Treat Yo' Self Wedding

Taylor and Page are a really special couple to me for lots of reasons.  I was Taylor's history teacher in high school (hard to believe! I was a very young teacher;).  I hadn't seen Taylor for a few years until one morning he walked into our church.  It was so good to see him again, and I remembered how he preferred to be called "Dangerously Good Looking" (DGL for short).  He always made me laugh, especially when grading papers and seeing DGL written for his name.  Soon he began to bring a special friend with him to church, Page.  She is kind and fun and talented (Page graduated from UGA with a photography degree).  Jared and I got to know the two of them together as a couple and have grown closer to them through pre-marital counseling and just hanging out together.  The best way to describe them as a couple is tell about the day they came into church with a "Treat yo self" shirts.  If you aren't familiar with the saying, it's from the show Parks and Recreation.  Seriously you should check out this clip to see it.  At the time Page worked for a t-shirt company so she had 2 'treat yo self' shirts made.  Whenever they wear them that it means it's a treat yo self day.  I can say with confidence that I want to be friends any couple that wears t-shirts like this.

So one day Page and Taylor showed up at our house, sat down at our table, and told us they wanted to get married.  We were SO excited.  Then Jared asked when, and they said in the next month.  GASP! That only gives you less than a month to plan! But treat yo self it was and they pulled off a wedding in less than a month.  Jared officiated the ceremony in Talbotton, Georgia near Columbus.  It was a few days after Christmas and this couple could not have been happier.  I think the pictures hopefully show how incredibly happy they were to get married.  This just goes to show you that all the timelines and expenses brides feel that have to have aren't always necessary if you just want to go ahead and tie the knot! So in honor of my friends this post is officially the "Treat Yo Self Wedding".  Love you guys.

Caroline + Andy//Shiny Happy People in Athens

2 places most Athenians love: Jittery Joes and Vision Video.  While the era of video stores like Blockbuster are over, there is still a loyal line of customers that frequent the different Vision Video locations in Athens, including Caroline and Andy.  Originally Caroline thought they would want engagement pictures taken by a local river, but after thinking about it Caroline and Andy both thought it would be more fitting to have pictures taken at their favorite Athens spots.  I love that idea since it makes it more personal and reflective of them as a couple.  And some day when they look back at these hopefully it bring back good memories of this time in their lives!

Caroline and Andy have a deep LOVE for the show "How I Met Your Mother" and have seen every season multiple times.  I haven't ever seen it but am now determined to rent it ASAP!

We did travel over to a more rural spot for pictures of the two love birds outdoors with some of their favorite books, Andy's awesome guitar, and some other fun props.  These two had such great ideas that I took SO many pictures- but here are just a few from our outdoor adventure...

I think these next two pictures are the sweetest- Caroline and Andy were holding hands, walking, and then they started goofing around when this moment happened- I kind of think they need to be in a romantic comedy together!!!

The sunset was incredible, and even though it was pretty dark for pictures these two were still being way too photogenic, so I had to keep shooting! But right when I was about to put my camera down, Andy does this incredible dip with Caroline and she goes ALL OUT with it- best and most genuine and most romantic dip ever!!! She was pretty close to touching the ground.  Again the directors are calling... you guys are ROM COM material!

I should mention what great vision these two have for photography and style- Caroline loves photographs and has taken some fun ones on her iphone of her engagement rings in random places so I had to include her pictures in this post (see below!) Thanks you two for being so fun, so in love, and for having great ideas!!

Stephen + Megan//Norcross Engagement

This engagement session was my first time meeting die hard University of South Carolina fans, which is no surprise considering I live in Athens, GA.  So it was fun for me to learn all about USC and to hear some good things about Steve Spurrier (a coach that most Dawg fans do not like considering his reign at the University of Florida and all of Georgia's losses to the Gators).  But onto to the lovely couple... Megan and Stephen! This couple has been dating since high school, and have known each other even longer.  Megan told me that Stephen wrote in her 8th grade yearbook that he hoped he didn't have any classes with her in high school! Oh, the irony:) This couple actually went to Prom together, so they could accurately do their prom pose for engagement pictures.  I love seeing couples that have known each other for such a long time, who have memories of growing up together.  They both attended USC and are loyal gamecock fans, so we got some pictures of them in their USC attire.  And Stephen really wanted to make sure his "well-loved" (in Megan's terms, gross) hat made an appearance, too.  One last note- I showed up and Megan and Stephen were swinging on the swings in this park we met at, and I could tell they were a fun couple when Megan was jumping around on the playground!  And when I found out that Megan is a black belt in Karate and could give piggy back rides to 6 ft something Stephen.  My hero.  Thanks guys for such a fun engagement session.  I'm looking forward to this couple's wedding as they travel back from Indianapolis to Atlanta for their wedding!!