When Anna had contacted me about wedding photography, I had no idea how many friends we shared, how she lived in Athens and went to UGA around the same time I did, and how similar our husbands are (yes, her HUSBAND!). Anna has been working in Colorado at a church while Ben has been in Philadelphia going to seminary, but Athens was where they met so it was fitting that they chose to get married here. Ben and Anna might be one of the most beloved couples I know; ever since I began talking with Anna about her wedding I have discovered how many people in Athens know and LOVE the two of them. It was so clearly evident at the wedding, too. Case in point- I think I heard multiple times from guests how they considered Ben or Anna as part of their family. I also heard people refer to Ben and Anna as one of their closest friends- except there were so many people that considered them that way. The wedding had so many different elements that made it fun to photograph from the bridesmaids' blue Toms shoes to the yellow plaid ties the groomsmen wore. My favorite though was photographing Ben and Anna downtown at the Georgia Theatre. The rain held off long enough for pictures of the two of them and we were able to get some landmark Athens pictures. The only thing that was missing from the day was Ben and Anna dancing to Milli Vanilli. I found out from some friends that Anna apparently loves Milli Vanilli ("girl you know it's true", "blame it on the rain") and word on the street was that maybe the band could play some of their hits. Or if they couldn't play it they could just lip sync to it:) But by that point it was time to go so no Milli Vanilli. I might just need to make a wedding slide show to their music in their honor. So glad I got to finally meet you guys and hope these pictures capture how much people love you!
Mr. + Mrs. Ramsey//Athens Wedding
My mom wrote down a quote for me a few years back that meant so much to me and I've kept in my journal since then. The funny thing is that this quote really came to my mind when I met Ben and Madalene and I think REALLY applies to them individually and as a couple. The quote comes from Louisa May Alcott in Little Women:
“…she was one of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends everywhere, and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate souls are tempted to believe that such are born under a lucky star.”
When I listened to the best man and maid of honor toast Ben and Madalene at their wedding reception I teared up hearing what kind of people they are. The kind of people that love people really well, love God even more and have made an incredible impact on the people around them. It was so rich for me- a good reminder about what I want my life to be about. I also love hearing people express gratitude and heartfelt admiration for other people because sometimes I feel like we only say those types of things at funerals and not while people are here with us, i.e. when they need to hear it the most! So people may think that Ben and Madalene were born under a lucky star but I'm pretty sure it's not the lucky star that did it but the product of knowing the love of God and being in love with that God. I am so thankful to have been a part of their day:).
The wedding was at the Foundry Park Inn in Athens- an awesome venue for ceremonies and receptions. We took pictures of Ben and Madalene after the wedding on UGA's North Campus, which is a photographer's dream come true because we had unhurried time to get some sweet shots. One last detail of the day that is worth mentioning is the gift that Ben gave Madalene before the wedding. He made some videos for her and put them on a iPad for her to watch the morning of the wedding day. I got to see one of them- it was Ben telling Madalene how he wanted to honor her all his days. I can't even remember all he said because I was tearing up big time! Ben works for Athens Church and does video work so these clips he made for Madalene were not only meaningful but well done. Guys, if you need an idea of how to make your future wife feel loved you couldn't go wrong doing this!! Clearly this a special couple and I hope the pictures reflect some of that. Thank you guys so much for asking me to be a part of your wedding- I really felt honored to do it.
how fun are these invitations... Ben created them and it had their whole story on there... from their first prom in high school to asking her to marry him!
Here is Madalene watching the videos Ben made for her... I think I started crying, too!
Madalene and her sister both got engaged this past year, so we had to get a picture of the two of them with their rings on...
don't you love this necklace?
My latest wedding day photo project is to find unique tattoos and photograph them. This one was definitely a winner!
this was the first time I saw people taking pictures with their IPad... crazy stuff!!!
my other wedding day photo project is to photograph good hugs, and this wedding had a bunch of really good hugs:)
Mr. + Mrs. Jenks//Augusta Wedding
I've known Elisa for more than 5 years- we met while she (and possibly me, too?) were students at UGA and lived in Athens. The first memory that comes to mind about Elisa is her awesome fashion sense... I remember before EVERYONE was wearing scarves Elisa would wear these funky ones and look amazing. It's no surprise that her great taste spilled over into wedding planning, from the bouquets she and her bridesmaids MADE themselves to the different bright colored shoes everyone wore. And Nathan's suspenders, classic glasses, and plaid tie? killer. Elisa put this whole day together making most things herself or by friends. Even the benches at the ceremony were made out of pallets by a friend for his wedding and used again at theirs. I loved the benches and wished I could buy some! The ceremony was outside of a historic library in Augusta and it could not have been more beautiful. Elisa told me it was the first time a wedding was done on the lawn of the library (she and Nathan had gone to concerts on the lawn there before and thought it would make a great wedding venue). It really was such a beautiful ceremony and I couldn't be happier for Elisa finding the right man. And crazy enough as I was taking Nathan's family portraits I found out they are all from Binghampton, NY where my parents bought their first house and not too far from where I was born. Small world for sure. I loved this wedding and am so thankful that Elisa asked me to document it. You guys are great and I hope these pictures reflect even half of how beautiful that day was.
just a quick story about the next picture- this is a tattoo on the arm of one of Elisa's bridesmaids (Julie). I saw it and had to ask her the story of why she chose that word. She talked about a hard time in her life and how God really impressed on her that she is his, found by him, redeemed by him. Julie I hope I'm telling this right... But ironically as I was looking at this picture on my computer the song that was playing on Pandora was "You Found Me" by The Fray. The song doesn't exactly fit Julie's story except it does say something profound and relevant to how I have felt in the past:
Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
That just struck me since I was editing this picture and thinking about God's faithfulness in Julie's life. I'm grateful God continues to search me out when I'm hiding and always finds me, and reminds me of grace and mercy.
