedding with a fellow Northern Heights (high school in the middle of a cow pasture) alum. Chelsea was a grade ahead of me (her super hot cross-country, personal trainer bod is part of what has inspired my recent running spree) and was dating Tony even back then. Seeing them interact on the day of the wedding- I can see why. They compliment each other so well.

Chelsea’s dress had beautiful beading and lace detail.

I love ring shots

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Shield your eyes for the next series-because Chelsea is just too hot to handle! I was super excited when Chelsea asked me to take a few pictures for Tony before the wedding and was even more excited when she said I could share a select few. P90X body in da house.

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Tony is such a sweetheart. He left gifts for Chelsea, her mom and his own mother. I quickly captured a few shots of Chelsea opening her lovely necklace.

I couldn’t resist another ring shot before heading out the door

Chelsea and Tony opted for a “first look”- so we headed to the Emporia State University campus.

From the beginning, Chelsea talked of her beautiful veil and how she wanted a shot of it blowing in the wind. Here’s my take on it. I think this one is over-the-fireplace canvas worthy.

Gorgeous colors, yes?

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These pictures aren’t technically anything wonderful, but they just crack me up. The bitty chair, the naked baby on the floor-and goofy Tony. The “first look” definitely helps to ease nerves.

Perspective

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I love Chelsea’s face

and the bubbles too

Tony is a firefighter, so after the ceremony we headed to the station for some shots with the fire engines. I love when clients give me ideas for pictures that have meaning to them.

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I love these two!

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It was THIS big. Yes,  I am a 5th grader.

Aww how sweet, the first dance- and then BAM return of the P90X body. Just look at her back, shoulders and arms!

The image on the left is probably one of my favorite wedding dance images. It may not be all the way in focus-but the grain, the movement and the feeling to this one just moves me.

Chelsea’s brother gave the sweetest speech that brought tears to my eyes- and everyone else’s.

The most dancing I’ve witnessed of all the weddings I’ve shot to date.

Love it! Especially Sarah’s (gal on the far right) expression.

and finally, I leave you with this. The chick who caught the bouquet (just look at her fly) and Sarah’s disappointment.

Thank you Chelsea and Tony for flying me all the way to Kansas to photograph your day. Your relationship is beautiful.

I know its been sooo long since I’ve last posted. I have 2 more posts waiting to go-just as soon as I carve the time. Since returning from Kansas I’ve ben running non-stop between 38-45 hour AmeriCorps service weeks, 16 hour Assisted Living Sundays, and editing non-stop every moment in between. Yea. I’m out of energy just reading it.

Anywho-this post is not about me… it’s a quick one about Chelsea and Tony. I went to high school with Chelsea back in our tiny little Kansas high school. I couldn’t have been happier when she asked me to shoot her wedding. (doing so knowing, at the time, I hadn’t booked any of my own weddings) Chelsea-you were such a calm bride-made my job so much easier and I could tell just being around you for the day how much Tony is in love with you. It’s refreshing.

Here is a quick preview of them on the bridge over Wooster Lake at Emporia State University. More from me soon-promise.

..you don’t know the sky, you can’t know the sky

..the bold prairie sky is clear, bright and blue, Though sometimes cloud messages give us a clue. Monstrous grey mushrooms can hint of a storm, Or painted pink feathers say goodbye to the warm. If you’re not from the prairie, You don’t know the sky. If you’re not from the prairie, You knot know what’s flat, You’ve never seen flat. When travellers pass through across our great plain, they all view our home, they all say the same: ‘It’s simple and flat!’ They’ve not learned to see the particular beauty that’s now part of me. If you’re not from the prairie, You don’t know what’s flat. If you’re not from the prairie,
You’ve not heard the grass, You’ve never heard grass. In strong summer winds, the grains and grass bend And sway to a dance that seems never to end. It whispers its secrets–they tell of this land And the rhythm of life played by nature’s own hand. If you’re not from the prairie, You’ve never heard grass.”

I’m off to Kansas for a long weekend of shooting-and quick back to  AmeriCorps service on Monday!

I’m hoping for safe travels and no rain for Saturday’s wedding!

This one is going to be a doozy! I suggest you get yourself a refreshing drink, kick back and immerse yourself in a little culture. This is one long post.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for a bride to give herself (and the photographer..hehe) enough time. Sahar is the time QUEEN. I got nearly 2 hours to shoot her getting ready and her portraits as well as a full hour to photograph Sahar and Samad together. Perfection.

The ceremony was held at the Deerwood Country Club. As soon as we walked in and I saw this room- I knew exactly what would come of it.

Elegant and timeless portraits, of course.

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Sahar and Samad opted for the “First Look”, where the bride and groom choose to break tradition see each other before the ceremony. This is great for calming nerves.. ANDDDDD awesome picture taking!!!!!!

The country club had a gorgeous lawn out back-complete with a pond and willow tree (when Sahar told me this I screamed.. for real).

OH, beautiful details

Naturals in front of the camera? Check and mark!

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I love photographing people in love. For a few hours I can forget about the troubles of the world and just let myself be swallowed by happy feelings (you can barf now)

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I’m thinking the right picture would make a gorgeous, HUGE canvas.
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Pure loveliness.

We were greeted by Sahar’s friends and family when we made it back inside.
I pretty much refuse to use my flash unless it is absolutely necessary-I do not like the BAM-FLASH-IN-YOUR-FACE effect-I do like blending in to get a more “natural” feel. Embrace the grain!!!

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Sahar went upstairs to hide before the Baraat (not sure if I am using that in the correct context) and I captured this shot.

The Baraat is procession of family, relatives, and friends of groom that accompany the groom to the wedding ceremony. Traditionally the Groom makes his way to the ceremony on a richly decked horse or in a car and “baraat” follows in different vehicles. The Groom is given warm welcome by the bride’s family with flower garlands and rose petals.

Another instance where I embrace the grain-Before the nikah there was a religious ceremony.

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Finally, Sahar’s mother and father walk her down the aisle.

I wasn’t allowed to shoot during the actual nikah cermony, but this one was taken right before. Nikah is purely Islamic official wedding ceremony. Nikah is attended by close family members, relatives, and friends of groom and bride.

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Samad’s family showered Sahar with jewels.

A quiet moment I caught, while everyone headed for the food!

Ladies first.

Um, can we say-YUM! From the top-starting with the Naan (a flat bread), mixed curried vegetables, chickpeas, chicken tikka, goat korma, chicken biryani and salad. I also had the most DELICIOUS dessert called ras malai. It is a scrumptious dish made of sugary, balls of paneer soaked in clotted cream.

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When you see something like this-you should probably turn around….

Because, in this case, it was cake time!

Somewhere, in someone’s home video- is me. I’m sure they are thrilled.

And that’s all folks!
Off to Bowl America the Bride and Groom went…;)

I am sooo excited to share the nikah (a Pakistani wedding ceremony) of Sahar and Samad with you. I anxiously awaited this event for MONTHS!

I absolutely love the Naem family-so hospitable and friendly. Thank you for allowing me into your home to capture Sahar’s getting ready process.

The process actually started 4 days before the wedding when Sahar went to have her Mehndi (or Henna) done.

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Then, the big day..

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I just love the extra dimension that the henna adds to all the pictures

Sahar’s sister, Saman, touches up her make-up

LOVE!!!

Many more of these shots, but Sahar removed her head scarf to finish getting ready and I agreed not to share those.

Elegant-right?

Mom helps pin the scarf

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Sana and Saman finish the job.

Timeless

GAH! So beautiful!!!

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The infamous ring shot

Before we left, Sahar’s mother copied down a prayer to ward of nazar (or the evil eye).

Come back soon for the actual nikah photos!

As I mentioned in this post, I have had the privilege of photographing Bianca through all of her important life milestones-and was happy to continue that tradition by shooting her wedding last month. Thank you Bianca, for being such a loyal client!

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On the left is Bianca’s Maid of Honor, Laura, who I have also “shot” on mulitiple occasions. Check them out here.

While the girls were finishing up, I headed to the church to get a few shots of the guys.

One of my favorites from the day.

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Expressive, much? I love Bianca’s face while looking at her dad in the bottom-middle photo.

In all of its out-of-focus glory, I love this one

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Cake time!

One of the most entertaining cake cuttings I have witnessed. Bianca, you crack me up.

The end. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Lagunas.
Romantics were postponed due to rain and we are shooting them at a later date. Stay tuned.