Adam and Katie met at the University of Georgia in, wait for it, CHEMISTRY class:) It was fitting that Adam asked for Katie's phone number so that they could study chemistry together. When Katie told me how they met and eventually started dating (their first date being a chemistry study date), it made sense that she wanted to include this theme into their wedding day. Katie and Adam are both science people, with Katie working as a physical science technician for the USDA and Adam entering medical school this fall. Katie was able to get Erlenmeyer flasks from the USDA to use for flowers for the centerpieces at the reception, and the favors were candy-filled test tubes (with some sort of LOVE molecule on it!). They even had a frame with their married name spelled out in elements from the Periodic Table! Who knew you could get those?! I have to say I loved it so much. It was so fun to see their personalities shine through in the wedding details, and their love for all things Georgia and specifically science:) We took pictures all around the UGA campus, including a quick stop at the Chemistry building where it all began. We even got some fun and quirky shots of them in nerd glasses even though they look nothing like the nerdy type! Thanks for being so fun, Adam and Katie, and for planning such a unique and personal wedding day. I'm so glad I got to photograph it! And especially since Katie and I are sorta twins: we both drive volvo station wagons, we are both from New York, and of course we share the same name!!! oh, and my wedding colors were red and black, with black bridesmaid dresses and red flowers and even the same red roses in bridesmaids' hair!!! except I'm terrible in science. But I think the Volvo is enough to make us good friends;) Thanks so much you two!!
Mr. + Mrs. Snow//John's Creek Wedding
There are so many things that I would love to blog about this wedding! Adam and Katelyn began dating during their time at Georgia Tech, and because of them and another great couple (Kelsey and Bryce Dykes) I have a new appreciation for Tech even as a graduate from rival school UGA. Katelyn's mom had contacted me before the wedding to let me know about the significance of the flowers that would be used in the wedding and how a quarterly publication, Flower Magazine, would be doing a special feature about it. Katelyn's grandmother is a rosarian (someone who grows roses) and has been for years. She even has grown a specific type of rose named after Katelyn. Of course when it came time for Adam and Katelyn's wedding it made sense to use these special roses for the flowers, but it's rare to find a florist who would be open to using roses from family gardens. It turns out that Katelyn's grandmother has been friends with famous gardener Ryan Gainey (internationally known for his design of gardens) and Ryan was willing to make the arrangements and bouquets for the wedding using the special roses. This story will be featured (along with photos!) in the summer 2013 issue of Flower Magazine, and will be written by Ryan Gainey himself! It was so special to see Katelyn with her grandmother and mother, holding the flowers that were so carefully grown and tended to by her grandmother. I love it when the details of a wedding have sentimental value because it just makes it that much more special. Adam and Katelyn (and the whole bridal party) were such good sports during outside pictures in the 100+ degree heat, and the groomsmen were even wanting to play around on the playground at Perimeter church in their ties and jackets! Another fun bit of information about the wedding was the band that played at the reception. Katelyn apparently used to babysit for one of the lead singer's children, and when it came time for wedding planning they got in touch with him about music. He then brought a bunch of talented musicians together to be the official band at the wedding- and they were INCREDIBLY talented. My second shooter friend, the talented Kathryn Torbett, saw one of the band members and turned to me saying, "That is one of the characters on the TBS show, House of Payne!!!!" She had to verify it, so we made our way up front and she was right! Of course I got a picture of her and Palmer Williams, Jr. and we were pretty excited:) The band was really talented, and I was even more impressed when the electric guitarist came out into the dance floor and wailed. Needless to say the reception was a blast for the guests (and for us:), from the famous people to the awesome officer who broke it down on the dance floor, taking off his military jacket and wearing a US Flag dress shirt. I LOVED it. I should have known that the reception would be fun when Katelyn and the bridesmaids were dancing up a storm in the bridal room only minutes before she walked down the aisle. Such a great wedding- I'm so thankful I got to be a part of it!! Best wishes Adam and Katelyn! PS- check out the picture of Adam and Katelyn's mothers' shoes. They both wore amazing sparkle sass shoes- love love.
LEAH! I had to include a picture of you in the blog post! It's a tradition now:)! Oh, and above is Palmer Williams, House of Payne actor!
Mr. + Mrs. Weekley//Oakhurst Farm Wedding
I'm in love with this wedding. When Ana told me she wanted to use blue and orange as her wedding colors, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite weddings:) Clearly I like blue and orange (see website). It was so fun to shoot Brayden and Ana's engagement session in downtown Atlanta (except for when their car was broken into near Piedmont Park- I still can't believe that!). They are such a gorgeous couple and couldn't take a bad picture. My good photografriend, Carrie Jo Pinkard, came along with me for the engagement session since she was in town and she loved this couple, too- so much so that she penned in their wedding date to second shoot the wedding with me! This says a lot since she has her own busy business (Texture Photo). And I was just as excited that Jess, who shoots with CJ, also could come and help out- between the 3 of us we got so many shots of this awesome wedding! Ana is a DIY queen, and so so many of the details of the day were the product of her hands and time. But what sticks out most to me is the thoughtfulness of Ana and Brayden. Their wedding was on one of the hottest days of the year (reaching around 106 degrees), and the wedding was supposed to be outdoors. Oakhurst Farm is a beautiful venue for outdoor ceremonies, but Ana and Brayden wanted to take care of their guests (especially elderly family members) and felt like the 100+ degree temperature might be too hot for their guests. So they thought creatively and did most of their ceremony indoors and saved 2 special parts of the ceremony for outside. The guests went out to the veranda to watch Ana and Brayden release doves from a basket and the pronouncement of their marriage/the first kiss. I was so struck by how Ana and Brayden were thinking more about other people than themselves on their wedding day and make changes accordingly. And it was still so beautiful! I liked how they creatively came up with a solution and were still to enjoy the outside property for the ceremony. To top it off I loved seeing the basket of bug spray they had for guests when going outside- anyone from Georgia knows how bad the mosquitos can be, especially near water. Truly they were thinking about their guests and wanting this day to be a celebration for everyone to enjoy. Ana's dad said a toast at the beginning of the reception that I loved- he talked about how Nehemiah in the Old Testament pronounces a blessing on the people, saying, "Eat the fat, and drink the sweet...this day is sacred to our Lord!" It was such a neat picture of a day that is sacred for many reasons, and how celebration is only fitting on such a day. Plus I just like the saying that I should eat the fat and drink the sweet:) Thanks to both families for having such a good attitude on a hot (and partly rainy) day- it turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined and I am so grateful that I got to be a part of it!!
