Mr. + Mrs. Karlen//Roswell Love

Have you been to a wedding where the groom sang a Michael Bublé song for his bride as a toast to honor her? Or where the reception included glow in the dark necklaces and wayfarer sunglasses for the guests?! And those are just a few of the details that made Tyler and Emily's wedding amazing! I loved everything about this wedding- the flowers, the dresses, the ceremony and the amazing dance party reception.  Tyler and Emily are absolutely 100% in love, and seeing them see each other for the first time was like watching a movie about the perfect wedding day.  They both kept saying that this was the best day of their lives, and Tyler could not stop telling Emily how beautiful she looked and how excited he was to marry her.  And Emily's smile the whole day made my job super easy in getting pictures that reflected that happiness.

Emily's hair and makeup done by the talented Claudia Mejerle and her flowers (which, like her hair and makeup, were really that beautiful in person- amazing!) were done by Roger Wasserman of Design flowers.  Such great people!  P.S. if you are wondering what those flowers are that are in the center (with the dark center and white petals) they are Anemones.  I don't know how to pronounce it but I do know that they are gorgeous!

I think I might have to give Tyler the "most excited groom to see his bride for the first time" award.  I wish I could see the video of it because he could not stop saying, "oh my gosh you look incredible. you are amazing. this is the best day ever..."  It really was the sweetest and was one of those times that I thought about how significant videography can be.

Every bridesmaid picked out their own necklace with the same type of look and they looked sooooo good together.  Emily's jewelry was made by Jessica of Fine and Fleurie, one of my favorite artists.

For the sneek peak pictures I just post a few of the couple on the blog- but I had to include this one of Primrose Cottage taken by awesome second shooter and friend Alyssa Alig.  Primrose Cottage is a beautiful venue and the lights and fountain and flowers were gorgeous!

And now for a shot that has never been on my blog before- a bride and bridesmaid doing some serious mixin' up at the DJ's table.  With neon wayfarer style sunglasses on.  Maaaaaybe one of my favorites:) a HUGE shout out to Joel Rabe of Lethal Rhythms Entertainment for his work as the DJ in making this reception one of the best I've been to (I actually told Emily it was the most fun reception I've been at second to my own wedding!).  If you are looking for a DJ to make the reception a blast and not play cheesy music this is the company you should check out!

It's no secret that I am a sucker for laughing pictures.  I do get formal pictures of everyone looking at the camera for sure, but if people start laughing and having a good time I start a snappin' because I think a good laugh or smile is such a picture of someone's heart.  Super gush.  So of course Emily and Tyler were amazing to photograph because they are just happy people! And I don't know what happened here in the picture below but they were having fun.  

Epic bridesmaid bouquet toss- Barbara you were so close...

Emily's dad handmade all the dowels for the streamers used for Tyler and Emily's departure and the easels used as centerpieces for the reception.  Father of the bride award goes to Mr. Ewalt.  And the Rolls-Royce that Emily and Tyler left in?  incredible.  You guys are amazing and have great family and friends- can't wait to go through all the pictures and share them with you!

Mr. + Mrs. Smith//Palmetto Terrace Wedding

Robin + Brittany Smith, also known as Ben + Brooke West, tied the knot on a beautiful but windy Georgia/South Carolina day.  I joke around about their names because I TOTALLY messed up and called Brittany the wrong name for about half of their engagement session and wouldn't have known unless Robin told me.  They were very gracious with my crazy name calling:)  So we joked around and called them Ben + Brooke for a little while.  Then their pastor misspoke during the ceremony and gave them their new last name, West, instead of Smith (which I would have done too if I was a minister!).  So maybe this beautiful couple has a future in being foreign spies or something.  Their alias is already made, so Mr. + Mrs. West are set for their undercover life!

I love seeing the special gifts that brides and grooms give to each other on their wedding day, and Brittany + Robin had an especially sweet one.  I don't think these gifts are special because of the dollar amount but by how much heart they put into the gift.  This book Robin is holding is one that they wrote notes to each other expressing their love and devotion.  Good idea, Robin.

Every wedding something specific stands out to me as especially beautiful... and this wedding had me in tears watching the Father/Daughter dance.  It was the most beautiful dance to watch because their special relationship was so evident.  Brittany's dad closed his eyes most of the dance, taking it all in and had the look of a proud and deeply blessed daddy.  Brittany held her dad's hand with so much love and trust and gratitude and both of them had teary eyes throughout the dance.  It was like no one else was in the room and it was their special moment as father and daughter.  I think this means so much to me because of my relationship with my dad and knowing how much love a parent has for their child in having my own children.  God willing I look forward to having a special dance like this with my boys... but for now we just need to make it to kindergarten:)

You guys are such a kind and loving couple- I can't wait to see how God blesses you guys in the future! Thanks for creating a beautiful wedding day for me to photograph!

Mr. + Mrs. Browne//A Snowy Brasstown Valley Wedding

This was the first wedding I've ever photographed in the snow- and I couldn't have been more excited about it.  Georgia weddings don't tend to include snow, so when it comes down I think everyone gets a little giddy.  Kellie and Michael might be two of the kindest people I've met.  They chose to do a first look and see each other before the ceremony, and I think the moments they saw each other for the first time and prayed together spoke more than any words could.  They stood there in the 30 degree weather looking at each other with such visible love and adoration for each other.  I could just tell they are really best friends.  I know obviously marriage is more than friendship, but it certainly isn't less than that and yet so many people hardly seem to be able to say that about their spouse.  Michael and Kellie lovingly looked at each other all through the da, and laughed together a lot.  My kind of a couple:)

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, Georgia.  The snow caused a change in plans as to where the ceremony and reception would take place but it turned out more than amazing.  The ceremony was outdoors with fire places surrounding the pavilion overlooking the North Georgia mountains, and the reception was moved indoors to a beautiful lodge space.  Big props to the great people at Brasstown Valley for making the changes   goes so smoothly (and for being really kind to everyone!)

I know this is such a random picture to include but I wanted to say a big thank you to all the family who waited for pictures to be finished outside in the freezing temperatures... what a great family! They all did the "Oh my gosh this is crazy cold" dance so I had to document it.  You just never know what you are going to get with Georgia weather!

My favorite shots are typically of grandparents, so this one of course made my day... I hope to dance A LOT the older I get.  I think it's good for the body and soul! And of course I love Neal's thumbs up!

Thanks so much Kellie + Michael for a beautiful day and having such a great and positive attitude in the midst of changing plans and cold temperatures- you guys really are a special couple:) and thanks to your families for being so great to work with!!