Engagement: David + Devin

David jokes "Well where to I start?" "At the beginning..." I say


And he did. He went through his relationship with Devin like a timeline while she sat in the front seat of the car, fixing her makeup. He went through carpool stories, mutemath concerts, New York city travel guides, and Star Wars brownie points before he got to this point, the engagement. If you go up and ask Devin where her favorite place on earth is, she won't just tell you Disney World, she'll most likely break into song. So much so that her and David have a "going to Disney" song. The morning her life would change, David woke her up with that song, took her to Disney, and under the castle fireworks, he asked Devin to marry him; and she said yes. So now we prepare for their May wedding under a big tree, surrounded by friends. I can't wait for the day where you two get to start your lives together.

When we started the engagement shoot, I automatically knew that this was going to be fun. Mainly because of this picture. She couldn't stop laughing. I think that's important.

And making funny faces...

 And sweet moments like these make things so much better

There was this wonderful carousel where we were shooting so naturally we had to pay to ride. And naturally I had to make them try to kiss. While moving. And spinning. So. much. nausea.

There was a Bar Mitzvah happening nearby so we snuck in to take a peak. We found this R and since David's last name is Rodriguez, well, it was only natural that we use it...

 Yep, they're a little quirky

 But they're also sweet

  And maybe just a little bit nerdy

David and Devin, it was wonderful shooting with you! Looking forward to May!

Day Of Coordination: Shadrack + Ludy

To say that this wedding ran perfectly is an understatement. I think the statement "You could see God's hands all in it" is more appropriate. It was just funny, the way things happen. Things that could have gone bad worked out perfectly. Like my car not starting (more on that later). Or the chuppah being knocked down. Or the threat of rain....it was perfect.

Since the Day-Of Coordinator comes in about a month before the wedding, there can sometime be some anxiety on the part of the day-of because you may be working with vendors who, quite frankly, don't know what they're doing. This wasn't the case with Shadrack and Ludy's wedding. All her vendors were fantastic. To begin with, I had the fabulous Shelley Cameron of Better Half Weddings and Events, Inc. on my side to help me out. Check out her website to pick up one of her wedding planning CD's to give you all the tools you'll need to stay organized on your wedding day!

Ludy went with Beca Companioni as her photographer. Now it's a well known fact that I am VERY particular about photographers and when I found out who her photographer was, I immediately jumped on her site to check her stuff out. I was REALLY impressed. She's professional and provides some really great images!

Ludy and Shadrack opted to do a first look to give them more time for pictures and to have time to enjoy the cocktail hour. Of course, I had to take a couple of sneak shots...

The ceremony and the reception was held at Plantation Preserve. Shannon, the venue coordinator was fantastic and such a sweet woman to work with! The space for the wedding opens up to water overlooking the greens and it's quite beautiful!

Field of Flowers in Davie provided the flowers. Major cool points go to them. About halfway through the set up, the chuppah they were setting up fell down because of the 15+ mile an hour winds. Sandbags needed to be brought in. 20 minutes and a couple of red lights run later, they arrive in enough time to weight down the chuppah and all hands were on deck!

Timing went so smoothly! It was important to Ludy and Shadrack to start on time, no matter who was there! The unexpected windy conditions through us behind only about 10 minutes, which in wedding time is fantastic.  The skies also threatened to open up on us throughout the ceremony. This next part is important; now with me being a Haitian wedding noob, I assumed the wedding would take the usual 30-45 minutes. I was quickly corrected by Ludy. Apparently Haitian weddings can take up to 2 hours! Bring your bibles everyone and get ready for a full on service. However I was quickly assured that this wouldn't be the case at HER wedding. 35 minutes was the pastor's limit! And he stuck to it with enough time to get everyone inside for the cocktail hour!

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch! DJ services were provided by Soul Movement Crew. It was important to Ludy and Shadrack that the Lord be glorified through everything and they definitely provided an evening that was right in line with their expectations! 

To Ludy and Shadrack: You guys were truly amazing to work with. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of one of the most important parts of your lives. May God truly BLESS your marriage. Enjoy the Dominican Republic and all those little umbrella drinks!

 

Creative Shoot: Carnival Playtime

Hannah- "I'm coming home for Thanksgiving and I want to do a shoot where two different things come together." Me- Ok sure......all the while not knowing at all what that meant. Then we finally sat down and got to the root of it. Bringing two seemingly different things together. While we both had great ideas with no budget and no connections to make it really spectacular, we settled on this. Bringing together two adults, and putting them in a child-like situation. And it was awkward. And it was fun. And Kyle kept making funny faces while we made him stand with his face to the sun, play with a toy truck, and act like a giant kid. But Shelley and Kyle were such great sports. And they take great pictures. I mean, have you seen their wedding pictures? Please...

And these pictures? Well they're a lot different than my usual style. Or should I say edited much differently than my usual style. But it was fun to play around with different editing techniques, trying to get the pictures to say the story I wanted them to say. Or rather, what the fabulous Hannah Roberts and I wanted them to say. Enjoy!

Engagement:: David + Amber

When she first met him, she thought he was cute. When he first met her, he thought she was nice. Even as Amber crushed on him full force, he was clueless. Even through thumb wrestling, tickle fights, and hand holding, David was still completely blind to the obvious vibes that Amber was throwing his way. You see, I've known Amber since I was 14; and if there is one thing that Amber is not, it's subtle. She's a full force, says it how it is, quirky kind of person. And David? Well David's.....not. David is laid back, relaxed, and confident in who he is. But throughout their relationship first as friends and then as something more, one thing that David valued most in Amber was that he could be himself. There was no show to put on, no wall to hide behind. It was easy with her.
FInally, when they got together to talk things over, Amber went through months of feelings and reasons why she liked him and David just listened; taking things in and realizing that this woman sitting next to him knew who he really was. He couldn't hide anymore, and the best thing was that he didn't have to hide anymore. It was clear to him. But not as clear to Amber as she found out they were dating through a Facebook relationship change and lots of texts and calls from friends.
So this February they're going to walk down the aisle and say promises to each other which mean eternity. I've been honored to know Amber for almost 10 years and I am so happy to be able to share this experience with her and David. I promised Amber years ago that she deserved someone amazing and that God was preparing him for her. And He did, and David is. Congratulations you guys, I had such a blast taking pictures with you both and I am so happy to be sharing this time with you. :)