Yes, last Saturday we celebrated with Kristy and Kyle. Their love is beautiful and solid and based on rock solid truth, and it was my pleasure to be there for that. But I witnessed something so much greater; I witnessed two people who are so incredibly passionate about the Lord and how he’s changed their lives. Jesus was unashamedly written all over their entire day – from Joy’s prayer while the girls were getting ready, to the ceremony that proclaimed Jesus as the foundation of love and the reason for marriage, to the toasts where Kristy’s father boldly shared that Kristy and Kyle desired for all the guests to know and experience the reason for their joy and their union – the saving grace of Jesus Christ. They were an inspiration.

Having known Kristy since first grade, I can honestly say that I couldn’t be prouder of the amazing lady that she’s become. Growing up she was always someone I wanted to be like, but now that we’re adults..it’s still true. She is compassionate and loving. She is selfless and joyful. Her marriage meant a lot to me because I’ve known her for a long time, yes, but more than that, you could see how prevalent God was in their lives. It wasn’t just a party, it wasn’t just spending forever with the one they loved; it was a celebration to the Lord, to acknowledge his purpose and his work in Kristy and Kyle’s life. I couldn’t have been more thankful to be a part of it.

Kristy and Kyle, you’ll never know how amazing it was to be a part of your day. From the planning process to the sparkler exit, your love was like a breath of fresh air. When I look at you two, I see something different. And I think anyone who knows you would say the same thing. Thank you for being a beacon of light for the Lord; I’m so excited to see where He takes you and how he continues to work in your life! Thank you for being an example of deeply rooted, meaningful, and selfless love.

Whew, now that I’ve rambled forever, take a look at some of my favorites! (Get ready, there’s a lot!!)

We started the day at Kristy’s house; which I loved. I haven’t been there since before high school so the day started pretty nostalgically for me.. Kristy’s makeup was done by Meredith Ehler and she looked AMAZING..

I kind of experimented and asked for Kristy beforehand to gather some things for the day so I could assemble a detail pile. She did such an awesome job! Everything was perfect..

I loved that B!! And also, that’s her framed invitation

Her shoes were awesome! And those are her mom’s earrings that she wore! Beautiful!

I’m a little obsessed with Kristy’s ring…

Kristy’s mom’s earrings are sitting on Kyle’s grandmother’s handkerchief, which Kristy carried with her.

Her dress was FABULOUS!! Oh my gosh, I loved it..

All of Kristy’s amazing florals were by Dionne’s Designs.

Yay!!

Kyle wrote an incredibly sweet note…

Beautiful window light with a beautiful bride? Yes please!

One of my faves..

Kristy, you are gorgeous!!!

Loved the lighting here…girls, you look GOOD!

Yay! A few more portraits..

Ok, I almost lost it when I took this picture. I’ve known this family basically my whole life! Now, I’m not a crier, but if I was..

Hehe!! It’s time!!

They were married at the AMAZING Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in DC.

Preach it brotha…He did such a great job with the service!!

A private moment..

MAN that’s a good lookin’ bridal party..

Portrait timmmee! They are beautiful people…

I know the next two are basically the same, but I loved them both so much!!

Oh Kristy…

Oh gosh, this is embarrassing! This is a picture of my twin, Kristy’s sister Joy, Kristy and me.. At some point I’m going to have to blog about my mullet. Gah. But I loved seeing this! Kristy and her mom set up a ton of pictures at The Ballroom in Bethesda of Kristy and Kyle growing up. It was a great touch!

Beautiful cake!

The new Mr. and Mrs!

Love them

The Kenney Holmes and Showbiz Band played and rocked it all night!!

So fun!

Kristy’s mom is Greek, so there were lots of Greek family there — the band played some music and we got to see a lot of Greek dances! It was awesome!

It was such a beautiful evening and the couple was sent of with some pretty awesome sparklers..

Special thanks to all of the amazing vendors who made for such an awesome day!

My AWESOME second shooter Becca!! Rebecca Watkins Photography. Thanks for everything, you did a great job and I loved having you!

Makeup: Meredith Ehler

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jasmine, at White Swan

Ceremony Venue: Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church

Day-of coordinator- Rachel Thomas

Reception Venue: The Ballroom

Reception lighting: Kristy’s co-workers! DJ Corkey and Neil Arey

Florals: Dionne’s Designs

Catering: AKS Catering

Linens: AKS Catering

Entertainment: Kenney Holmes

Videography: Tyler Herrinton

But, enough of me rambling! I’d love to show you some of the products I’ve been able to order over the last year! First up: Canvases!  I love these things so much! I wish could have about 5 or 6 on every wall of our apartment! They come ready to hang and are available in a wide variety of sizes! Check out the canvas that Michelle and Jeffrey won last year!

Also, here are some ALBUMS! Seriously, I could NOT be more excited about these!!!  Take a look at my first couple albums! They are from Leather Craftsmen and I am so in love with them!!

Heidi and Joey’s was a 10×10 and MAN it looks good…

Love how the pages lay flat….

Sam and Michelle got this 10×10, but they also got a smaller version for their parents, which I love!

Have a happy Wednesday everyone!

Stacey and Justin, I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to be a part of your FANTASTIC day. From the gorgeous weather to Stacey’s amazing smile, it was complete perfection. Thank you for bringing me into your lives, for making me feel so welcome. I truly loved every moment of documenting your day and I’m so excited about what the future holds for you and your families! Take a look at some of my favorites!

 The day started at the Westin Alexandria…

Ahh I loved Stacey’s Badgley Mischka shoes!

The bridesmaids all wore different silver shoes, and these are Jenna’s! Holy cow!

Stacey’s dress was absolutely stunning…

Stacey is my first bride to have a personalized hanger and I was SO excited!!

AHH the light! Gotta love the benefits of LOTS of windows!

Stacey, you are GORGEOUS!

I love this image! It makes me chuckle…

While I was with the girls, Jimmy was with the boys and he did such an awesome job! He took all of the following guy pictures…

So dapper, Justin!

I LOVE that shot on the right!! Awesome Jimmy!

I didn’t know it, but apparently, the guys had a little more time than the girls..so they found the executive room and had some fun..

Ah, back to the girls! Beautiful bridal party

How precious is the flower girl?!

Manly men…

The ceremony was at First Baptist of Alexandria, and I loved that when Stacey and Justin’s mom lit the candles, they were joining hands.

While Jimmy was in the back of the church getting these…

I was in the front getting this..

My view from the ground…

…and Jimmy’s from the balcony.

First kiss! Jimmy’s shot above, mine below

Married!!!!!

After the ceremony, we headed back to the Westin for the reception and some portraits!

Before we went outside, I was afraid we had lost too much of my favorite light -  it was around 8 pm! But I have to admit I’m IN LOVE with the way these turned out! I LOVE the colors!

Oh man…I love how the streetlight is coming through the trees; it’s almost looks like the sun is shining through!

So sweet

The one on the left might be my favorite!!

While I was shooting with the newlyweds, Jimmy was being my best friend and shooting some reception details…

OH my gosh – the CAKE!!

The favors were set up here after the place cards were cleared..

So cute!

Introducing the new couple!!

The first dance…

Stacey with her dad, Chip.

I loved watching Chip with his daughters; it’s clear they have such a close family.

Mother-son dances are always so sweet!

One of the groomsman sang a surprise song for the lovebirds..

And then it was time to dance!! Thanks to Tyler Quinn who did such a GREAT job!!

Jimmy’s shot – so fun!

And I’ll end with one of my favorites – I love you guys!

Wedding Planner: Tyler, Voila! Event Studio

Ceremony Venue: First Baptist Alexandria

Reception Venue: Westin Alexandria

Florals: Karin’s Florist

Photo Booth: Posh Photo Booth

Cake: Sweet Ladies Bakery

Entertainment: Fine Tuned Entertainment/DJ Service

I loved Erica’s beautiful Mikaella dress!!

I”m trying to get better at my ring shots and I really feel like these are an improvement! Her ring is gorgeous!

Jimmy was with the guys getting ready and took the following shots..

I always think it’s really hard to take shots of small things without a macro lens, but he did awesome!

Nice camo tie Travis!

It rained pretty much ALL day, but I was thankful that I had a few minutes with Erica before the ceremony…SUCH a beautiful bride!

Sassy AND cute – love her!!

Travis looking good before the ceremony

Ceremony!!

Because of their meeting in a science class and their science majors, it made perfect sense to have a science themed wedding! The Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond made the most wonderful venue! It was so unique and very cool!

Erica’s cake and cupcakes were done by Persnickety Cakes and smelled especially delicious..

My shot on the left, Jimmy’s on the right..

Loved this!

Erica’s parents made all the cards, signs and invites!! So well done!

Another one of Jimmy’s..

We were able to take just a few minutes outside for some portraits to the newlyweds! It was raining pretty steadily, but thankfully the Science Museum had a covering going all around the building.

One of my favorites…

Hehe you guys are cute

Erica and Travis shared a really sweet first dance..

Such a cute cake-topper..

I tried something a little different for the cake!

I loved the way Jimmy captured this series. The planner said in 3 years, she hadn’t seen anyone shove the cake as hard as Travis had!

Jimmy’s shot on the left, mine on the right..

Dancing!! Dancing is fun! Especially when Jim Hock provides the entertainment..

The next 5 shots are Jimmy’s; I just loved the way the shot the reception!

Loved this one of Erica’s parents.

It stopped raining at the end of the night, so I headed out with Erica and Travis so they could have a few shots in front of the sphere! Loved how they turned out!

A few more of the reception…

Congratulations Erica and Travis! I seriously loved being part of your day!

Many thanks to all the wonderful people who made Erica and Travis’ day so wonderful!

Gown: Mikaella, from Moni’s Bridal

Venue: Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Glen Allen, The Science Museum of Virginia

Coordinating: Tiffany, CCS Events

Cake/Cupcakes: Persnickety Cakes

Florals: Martin’s

Catering: Groovin’ Gourmets

Entertainment: Jim Hock, Music of the Times

Caroline and Shaun are already married, but because of his deployment they were able to finally celebrate the renewal of their vows in front of all their friends and family. I was so incredibly thrilled to be there for such a joyous day. Jesci, the maid of honor, toasted to not only a wonderful couple, but also to two amazing people and I couldn’t agree more. It was such a pleasure getting to know Caroline and Shaun, to see how they love and are loved by everyone around them. Their day was filled with so much joy and smiles – I loved every second of it!

Special thanks to my second shooter Sarah Spencer, who did an AWESOME job!

Take a look at some of my favorite shots from their awesome day!

In addition to her wedding rings, Caroline also wore her grandmothers ring! Isn’t it PRETTY!?

Loved the color of the bridesmaids dresses!

Her bouquet was awesome! From the side it looked like plain white (which I loved) but then it also had her color in the flower! Beautiful!

Caroline and Shaun decided to do a first look and I’m so glad!  We got all their portraits done before the ceremony and that means before it rained too!

Hehe…

I love First Looks!

Portrait time!!

Beautiful eyes!!

We did the First Look at their reception site, Historic Blenheim, and it provided an awesome backdrop for portraits..

My FAVORITE!! Caroline, you ARE GORGEOUS!!

I loved the lighting in the next series…

So cute! Love the one on the right!

I really loved how soft these next few came out!

Pretty girls

Good lookin party!!

I hope Shaun doesn’t mind me posting this. I just loved it! Laughter is my favorite!

…And just a few more portraits. Aren’t they adorable?!

Sarah took this shot of the bouquet when I was taking the above shot of Caroline and Shaun – beautiful Sarah!!

The ceremony was held at Providence Presbyterian in Fairfax.

Here she comes!!

Yay!!

Alrighty! To the reception!! Caroline used Voila Event Studio to help her awesome ideas come to life. Loved the table cards! I may have to copy this…

The reception area was perfect! Thanks Tyler for making everything work out so smoothly!!

This is Caroline’s dad – he was awesome!

Toasts were fun..

Jimmy was also there taking some pictures and I loved this one he took! See, everyone loved those table cards!

Best Idea. Ever.

Their first dance

And then we danced the night away thanks to the awesomely talented Jake Ritchie of Dream Day DJs!

Aw, another one of Jimmy’s – Tyler and me!

Thanks to everyone who made Caroline and Shaun’s big day so amazing!

Planning: Voila Event Studio

Makeup: Le Mariee’ Makeup

Dress: Curvy Girls Bridal

Venue: Providence Presbyterian Church, Historic Blenheim

Entertainment: Dream Day DJs

Catering: R&R Catering

Linens/Rentals: Select Event Rentals

Floral: Twinbrook Floral Desgin

Cake: Edibles Incredible

Limo: Reston Limousine

(The top picture was taken our way to Palestinian controlled Bethlehem; hence the Arabic writing. The below picture was taken near Megiddo, so it’s written in Hebrew)

I reminded myself how much I love coke (AND traveling) and realized that I should have posted about this before. Coke is my FAVORITE soda. There have been times in my life when I’ve had two or three a day. I know, it’s so unhealthy. THEN I started worrying about my teeth, so I don’t have it as much as I used to. Sadly, I spend more time wishing for a coke than I do actually drinking one. But whenever I eat at Chick-fil-A, the Coke is automatic. Who agrees that Chick-fil-a has the best Coke? Don’t get me wrong, I love Pepsi products (Mountain Dew is one of my faves..) But I don’t even remember the last time I had a Pepsi. (Too sweet!) SO after realizing that I’ve actually collected some paraphanalia, (Is that lame? Or awesome?) I decided it’s time to share my not-so-secret love of this delicious drink. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may also know about my obsession with french fries. Pair a coke with french fries and what else do I need? (Ok, maybe a cheeseburger. But that’s another story)

I’m not obsessed with coke bottles, but I sure do love them!

I’m not a huge collector of things, but while on my Study Abroad trip in Prague, we took weekend trip to Venice (AHH – mazing) and one of the key phrases was “Ciao Bella!!” Apparently, it’s a “thing” over there, so we said it a lot. When I came across this shirt, I HAD to have it. Fast forward three years, and I’m roaming the marketplace in Israel. I see ANOTHER Coke shirt. Yes, I’ll take that please. So, my collection is limited yes, BUT I figured it was worth sharing on this cloudy Monday morning.

And now the biggest question: Coke? Or Pepsi? I promise I’ll still be your friend even if you say Pepsi

Well the other day, we were able to bring her out on to the stage. You see, it was her birthday recently, and we had a little something planned. We went out to dinner on her actual birthday and finished up the night with the final episode of Psych. We let her believe that was it, because after all, it usually is. But this was a special birthday. And my mom, like I mentioned above, is a special lady. So her sister and my sister got together to plan something for her that weekend- a surprise birthday party!  We planned to go to my cousin’s bridal shower earlier in the day. Located it Round Hill, we figured we could casually suggest that we go to Travinia for dinner, just minutes from Round Hill. We could even kill time at Charming Charlie.

We kept it quiet for a while. As the shower approached my mom got a brilliant idea. What if we all went to Travinia after the shower? We could even kill time at Charming Charlie! What an awesome idea! (But did she know something??) But now to work out the timing. We had told some of my parent’s friends and family to arrive at 5:30 and the event would start around 6pm. At 4pm, my mom was ready to leave the shower. She was getting antsy. She suggested an early dinner. Maybe 5:30? Ummm.. No, Mom, let’s talk to Aunt Francie for a little longer! 4:30 at bridal shower and we figured it was safe to leave. Well, to make a long story a little shorter, the timing worked perfectly and she was totally surprised! Leta and I were principle characters in the decoy, so unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of her being surprised, but I at least got some of the event. Take a look at one of Voila‘s finest!

Tyler made those arrangements herself! I loved how unique they were!

Pretty…

I think Tyler took this, but I’m so thankful. I love this picture so much! This might have been when I told her that I couldn’t say anything very touching, but that I could write her something that would make her cry

I LOVE my mom’s laugh

I think Tyler is better with the “words” thing than I am. She gave a great toast to our wonderful mom..

Cake time!!

I love the next two – Two sets of sisters! Both have the oldest in the middle, the middle on the left and the youngest on the right.

I also want to give a special shout out to Jimmy who got off of work in DC and STILL drove all the way to Leesburg for this! I’m so thankful that he was able to make it and that he thought it was important enough to drive 45 minutes after moving boxes and mattresses all day! And this is one of my favorite pictures of us! Even though my chin disappeared somewhere…

Mom, I hope you had a great time with friends and family at your party! We loved celebrating you and you deserve it more often! You’re the best mom ever!

When I ran into her mom last year, she asked what I was doing these days. I told her about my photography business and she gently hinted there might be a wedding coming up her the family. Naturally, I got on Facebook to see the latest news and I saw Kristy and her soon-to-be fiance. (Yup, totally tried to Facebook stalk you Kyle!)  I can’t tell you how excited, honored and THRILLED I am to be involved during this amazing time of Kristy and Kyle’s life. They are an amazing match, both grounded in the love of Christ and motivated by it to follow the Lord in their lives.  They are so perfect together and I can’t wait for them to say “I do” in May!! It’s going to be a celebration of their lives and their obedience to the Lord and the LOVE He has given them. It’s going to be so beautiful!

We had our session at Great Falls Park and it was a beautiful day…

Love the one on the right; Kristy has the cutest laugh!

And she laughs a lot! My kinda girl!!

Man, are they pretty or what?!

Definitely one of my favorites…

Nicely done Kyle!! Beautiful!

I love this one! Kristy you are so pretty!!! Nice model face!

Had to have a picture with the falls…

Love…

I couldn’t decide which of the next two I liked better, sooooo……I had to post both

Gorgeous!

Love this one a whole lot!

One of my favorites ever!! I’m so happy for you both!!! I am totally ecstatic for your wedding!!!

Ashley and five other ladies participated in this day and I couldn’t have had more fun. They each had their own personalities and uniqueness. These ladies aren’t just beautiful, they are strong women, filled with passion and talent. They are doing awesome things (law school, chemistry degrees, Capitol Hill, working with the homeless etc) They are the very definition of “not just a pretty face”. But the amazing thing is that they do have pretty faces too!  I absolutely loved my time with the girls – they were so inspiring to me and made me feel like a friend.  We spent the afternoon at Ashley’s house and we were able to shoot right in her back yard, making the process easy and efficient! After going through the pictures, it seemed like their characters were taking shape right in front of me. I don’t know how accurate they are since I had only just met them, but I added a trait I thought I saw throughout each picture series…let me know what you think! Take a look at these dazzling ladies!

ALYSSA – SOPHISTICATED

I looovved her outfit! And I loved her awesome short haircut! She has this awesome look that I’d never be able to pull off! She’s beautiful and elegant! (And I really want that shirt!)

Pretty pretty pretty…

Love these two…

One of my faves!!

GAINA – JOYFUL

Giana is *obviously* beautiful but she’s so sweet too! She’s got an awesome smile and laughs a lot.

Love the colors in the one on the right…her makeup was perfect!

Loved this one! Gaina, you are too cute!

Gorgeous!!

Loved these last two! Might be my favorites of her…

BRITTNY – CONFIDENT

I loved working with Brittny! She has amazing hair, beautiful eyes and an attitude that seems to know exactly who she is and what she’s doing in life. To me, she exuded a calm confidence and she was awesome to have in front of the camera!!

Brittny makes and sells her own jewelry! Check out her facebook page to learn more!

I was digging her gold/orange eyeshadow.

Hands down, best shot – loved the lighting! You are so beautiful Brittny!

ALEXANDRA – SASSY

Alexandra was such a sweetheart and I loved seeing her inner model come out!! Her eyes are beautiful and when I showed the girls one of the shots toward the end, “sassy” was a description that I heard. It totally fit!

Model!

Ah! And I loved her perfect long hair! So jealous!

Beautiful!

Again, another exquisite makeup job by Ashley..

Two of my faves..

Love these two!

AMY – SWEET

Amy was awesome!  Her Taylor Swift curls and her willingness to laugh and smile made me think “sweet”. Even some of the ways she posed herself after my directions made me think soft and sweet! Especially with her super cute outfit!

By the time it was Amy’s turn, the sun had gone down quit a bit and was turning everything perfectly golden – I looooved the light during this session!

I love how bright and golden this one is!

One of my top favorites!

 ASHLEY – CLASSY

Oh Ashley, dear Ashley. She is the awesome lady responsible for dreaming big and for making all these ladies look gorgeous! I was excited to meet her and now that I have, I’m so thrilled to see where her aspirations take her. I know she is going to do awesome things and I can’t wait to watch it unfold!! She is beautiful and talented and I’m so glad that I know her!

I really like this one!

Beautiful..

One of my favorites! Ashley, please be my friend

Favorite!

Why helloooo sun flare!

 And as the sun’s light was leaving us, we took the opportunity to take a few shots with the girls remaining…and then Ashley had dinner for us, and it was ah-mazing. Just thought everyone should know

Thanks for being there ladies! ( +Gaina and Alyssa!)

Girls, I honestly had so much fun with you guys; thanks for making me feel so welcome and if you ever want to go mini-golfing, I know the perfect place!!

Brandon, thanks so much for being patient with me as I learned from you and for being such a great model! It was so fun!

We spent the afternoon walking around Reston Town Center in gorgeous weather!

I learned that I REALLY like black and whites for guys!!

Photogenic much?

This one is one of my favorites!

Brandon may be a pretty suave model, but he’s also hilarious! So fun! (Hope you don’t mind me posting these Brandon!)

Love the one on the right..

I’ll end on my favorites!

Brandon, thank you so much for helping me out! It was fun and I learned a lot!