Eric and Lauren are a pretty awesome couple!!  They got engaged at Yew Dell Gardens, you may remember their engagement session from this past Fall.   They both do the same job working for Campus Crusade for Christ and met through a Cru Conference.  They are both so genuine and kind and it was really a pleasure to be a part of celebrating their wedding in Carmel, Indiana – just outside of Indianapolis.   They had such an amazing team of people around them to help pull their wedding together… it really made everything run smoothly.    Laura from Eventful Planning planned everything perfectly.  Lauren and Eric were fully able to just soak in all the fun without any stressors.  

We started the day at Lauren’s home with her family and friends.   Lauren and several of her bridesmaids have visited overseas in Asia, so it was quite fitting to have sushi for lunch.   (And yummy!!)

We went to the Palladium for their bridal photos and for their first sight.  I always love these moments when they see each other for the first time in an intimate setting.    My second shooter, Kate got these amazing shots from around the corner.  

Hello Hot Stuff!!! :)

Adorable!!

And then we got a little silly!!!

Such a fun group!!

Time to get married!!!!Eric and Lauren built extra time into their day so that we could take some more photos after the ceremony.   It was really a sweet time for the couple.Time to party at the Bridgewater Club!!   While the couple were getting photos with me, all of their guest were enjoying a time of cocktails and treats. Lauren was able to get a sneak peek of the reception hall before everyone was allowed to enter.  She was thrilled!!  I’ve included photos from earlier in the day so that you can get a true picture of how pretty the florals were that adorned the tables.   Lauren and Eric had everyone sing for the supper!  Each table had to sing before they were served their dinner.  

Thanks for letting me be a part of your day!!  Thanks to all the Wedding Vendors who helped to make this night so wonderful.  Eventful Planning, A Slice of Heaven Cakery, DJ Sunny Moon, Sweet Pea Florals, and many more!!

Anna and Ben had the most beautiful wedding at Hurstbourne Country Club.  All the details were amazing and the location was wonderful.   I was so happy for my friend that her day went so perfectly.   Here are some of my favorites from their beautiful wedding.  

The entrance of Hurstbourne Country Club was gorgeous with all the light coming through the trees.  

Both James and Carrie working on Anna – they have done this before.

Her dress was gorgeous.. from Rebecca’s.   I loved how they left her a personal note wishing her well on her wedding day.   Those little pieces are marks of a good vendor. 

One of my favorite moments of the whole night was when Ben’s fraternity told the DJ to play “Whole New World”  from Aladdin.   They grabbed a table cloth and had Ben and Anna sit on it.   They played along and I literally was in tears from laughing.  So fun and so cute.    

What a great wedding!!!  Congratulations Ben and Anna!!!

Aside from having really cool names, Mallory and Chas are really cool people.   And their WEDDING WAS GORGEOUS!!!!   Everything about this day was wonderful and beautiful.   Talon Winery was a perfect as it had old barns, rolling fields, blue skies and rows of vineyards. 

I just adored all the rustic goodness surrounding me as I photographed a lovely couple.  On the way to the Lexington Winery, I was met with all of these wooden signs announcing I was getting close.   Mallory put so many wonderful details into her wedding, it was a complete joy to photograph.   I found all the girls hanging out in a little cottage drinking mimosa’s and enjoying the getting ready time.   

Mallory.. you are stunning!

They did a gift exchange before their first sight!   Mallory got Chas this amazing watch, and Chas did an incredible job getting her these blue Louis Vuitton heels from Paris!!  Yes, I may have been coveting.  

Time for the Ceremony!!

Before I go any further, I want to talk about the first sight – they had it earlier that day.   Besides the benefit of having time to get incredible photographs, they had a wonderfully intimate moment and time just to themselves on their special day.    Yes, I left them alone (completely alone) for them to talk and just have that moment  which they would not get later when all their guests and family surround them.     I think the main concern  for most couples about the first sight earlier in the day is that it will ruin the moment of seeing each other for the first time at the altar.   This is when all of my couples can chime in with some comments if you would like – because it doesn’t take away from that moment – it just makes it different.    And you are about to see what I am talking about.   Not only did the groom get teared up, but most of the wedding party and even Mallory (who never cries).     Each moment is equally significant and emotionally wonderful.   Please don’t ever believe that the first sight ruins this moment.   It never could.   

Congratulations Mallory and Chas!!  Thank you for giving me the honor of celebrating with you.

You would think when you know a couple so well, that it would be easy for me to start writing this blog post about their wedding.   But I am at a loss of where to start, because there is so much to say yet no matter how I say it – it just doesn’t convey the heartfelt sentiment I want to express.   I love these two!!!    I knew Jenny from Scarlet Hope,  a ministry that is near and dear to both our hearts.  I am still kinda dumbfounded as to how we became so close in such a short amount of time.  I tried to explain to her mom that Jenny is just easy to love, she said, “you must be too.”  That was so sweet.  I guess I just attributed our friendship to Jenny since she is easy to love, but it was nice to think that’s a mutual thing.   Jenny is one of these women that wears her heart on her sleeve – she is always encouraging and loving.   She definitely gets this from her family.   The day after I met them.. I walked into the house without even knocking as if I was part of the family.   After I did it, I laughed to myself thinking how comfortable they made me feel that I didn’t even think twice.    I am sure this warmth and laughter is what drew Michael to notice her.   They were friends for awhile before they even dated.   And then after a few bumps in the road and some growth in who they were, Michael and Jenny decided to tie the knot.    They had a true test in their relationship by being miles away from each other while they were engaged, yet they endured and I believe became better people because of it.   When I first saw her and Michael together – their deep love  and playful delight in one another was so obvious to anyone who saw them, yet you could hang out with them and not feel uncomfortable or like a third wheel.   You can check out their Louisville engagement  photography session and see what I mean.    Did I tell you I love them both?   LOL.. i really don’t know what else to say besides that and …. heeerrrreee’s theeirrrr wedddding!!!  :)   We started off in Jenny’s childhood home in Bloomington, Illinois.   She was surrounded by photos and memories of growing up.   It was sweet and comfortable and warm  — and had some patriotic bunting which Jenny and her siblings just love. LOLJenny’s Dad wanted a few touchups :) 

Jenny – YOU ARE GORGEOUS.  

My favorite moment of the day is when they get to see each other for the first time and consequently the only time in the day where they get to be completely alone for a moment.   These are always so emotional and sweet that I even get teared up.   The tears happened this time before they even saw each other — beautiful moment.  I LOVE THESE NEXT TWO!! 

Hello Hot Wedding Party!!

Did you know that if you go to the zoo with a wedding dress on – you can get in for free???  LOL     yes, we did!   Jenny and Michael rode carousel horses in their Louisville Engagement Session, so I thought we should incorporate it here too!!      Your so cool.  ;)   I told you the grasshoppers would be worth it!!Time to get married!!!!!   Jenny and Michael decided to do all their photos before the ceremony so that they could arrive before the guests and greet them at the reception at Miller Park Pavilion.  We may have raced some in the car :)  Jenny’s sisters had cooked up a little surprise for newly married couple.    Jenny has been known for her costumes… in particular the lion costume and her ‘MOM’ jeans get up.  I think they got her pretty good and then they sang ” Come what may!”   Keep in mind that no one was drinking during the reception…  except for these.   AlE 8 may be responsible for the zaniness you are about to witness.

I have danced with Jenny before and she is pretty much hilarious.   I felt like this reception was a room full of Jenny’s.   They literally all danced like crazy and with so much … um.. expression.   LOL.    SO MUCH FUN!!Michael and Jenny have a signature dance.  Surprisingly, I have seen this a few times and I’ve only been around Michael a few times as well.  It must be a dance they do whenever they are together…haha. 

Jenny’s Dad loves Lady Gaga, when ‘Pokerface’ came on – he stole the dance floor. 

The impromptu bouquet toss and garter throw .. er.. I mean napkin throw.  What a great night!!  Congratulations Jenny and Michael :)   I love you both!!! 

I admire Erica and Cory.   In this past year of their lives together, they committed their lives to Christ.  But it wasn’t just a verbal commitment, they literally changed the way they were living to reflect God in their relationship.   That is something worth noting.   Here is something else, worth noting.. their wedding photos!!!  

We started off the day at the wonderful Looking Glass Salon which is beautiful aesthetics for a wedding day.

Erica and Cory decided to do a first sight, which always allows for some amazing pictures and some time for them to be alone on their special day.    These moments are always my favorite.    Cory was overcome – it was  beautiful.

The bridal party took off from the ceremony to get to Glassworks before the sun went down so that we could get some of these amazing photos on the rooftop.  

Cory and Erica decided to surprise their guests by walking in with the Louisville Cardinal Mascot.   They were pretty excited. 

When they kissed, the kids kind of lost it.  LOL

Then it was their turn to dance, and I almost lost it.  Haha.. these kids pulled out all the stops.

Congratulations Cory and Erica!!!  I so enjoyed getting to be a part of your special day.  

Stacy and Kyle are an amazing couple who I just really enjoy being around.   I love becoming friends with my brides and grooms – their wedding day becomes more and more personal to me as I get to know them.   And yes, I have teared up quite a few times during the first sight.   This time was no different.   I so loved being a part of their wedding day at the  Nunnlea House in Louisville.    Here are some of my favorites of the day.   I literally mean ’some’ – if I showed all of my favorites, I might as well just show the whole wedding.

We started off the the day at Studio 151 Salon, which by the way is one of my new favorite Louisville salons.  I had them do my hair a few weeks later and I loved it.   As soon as I walked in, Stacy was so relaxed and just enjoying the day.    She started asking me about my vacation and my ministry – it was at that point, I knew she felt completely comfortable with me and that I was a friend.   Everything was so laid back, I had to remember to take photos.  Just kidding.. I couldn’t stop taking photos.   

Then we were off to the Nunnlea House to get ready for the First SIGHT!!!!   AND GIRLS HER DRESS WAS TO DIE FOR!!!!   I don’t even care that I used bad english.. it was that pretty!! 

Seriously Stacy – you are gorgeous!!

I always give the bride and groom a few minutes after their first sight to be alone.   It’s one of the few moments they will get when they can be absolutely alone and some things are just too sacred to stand there snapping photos.    So, I always offer couples a few minutes to just be together on the most important days of their lives.    Then we are ready to take photos again.  

LOL.  I love how none of the guys tried to grab the garter.  I don’t know if it was because the garter had UK  on it or because they are afraid of commitment.  I guess we will never know :)

Just a little FYI about Kyle… he is kind of a dancing machine.  It’s a good thing he was the groom, because I have tons of pictures of him.  Some of my favorites are when he did the Mrs. Doubtfire routine!   AWESOME

This group was so fun.. it was all I could do to not join them!!   Even Marilyn Monroe showed up :)  Stacy and Kyle literally stole the show whenever they danced.   They were so funny.   I loved watching everyone just enjoy them.   Stacy and Kyle – congratulations and may you enjoy years and years of happiness.    You both were so fun to get to know.

The two best words I have to describe Erin and Matt’s wedding day is  – beautiful chaos.  Erin and Matt experienced the most memorable wedding that I have seen to date.   They came all the way from Los Angeles, California so that they could have their wedding near family in Louisville, KY.   Erin planned the most gorgeous rustic wedding at Yew Dell Gardens, complete with an outdoor dinner served under the trees to wildflowers in tin cans lining the aisle of ceremony.   I was there early and took full advantage of the time to capture the scenery. 

Seriously – I was antsy to get the pictures of all the beauty and details that she had planned for her outdoor wedding.  The day started out wonderfully sunny but the wedding planners kept close watch on the weather because there were threats of a storm brewing.   Let me just tell you, Erin surrounded herself with a phenomenal team of vendors for her wedding.   You will hear more of how wonderful they were later.   Since the couple was coming in from California, I didn’t have an opportunity to get to know them face to face until that day.   I met Matt first and I noticed he was a man of quiet confidence and brought a gentle and calming presence (which came in handy later that day), plus he was very intentional and uplifting to those around him.  Just a great guy to be around.   Erin was just plain gorgeous!  I knew she had a dancer background.. and you know how dancers look.. so elegant and confident.  Both of them had so many good friends there  – it was easy to see why.   I liked them both right away and was excited for their day to begin.     

Erin got ready in the Castle. 

Just in knowing her a short time, I could tell how much poetry and prose meant to her.   The readings she selected for her wedding were so thought out and poetic.   Everything she did and chose to do had meaning.   She wore her passionate and tender heart on her sleeve – you could tell she loves deeply with all of herself – Matt is a lucky man.  So, I noticed that Erin was extremely comfortable in front of the camera.  With every click she would change her look with a slight tilt of the head and not only that, every shot looked great.   So I commented, “Wow, you are extremely comfortable in front of the camera. You look fabulous!”  To which she quietly and humbly replied, “Well… it’s kind of my job.”  I said, “Oh, what do you do?”   She said, “Well, I am an actress.  And I am pretty excited that I just landed the Oil of Olay campaign.”   My jaw dropped.  I thought, What?!!!! And all the sudden I felt nervous that I wouldn’t do a good job.  She is used to magazines and doing commercials and I am a photographer in Kentucky.   And Matt.. well, I found out he is a film maker and is known for doing documentaries.   If they weren’t just so darn likeable and humble.. I would have been shaking and sweating all night wondering if I was up to par.   But then I remembered that they chose me to do their wedding and they are just so great who could be nervous.   Just for fun, here is her living social commercial, I think the Olay one is coming out soon or I would link that one too.    But seriously, doesn’t she make a beautiful bride!!!Shortly after this everything changed!   You have to realize with someone as passionate and creatively artistic as Erin – she, of course, had perfectly planned the day down to the letter.   When everything did not go as planned – this is when the beautiful chaos began.   The wedding planners who had been monitoring the weather all day interrupted the pre-ceremony  photos to tell us we had to get the outdoor ceremony going before the storm came.   I looked up and this was overhead.  Let me just say that Joanna and Libby from Essential Details timed this perfectly – a few minutes later and we would have been running for shelter.  They were absolutely wonderful and kept everything seemingly smooth though chaos was all around us.   Their quick thinking gave plenty of time for guests to get under a roof before this monster storm came.   Sometimes, I wonder why things happen – why a beautiful outdoor wedding with amazing details would be completely overhauled by a treacherous and damaging storm.     For a woman like Erin who had perfectly planned this day to have all of her work to be undone and out of her control – to be far from what she envisioned   – I admit I felt disappointment with her.   I found myself praying for her with each discouraging problem she faced.   Before i continue, I want to show the original design of the day.   After the ceremony, the small intimate group attending her wedding were to have an elegant dinner underneath the trees.   It’s gorgeous, is it not?    After the dinner, the original plan was for the guests to go to the barn for dancing and mingling and cake.   This was not what happened.   Shortly after the storm started, it wiped all the power out.   This is when chaos turned beautiful and people rose to the occasion.   Wiltshire Pantry rocked this out.   They set up the beautiful dining arrangement only to take it apart not once but two times.    When the power went out, they quickly found a gas stove to finish cooking their elaborate meals.  All of their crew were soaking wet trying to make everything as beautiful as possible for the couple.   I will highly recommend Wiltshire Pantry - they truly went above and beyond and stayed way later then hired to make sure the rest of the night went well.   I always feel touched when I see people who will serve other people in that way.   (yes, I am tearing up right now thinking about it.)    The crew from Essential Details worked right alongside them.   When I see vendors like this, I can’t help but feel glad to be a part of this business who make their service not about a paycheck but about people.   Another awesome aspect of the night, were Erin and Matt’s guests – their friends and family who laughed and stuck it out no matter what curve ball was thrown their way.  They went with the flow and still enjoyed hanging together in the dark.     Finally, I think the most beautiful part of this day in the midst of chaos was the couple themselves.   I don’t know if you know this about me – but I am a bit of a perfectionist.   I empathized as I imagined what it would be like to have all my plans for my wedding be changed.   Ugh.. Can you feel it too?   Most girls dream of this day from when they are little girls and for it to not go as you had hoped, well.. it would be so heartbreaking.   But it wasn’t – this wedding day was beautiful.   I believe made even more beautiful in the midst of everything going wrong.   Think about it.. marriage is far from perfect.   We are after all, imperfect people and often in life.. we are disappointed with things that go wrong.    And most things are out of our control (though, we may still try to control it- lol).     In the midst of chaos, this couple proved they could stand the test.  They rolled with it, they problem solved, they remembered the most important part was relationship and the night became beautiful once more.  Though, it was dark – they shone brightly.  Yes, i know that sounds cheesy.. but forgive me, nights like this make cheesy sayings ring true.    Here are my favorites from the rest of their night.  

Though the rain stopped, the power never came back!  Fortunately, the awesome caterers and cooks were able to make the dinner happen on the deck.  

And then this happened.What did I tell you?  Beauty from Chaos!!! 

This cup has special significance as it was used at her great great grandparents wedding to toast at their wedding and by every generation after.

Because the power was out and this lively crew still wanted to celebrate, they all headed to 21c museum hotel to continue the party!!

Erin serenaded Matt :).  Funny and sweet!!

Thanks Erin and Matt for letting me be a part of the beautiful chaos!!  I will never forget your day!!

I was already a fan of Christina, but now I am also a huge fan of David.   I think what did it for me was when he sent me a heartfelt thank you note after their engagement session.  Just an all around great guy and Christina – well, you already know from their engagement session how highly I esteem her.   I loved being their wedding photographer.  Christina and David are doing what so many couples are doing now – doing all their photos before the ceremony, which allows for lots of time for creative and fun wedding photography.  We started out at Southeast Christian Church, traveled to 4th Street Live for some fun city photographs and then off to Frazer Museum for the wedding reception.  Here are some of my favorites of the day.  Christina’s smile just lights up a room, don’t you think?!!  

I love their shoes!!!

Hurry!! It’s time for the reception!! Just before sunset, the newlyweds stole away to the roof of the Frazer Museum for a moment.  Such a great wedding!  Congratulations David and Christina!

Heather and Dan are amazing people with such a big heart for people all over the globe.  Their wedding was so wonderful with so many nationalities.   Absolutely loved the multicultural flare throughout their entire wedding.   Many of the guests wore traditional garments associated with the nationality they were representing.   At the ceremony, scripture readers read 2 Corinthians 13 in different languages.   At the reception, guests received a decorative print of the same reading.  The colors of Indian Sari’s and Korean Dress were so much fun to photograph and the reception was a blast.   I wish we could do it all over again!    Here are some of my favorites from their Wedding Day so that you can relive it with me.  

Heather and Dan chose to see each other before their ceremony which allowed for plenty of time for photos and also for some time for them to have alone before everyone arrived.   Their first sight was simply adorable- I loved Dan’s reaction to seeing Heather for the first time.   But first, here are some of the getting ready photos before Dan arrived to see his beloved.  

Congratulations Heather and Dan!!

I met Jordan and Matt on the day Matt proposed.  Matt hired me to take photos of their engagement.   I loved being able to be with them on that day and to commemorate that moment.   I was so excited to also be a part of their wedding day.   I have only known them a little while but am always so intrigued as to their story and how they came to fall in love.   More often than not, I am finding persistant men and women whose hearts are won.  I like it that way too – it reminds me of all my favorite old movies and makes the romantic in me swoon.   Another trait about this couple is they are both just so gosh darn happy.   They are just wonderful people to be around and like.   They just moved to North Carolina here recently, so I think it will be fun for them on many levels to relive their Louisville wedding in photographs.   Here are some of my favorites of the day, vote for as many as you like.  

I love this picture.  Um – someone’s in trouble! lol.

Ok, all’s forgiven.  :)

Time to crank it up !!!

Thanks Jordan and Matt, I know you will make lots of friends wherever you are living!!  Congratulations!!