Scarlett Lillian Knuth Photo Journal // Scarlett & Stephen Photography

This isn't goodbye...

2011-07-05T16:18:00.002-04:00

If you are reading this, this is my last blog entry on this blog.

I feel like I should be like Oprah and give a long dramatic tearful speech about "This isn't goodbye, this is.. until we meet again." But really, this isn't goodbye... this is... join me at our new blog!

The past 5 years have been an incredible growing experience for me as a young woman. What started as a girl with a dream of being a wedding photographer, went on to become Scarlett Lillian Photography. Through my camera I traveled the world, shot some a-mazing weddings, made fabulous friends, been published, met my husband, bought my dream car, got married, and now...... Stephen and I are excited to introduce:

Scarlett & Stephen
Wedding Photographers In Love

In getting married, not only have I had to had to learn the art of compromise and that it's not all about me, but I've had to do the same in joining our businesses. Before meeting Stephen, I worked my butt off to build a business... all by myself... as my only child syndrome would love to flaunt... but now I'm growing and learning the beauty of bringing on a partner, a teammate, someone to help carry the load... We are finding that unique balance as husband and wife, but also as business partners. I admit, it's been hard for me to say goodbye to Scarlett Lillian Photography, and now embrace Scarlett & Stephen. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about the next chapter, but I can't help but feel like it's high school graduation all over again. As excited as you are to graduate, it's hard to say goodbye and stand there in that in between spot of the past and the future getting ready to walk into the next chapter of your life with all the unknowns.

For those who followed my journey from the beginning, or joined the ride part way, thank you for being here. Thank you for all your comments you have left over the years. Thank you for all your personal emails that extended beyond a comment. Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me when the times got tough, and celebrating with me during the exciting times of my life. Thank you for your prayers for the vulnerable moments of my life, like when I blogged about losing my dad to cancer. Thank you to those who have been silent and never left a comment, but still followed along. Thank you even to those out there, you know you who are, who through your not so kind words, you taught me to be a fighter and stand strong in the face of opposition. Each of you has helped me on this journey, as I've learned who I am in these 30 years of life. I will be forever grateful for your virtual friendship and love.

For the next chapter of life, I invite you to join my husband and I over on our new blog, www.scarlettlovesstephen.com. We have a lot of great things lined up such as our newlywed adventures, photography tips, wedding industry tid bits, and of course we can't wait to continue showing off our awesome clients who allow us to have the best job in the world! Also while you're there, be sure to sign up for our new newsletter to stay up to date for all things related to Scarlett & Stephen.

We're excited to have you chill with us at our new blog home, and I look forward to continuing the journey with you!

Courtney & Ben are married! /// St. Simons Island Wedding Photographer

2011-06-13T17:36:00.001-04:00

When you meet Courtney and Ben, you feel like you have known them forever. Courtney has a way of greeting every person she runs across as if they are the most important person in her world, with a sincere smile and a big hug. With their natural Southern hospitality, it's no wonder that Courtney and Ben had almost 500 people attend their small town Georgia wedding. Almost every pew was filled in the congregation of First Baptist Church Brunswick, and all their guests enjoyed shrimp and grits and fried fish at a favorite local hang out, Skipper's Fish Camp, for a laid back casual reception. And just warning, as you scroll down, they had a scary wedding crasher... a real alligator lurking below the docks!

One of my favorite parts of their reception was when Courtney, who has grown up competing in dance competitions, and her bridesmaids, all shook their booty to a choreographed dance number to "All the single ladies... all the single ladies... put your hands up...." and performed for Ben before the boquet toss!!

Congrats Courtney and Ben!!

VENDORS:

CEREMONY: First Baptist Church Brunswick www.fbcbrunswick.com
RECEPTION: Skipper's Fish Camp www.skippersfishcamp.com
FLORIST: Rosalee's Flower Boutique www.rosaleesflowery.com
BAND: The Bushmen www.thebushmen.net
HAIR & MAKEUP: Studio 412 Salon and Day Spa www.studio412.com
FASCINATOR VEIL: Fascinating Creations www.etsy.com/shop/FascinatingCreations

Here's some of our favorites from the day!

I love that Courtney wore the same fascinator veil that I wore, just more neutral colors for her look.

Courtney's sweet pooch was her ring bearer!

The fun choreographed bridesmaids dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies".

Shara & Vinnie are engaged! /// Miami Wedding Photographer The Villa By Barton G.

2011-06-06T12:36:00.007-04:00

It all started with a flirt at a sorority party that Vinnie blew off when Shara tried to catch his attention. But as fate would have it, they continued to bump into each other around campus and then decided to plan their first date. Fast forward to Vinnie's recent birthday, he had planned a huge party that people thought they were coming to celebrate his birthday. Behind the scenes though at the party, he took Shara aside to a room with candles and champagne and asked her to marry him.

With the passion that Shara & Vinnie share, you would think they had just starting dating a week ago. However, these two New Yorkers have been together for 10 years, and will celebrate their wedding in Miami's South Beach next year at The Villa by Barton G., which is famously known as the old Versace Mansion. There in the midst of crowded South Beach, usually, no one is allowed beyond the guarded front gate where tourists take their photos in front of the historic venue, but we were excited to be able to be escorted in for a few shots during their engagement session which you can see in the last killer rockstar shot below!

Here's some of Stephen and I's favorites from the shoot!

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Shara & Vinnie totally rocked it here in the very place their ceremony will be! Gotta give credit to Stephen for nailing this shot! :-)

Sarah & Kyle are engaged! /// Jacksonville Engagement Phtographer

2011-06-03T13:07:00.006-04:00

Sarah and Kyle pretty much have the fairytale story. They originally met on the job, but when it came time for the proposal, Kyle knew to take Sarah to the happiest place on earth. At Disney World, the current theme was "Dreams Come True," and Kyle made Sarah's dream come true with a beautiful ring on his knee overlooking Cinderella's castle. She of course said yes!

For their engagement session, they warned me that Kyle has a slight obsession with Batman and that they would be bringing along their Batman shirts. Kyle had the funniest one liners throughout the whole shoot and we've never laughed so hard at all his funny commentary. We loved it so much, we even had to YouTube it below!

Here's our favorite shots from their engagement session!

FOR SALE: Pink Betsey Johnson Dress

2011-05-24T20:44:00.009-04:00

I have a little obsession with Betsey Johnson dresses. Anytime it's a special occasion, I head to Betsey to get a new fun party dress. I think I could decorate my whole house in Betsey dresses, but my closet is running out of room. Because they are special occasion dresses, I know I won't wear them again, so I've decided to sell them here on the blog to allow another girly gal to get her fabulous on!

I wore this last month at my bridal shower as you can see in the pic with my gorgeous bridesmaids above. I felt part pink cupcake, half flamingo. But it was super fun and frilly and I had a blast wearing it. And in this pic, you'll see Betsey had a lot of fun in it in her own parade!

I paid $475, but I'm selling it for $375. I only wore it once and it's a size 4. Also, I wore this black belt with it, I paid $45, but I'm making it available for $35. Must be sold together.

If you would like to buy it, hit me up at scarlett@scarlettlillian.com. First come first serve.

More dresses to come once this one sells!

Jobria & Josh are engaged! /// Atlanta Engagement Photographer

2011-05-17T14:34:00.006-04:00

When Jobria first emailed me, she shared from her heart a long novel of an email that reminded me so much of my favorite movie, The Notebook. Her and Josh's story is so similar. As teens, they were so in love. Then circumstances took them apart. They tried to date other people in between, but when life brought them back to Atlanta together, the sparks flew again and they couldn't stay away from each other.

In February, Josh told Jobria he wanted to take her four wheeling around his family's farm property. A little confused, Jobria jumped on board, and after running around the farm, they finally stopped at a picnic table lit up with tiki torches and waiting was her favorite food, Mexican! Next thing she knew, Josh was on his knee with a ring. Josh chose the farm to propose because that's where they first met when they were teenagers.

For their engagement session, they flew Stephen and I up to the farm to shoot their photos in the spot they became engaged. We had a fun time getting the true "Southern hospitality" treatment from them and their awesome family. They even let us borrow their four wheelers to try out for the first time, that video is at the end!

Here's our favorite shots from their engagement session!

Here's us being crazy on their four wheelers!

Published in Brides Florida Magazine /// Miami Vizcaya Wedding Photographer

2011-05-16T12:49:00.006-04:00

The other night Stephen and I were grocery shopping and I saw the new issue of Brides Florida magazine came out. Right before we got married they contacted me about an article they were writing about the gorgeous Vizcaya Museum and Gardens down in Miami that we have shot a few weddings at. They used a photo from Barrett & Jud's wedding and a quote by me describing what I thought of the place from the perspective of a photographer.

Here's the showcase!

Our wedding video is here!

2011-05-06T10:02:00.002-04:00

When planning the wedding, the first thing I hired was our photographers, obviously. The second thing I hired was our cinematographers. Then from there, I would figure out how to pay for the rest of the wedding once I had those 2 important vendors secured. :-) Having previously been a videographer myself in the past, I know how videography can often be overlooked and one of those things brides are quick to cut from their budget. But after viewing our wedding highlight video tonight about 10 times, and crying each time reliving the day, I am so glad we had our cinematographers to accompany our photographers. Each a unique artform in it's own way, it was exciting to see another perspective of the day in motion picture and sound.

A big thank you to our amazing cinematographers, 4120 Weddings, who we flew from San Diego to film our day. Be sure to check out their site here!

The song used in the video is called "Beloved" by Tenth Avenue North and was our first dance song. We just love the analogy it talks about as Christ as our bridegroom and the way He views us as His beloved.

To all of you who have been posting sweet words on Twitter & Facebook, and sending us such beautiful emails, thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your love. We are so thankful for each one of you and humbled by your inspiring words how God could use our love story to inspire you. If there's anything I continue to repeat, it's that true love IS worth the wait! I remember reading a book in college called "When God Writes Your Love Story" and all these years later, after many many years of waiting, watching this video tonight, I am just blown away at how He has exceeded my expectations.

God is so good and loves to reward His children when we are obedient to His word and rest in the peace that He has great plans for our lives. There's nothing more beautiful than the day that you place Jesus as the first love of your life, and then find someone who loves Him even more. As Stephen and I lifted our hands in worship during our ceremony as now husband and wife, and listened to the chorus of our loved ones behind us singing along, my heart melted at the small glimpse of how beautiful Heaven must be there worshipping Jesus in His presence. There is no greater love than that of our Lord and Savior and our greatest prayer is that you too can know the intimacy of His love as His beloved too.

Enjoy our video!

To view FULL SCREEN, click over to 4120's Vimeo site here and it's the lower right hand corner of the video. :-)

PRESS: Florida Times Union's Royal Weddings

2011-05-03T10:14:00.002-04:00

A few days before our own wedding, I got an email from an editor at the Florida Times Union. With Prince Williams and Kate's royal wedding approaching, they wanted to showcase some local Jacksonville area luxury weddings, and I was excited to contribute Jillian & Matt's Nocatee wedding, as well as Suzanne & Matt's Amelia Island wedding at the Ritz Carlton.

Here's the showcase of Stephen's & my work from the weddings! It was even more thrilling to see one of our photos ended up on the front page!

The wedding photos are here!

2011-04-29T10:13:00.005-04:00

So, who was up at 4am to watch the Royal Wedding?

Not me, but I did DVR it and am so excited to live vicariously through the new Princess Kate. :-)

In the meantime, yesterday I was able to relive what it felt like to be a princess on my own wedding date because our photographers blogged all the recap of the best photos of the day on their blog. We got their text as the first thing we saw when we woke up, and sat in bed getting teary eyed as we woke up to preview the beautiful story of our day over again!

So many of you have already reached out with sweet emails and Facebook comments about how the pictures made you cry. So sorry! But I'm so glad that you could share in our day and be moved by it. Our greatest prayer for our wedding that it could help inspire people toward Christ's love, as well as honor my dad who couldn't be there to walk me down the aisle.

Here's a few of my favorite shots from the day that I borrowed from their blog, but be sure to check out the Gray's full blog to see a lot more in the the full showcase at:

http://www.grayphotograph.com/blog/?p=11280

p.s. Be sure to leave a comment on their blog because we get fun prizes from them if we reach 75 comments! You can also leave them here too of course. :-)

A few of you might remember this amazing wedding I shot which these shoes. At the time, I kind of flipped out when I saw the shoes, and Cara's aunt was so kind to make me a pair like she did for Cara. I have been saving them for 3 years and was excited to finally wear them!

My 1st love and ring bearer, the Rhett-ster.

My handsome hot husband who I had prayed so many years for. I still pinch myself all the time that he's finally here!

My awesome paper designs by Jessi of Just Invite Me!

Yes, you know every girl wants this reaction from the man she's walking down the aisle toward!

A moment of looking over at my dad's picture and missing him tremendously in that moment.

I promise, when I started wedding planning, I said I didn't want a lot of froo froo for the reception. But, well, I couldn't help it in the end.

You know how obsessed with pink I am, so you know how much I adored the lighting design! I truly recommend lighting design as a must for how your reception atmosphere and pictures look in the end. By the way, the cake topper was my parents original cake topper from 1975!

Back when my dad started chemo, just in case he wouldn't make it, I asked him to have a father daughter dance with me that I could play at my wedding one day. While playing the video, I asked my mom for a dance so the three of us could dance together. To view the actual video, you can see it in my archives here.

And you know how obsessed I've been with this word for years. I love how our photographers captured the rings with it! ha!

And this blog entry couldn't be complete without a huge shout out to our amazing vendors that helped make the wedding day become what it did!! A lot of these are colleagues we've worked with in the industry, but are also great friends. They come highly recommend!

Photographers: Gray Photography
Paper Designs: Just Invite Me
Florist: Rosalee’s Flower Boutique
Custom Veil: Fascinating Creations
Cake: Brielle Hutchinson chefbrielle@gmail.com
Video: 4120 Weddings
Tents: Beachview Tent Rentals
Dress: Enzoani
Planner: Terrica with Cocktails + Details
Make-up Artist: Paulina Perez
Hair Artist: Mandi Adams, hairstylist_mandiadams@hotmail.com
DJ/Entertainment: Jacob Towe of Y? Entertainment

We're married!

2011-04-26T23:42:00.005-04:00

I was never the girl who dreamed about her perfect wedding growing up. I was the girl who dreamed about where my husband was under the moon somewhere. I always felt so strongly that God was designing that one man just for me. I wasn't on a mission to find the perfect man, but I knew in my heart that God was preparing someone perfectly for me. And I knew when I met him, I would recognize him right away. I wouldn't question, I wouldn't doubt, I would absolutely know it was Him when God brought him to me because of all the years I had been praying for him before I even met him.

Yet, I truly feel like I had the perfect wedding. Everytime someone asked me what I thought, I just simply said, "It's perfect. I couldn't have asked for more."

But now that the wedding has passed, it still hasn't quite hit me.

Oh my gosh, I'm married. I mean, we're married. Stephen always lets me know we are now "our" not "I". :-)

I can't believe how quickly the day passed. As a photographer it seems to drag on and on but as a bride, I feel like I blinked and it was over. I'm so glad that we had some amazing photographers and videographers there to capture the blur that it was!

We are still anxiously waiting to see our wedding photos and highlight video (gosh, now I know what my clients go through wanting to see their photos quickly!), but here's a few teasers our photographers Gray Photography released.

FYI, I got my veil custom made from Fascinating Creations. You must check them out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/FascinatingCreations

It's finally our wedding day!!!!!

2011-04-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, first, no, I'm not blogging on my own wedding day. I'm not THAT obsessed with social media. But yes, I have prepared this blog entry ahead of time because I wanted to share something special with you.

Today at our wedding, we are showcasing a special video we had made of our love story. Back when I was a little girl, I remember being in love with a show on TLC called "A Wedding Story." It was one of the original wedding reality shows that started with a bride and groom telling their love story and then transitioning into their wedding day. I remember daydreaming about what my own love story would be one day that I could tell my kids and grandkids. I knew, one day, whenever God brought me the man of my dreams, that I would want to create our own love story video to play at our wedding.

So here it is! It was filmed in Coronado where Stephen is from and produced by our videographers 4120weddings.com. From our heart to yours, enjoy!

Scarlett & Stephen // Love Story from FortyOneTwenty on Vimeo.

1 day and counting...

2011-04-15T10:35:00.007-04:00

Reason #12 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he has also believed in the sacredness of true love waits and the beautiful gift that is to receive from the man I am marrying tomorrow!!!!!

One of my favorite engagement photos in the way it symbolizes Stephen leading me through our life together.

Photo by Mike Larson.

Lastly, be sure to tune in to the blog tomorrow because even though I won't be blogging, I have set up a blog post to publish with our special love story video we are playing at our wedding, made by our videographers 4120weddings.com.

Thank you SO much to everyone who has been with us on our journey from the beginning. We are so grateful for all your kind words, encouragement, support and prayers as we approach our big day!!!

2 days and counting...

2011-04-14T10:33:00.003-04:00

Reason #11 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he has such a big heart for helping others and hardly asks anything in return.

Ok, so there was one thing he asked in return.

Photo by Gavin & Erin Wade.

Suzanne & Matt are married /// Amelia Island Ritz Carlton Luxury Wedding Photographer

2011-04-13T11:01:00.000-04:00

Though Suzanne and Matt are from New York, Suzanne grew up spending her summer vacations in Florida and wanted a destination wedding near her childhood memories. At their reception, the Best Man joked "When I heard they were having a destination wedding, I thought I would be giving my toast in front of about 30 people, but 180 of you showed up!" Suzanne and Matt celebrated with a huge turn out at the Amelia Island Ritz Carlton for a weekend of fun in the sun surrounded by a lot of love.

When it came to their First Meet, I loved seeing how much Matt made Suzanne laugh when it was just the two of them together during their photo time. It was rare to have a moment when she didn't have a gorgeous smile on her face to complement her natural vibrant blue eyes. Here's some of my favorites from the day!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Ritz Carlton Amelia Island http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/AmeliaIsland/Default.htm
DRESS: Monique Lhuillier http://www.moniquelhuillier.com
SHOES: Jimmy Choo http://www.www.jimmychoo.com
VIDEOGRAPHER: Turner Classic Weddings http://www.turnerclassicweddings.com
FLORIST: Liz Stewart http://www.lizflowers.com
BAND: Atlanta Showstoppers http://www.atlantashowstoppers.com
HAIR: Nicole Beth Miller 904-994-5537
MAKE UP: Gemma B http://www.gemmabmakeup.com

3 days and counting...

2011-04-13T10:21:00.001-04:00

Reason #10 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he was waiting for me at the end of the marathon and wants to keep running this race of life with me.

The first and only marathon I will run!

4 days and counting...

2011-04-12T10:18:00.001-04:00

Reason #9 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way we can be totally silly with each other and how much he makes me laugh.

Hanging with Elvis in Nashville.

5 days and counting...

2011-04-11T10:10:00.003-04:00

Reason #8 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way, no matter the distance between us, he pursues my heart each day and always ends each night praying for us both.

Celebrating New Years 2010.

6 days and counting...

2011-04-10T14:51:00.000-04:00

Reason #7 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he created a cute thing we do called a "nosey" which sometimes says so much more than a kiss.

Kissing on the streets in New Orleans.

Photo by Brandon O'Neal.

7 days and counting...

2011-04-09T10:43:00.001-04:00

Reason #6 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way we learned to fish together and he gets SOOOO excited about each catch like it's his first catch ever.

One of our candid videos from our silly Scarlett & Stephen Show YouTube channel we started for our kids to watch one day of our newlywed life.

Stephanie & Aaron are married! /// Jacksonville Wedding Photographer

2011-04-08T15:07:00.017-04:00

When I first met Stephanie and Aaron for dinner months ago, Aaron spilled a secret to me behind Stephanie's back.

"I'm singing to her on the wedding day!"

"Really? I love that!" I gushed. "What are you singing?"

"Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath," he told me. "We'll see how it goes," he continued with a smile.

At the ceremony, when the moment came and the violin strings started as Aaron strummed the guitar and sang to his sweet bride, I just know everyone in the room got goosebumps. It was such an incredibly beautiful part of their Christ-centered ceremony.

On their wedding day, Stephanie and Aaron had that bubbly kind of love I wish for all bride and grooms. Everytime I looked Stephanie's way, she had a huge smile on her face and I could tell she was having a blast on her wedding day enjoying every single moment.

A moment that was super special to Stephen and I was when their First Dance started and they danced to our very First Dance song we will be dancing to in ONE week! It was awesome to live that moment through them and get us excited about our own.

Here's my favorite shots from the day!!

VENDORS:

CEREMONY: First Baptist Church http://www.fbcjax.com
RECEPTION: The Skyline
FLORIST: Rosalee's Flowery http://www.rosaleesflowery.com
STRING MUSIC: The String Group http://www.thestringgroup.com
DJ: TSG Professional DJ http://www.thestringgroup.com/TSGDJ.html
MAKE UP: Lia Hanson of Paulina Perez Make Up http://www.paulinaperez.com
HAIR: Hedricks Hair Salon, Beth Friedlin, B.Friedlin@aol.com
CAKE: Sugar N Spice/ 259-3030

8 days and counting...

2011-04-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

Reason #5 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he still keeps trying to love my poodle Rhett even though Rhett keeps trying hard not to love him back.

Every now and then Rhett WILL let Stephen hold him, but it's rare.

Go see Soul Surfer!!!

2011-04-08T09:46:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I blogged about the sneak preview Stephen and I saw of Bethany Hamilton's new movie "Soul Surfer." I don't get passionate about a lot of movies, but I totally have gotten passionate about THIS movie and have been telling everyone they need to go see it! It truly will inspire you to new places in your life.

Just a reminder that TODAY is opening day in the theaters!!! Grab a friend or a loved one and go see it! It's a movie for all ages. This weekend is crucial for attendance to show Hollywood that more of these inspirational movies need to be made. So go TONIGHT! :-)

Here's a glam interview Bethany did on the "blue" carpet this week. I love how, even without an arm, she looks just as beautiful, if not more to me, as the "normal" movie star. I love what she says toward the end:

"Live your dreams and work hard at what you believe in. Stand firm. Don't let the world tell you what you are or aren't."

9 days and counting...

2011-04-07T10:35:00.000-04:00

Reason #4 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he wears pink for me just because he knows how much I love it.

I knew when Stephen let me pick out a pink shirt for him, he was a keeper.

10 days and counting...

2011-04-06T10:30:00.000-04:00

Reason #3 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he never gets angry and always sees the glass half full.

The first time we went went ice skating, and it was the first time he held my hand. Yes, I got butterflies like I was a teenager again.

Jillian & Matthew are married! /// Jacksonville Luxury Wedding Photographer Crosswater Hall Nocatee

2011-04-05T10:40:00.002-04:00

For Jillian and Matthew's wedding, it went beyond a love of each other and a love of family, but into a love of food as well. As one of Florida's most honored chef's, and the owner of two of Jacksonville's best restaurants, Matthew's, in San Marco, and Medure's, of Ponte Vedra, you can imagine how the food at the reception was an artful display in itself.

But foody talk aside, what made the wedding day super special is the way I saw Matthew look at Jillian. As she approached him during their first meet, I saw that utter and complete look of adoration that every bride wants to feel on her wedding day. In addition to Matthew and Jillian, they were also celebrating the joining of his three adorable kids with her as well.

I remember having dinner with them during our first meet, and Jillian telling me, "I just want something simple for our wedding day, not a lot of fluff." As we got ready to walk into the reception, I joked with her in the back, "So, remember that day you said you just wanted simple?" She laughed and said, "I know, I know, but you know how it is being a bride, you just get caught up in all the fun stuff." Yep, I agree. :-)

It was almost impossible to pick my favorites from the day that Stephen and I captured, so there's a lot here on the blog! Enjoy all her glittery details!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Nocatee Crosswater Hall http://www.nocatee.com/recreation/crosswater-hall.aspx
EVENT DESIGNER/FLORIST: Dan Hathcock, Unforgettable Events http://www.theunforgettableevent.com
DJ: Showcase DJs http://www.showcasedjs.com
CATERER: Matthew's Restaurant http://www.matthewsrestaurant.com
HAIR/MAKEUP: Anjeza Durollari, 904-645-5335

11 days and counting...

2011-04-05T09:27:00.000-04:00

Reason #2 why I can't wait to marry Stephen

It's the way he always says "I love you" with me having to ask.

The first time we rode bikes around the island of Corondao together, where he's from.

12 Days and counting!

2011-04-04T14:06:00.006-04:00

It really hit me on Saturday as I shot Stephanie & Aaron's wedding. Oh my gosh, 2 more weeks until it's time for Stephen and I to take our turns down the aisle!

Saturday night when I got home, I was laying in bed and on my iPhone peaked on the weather forecast and saw, oh no, it's going to RAIN! With that I had a mini meltdown, HOW could it rain? In the midst of my freakout, I texted Stephen, always the calm one, and he comforted me and reassured me that no matter what, rain or shine, our wedding day was going to be beautiful.

As I laid in bed trying to not dwell on the fact that it said it was going to rain, I was thinking about how he handled my freakout was one of many reasons I love Stephen and can't wait to marry him. With that, it started even more thoughts of why I love him so much that I wrote down. As the countdown to our wedding, I wanted to document it here on the blog, simply to remember all the reasons that I can look back on one day.

(p.s. Now the weather forecast is saying it will be partly sunny, so I love how my freakout was totally unnecessary!)

Reason #1

It's the little ways I'm always seeing how we are made to complement each other. Like the way I'm always correcting his spelling for him, and the way he is always encourages me to keep believing God is good in the challenges and victories.

Our first picture together ever, trying on each other's sunglasses!

Happy Birthday Rhett!

2011-04-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

This time 7 years ago, I was heart broken. Like the completely-shattered-didn't-know-how-I-would-EVER-love-again-heart-broken. At the time I was still living at my parents and my favorite all time movie (still is) was Legally Blonde. I came home and told my parents, "I want a puppy." My mom and dad were like, "You? With a dog? We have a dog."

"Yeah, but" I protested, "It's YOUR dog, and I want a cute little chihauhau I can carry around in my purse. I'm heartbroken, and I need to transfer my love to something else!"

My parents fought the idea, but I was determined. I started visiting EVERY pet store around town until I found "the" perfect chihauhau. She was white and a toy breed and I was already imagining the cute little pink outfits I would dress her up in. I had named her Coco (after Coco Chanel, not because she was brown), and I knew she was "the" dog for me. After much begging and pleading, I convinced my mom to go look at her with me. We arrived back to the pet store and SHE WAS GONE! Someone else bought her! Danggit! How could I have been soooo sure she was the one for me and now to discover she totally wasn't? (Yes, that totally paralleled my break-up at the time.)

As I sat there and moped about my loss, the dog that is, my mom started walking around the store and pointed to this white fluffy poodle. "What about this one?" she asked.

"Oh mom, poodles are so cliche," I protested. "Plus, it's a male, I want a girl."

But then those puppy eyes grabbed me. And he perched up on the side of the pin as he if was saying "I need YOU as much as you need ME." He was quite cute and fluffy so I agreed to pick him up, but only to play with him. From the moment I picked him up, he melted like butter in my arms and even let me turn him on his back like a baby. Gosh, he just grabbed my heart.

So the poodle and I went to the play pin. He was the cutest thing ever. We played, and I fell in love, but there was a black female in the pin with him. I told my mom to go get her so I could see how the female was, because I was determined to dress a dog in pink. When my mom brought the female into the pin, the male jumped in front of me and growled as if he was saying, "This is my momma, back off!"

Needless to say, that day I went home with a brand new male poodle and named him Rhett. I had always thought it would be funny to meet a guy named Rhett since I was named after Gone With the Wind, but I never did meet a Rhett, so I thought it was perfect for my pup. And just like Rhett Butler, he is totally a ladies man. I wish he was nicer to guys (including Stephen, ha), but he loves the women and is the best snuggle bunny in the world!

Happy 7th Birthday Rhett!! Here's a few funny photos I took of him in his original birthday get up. And as you can tell, I enjoyed taking the photos a lot more than Rhett enjoyed posing for them! ha!

My little circus dog. I promise you, he did this all on his own.

This was the same birthday hat and scarf I got him for his 1-year birthday!

Obviously Rhett doesn't like the hat. :-)

One of about 100 tennis balls he's stolen over the years.

A cute video of him hopping like a bunny rabbit. :-)

Lauren & Marc are published! /// Weddings Unveiled Magazine /// Miami Vizcaya Wedding Photographer

2011-04-01T13:07:00.006-04:00

When I was shooting Lauren & Marc's Miami Vizcaya wedding, I knew it was one that had to get published! The bride, Lauren, didn't hire an event designer, she enjoyed designing it all herself, so much to the point that she recently quit her job as a lawyer to now become a wedding event designer with her new company White Glove OC.

One of my favorite magazines, Weddings Unveiled, published Lauren & Marc's wedding, now on newsstands! One of my favorite things about Weddings Unveiled is how high fashion the photos are. Much different than your normal bridal photos. I get so inspired by their fashion spreads and posing and style and everything. With Lauren's Oscar de la Renta gown and Christian Louboutin shoes, she was a perfect fit in this magazine!

Here's the 4 page spread of their real wedding as seen in the online version of the print magazine!

Meet Doug, my pet squirrel.

2011-03-31T13:18:00.010-04:00

"So I tell you, don't worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds in the air. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it." ~Matthew 6:25-27

Recently, I installed a bird feeder outside my breakfast window and have loved seeing all the colorful birds flying back and forth between the feeder and the trees. We've had bright red cardinals, doves, finches. Every time I see them flying to it and discovering their meal waiting, I can't help but the think of the verse above and be reminded that I too don't need to worry. Just as God always provides for the birds, He consistently shows me how much He provides in my life as well.

And now... I have a squirrel. Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted a pet squirrel. I know I know, I've heard they are kind of mean and they don't make good pets, but they are just so darn cute. The way I hung the bird feeder, I was like, there is no way a squirrel can access it. It literally hangs on a chain on the gutter above. Not near a tree, just hanging. But yet, those tricky little squirrels always find a way.

One morning, I looked out and, there was a squirrel munching on the bird seed. I had no idea how he got there, and it had been racking my brain how he accomplished such a task. Then recently, I caught the attempt in action. Here's a few videos documenting from our new YouTube channel of his journey to the bird seed!

"Never, never, never give up." ~Winston Churchill

Meet Doug.

Attempt #1.

Attempt #2. Hilarious dive bomb included.

Ran out of gas.

2011-03-28T11:24:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we ran out of gas. Here's our story:

NOTE: We recently updated our new YouTube page. After much branding debate this past week, we've decided to name our new photography company "Scarlett & Stephen" instead of "Stephen & Scarlett", so we updated our new YouTube channel too. If you subscribed last week, please update your subscription here: http://youtube.com/scarlettandstephen

The Hicks Family /// Jacksonville Family Photographer

2011-03-24T16:25:00.001-04:00

There's some people who, just by being around them, you get inspired. Jim Davis-Hicks is one of those people. He is a philanthropic photographer who not only shoots weddings, but saves lives by bringing water to people all over the world through his charity he started, Thirst Relief International. Through Thirst Relief, with just a $5 donation, you are able to give a child clean water for life.

Last week, Jim packed up his family and dog on a huge tour bus RV and have started a year-long adventure called "Thirst For More Tour" around the country speaking to different photography groups. He spoke at our Jacksonville Pictage User Group about photography, Thirst Relief, and his really awesome workflow that includes an efficient software he created called Action Runner. The next day he held an intimate gathering for a new group he calls "Fuel." During Fuel, he really challenged us not only about photography related things, but about our true passions in life and ways that we each we destined to make a difference in the world. Here's a quick shot of our Fuel group!

Also while they were here, Stephen took them out for a fun family portrait session. Here's some of the awesome shots he grabbed of their adorable family. (Though he shot it, my logo is on it because we are just using it until we rebrand things in May with our new business name!)

Jim and his family stayed for about 5 days in my driveway, and while they were here, Jim educated Stephen & I on how to fish and build a firepit amongst other things. Stephen and I enjoyed getting to know him and his wife Lara as new friends as we bonded over s'mores and catching fish. We've documented on our new You Tube Channel a few funny videos of Jim during his stay here.

Watch Jim try to park his RV.

Jim teaches Stephen how to fish.

Jim teaches Stephen how to build a fire in the fire pit.

One year ago today...

2011-03-23T11:38:00.009-04:00

One year ago today, I was visiting Stephen in California. He came in my room to wake me up and flung open the door exclaiming, "Wow, that window looks extra sparkly today."

Always bad at keeping secrets from me, I knew then that March 23, 2010 would be the day that would change my life.

I won't rewrite the whole story because you can be read the whole long version here, but at sunset on the beach, Stephen got down on one knee and asked me to spend forever with him. I still tease him to this day that he technically never asked me to "marry" him, just to spend forever with him. ha!

Now just 24 days until our wedding, I still ask him if he still wants to spend forever with me. Some days I feel so unworthy. Why does he want to spend forever with me? Why of all people in this world has he chosen me? Why does he want to love me? I once heard years ago that marriage is a great way to hold a mirror in front of your face and see all your worst character traits. But that's what I love about Stephen. He inspires me to want to be a better person. When I'm thinking negative about something, he's thinking positive. When I want to complain, he wants to rejoice. When my glass is half empty, his is half full. When I'm impatient, he's patient. When I'm feeling distance from God, he wants to help pull me back to His heart. When I'm crying, he wants to make me laugh. He teaches me to see the best in people. He teaches me to dwell on all we are blessed with. He puts up with my perfectionist ways and still loves me anyway. He simply loves asking nothing in return, just as Jesus did.

This past year has been a growing experience not only for us together, but for me individually and spiritually as Stephen teaches me through his love how God loves me that much more.

Last night he signed me up for Instagram (username: scarlettlillian) and I took this picture of two frames I have on the wall. They pretty much symbolize our love and the silly moments that mean the most.

Also, we've decided to start documenting by video some of our in between moments of life and with that we've started a You Tube channel called the "Stephen & Scarlett Show". As much as I love photos, I was saying how I wish I could go beyond photos and watch video footage of my parent's life as newlyweds and things and people that made up their everyday world. So we thought it would be fun to create this You Tube channel for our kids to watch one day. If you care to watch too, you can subscribe here:

http://www.youtube.com/scarlettandstephen

Here's a video of us fishing this past weekend when our friend Jim Davis-Hicks was in town and taught us how to fish. More are on the You Tube channel.

Kristi & Brandon are married! /// Palm Coast Hammock Beach Resort Wedding Photographer

2011-03-21T11:34:00.000-04:00

There are two things Kristi loves: 1. Hot Pink 2. Bling. And Brandon loves that about her. Kristi & Brandon had a hot pink diamond themed wedding from crystal encrusted hot pink shoes to crytals hanging from the centerpieces. And of course, the guys wore hot pink ties! For their sunny Palm Coast wedding, it was a tad chillier than they expected, but they and their guests were troopers in the cold and heated up the night as they got their dance on at the reception!

Here's some of my favorite photos of the day!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Hammock Beach Resort www.hammockbeach.com
COORDINATOR: Tammy Woodcock, www.parkersevents.com
HAIR & MAKEUP: Lauren Leggett - 904-759-4153
CAKE: Katie Gibson www.kakesbykatie.com
DJ: Jeremy Love www.loveyourdj.com

Click here to get the collage actions I use!

Simona & Ken are married! /// St. Augustine River House Wedding Photographer

2011-03-16T16:16:00.004-04:00

For Simona and Ken's table assignments, they had luggage tags to represent all the traveling and moving around the world they have done during the course of their relationship since college. These two are now settled down in New York City, but had a destination wedding in St. Augustine to come back to Florida where they met in college.

Part Indian, at the reception Simona and Ken participated in a traditional Indian marriage ( lavana ) ceremony going around the sacred fire ( represented by candles on the floor ) to honor that part of her heritage. As they read their vows and answered, "I agree" walking hand in hand around the circle, it was a sweet representation of what weddings are all about... two families coming together as one.

Here's some of my favorite shots of the day below!

VENDORS:

CEREMONY: St. Anastasia Church www.stanastasiacc.org
RECEPTION: The River House http://www.riverhouseevents.com
DJ: Event Sound www.eventsoundentertainment.com
MAKE UP: Paulina Perez www.paulinaperez.com
COORDINATOR: White Blossom Weddings www.WhiteBlossomWeddings.com
PHOTOBOOTH: Snap It! Photobooths www.snapitbooths.com
VIDEO: Platimun Digital Video http://www.platinumdigitalvideo.com

Click here to get the collage actions I use!

A tool to lose weight that really works!

2011-03-10T10:38:00.009-05:00

I remember in college, taking a nutrition class, the professor started day 1 by saying, "Forget all the fad diets out there, the only way you will ever lose weight is if you burn more calories than you consume. It's not a fad, it's science in the way our bodies are created."

Yet, who wants to count calories? In my 20s, I must have tried every fad diet and healthy way of eating. I've done ones where you drink only a special "Hollywood" juice, I've done the Master Cleanse, I've tried eating all raw food, I've done vegetarian, I've worked out and worked out and worked out.... in all my attempts, the only thing that ever really worked was when I took some ephedra pills which I do NOT endorse. Yes, I dropped like 15 pounds, but after I ended up in the emergency room for my heart racing and swelling, needless to say I threw them in the trash and have never taken them since.

Then the year before last year, I trained for a marathon in honor of my dad who lost his battle to cancer... but even training for a marathon, I've always maintained my same normal weight. After years of trying the crazy fad diets and comparing myself to what I see in magazines, I finally reached a peace about, ok, this is how God made me, at this size, I'm not going to stress about it anymore. After losing my dad, the important thing is, I'm healthy, and that's all that matters. Not to mention, now with meeting Stephen, there is no more beautiful feeling than being a guy who loves me exactly as I am. So in the past few years, I simply stopped "trying" to watch my weight, as we women continuously struggle with.

My experiment began first with, after the marathon, I put up my running shoes. I was curious what would happen to my body if I stopped working out for a year. I gave myself permission to simply NOT run or feel guilty if I didn't go to the gym. I was simply sick of the gym, not to mention, I was fed up with how much time it would take from my week by the time you go workout, come home shower, etc. Some days I wouldn't get to my desk until at least afternoon.

So I didn't work out, and I ate pretty normal.... and I maintained my weight. No crazy gaining weight. I fluctuate a few pounds here and there, but nothing extreme in the year I didn't work out.

But then a couple of months ago, I hit the one year anniversary of having run the marathon, and ok, I admit, I missed running a little bit, mostly for stress relief. And with the wedding coming up, ok, what bride doesn't want to feel her best on the wedding day? I told myself, I just want to feel strong and good, so I'll slowly get back into running, and maybe stop by the gym a few times to lift some weights.

Then Stephen told me about this app he discovered on the iPhone called "Lose It!" It is a calorie counting app that helps you keep track of what you consume in a fun iPhone kind of way, as well as what you burn when you do exercise. In the beginning, you can set a target weight to work toward, and it will tell you how many calories you should consume each day, and how many you have left to eat.

I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a whirl, but I won't take it too seriously. I didn't want to deprive myself, but I was curious just how many calories I do eat on a normal day. So it just started more as a curiosity, and now has turned into SUCH a great tool I use. I've been using it for 5 weeks now and this morning on the scale I was excited to see I have lost 10 pounds! For me to lose 10 pounds, that's a big deal because I'm barely ever to get below a certain number on the scale. Even more exciting, last Saturday, I put on my shooting pants, and they were baggy on me, so a few days I went to buy some new pants and discovered I dropped 4 pants sizes. I've never been able to wear the size I bought the other day!

And what is so freeing is that, I don't really feel like I've been "trying" to lose weight. I've still been eating what I want, just within the calorie range the app has given me.

I just thought it was super cool to see this app actually works, so I wanted to share it with you and my story if you are looking for a good tool to help you shed some unwanted pounds.

And sorry, no I'm not brave enough to show you my before and after shots like all those cheesy diet advertisements do! I'm not THAT brave! ha

:-)

MUST SEE NEW MOVIE! "Soul Surfer", the Bethany Hamilton story. Opens April 8!

2011-03-09T11:00:00.007-05:00

I live 20 minutes away the beach, but I can only say that 3 times in my life have I ever tried surfing.

It's not for the faint of heart. It kicked my butt each of those 3 times. I thought I was in shape until I struggled to battle to swim past the waves, to stand up for half of a second, and get tossed back into the tumbling water. What I loved most about the experience though is not just the physical battle, but the spiritual analogies that came out of it all. Each time I have surfed, I've been reminded, isn't that what life is all about? Facing each wave of trial, doubt, insecurity that comes rolling in as we trust God to help us stand up on the board of life in victory.

Years ago I heard about a girl who was surfing and was attacked by a shark who bit off her left arm. Her name is Bethany Hamilton, and I've always been inspired by her story, mostly for continuing to get back out there and surf despite the tragedy that she endured.

Now they have made a movie about her life that will be releasing APRIL 8! If you have been a fan of Fireproof, Facing the Giants and other Christian films, this is one of the first Christian films that Hollywood has backed with Sony Pictures taking it on and providing a budget to create A-MAZING cinematography, A-List actors, and unimaginable CGI editing for the missing arm.

Last night, Stephen and I were given sneak preview tickets to view the film for an early release they are doing around the country to help rally Christians to get the word out about it's release on APRIL 8. It is crucial that as a Christan film, this film exceeds expectations on OPENING NIGHT to help Hollywood continue to want to put money and support behind these needed stories that need to be told.

Watching the sneak preview, it's a story for all generations young and old, and it's incredibly inspiring for all people, Christians or not. It even brought a tear to my eye a few times. You will love it and walk away being totally motivated. As the organizer of the sneak preview told us as the audience last night, "We all have shark bites in our life, and we want this film to inspire others for their own journey."

Also something cool about the actors, this is the film debut for Carrie Underwood who plays Bethany's youth leader. If you love the country star, you will love her in this role!

So here's the trailer! HELP SPREAD THE WORD! If you have a blog, blog about it. If you have a twitter, twitter about it. If you have a Facebook, Facebook about it. Tell your neighbors, church, workplace. Gather a group of your friends to go see it and support it! Let's get BIG numbers for the April 8 release!!

http://www.soulsurferthemovie.com/

Special Guest Speaker at Jacksonville Pictage User Group: Jim Davis Hicks

2011-03-08T13:39:00.011-05:00

Each month, Stephen and I host a meeting for other professional photographers in the Northeast Florida area to come together and network, learn from each other, and build a positive community. It is sponsored by Pictage.com but all professional photographers are welcome!

This month we are hosting a special guest speaker, philanthropic photographer Jim Davis-Hicks. I first heard of Jim through his charity, Thirst Relief, which raises money to provide clean water in third world countries. Last year at WPPI, I was invited to be a mentor to help raise money, and this year, Stephen was invited too. The past few years, with the help of photographers internationally offering mentor sessions, Jim has raised over $40,000 each year.

As a wedding photographer, Jim and his wife Lara have captured weddings for as high as $20,000 per wedding throughout shooting professionally for the past 12 years. He has been published in Rangefinder Magazine, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Studio Photography, nationally broadcasted radio, Platform Speakers at WPPI and are now heading out on the Thirst for More Nationwide Tour!

Jim & Lara will be bringing their message of "Passion. Purpose. Profit. Productivity". This is a free presentation. To RSVP, visit our Facebook page at: http://facebook.com/jaxpug

Additionally, while in Jacksonville, Jim is inviting 20 photographers to his "Thirst For More Tour" one-day workshop. To get more information on the workshop and reserve your seat, visit the Thirst for More Tour website at: http://tour.jimdavishicks.com

CONTEST WINNER!!!

2011-03-07T14:42:00.006-05:00

Congrats to Amanda Ellison for winning my $10 iTunes gift card contest!! She guessed one of my all time favorite photos I submitted for an interview on Calligraphy by Jennifer's blog at http://calligraphybyjennifer.net/blog/vendor-spotlight

You can read the interview and check out the rest of the photos I chose in the link above! Thanks to all who participated over on my Facebook page!! A special thanks to Calligraphy by Jennifer for inviting me to participate. Brides, if you need calligraphy for your wedding, you should go check out her stuff, it's truly a beautiful art!

CONTEST: What is your favorite photo?

2011-03-04T12:12:00.000-05:00

So I was asked to pick my favorite 10 photos to go along with a blog interview coming up. More on that when it's blogged.

I sat here staring at my blog going, gosh, HOW do I pick my favorite 10 from 4 years of shooting weddings? I have at least 10 favorites from EACH wedding.

So I Twittered about it and Jiho Park had a great idea!

So I decided to hold a contest where you could win some iTunes gift certificates!

I've already picked my favorites and sent them over to the blog editor, but I'm curious if your favorites line with up my favorites. If you pick a favorite that is one of my favorites, then you'll win a $10 gift certificate!

Here's the rules:

1. Go through my blog or Facebook and pick your all time favorite photo I've shot. Right click on the photo to save it to your desktop.
2. Go to my Facebook page and "Like" it if you don't already.
3. On the wall, click on "Photo" and upload your favorite choice and leave a comment saying why it's your favorite.
4. When the blog interview goes live, I'll announce it, and if you picked one of my favorites, you totally win!
5. Only one favorite image per person, s'il vous plait!
6. If you were a client, yes, you can submit a photo from your own wedding! :-)

Looking forward to receiving your entries!

HINT: I went as far back as 2008 weddings. :-) And I only chose wedding shots, not engagements or portraits.

Adrienne & George are engaged! /// Ponte Vedra Wedding Photographer

2011-03-04T08:49:00.003-05:00

Adrienne & George met a bowling alley but as she says, "It's not as scandalous as it sounds!" A good friend of hers was dating a good friend of George's and their friends both decided it was time Adrienne & George met. "It was friendship at first sight," Adrienne says. They spent a year getting to know each other and hanging out and having fun before they finally started dating about 8 years ago.

As you'll notice in the photos, Adrienne has a thing for shoes. For George's proposal, he performed what I feel is every "Sex and the City" fan's dream proposal. After treating Adrienne to a luxurious day at the spa, George surprised her with a mystery stack of boxes. After finding pair after pair of her own shoes in the boxes, she finally unwrapped a box with a brand new pair of Manolo Blahniks similar to what Carrie received from Mr. Big in the first movie. The only difference is, Adrienne's shoes are silver instead of blue, and yes, that's what Adrienne will be wearing on the wedding day!

Oh yeah, after opening the box, that's when George got down on one knee and presented the ring. Yay!

For their engagement session, Adrienne asked if she could bring her two pugs, Lolita and Jade Fox. Of course I said yes and we had a fun pug-a-licious shoot around downtown Jacksonville.

Also, my own make up artist for my wedding, the fabulous Paulina Perez, did Adrienne's make up for this shoot! :-)

Here's my favorites from the shoot:

Lian & Rick are engaged! /// Jacksonville Wedding Photographer

2011-03-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

I loved Lian's description when she first inquired:

"Lian is a Fashion graduate who has a fun and quirky rock and roll style with lots of glam. Rick is in the Navy but belongs in the Rat-Pack time era complete with fashion and lifestyle."

I knew right away I would love photographing them!

These two met online which led to a casual sushi date. That sushi date then fast forwarded to a proposal in the middle of Times Square in New York City, where Rick's family is from. Lian jokes, "I cried and could barely say yes! In fact he still says I never did say 'Yes'."

With Rick in the Navy, he escorted us onto the Jacksonville Naval Air Station to take some photos in the hanger where he works and then to check the retired airplanes. This is where I won't start singing "Onnnnn the wings of looooove" like the Bachelor so cheesily played during Jake's season. :-)

Lian & Rick have a metallic themed fall wedding coming up in St. Augustine. After seeing her killer shoes at the engagement session, I'm excited to see the details of all the decor!

Here's my favorites from their engagement session!

Brielle & Paul are engaged! /// Amelia Island Wedding Photographer

2011-02-25T16:17:00.001-05:00

Brielle & Paul are an example of when working together works out. Five years ago, it was Brielle's first day on the job as a pastry intern where Paul was working as a baker. He first spotted her checking into orientation and arranged it so that he was her personal trainer in the pastry shop. He asked her out the next week and they have been together ever since!

It also works out great that Brielle is a master baker because I'm excited to share that she is making all my cupcakes for my own bridal shower and wedding! Yum yum! While she is the head baker at Amelia Island Plantation, she also takes on other brides. To view her gallery and contact her for your wedding cake or cupcakes, check out her gallery here:

http://chefbrielle.shutterfly.com

And you can email her here: chefbrielle@gmail.com

Here's some of my favorites from their engagement session!

Awesome new watermarker called PICTUL!

2011-02-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

As a photographer, I'm always looking for efficient ways to go about things to maximize my time. I was recently told about this amazing new watermarker tool that if you are a blogging photographer, you have to check out!

It's called Pictul and it's a great solution to automate watermarking on your images so seamlessly and easily! It's so fast and easy! You can download it and try it for FREE here before buying, but I promise you'll get hooked!

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek from a recent engagement session that I created using PICTUL!

Europe, in three photos.

2011-02-21T11:38:00.002-05:00

My dad, a history buff, was one of those people who said "When I retire, I'll go see the world." When he finally retired in early 2008, he and my mom started planning a trip to Europe for the three of us to take. However, within a few months, we found out my dad had stage 4 lung cancer, and obviously the trip got postponed.

Though my dad never got to see Europe before he passed (2 years ago today in fact), my mom and I finally decided to take the trip in his honor, and as a special mother/daughter trip before I get married in April. We booked a guided tour through www.getours.com and were off to an exciting two week whirlwind tour starting in London and ending in Rome.

The whole time we were transported on a coach tourbus with 40 other people from all America, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Our group drove through the countries of England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Litchenstein, and finally Italy.

We went back in September, but for Christmas, much to my mom's begging to see the photos, I finally sorted through about 3,000 photos to narrow it down to about 900 keepers for my mom and I. As a professional photographer, it was fun to take a break from shooting for work to simply shoot for fun along our adventures. MOST of the landscape photos were actually taken out the window of the tour bus. When I said it was a whirlwind trip, I wasn't kidding.

I think what I found the most fascinating about Europe was the architecture. I grew up thinking I was going to be an architect and studied architecture history for a few years in high school and college. It was so fascinating to be able to see all these old buildings that I had only seen in history books before, but was now seeing in person! I only wish my dad could have been there to soak it all in too!

The other thing I loved about Europe was that I arrived to find out my iPhone didn't pick up international roaming. I guess I had never activated it, so I was forced for 2 weeks to get off the internet and email and disconnect from all the crazy technology I realize we Americans are addicted too. I was lucky to get a few hotels that had wifi long enough that I could skype on my iPhone with my fiance a few times, but other than that, it was SUCH a refreshing change to remember there is a world out there that exists without all technology we think we need to survive.

I enjoyed actually writing about my adventures in a real journal instead of typing it out on a blog. I enjoyed spending one on one time with my favorite woman in the world. I enjoyed escaping away from all the things I worried about that I thought mattered to realize they just don't. I enjoyed meeting new people not only from the countries we visited but from the countries that my fellow tourists came from. I enjoyed being reminded how young of a country America is compared to the centuries and centuries of countries that existed long before. I enjoyed seeing the beauty of God's creations from top of the the highest of mountains of Switzerland. I enjoyed simply going to Europe, before I retire, and see the sights my dad never could.

I wish I could blog them all, but between wedding planning and running a business, I'm just now getting around to printing out these 3 photos to frame in the house. So I thought I would share at least these 3 with you.

A pic I took of my computer screen with my iPhone of the 3 photos I'm cropping right now in Photoshop. From left to right, the Leaning Tower in Piza, Italy; a typical work day in Venice; and of course the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In fact, that photo is the exact view I had from my hotel window. Didn't get much better than that!

Barrett & Jud are married! /// Vizcaya Miami Wedding Photographer

2011-02-16T11:04:00.002-05:00

Whenever I describe Barrett to someone, I describe her as a modern Jackie O. Not only does she have the stunning beauty, but she has the grace and composure of elegance that Jackie O represented. As we walked around the Viceroy Hotel in Miami photographing her bridals, I couldn't help but think she deserved to be on the cover of a bridal magazine!

Barrett & Jud enjoyed a destination wedding in Miami, FL with friends and family at one of my favorite spots to shoot, the famous Vizcaya mansion!

Here's my favorites from the beauty of their day that Stephen & I documented!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Vizcaya Museum & Gardens http://www.miamidade.gov/vizcaya
COORDINATOR: Teresa Blumberg teainmiami@gmail.com
FLORIST: Kathryn Parrish http://www.parrishdesignslondon.com
BAND: The Anita Band http://www.eastcoastentertainment.com
CATERER: Thierry's Catering http://www.ThierryCatering.com
HAIR & MAKEUP: Brittany Lammon brittanylammon@bellsouth.net
FURNITURE: Nuage Designs http://www.nuagedesigns.com

Alison & Jeremy are married! /// Savannah Wedding Photographer

2011-02-09T09:38:00.000-05:00

Alison and Jeremy were originally supposed to get married later on, but when they heard Jeremy was being sent off to Germany next month for the Army, they had to expedite wedding plans. Having already served a year in Afghanistan, and Alison having to live a year away from her fiance, Alison was so bubbly with joy on her wedding day that now she finally gets to be with Jeremy all the time as they start their new chapter in Europe!

I am thankful to people like Jeremy, and their loved ones who sacrifice being a part, for serving our country and keeping us safe!

Here's my favorites from the day that Stephen and I documented from their lovely Savannah, Ga wedding!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Mighty 8th Airforce Museum
DJ: All about You Entertainment http://www.allaboutyoudjs.com
CATERER: Barne's Caterer 912-354-8745
CAKE: Baker's Pride http://www.savannahbakery.com

BRIDES: Want to be on TV & win a Monique Lhuillier dress?

2011-01-31T17:51:00.004-05:00

So a few years back in the midst of my singleness, I was watching The Bachelor (WOO HOO, new episode tonight!) and on a whim thought, what the heck, let me send in an application. They were looking for the next Bachelorette, and my jaw dropped when 2 days later after submitting my application I got a voicemail that started like this....

"Hi this is Cynthia from ABC in Hollywood calling about your Bachelorette submission. We are really interested in you and want to find out more."

My jaw, still on the floor, was in complete shock. Me? They are actually responding? Did I really just get a call from HOLLYWOOD?

Funny enough, this all happened a week before I would go on to meet the man I am now marrying. After going through another round of communication with Cynthia, I soon found out they chose Jillian as the next Bachelorette. Sure it would have been exciting, but I'm actually glad nothing came of it because I ended up finding my own bachelor in the end.

Anyways.... I'm still on the mailing list from the casting people, and I just got this email come through my inbox. It was too good to not share and wanted to let all brides know about it! And if you end up on the show, you better let me know you found out about it through me... and of course I'd love to be your wedding photographer too! ha!

**********************************

NOW CASTING: Brides-to-be with stories that will touch hearts across America!

A Major Cable Network and Gay Rosenthal Productions are seeking brides-to-be for a new Docu-Series.

Do you have an emotional or inspirational story connected to your upcoming wedding?
Do you have a particularly emotional or dramatic story that led to your engagement?
Have you always wanted to walk down the aisle in the wedding gown of your dreams?
Do you know someone getting married who has a great emotional story?
Monique Lhuillier is among the worlds leading creators of haute couture bridal wear — brides and celebrities all over the world have sought her out to design their gowns. On this new show, lucky brides will have the opportunity of a lifetime to wear the dress of their dreams.

Contact me ASAP! cynthiatvcasting@gmail.com

Prayer request for the Frase family.

2010-12-29T16:42:00.012-05:00

It was Christmas afternoon. My mom, Stephen and I had just finished unwrapping presents and mom headed to the kitchen to start making our Christmas dinner. Stephen and I were hanging out in the kitchen while she cooked. Stephen on his new iPad I got him for Christmas, and me on my laptop thanking everyone on Facebook for their birthday greetings. I rarely look at the newsfeed because I get a little overwhelmed, but that day, a particular newsfeed caught my eye. Someone I had recently photographed had passed away.

I couldn't believe it. Tears filled my eyes. He was gone, Joshua Frase was gone.

Just a few weeks ago, I photographed the Frase family for their Christmas card. It was a normal day in the life of the Frase family with Joshua's mom and dad pulling him around in his permanent carrier he has been in the past 15 years of his life, and his younger sister Isabella looking so cute in the background. It was a cold day, but it was full of life and smiles and laughs in one of their favorite cities, St. Augustine.

But Christmas Eve, Joshua went home to Heaven be with Jesus. The Frase family has posted a public message on their foundation page. And I wanted to use this public medium to ask you for prayers for their family right now during this difficult time.

http://www.joshuafrase.org

They also have a Facebook page for his foundation. I encourage you to go leave some love for his family on his page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joshua-Frase-Foundation/72243816663?v=wall

It's one of those things, as a Christian, I don't understand why children are born into this world with certain diseases as Joshua was, but I was reading this morning in my Bible about Jesus and a blind man in John 9. It said:

"As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. His followers asked him, 'Teacher, who sin caused this man to be born blind- his own sin or his parents' sin?' Jesus answered, 'It is not this man's sin or his parents' sin that made him be blind. This man was born blind so that God's power could be shown in him."

In the 15 years that Joshua was here, he did just that, leaving a beautiful lasting impact on those whose paths he crossed. Through his foundation, millions of dollars was raised for research to help other families going through the same thing. I truly believe God had a similar purpose as the blind man through Joshua's life. To be used for God's glory. I can just hear Him saying now as He receives Joshua into Heaven, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Daydreaming of Venice...

2010-12-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here editing some client's photos, but daydreaming about the day life will slow down and let me finally edit my pictures from Europe to share with you and print and frame on my walls... I currently have this one I took of the gondolas in Venice on my backdrop as a visual reminder on my To Do list. Just thought I would share it with you too so you can daydream with me. :-)

Jacksonville Pictage User Group Holiday Party

2010-12-15T13:15:00.004-05:00

Every month I host a meeting for Jacksonville area photographers called the Pictage User Group. We affectionately call it the "PUG". Though sponsored by Pictage, all photographers are welcome and last night we had our holiday party! Though there was more food to go around than people there, we also took time to reflect on the past year and share with each other 3 things we learned as photographers or about our businesses. We also held an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest with Jay from Life & Love Studios taking home the $100 gift card to Amazon.com. Jay's wife Allison put a lot of love in the sweater by hand sewing on a Christmas door hanging Santa to the sweater along with tinsel and Christmas ribbons. Obviously, it was hard to beat Jay's sweater in the contest!!

It's rare as photographers that we are in front of the camera, but here's us showing off our Christmas sweaters and the group as a whole!

If you are a photographer in the area, we hope you'll join us in the coming year! Be sure to "like" our new Facebook page to stay up to date with all the happenings and upcoming meetings!

Lauren's Senior Fashion Shoot /// Jacksonville Senior Photographer

2010-12-14T00:04:00.000-05:00

Lauren is a senior who hopes to move to New York City one day to work in public relations. But for now, she's obsessed with fashion magazines and all things hot pink as you can tell from her fingernails!

Here's some of my favorites from our shoot together!

Sarah's Senior Fashion Shoot! /// Jacksonville Senior Photographer

2010-12-13T16:22:00.005-05:00

A few years ago I shot Sarah's Sweet 16 pics, and I had a blast with her again shooting her senior photos! She always has the cutest fashions and knows how to work it for the camera.

Is it just me, or does she look like a mix of Carrie Underwood and the Olsen Twins??

Here's some of my favorites from her session!

The Frase Family

2010-12-13T11:23:00.001-05:00

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing the Frase family. Since then, Joshua, their son, now must use a breathing machine to survive.

Joshua, was born with weak muscles and could only flex his right hand, barely able to move his lungs to breathe. His parents were told that he wouldn't survive, but now Joshua is 15!

When Joshua was 3 months, his parents found out that he had myotubular myopathy and have since started a foundation called The Joshua Frase Foundation. Alison, the mom, is determined to help eliminate this disease. She puts a lot of her time and engery into raising awareness and funds to research the disease further. She was telling me during the session that in previous years, she was able to hold events raising over $1 million dollars for research funds. But recently with contributors backing out, her researchers are in need more than ever to continue moving forward.

With Christmas around the corner, in this season of giving, I encourage you to check out their website and ask if you are able to give anything to support this crucial cause.

To read further about Joshua's story and his father, former NFL defensive lineman Paul Frase, click below. On the website you will find a link to donate:

http://www.joshuafrase.org/joshua/father.php

Here are some of my favorite shots from their family session!

Andrea & Mike are engaged! /// St. Simons Engagement Photographer

2010-12-09T16:37:00.006-05:00

As you'll see in the photos, Mike makes Andrea laugh... a LOT.

For their engagement session, we returned to the place that Mike proposed and relived the memories.

Andrea and Mike first met serving on the worship team together at their church. He played guitar, and she sang.

"We became friends through that experience," Andrea said. "It was so neat for our friendship, which eventually turned into a relationship, to have begun through our focus on the Lord."

For the session, Mike brought his guitar on the beach and sang to Andrea, even though she couldn't help laugh at all the words he forgot. I admit, I was laughing too.

Here's my favorites from the day!

Barrett & Jud are engaged! /// Vizcaya Wedding Photographer

2010-12-06T18:05:00.009-05:00

When listening to Barrett & Jud tell the story of how they met, I couldn't help but laugh at how similar our stories were. According to Barrett, she said she doesn't remember originally meeting Jud in 2004. I told her, whoops, I don't remember the first time I met my fiance either. Thankfully though, Jud re-entered Barrett's life in 2007 and began dating long distance until they finally made their home in Raleigh, NC. Barrett is originally from Jacksonville, so on a recent visit home, I was able to meet them and take their engagement photos! And because Barrett wanted a destination wedding, I'm excited to return to the gorgeous Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami to shoot their upcoming wedding!

"Pssst," Barrett said right as our session was ending. "Just to let you know, I'm wearing the same dress as another one of your brides I saw on the blog."

"Really?? Who?" I asked.

She told me, but I'm going to make you wait because I don't want Jud to do his research. :-) Stay tuned to see which dress she wears for her wedding!

Here's my favorites from their engagement session!

4.5 months.

2010-11-30T20:13:00.009-05:00

As we drove to the California desert to see family, Taylor Swift sang exactly what I was feeling at that moment.

"You are the best thing... that's ever been.. miiiiiiine."

I held his hand from the passenger seat and just stared. And he caught me and looked me with that sweet smile that makes me giddy. I turned away and looked at the road, and he looked back at the road. Then I looked at him again, and he caught me again. He never just lets me stare at him and take in all those details that I love so much about him. He always knows when I'm looking and can't help but look too and make me laugh. Every. Time.

Finally I looked away and back at the road with him but got that nervous giddy feeling in my stomach. It just kind of hit me that in 4.5 months, Stephen and I will be married. Like, married married. Husband and wife. Partners for life. Growing old together. Having a family and little "mini-mes" of us we joke about having one day. And I still can't believe some days that he's actually... mine.

The funny part is that I wasn't supposed to be here in California right now. I was supposed to be in Florida getting excited about him coming out for my birthday and Christmas. But the night before the night before Thanksgiving I got a call from my mom. She and my grandparents were both horribly sick and having just got over a bad cold myself, we agreed it would be best not to be around them. When I told Stephen, he begged for an hour for me to come spend Thanksgiving with his family. But that meant buying a ticket right then and getting on a plane the next morning.... and hello, was I really THAT spontaneous? I didn't think so.

Until I hung up the phone.

And in my analytical way I overanalyzed all the reasons why I wasn't that spontaneous enough to just change plans last minute.

But then I realized, I hated that. I wanted to be spontaneous.

So I bought a plane ticket and headed to the airport the next morning. On the way, he called and asked what I had decided, and for the first time ever, I lied to him. I told him I decided to drive to my grandparents about 6 hours away. That was the perfect amount of time to distract him until I landed in San Diego. Once the plane landed I called him immediately as soon as it let me have service.

"I have a confession to make," I said on the phone when he answered.
"What??" He asked.
"I've been lying to you all day," I admitted.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not at my grandparents, SURPRISE, I'm at the San Diego airport. Come pick me up."
"You're still lying," he said in shock.
"NO, I'm NOT," I argued.
"You're lying. Stop lying. Are you really here? You can't be here, you're lying. Wait, are you REALLY HERE?" he said started to get excited.
"YES, come pick me up!"
"I'm on my way, but I think you're still lying."

And oh my gosh, I hated lying to him all day leading up to it. I so never want to do that again!

So now I'm here in San Diego and we've been going on all these double dates with his friends and hanging out with his family. These are a few shots one of his friends took of us at dinner and tagged us in on Facebook, and I just look at it and smile. I smile because I see in the photo how happy he makes me. And how proud I am that, as Taylor Swift would say, he's the best thing that's ever been mine.

Black Friday Sale!

2010-11-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

In this season of thanks...

2010-11-24T09:56:00.001-05:00

I've always had a certain problem that I blame on my "only child syndrome."

Problem is, I have a hard time letting go and asking for help with the simple things in life.

Because I never had to share with siblings, I'm just used to doing everything on my own. If my mom wanted my room clean, I couldn't delegate that task to another sibling, I had to do it my own. And living on my own the past 5 years, I've just learned to survive by doing everything myself.

Unfortunately, this translates into my business. Yeah, I should outsource more, but gosh, no matter how many times I try to convince myself that I could free up my life by paying someone else to do my editing, I just can't do it. The artist perfectionist in me is just too controlling.

And when it comes to shooting a wedding, while I've always had a second shooter, I've never had an assistant, because of that dang problem of wanting to carry all my own bags.

But then I got hurt. Right before my Fall 2010 wedding season started, I suddenly got a horrible pain in my left neck that ran all the way down to my finger tips tingling and hurting and just not feeling good. I dreaded having to carry my ShootSac camera bag in that very spot on my shoulder because it was all I could do to stand up in so much throbbing pain. After many visits to the chiropractor and my masseuse, Stephen finally brought up a concept foreign to me:

"Why don't you just let someone else carry your bags?"

Huh? And not do it myself? Why would someone want to actually carry my bag? I would never ask someone to do that.

He reminded me of how he spent a year carrying bags and interning, and how important carrying bags was in his education just to be given the opportunity to observe a photographer he looked up to. He encouraged me to put something on Facebook, and... well... I became overwhelmed at the response! I still was in shock that anyone would want to carry my bag. I promise I'm not that cool.

Now that my Fall wedding season winds down for the holidays, I look back at how grateful I am to have had some A-MAZING assistants, and I can't believe how LONG it took me to let go because I was so blessed in return by the chance to get to meet some great new friends. Not only did they save the pain in my neck, but I had a lot of fun with them behind the scenes! Each girl bent over backward to help with all the little details of the day to make it flawless for my brides and grooms, so with Thanksgiving approaching, I just wanted to post a blog saying THANK YOU to Chloe Austin, Melissa Bonacci, Jennifer Cox, Lindsey Mills, & Alison Sloan! You girls seriously are the best and from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to have gotten to know each of you through my silly ShootSac!

To all those reading this, I hope you have an incredibly blessed Thanksgiving reflecting on love, life and family! :-)

Cupcake queens.

2010-11-23T19:09:00.004-05:00

As I prepare to become a wife, I'm trying to learn how to be more domesticated with things like baking and making a home look pretty. The night before my girlfriend's came over, Stephen texted me asking why I was up so late.

"I'm nesting," I replied.
"Huh?" he naturallly texted back.
"Like a momma bird, preparing her nest where her family will live."

No, there are no baby birds on the way, but with a husband on the way, I've kicked into that nesting mode of trying to get our home ready for where we will live when we get married. I was up late Saturday night because I had gone to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy some "homey" things like matching glasses, and new sterling silver silverware. I had finally had it with my mismatched random cups and cheap forks and knives that I had been using since first moving out of my parents. It was time I got big girl dinnerware. That nesting part of me wanted presentable things to provide guests when that point comes that we start hosting dinner parties.

But for now, I had my girlfriends coming over to bake cup cakes the next day so I was also in a mad rush to clean my place!

On Sunday, my friend Beth Morgan was in town, and she and our friend Kacy came over to catch up on some much needed girlfriend time. We all share a love of cupcakes, and photography, so naturally, as photographers we documented the whole night! Here's us being our silly girly selves!

I don't know what it is about cupcakes, but they just take me to a happy place every time. All is well in life when I'm eating a cupcake! And it's even better when you get to share it with girlfriends!

Jillian & Matthew are engaged! /// Jacksonville Engagement Photographer

2010-11-23T16:14:00.001-05:00

I first met Matthew while shooting a wedding he was catering in 2008, but I had long heard about him way before with a reputation as one of the best chef's in Jacksonville. He is the owner of the fine dining restaurant, Matthew's, in San Marco, and it's the place where he met his soon to be wife, Jillian, shortly after she moved down from Pennsylvania.

We started the session at their restaurant and ended the night by capturing what they love to do best, cooking at home. Jillian and Matthew were one of those couples that couldn't stop laughing through the whole session, and she totally kicked his butt ending the night in a pillow fight.

Here's my favorites from the day!

Sarah & Brian had another baby! /// Nashville Family Photographer

2010-11-23T11:07:00.001-05:00

I was recently in Nashville to shoot a wedding when I got a surprise Facebook message from one of my former brides, Sarah, who also lives in Nashville. She and Brian had just had a baby the week before and asked if I could squeeze in time to take new family photos! First of all, how she was able to be pregnant and I did not see that on my Facebook newsfeed, I'm clueless, but I was so excited to take photos of her addition, Eli, having had documented the arrival of his older sister, Elle. I just love watching my bride and grooms turn into mommies and daddies and continuing to photograph their love.

Here's my faves from the day! Congratulations Sarah & Brian on your beautiful family!

Grandpa!

And Elle with her Grandma!

Elle with her new baby bro, Eli.

Um, cuteness!

Eli and Daddy.

Love the kissy face with her mommy.

Seriously my favorite shot of the day!

I look pretty good with a baby in my hands... he he he

Rhys & Aaron are married! /// Scarritt Bennett Nashville Wedding Photographer

2010-11-22T19:56:00.011-05:00

On Rhys' wedding day, it so wasn't all about her. While everyone got ready at her mom's house, I couldn't help but notice how she was helping everyone else get ready more than herself. From helping her mom put on make up to fixing the flower girl's hair, I had to remind her that SHE was the bride and people should be catering to her. ha! But when it came to photo time, Rhys totally brought out her fierce supermodel and lived it up because she knew it was finally HER moment!

Rhys & Aaron attended one of my all time favorite weddings I've shot for Cara & Drew in 2008, so it was a special perk to see them again at the wedding as well! Stephen was with me to help capture the day and we enjoyed seeing Nashville blooming in it's orange and red and golden Fall colors. The change of colors was the perfect setting for gorgeous photos around the historic Scarritt Bennett center where the wedding was held.

Here's my fave photos of the day and the slideshow below!

VENDORS:
CEREMONY: Scarritt Bennett Center http://www.scarrittbennett.org
RECEPTION: Brentwood Country Club http://www.bcctn.org
FLOWERS: Granny's Flower Shop http://www.grannysflowershop.com
BAND: Utopia http://www.myspace.com/utopiamusic08
HAIR: Candace from Street Salon
CAKE: Home Style Bakery http://www.homestylebakery.com

And the slideshow below:

Marina & Shawn are married! /// Casa Monica Wedding Photographer

2010-11-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

Marina had her dad on her arms to walk her down the aisle, but she wished her mom could have been there. Having lost her mom, and brother, a few years back, Marina took a moment on her wedding day to visit her mom's grave. She held a bouquet of flowers that said "Mother of the Bride" and delicately placed them as I stood back and documented such a special moment.

Thought Marina and Shawn now live in the DC area, they wanted to have a destination wedding in Marina's hometown of St. Augustine. They chose the gorgeous Casa Monica hotel and St. Episcopal church next door for a perfect fall day walking around the cobblestone historic streets.

Here's my favorite photos of the day and their slideshow below!

CEREMONY: Trinity Episcopal Parish St. Augustine
RECEPTION: Casa Monica Hotel
BAND: BIVA Entertainment
VIDEOGRAPHER: Life & Love Studio
MAKE UP: Monica Mia
HAIR: Beauty by Darlene
CAKE: Edgewood Bakery

And the slideshow below:

Back from Nashville.

2010-11-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

I've always said, if I were to ever move somewhere away from Jacksonville, Nashville would be the place I would want to move to. Everytime I visit, I find a million more reasons to fall in love with the town. However, I wasn't quite ready for the freezing cold weather when I arrived. Brrrrr... I'm definitely a Florida girl who likes to wear tank tops and flip flops in the winter time, thankyouverymuch. (And I think because of how cold I was is why I got sick as a dog suddenly when I got back... grrr)

The purpose of this visit was to shoot an awesome wedding (that blog entry coming soon), but also to hang with friends and shoot a family session for one of my former brides (that to come soon as well!)

The first night we stayed with our friends, band photographer extraordinare, David and Tammy Molnar, who were so cute to have a welcome basket waiting for us, and show us around Nashville (it was Stephen's first visit). Then we moved to Zach and Jody Gray's house the next day. Our last night there, we honky tonked with our sweet friend Courtney Davidson who just moved there from NYC the day before. Stephen took most of our "fun" pictures with everyone and even put together a video of our silliness with everyone which you can view here:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Our last night with the Gray's, we had a double date night of rollerskating and making an Asian dinner. I made egg rolls, Stephen chopped ingredients and Zach and Jody made won tons. I'm not much of a cook, but egg rolls are one thing I remember making with high school girlfriends, and I must say, I was quite proud of how my egg rolls turned out. Zach documented the whole cooking experience, and I grabbed these photos from their blog below!

And who could forget fortune cookies? We played a fun version by reading them outloud and finishing it with ".... on the toilet." Made for some fun laughs!

If you are curious about the recipe, it's quite simple.

1 Roll of ground sausage
1 bag of eggroll wrappers
1 bottle of terriyaki sauce
Sliced up cabbage and carrots and green onions

In a saucepan, cook the sausage and mix in the cabbage and however much terriyaki sauce you like. From there, the rest of the instructions are on the back of the eggroll wrapper!

It's a wonderful life.

2010-11-04T12:21:00.001-04:00

It's only November, but my Starbucks cup is Christmas colors with snowflakes. Yes, they mispelled my name, but I don't care. Right now, I'm listening to "It's a wonderful life" being sang by a man at the piano of the Jacksonville airport lobby. As he sings, and I sit here at the Starbucks table, I just took a deep breath to soak it in. Yes, it IS a wonderful life.

Last night, as I set my alarm for bed, I looked at my flight information and saw that my flight took off at 11:40 am. So I set my alarm nice and early for 8:30am to make sure I got to the airport in time. I've been rushed so much at my last few airport trips that I really wanted to try to not rush and actually get there in plenty of time.

I arrive promptly at 10:40am and go to check in. The touch screen pulls up my name and my departure time.

"NASHVILLE DEPARTURE 3:00PM"

I take a double look... what? Really? My flight got delayed to 3! What the heck?

I ask the Southwest guy behind the counter why the flight is delayed, and he looks at me strange, "It's not delayed, it leaves at 3pm". I look again at the screen and look back at him. "But, I read on my phone last night that it leaves at 11:40am. I have it right here!"

I pull up my confirmation email..... and I couldn't believe I did that. I totally misread my flight info and read Stephen's departing info from San Diego instead of mine.

DOH!

::Deep breath::

::Trying not to think about how I could have slept in instead of only getting 6 hours sleep like I did::

::Another deep breath::

So I check in, purse and camera bag in hand and I step away from the counter, kind of in shock. I'm so not used to being early anywhere, let alone 4 hours early, so I just sit there kind of stunned, like, what do I do now to kill time?

The first thing I see is something familiar.... Starbucks.... step 1, go get caffeine. So I ordered my Venti Green Tea Latte and sat at a table in front and pulled out my laptop. Sure, I could do work, but for once, I actually got caught up before I left. Sure, I could stress, but as I sit here and watch people walk by and listen to "It's a wonderful life" being sang behind me, I just take another deep breath and realize, you know what, I have a choice..... I could stress and complain about the extra 4 hours I have to do nothing.... or I can be thankful that I wasn't 4 hours late and that for this temporary moment in life, I have time to simply, "Be still and know that I am God" as He reminds us in Psalm 46:10.

Being still is something I feel like I haven't done in my life in a few months. For someone who isn't a natural planner, yes, wedding planning is stressful for me. On top of trying to run a business, on top all the natural changes that come with being engaged, on top of a busy wedding season, on top of the holidays coming up, on top of trying to get ready to go out of town, on top of the private things going on in my life that yes, I do keep off the blog..... being still has become a stranger to me.

So I sit here and look around the airport lobby watching people getting their Starbucks, or sitting in the green rocking chairs that the airport provides to welcome it's visitors to the South, or people frantically running to security, and others hugging their loved ones goodbye, and others welcoming their new arrival with excitement... I simply sit here and choose to be still in this moment and just observe the life swirling around me. And to be thankful for this moment in my life where I can be still. And to be thankful for another day the Lord has given me to experience this life and travel to a fun new place.

Because really, life is a choice. Are we going to clutter it with busyness and complaints, or are we going to choose to have moments to be still and be thankful for what we are given in life? I'm trying to work on the latter.

It's the trying that counts.

2010-11-04T10:08:00.002-04:00

I remember it as a "a ha" moment.

In early 2006, I was in Nashville with my mom and dad on a family vacation. In my purse, I had one of those (pre-iPhone that takes pictures and records video) clunky video cameras/photo camera. I mostly took shots of my mom and dad standing under signs remembering all the places we went. And I also took some video footage of my mom and dad shaking their booties on the dance floor in the blues bar. Had I only known how valuable that video footage would be once we found out the news 2 years later of his terminal cancer. But in the midst of the trip, we were walking down the famous touristy Broadway Street and I saw it.

A picture in my head.

A shot that looked like a postcard.

A shot that represented everything Nashville was.

As my mom wandered in the stores, I stayed outside and took out my video/photo camera and squatted on the sidewalk. I had no idea what I was doing other than turning the camera on Auto, but I got it, I got this shot:

As I looked at the photo, I couldn't help but want to fluff my feathers. I captured my first "photojournalism" picture. Yes, I was quite proud. It was simply a moment, this struggling muscian just sitting on the sidewalk hoping to get discovered. That picture is what I went home seeing what Nashville is all about. There was something about seeing that musician simply... trying... to follow his dreams, even if it meant sitting on the sidewalk playing for only passerbys.

After that, I went home and played around in photoshop to convert the picture black and white (even though now looking at it, it's almost more sepia). But that was it, I got bit by the photography bug, and even though I had no idea what I was doing, I wanted to "try" like that musician to see if I would be any good at it. I started to drop hints here and there to my parents about how interested I was in photography and how much I wanted a "real" camera where I could change lenses and figure out how to get the "blurry background but the main subject is in focus." Finally in October of that year, my parents broke down and bought me my first camera, a Canon 30D. (When I started making money, I eventually upgraded and bought myself the Canon 5D which I still use today, and the 30D as my backup!)

The picture above came back in my head today because today I'm heading to Nashville again, not for vacation, but to shoot a wedding. Ha, to think when I took that shot on the sidewalk that 4 years later someone would be paying me to fly to Nashville and document their wedding. It's just one of those things that still feels so surreal. Like, wow, I really get to have a job I love? Like, really? Like, wait, I actually turned my dreams into a beautiful reality? Well that's cool!

Just thought I'd share that old picture with you to inspire you. To all the newbie photographers out there, or the hobbyists wanting to turn their dreams into a reality.... if it can happen to me, it can happen to you. If there's anything my dad's cancer taught me, it's that life is too short to not GO FOR IT. It's people like the musician on the sidewalk that inspire me.... whether he ever became a big country star, at least he's out there doing what he loves most.... making music.

SIDE NOTE:
Just a reminder. TODAY at 5:30pm EST, Stephen and I will be on TLC's "Wedding Day Makeover"! So excited! I'm going to be on a plane when it debuts, so let me know if you see us! :-)

Vanessa & Eric are married! /// Amelia Island Ritz Carlton Wedding Photographer

2010-11-02T20:30:00.003-04:00

For Vanessa and Eric, their wedding was kind of like the Brady Bunch coming together... except with 5 girls under the age of 10 all coming together. Vanessa and Eric celebrated their wedding at the gorgeous Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island in an intimate setting. But the wedding wasn't just about them, it was also about Vanessa's three girls, and Eric's two girls, coming together as a family. To symbolize this, during the ceremony, Vanessa and Eric gave each of their daughters heart necklaces, and the girls helped them to pour the sand in the vase. They wanted their reception to feel like a big family dinner, so there was no dancing, just a great meal, cutting the cake and time to chat with their guests that joined them!

Here's my favorites from the day and the full slideshow below!

VENDORS:

VENUE/CAKE/FLOWERS: Amelia Island Weddings at Ritz Carlton

Melissa & Frank are married! /// St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

2010-11-02T15:39:00.001-04:00

Melissa & Frank came up from Jensen Beach to have a small elopement in St. Augustine, FL. In front of the Victorian Cedar House Inn, a small group of friends and family gathered on the front porch to celebrate the occassion with them. In the background, Melissa and Frank's baby daughter Gemma walked around in her velvet dress and patent leather shoes as she watched her mommy and daddy become husband and wife.

"I'm so glad I can call him my husband," Melissa told me as we walked around taking photos of them in the historic city. "I never liked the word fiance!" Now Melissa can officially call Frank her hubby! :-)

Here's my favorites from the day and their full slideshow below!

VENUE: Cedar House Inn www.cedarhouseinn.com

And the slideshow...

Once upon a time... /// Wedding Photographer Featured on TLC

2010-11-01T12:19:00.002-04:00

When I was a little girl, I used to watch a show on TLC called "A Wedding Story." I should have known back then that I was meant to be a wedding photographer because of how much I was addicted to watching each couple's love story unfold on the show. At the time, my preteen self grew up wanting to be on the show for when that day came that I got married too. I would imagine my fiance and I sitting on their set, telling the love story of how we magically met and lived happily ever after. Hey, if Cinderella got a happily ever after, I wanted my own fairy tale too.

Fast forward..... This Thursday at 5:30pm EST, my fiance Stephen Knuth and I are going to be on TLC... but not because we are on "A Wedding Story," since, well, I think that show got canceled many years ago. But instead of being the couple sharing our wedding story, we are on there as wedding photographers!

Now, of course, it might just mean a quick don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo, but we heard through the grapevine that we are on there for quite a bit as we shot Veronica for her special day.

I hope you'll tune in at 5:30 EST (2:30 PST) and watch "Wedding Day Makeover" and let me know if you see us! Unfortunately we will be on a plane heading to Nashville to shoot a wedding this weekend, so I have to DVR it and wait until I get home to catch it. And of course, since I can't see it and will be anxiously waiting, if you want to record our cameo with your iphone and email it to me, well, I will just have to buy you a cupcake. With pink icing. And maybe some sprinkles. :-)

Here's a little behind the scenes action with the director and camera crew.

Gumby arms.

2010-10-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

To the man always has his arms open wide.

To the man who makes me see the good in life instead of the bad.

To the man who doesn't make me question his love.

To man who calls me "sweetheart."

To the man who still loves me with no make up on and my dorky glasses on.

To the man who loves my poodle Rhett as his own.

To the man who I love having by my side at the weddings we document together.

To the man I can't wait to walk down the aisle to at our own wedding in April.

To the man who makes me laugh when I'm editing a wedding and discover this pic he took of us.

Featured on Style Unveiled Blog

2010-10-28T10:20:00.000-04:00

This past July, while the weather was horribly hot here in Florida, I spent the whole month in San Diego with my photographer fiance Stephen Knuth shooting some weddings with him in the land of perfect weather. :-)

Not only are we super excited that one of our weddings will be featured on TLC's "Wedding Day Makeover" Nov 4 at 5:30pm EST (more on that to come!), but another one of our weddings was recently featured on the popular Style Unveiled blog. Chelsea was a do-it-yourself bride that pulled together so many fun vintage pastel details with a love bird theme for her Rancho Bernardo Winery wedding. Enjoy reliving the details all over again!

Esther & Jessee are married! /// St. Petersburg Wedding Photographer

2010-10-27T12:05:00.002-04:00

"Esther," Jesse started his vows with a long pause as he just stared at his bride, "You are absolutely... beautiful." And another long pause as they just soaked in the moment and tears filled Esther's eyes (and mine!)

When Esther Louise walks into a room, you just know there is something special about her. Maybe it's the awesome vintage fashion sense she has. Or her the cute infectious little smile. Or obsession with the color yellow because, as she quotes, "it's such a happy color." Esther is the kind of girl you love just because she's, well, Esther.

From the moment I met her in January at Dane Sander's workshop, I just knew we would become friends fast. She was also a wedding photographer who was engaged and looking for a wedding photographer, and I was excited to be chosen as her choice along with another workshop friend Kerri McConnell! Esther married the man of her dreams, Jesse, on 10-10-10 in St. Petersburg, FL under a hanging Banyan tree. The guests then were escorted across the street to a funky eclectic hotel surrounded by photos hanging on the wall where Esther created a living room feel to her wedding reception. Despite how beautiful it all turned out, you would never guess that Esther was actually stressing behind the scenes. A few days before, Esther called me on the phone to vent, "Everything that could go wrong, went wrong, but you know what, all that matters is I'm marrying my best friend." I loved her outlook on the day!

It was hard to grab a picture of Esther where wasn't 1) Crying 2) Laughing, but again, that's what so special about Esther.

Here's my favorites from the day!! I just adored all her vintage yellow decor. Who would have thought lemons could be so cool?

VENDORS:

CEREMONY: Museum of Fine Arts Park http://www.fine-arts.org
RECEPTION: Grayl's Hotel http://www.graylshotel.com
VIDEOGRAPHER: Sugarleaf Photography http://www.sugarleafphotography.com
CAKES: Publix http://publix.com
HAIR: Artemis Stephens

Jesse plays guitar so Esther surprised him with a guitar on his boutonniere.

One of Esther's best friends couldn't make it to the wedding, so they video chatted instead!

The father of the bride seeing his daughter for the first time!

I could have photographed just Esther all day!

Esther hand made this belt around her dress with a piece of ribbon and snap on gems.

This is Jesse's dog, Molly. Say a little doggie prayer for her. She doesn't have much longer to live, so I wanted to make sure he got a lot of great shots with her!

Esther's grandfather passed away right before the wedding, so they saved a spot for him.

This exact spot is where Esther and Jesse had their blind date almost 3 years ago!

These are the moments I love the wind!

I just love how Esther took their engagement photos and framed them over a couch hanging on ribbon! I also loved the vintage bird cages!

Jessica got her glam on! /// Jacksonville Fashion Photographer

2010-10-25T02:03:00.001-04:00

When Jessica walked through my door, she put it all out there. "Just letting you know, I'm a nerd." I just laughed and said "Well, you are the hottest nerd I've met!" Jessica continued, "No really, I am, I'm a lawyer and I work 90-hours a week," (I'm hoping she was joking), "and I turned 30 this year and simply wanted some fun and fabulous photos of myself. I've never had photos done, and I didn't even have senior photos done, so now that I'm 30, I figured it's now or never." I love how Jessica did this for herself.... just because. As I told her, I think every girl deserves hot photos of herself!

We had so much fun, not only with the great clothes and accessories she brought over, but with the yummy CamiCakes cupcakes. She had no idea those are my FAVORITE!

Here's some of my favorites from the shoot!

Kristi & Brandon are engaged! /// Palm Coast Engagement Photographer

2010-10-21T14:50:00.000-04:00

What's funny about Kristi's proposal is that, while vacationing in NYC with Brandon, she had no idea her diamond was in her room. In the ordering process, Brandon had the diamond shipped to NYC and he then took it back to Jacksonville to get it set into the perfect vintage set for Kristi. It wasn't until another trip to Charleston that Brandon proposed!

These two met at church and Kristi laughed when she told me, "I totally wanted nothing to do with him at first. I honestly thought he was a snob." After he continued to pursue her, she finally gave in and now 2 years later are planning a spring wedding in Palm Coast, FL at Hammock Beach Resort.

Here's some of my favorites from their engagement session, including a vintage car they borrowed from Brandon's grandpa, a vintage gas pump and a hot pink chair in the middle of nowhere (that Kristi stole from a salon to use for the shoot)!

After the wedding day.

2010-10-21T09:35:00.003-04:00

There's an interesting discussion going on my Facebook right now about brides who didn't invest in the photographer they really wanted and ended up being unhappy with their wedding photos. The discussion got started because yesterday I got a follow up email from a bride who had inquired with me last year, but didn't hire me because of my price, and in yesterday's email told me how unhappy she was with her photos and ended the email saying "I wish I had hired you!"

So I Twittered about that, and now it lead to a discussion on Facebook. Yes, I'm a photographer, and I'm not here to be all used car salesman on you, but as a bride myself now getting married in April, I have learned from both sides that yes, wedding photography is one of those things, you get what you pay for. If you love someone's style of photography, but sacrifice that for price, then, well, it's kind of like getting that Louis Vitton knock off that falls apart when you should have just invested in the real thing in the first place (Not that I would buy a Louis, I like Juicy Couture's style better, but you get the drift!) It breaks my heart to get the kind of emails I got last night, or at almost every wedding, a guest comes up to me after seeing their friend's engagement pictures and says "Your photos are amazing, I wish I had paid more to get a good photographer!"

Because I am a photographer, and now also a bride, the first thing I hired was our photographers for our wedding, the amazing husband wife team, Gray Photography, because, not only did Stephen and I love their style, we knew great photography is the most important investment of the day. Jodi could even blackmail me with a few "begging" emails trying to revolve our date around when her and Zach were available. Having created so many beautiful wedding albums for my own brides, I thankfully have not had to learn the hard way that your wedding photos are the only thing (other than the rings and marriage license) that lasts after the wedding day is over.

Some of my my recent brides, Emily & Ashton, say it best in their follow up emails after seeing their wedding slideshows:

What will you say you invested your budget in? The upgrade on those chair covers, or the last picture you have with your dad dancing the father/daughter dance before finding out he had cancer after your wedding? This happened to one of my 2008 brides. Even this year, I had one of my recent brides email me thanking me for a side picture I took of one of her bridesmaids. It was her groom's sister, age 19, who found out she suddenly had an illness that took her life in a few short weeks, and they used my photo at his sister's funeral.

Whether you hire me or someone else who is your favorite that you know you want to splurge on, go for it! This is the one day in your life that changes your life, and you will look back on the rest of your life. The American Express commercials may be cliched at this point... but it's the moments that happen after a wedding day like the one above that prove wedding photography truly is..... priceless.

Stephanie & Aaron are engaged! /// Jacksonville Engagement Photographer

2010-10-20T12:26:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, brides say it best in describing their love story, so I'm copying and pasting what Stephanie wrote me in one of her first emails she sent me about her and Aaron!

"My best friend Ashlea and I lived in Gainesville for three years, she went to school at UF and I completed my nursing degree at the community college. We were both in need of a change so we decided to move to Neptune Beach. Ashlea was still looking for a marketing job so she transferred from the Publix in Gainesville to a Publix here in Jacksonville just until she could find a career job. I told her that I wanted to start going back to church at First Baptist since that is the church I grew up in, but I was scared to go back by myself haha. She told me that there was a guy at her Publix that went to First Baptist and that he would probably go with us. So immediately I told her to get his number not knowing how HOT he was!! I was like wow ash you failed to mention he is exactly my type!! I met him in Publix and I started flirting with him right away. Haha, I guess I am the aggressive type. We immediately hit it off! I knew he was exactly what God had in store for me! Since I lived a block from the beach we would spend most nights getting to know each other talking on the beach and watching the moon rise. One year later, in August 2010, he texted me when I was at work and asked if I wanted to go to the beach that night since we hadn't been out there in a while, I had moved away from the beach at this point, so of course I said yes. I think it was because I was super stressed that night at work, I work in a nursing home so you can imagine! As we were talking, people started walking out to the beach. We were looking around like what is going on?? Why are all these people out here? Well in a few minutes the shuttle went off and it was sooo pretty! Aaron didn't even know it was going to go off that night. So he proposed after, in the same spot we had our first kiss. I was completely surprised. My best friend ashlea is getting married in Sept of this year so I figured Aaron and I would wait for awhile. So I was surprised and that was the best part. And my ring is amazing!!! So that's our story :)"

Here's a few of my favorites from their engagement session in Melrose, FL!

I adored the gorgeous sunset on Lake Santa Fe.

Kelsey & Patrick are married! /// The Cloister at Sea Island, GA Wedding Photographer

2010-10-18T18:22:00.004-04:00

"I guess if I'm going to top this, I have to get married on the moon or something," one Patrick's groomsmen started his Best Man speech with.

I don't know how they pulled it off, but Kelsey and Patrick's friends sure were in shock when the bride & groom surprised them by being, well, a bride and groom! Kelsey & Patrick's friends were visiting Sea Island, Ga for what they thought was a Bachelor/Bachelorette weekend. On Saturday, they told their friends they were getting some "engagement pictures" done and sent them off to tour around the island. Secretly though, Kelsey was getting her hair and make up done, and slipped on her Romona Keveza wedding gown & Manola Blahnik shoes behind the scenes. Then when their friends returned for what they thought was a sunset cruise, their friends were escorted to the dock as Stephen and I started shooting.

"Oh no," one girlfriend exclaimed as she saw chairs and an altar, "I think we are intruding on someone's wedding."

"Wait, you don't think Kelsey and Patrick are getting married?" another girlfriend questioned.

"No way, that's so not like Kelsey," another girlfriend jumped in.

Next thing they knew, they looked at the programs on the seat and the secret was out as Kelsey and her father walked down the long dock to a group of shocked but tearful friends.

The surprise wedding was a big hit for this Dallas couple! One of the big reasons they wanted to have it was because just a few days after the wedding, Patrick was being shipped off to Afghanistan, so please keep him in your prayers for a safe trip.

Here's some of my favorites of the day and a slideshow below!

VENDORS:

VENUE, FLOWERS, CAKE: The Cloister at Sea Island
BAND: Marshgrass Band
HAIR: Jimmy Van Boxel / 231-343-2386
MAKEUP: Katherine Taylor

It was so fun watching their friend's reactions to figuring out it was a wedding!

An amazing sunset shot that Stephen shot!

Emily & Dan are married! /// Hilton Head, SC Wedding Photographer

2010-10-16T11:33:00.004-04:00

I remember the first few emails Emily sent my way when looking for a wedding photographer. She swore a million times that she and her fiance weren't photogenic and asked if I could help make them look good in their wedding photos. As I shot the photos and prepared them for this blog, I couldn't help but think, whatever, Emily is such a natural beauty and doesn't even realize it. But to me, that's almost more beautiful when a woman is so unaware of her own beauty. I simply adored her vintage style of her flowing ruffled J Crew dress, Christian Louboutin shoes from Paris and birdcage veil, while Dan was decked out in a Brooks Brothers suit. Emily and Dan are from Minnesota but had a casual destination wedding near the beach in Hilton Head, SC.

Here's some of my favorites from the day and their slideshow below!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Port Royal Golf Club
BAND: Deas-Guyz
DJ: Hilton Head Entertainment
OFFICIANT: Rich Smreczak, Barefoot Weddings, 843-247-0693
CUPCAKES: Cupcakes by Sweet Carolina Cupcakes

A fun tunnel near by that we played around with for some creative shots.

One year ago today...

2010-10-15T09:40:00.001-04:00

The other night I got inspired and I wrote my vows that I will be sharing with Stephen on April 16, 2011. Some days, I still can't believe that in just a few months I will be a wife.

One year ago today, the new chapter in my life began. Stephen kissed me for the first time and it marked the beginning of our dating relationship. By the end of that week, he ran after me in an airport to wrap me in his arms and tell me that he loved me and I giddily squealed it back. And 5 months after that, he asked me to spend the rest of his life with him, and well, you all know how I of course said yes!

But one year ago today.... it all began with a kiss after a beautiful friendship that had formed through our passion for Jesus.

I've been learning a lot about relationships in the past year. Doing things God's way is so much harder than doing things the worldly way. Some days I just want to be selfish, but God is showing me that it's not just about me and my only child ways anymore, it's about putting Stephen first as we grow to become one soon as husband and wife. Stephen inspires me to want to be a better person, to love more boldly, to serve people like Jesus would, to love Jesus more intimately. Through this tangible love with Stephen in the past year, God has revealed to me so much more about His love for us as His children. There are times I question Stephen, like "Why? Why do you love me? Why me of any girl out there?" And I almost feel like it parallels my relationship with the Lord sometimes. Like, "Why, Lord, do you love me when I fail time and time again? Why did you die for my sins? Why do you show grace and continue to always take me back? Why do you keep loving me?" But I'm learning, with love, true love, it never fails. I've heard it for years, almost at every wedding, in 1 Corinthians 13:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails."

But in the past year as God has prepared me to be a wife, it's the first time I truly have come to understand the depths of how powerful and beautiful that verse is.

Here's to the happiest year of my life.... and to many more decades to come with the amazing man I can't wait to marry.....

I'm leaving you with a beautiful song by Brandon Heath that I adore about Jesus' love for us!

Ashton & Michael are married! /// Stephen Foster Wedding Photographer

2010-10-12T13:02:00.003-04:00

From the first meeting I had with Ashton, she pulled out her wedding planning book (note to self, I still need to get one of those!) and showed me all the details she was putting together for her in-nature-themed wedding. Ashton and Michael love camping together and Michael even proposed on a camping trip, so the theme they wanted for their wedding was pulling in all things nature. Also, they chose to have their wedding at Stephen Foster State Park because Michael's grandfather helped build the Florida Trail that goes from the top to bottom of Florida and runs through the Stephen Foster park too. The park also had a gorgeous old Southern plantation mansion in the middle of it that is now turned into a museum.

I loved how organic this wedding was with burlap table details, spanish moss, and even the wedding cakes representing tree trunks. Also, for the altar, Ashton used her great-grandmother's old lace drapes that her grandmother stitched together to bring some family history into the ceremony.

Here's some of my favorites from the day and the slideshow below at the end!

VENDORS:

VENUE: Stephen Foster State Park
FLORIST: Arlette's Place 904-406-9769
DJ: A Pro DJ
CATERING: Catering for all Occasions
HAIR: Kim Dumaop/ Fran's Salon & Boutique
MAKE UP: Lauren Leggett/ Fran's Salon & Boutique
CAKE: Edgewood Bakery

The drapes were Ashton's great-grandmother's old drapes sewn together for the altar.

Yes, I love it when grooms cry!

I loved all of Ashton's Do-It-Yourself details for her wedding!

It's always great to see what my brides do with their engagement pictures for the wedding!

The groom's cake was fashioned after The Florida Trail marking that Michael's grandfather helped build.

Classic cake smashing is always fun!

To keep with the camping theme, guests could make s'mores out back!

What I love most about shooting weddings is not just doing this for a job, but making new friends in the process. My fiance Stephen Knuth and I had such an amazing time documenting Ashton and Michael's day!

And the slideshow...

The Bennett family! /// Jacksonville Family Portrait Photographer

2010-10-06T17:17:00.006-04:00

It's getting close to Christmas card time again! Just a reminder that I do also shoot Jacksonville family portraits in addition to weddings. With Christmas right around the corner, NOW is the time to take your family photos. With this blog entry, I'm running a special right now, if you book your family session with me by the end of THIS week, I will give you $100 off my session fee. Email me at scarlett@scarlettlillian.com to reserve you session date to get your family photos done in time for the holidays!

The Bennett family lives on a big piece of land with an old barn on it, so we had fun walking around the land taking photos. They brought in some big hay barrels and wildflowers for a fall feel to the photos. I had a blast photographing this beautiful family! They were also a guest at the next wedding I'll be blogging, so stay tuned!

Here's some of my favorites below!

Yes, I dance at weddings too.

2010-10-02T00:35:00.012-04:00

The Fall wedding season is off to a busy start. I'm so excited to blog some stunning pictures of my brides and grooms soon. Last weekend we shot a great wedding with a camping theme, and this weekend we have 2 weddings back to back in Hilton Head, South Carolina and Sea Island, Georgia.

My fiance Stephen Knuth has been here in Florida to help me shoot the weddings, and at tonight's wedding, he caught this funny video of me on the dance floor. I turned around and thought he was taking a picture so I kept making funny faces waiting for him to click, but turns out he was actually grabbing video on his Canon 5D Mark II. Gotta love how sneaky those Mark II's can be. So yes, he caught me, I dance at weddings too.

Rhiannon & Tom are engaged! /// Venice, Italy Proposal and Engagement Photographer

2010-09-19T22:49:00.011-04:00

Much more to come from the gazillion pictures I took on my mom and I's whirlwind tour of Europe... but first....

While on the tour, in our group, the first day I met a sweet couple from Australia named Rhiannon and Tom. A few days into the tour while in Paris, I pulled Tom aside and couldn't help but ask the girly question, "So what gives, Rhiannon told me you guys have been dating for 3 years, and now you brought your girlfriend on this trip to Europe, are you proposing or something?" Tom paused and admitted, "Yes, I am." I squealed and asked when and where because of course I wanted to document it for them. He said he was hoping Venice, Italy.

The next few days leading up to Venice, I helped him plan with out tour guide behind the scenes the when and were it would happen in Venice. Earlier in the day, I played it off with Rhiannon asking if she and Tom would mind "modeling" for some "engagement-like" photos around Venice during our free time. First we had a ton of fun walking around Venice and documenting their kisses in one of the most romantic cities in the world. My mom and I even jumped in a gondola with them to get a few shots in what Venice is most famous for. Later that night, while our tour group listened to the orchestra play live music in the historic St. Mark's square, Tom grabbed Rhiannon's hand and pulled her up front of the hundreds of people watching. Tom got on his knee and presented the ring that he had been hiding in their camera bag the whole trip.

I was so honored to be able to document this special moment for my new friends from Australia. Not only was it a beautiful moment, but even more special to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Here's some of my favorites from the day!

There were pigeons EVERYWHERE in Venice. Including in my shot.

Running around the famous St. Mark's square where just a few feet away Tom would later propose that night. :-)

Rhiannon LOVED the Venetian masks.

I can't help but love the doggie looking at them!

Time for Italian gelato!

This pictures makes me crack up for a million reasons. I swear it wasn't staged. Apparently this Italian had enough of the paparazzi.

Had Rhiannon only known what was to come later that night.... she swear she had no idea!

Back from Europe!

2010-09-13T18:23:00.004-04:00

I truly wish every daughter could have their mom as their best friend too. It's such a special gift that I feel so blessed to have with my own mom.

We are back from our mother/daughter whirlwind trip around Europe. We visited some amazing places like London, Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Italy. I have so many stories to tell and pictures to share but first, the most meaningful one to me. Since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower in person, and we finally made it! Here's mom and I on the top over looking Paris. (Um, right before I LEFT my camera on top of the Eiffel Tower.... talk about a freakout moment! More on that story in a few blog entries! DOH!)

Another fun moment was that I shot an amazing proposal in Venice, Italy for one of our tour group couples from Australia who got engaged there in the romantic city of gondolas! I can't wait to blog their engagement session and proposal soon.

In the meantime, to all who have emailed me the past few weeks, I'm working as fast as I can to respond to your hundreds of emails and inquiries, thank you for your patience while I get back to you and adjust back to East Coast time. The whole 6 hours ahead for 2 weeks thing kicked my butt! And I'll be trying to start posting some of the amazing photos of Europe in the meantime too!

But as amazing as Europe was, I do have to admit, there's no place like home and I'm so glad to be back in America! Visiting the other countries and cultures truly made me have a new appreciation for this great country we live in. :-)

Veronica & Bryan are married! /// San Diego Wedding Photographer

2010-09-07T12:35:00.006-04:00

While I'm still in Europe, I wanted to share one last amazing wedding with you that I shot with my fiance, Stephen Knuth, while I was in California during the month of July.

For Bryan and Veronica's wedding day, it wasn't your average wedding day. Not only was I there to shoot the wedding with Stephen, but so was a videographer, and a 7-person camera crew. Last minute before the wedding, Veronica found out that the television network TLC selected her wedding to be featured on a brand new wedding show to debut this fall.

But despite the paparazzi surrounding Bryan and Veronica, you could tell, they still felt like they were in their own little special world enjoying the day the Lord blessed them with. Bryan and Veronica met in college at Point Loma Nazarene University, and in the very spot they met and fell in love, they held their ceremony on the school grounds as well. Their first meet was held in a spot called "The Greek" which replicated an ancient Greek building with striking tall white columns. For the ceremony, having lost her dad a few years ago, Veronica carried a gorgeous bright yellow sunflower in place of her dad walking her down the aisle because sunflowers were a favorite of her dad. At the reception at Liberty Station NTC, oh so cute chinese lanterns hung over the dance floor as Bryan and Veronica danced, and I mean, danced, the night away with all their college buddies.

Beyond how cool it was to be filmed for TLC, what was super special for Stephen and I was that Bryan, who is a pastor, will be the one who is marrying Stephen and I in April. It has been a blast getting to know Bryan and Veronica through their wedding, and then to have them also be such a special part of our upcoming wedding too!

The funny part too is, at the end of the day, the director for the TLC show said to us, "Sooooo, we heard through the grapevine that you two are engaged too, you guys are hot, do you want your wedding to be on our show also?" We just laughed and said, "No thanks." As flattering as it was to be asked, we knew we want our day to simply be about our love, not about being on national TV. As photographers though, yes, we are super pumped about possibly making an appearance in the background of the show!

Here's my favorites from the day! Be sure to check Stephen's awesome shots from the day too here!

A little behind the scenes action with TLC.

A kiss to her daddy. His favorite flower was sunflowers.

Being close to my own mom, I adore these shots of Veronica and her mom.

Someone isn't liking his bowtie.

A post-ceremony interview for TLC.

Who is this Uncle Bob with a camera that I found at the reception? Just kidding, it's the fabulous Jeff Youngren, a photographer friend of Stephen and I's, who was a guest at the wedding.