Mr. + Mrs. McShane//The Real Barbie + Ken

As I was thinking of a title for this blog post it hit me- Patrick and Liz are real life Ken and Barbie!! I have been looking through their wedding pictures and I don't think it's possible for them to take a bad picture.  And I really do think they should dress up as Barbie and Ken for future Halloween parties:) Needless to say their wedding was beautiful! It's fitting for Georgia alumni to get married at the UGA Chapel, and to get pictures by the same Christmas tree where Patrick proposed a year earlier.  The Christmas lights were magical and I loved being their third wheel as we walked through downtown Athens.  And December weddings in Georgia are not frigid like in some states- only in the South can you have a wedding in the winter and it be more mild and moderate than almost any other month!

I'm not going to lie- this picture below was totally inspired by a shot I had seen online.  But I thought it'd be so special for Liz's niece to have when she gets married someday.  And in staying true to one of my favorite quotes concerning all art: "Don't try to be original, just try to be good."  I love this quote for a few reasons that probably deserve a whole other blog post, but here's the short version: God alone is the original creator, and all our work is but putting together parts of creation.  This means that we just synthesize what is already created, and hopefully that is done with some new ways of putting different things together.  No one is truly original (minus God), and there is nothing new under the sun.  So my goal isn't taking a picture that no has ever taken before, but instead putting together an image that is somehow beautiful or special.  More thoughts on that at another time- back to the wedding!

Liz and Patrick chose to do a "first look" before the ceremony, and it was so fun to see Liz's mom and bridesmaids all watching from the window!

Liz chose a neutral palette for her wedding colors and it looked amazing; these bridesmaid dresses were stunning!! and it helps that all the bridesmaids had beautiful hair, too!

A quick but significant note about the sunglasses in the below picture:  One of Patrick close friends who would have been in the wedding died a year earlier.  In honor of Whitner, 2 of his best friends started a company specializing in sunglasses that is called Red’s Outfitters.  Each style is named after a significant person.  Patrick bought each groomsman a pair of “Whitners” in honor of his close friend.  It was special seeing all the guys wearing them, and even the ringbearers:) I think it's a great idea to get groomsmen gifts that are significant in whatever way possible- and this tops the list.

Wedding receptions have become even more fun since Gangnam Style hit Youtube! These guys did an awesome rendition of it- so glad that South Korea has a little thing for pop music...

and you know a party is going well when guests from other weddings do a little wedding crashing into your reception!

Thanks Liz and Patrick- I'm so happy for y'all and grateful I got to be a part of it! And special thanks to Steven Wallace for doing an awesome job second shooting and taking great pictures!