YEAH!! Carly and Ryan's lake house house wedding is featured in the newest issue of Kentucky Bride Magazine. Their wedding was so personal and super laid back. I am happy to see their pictures made it to print. :)
See more images from their wedding here.
There is something so special about being able to watch love blossom and a family grow. I had my 6th shoot with the Baker family recently. I can't believe it has been almost 4 years since the wedding. They are now a family of three. Their sweet little boy just turned one. He has so much personality and looks just like his papa. I am so grateful to them for trusting me to be the one to document all of the precious moments in their lives. I am looking forward to may more years of creating photos for them. :)
First comes love...
I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with this beautiful woman the other day. When we were going through her outfits for the shoot, her American flag swimsuit caught my eye. It wasn't until I was editing that I realized Memorial Day was coming up. Sometimes things just happen perfectly. Summertime, here we come!
Before heading outside, we shot a few in her apartment. I love how these turned out. Hannah, you are so gorgeous. 
Ahhh I am so excited to finally be shooting another wedding! Kendal and Joe are getting married this coming up weekend at Pyramid Hill Scuplture Park and I can't wait to spend the day with them and my camera!
Here are a few more of their engagement pictures we shot a few months ago. 
Today I want to share a special session I recently did on a tree farm in Kentucky. Bonita and her family were my very first post on this blog back in 2010. I was thrilled when she contacted me to set up another session. When we were discussing where to go for the session she mentioned her grandfather's farm in Kentucky where Bonita grew up. Her grandfather just recently passed away and she thought it would be a beautiful tribute to him. I was thrilled with her idea. I met her on the farm and ran around with her and her children for a couple of hours. It was a very special experience. He children have so much personality and they adore their momma so much. They loved exploring the place where she grew up.
I met Josh and Jen last year when I photographed Josh's sister Julie's wedding in Florida. I had a blast hanging out with them. What I was drawn to about them was the genuine, sincere love I could see between the two of them. They laughed a lot. They were comfortable being emotional together. Josh has a job that takes him to new cities and Jen is right there by his side providing love and support. They are a great team. I am excited to see them grow together as a family.
Their wedding was held at The Madison Event Centre on a gorgeous Spring day. It was a very laid back just like the two of them. There was love and laughter everywhere. I could't be more thankful to have met such wonderful people and to now call them friends.
Jen told me her shoes were her favorite wedding purchase, I can see why. So cute!
Last night I had the pleasure of tagging along with Katy and Zachary of The Happy Couple Duo while they made outdoor art. They are planning a huge move across the country later this year. They want to stop along the way creating temporary light based art installations. I think it is a brilliant idea. The couple is from Cincinnati so before they embark on their journey they decided to begin the project here. They started a Kickstarter called Traveling At the Speed of Light to help fund some of the equipment they need to be mobile and weather proof while creating these installations.
I met Katy and Zachary at one of my favorite parks, International Friendship Park, where they planned on lighting the 'Castle of Air' sculpture. I was utterly inspired watching these two interact with each other and the environment on this project. They are an artistic force. They work very hard to make these ideas come to life. If you decide to help fund their efforts, I can say you will honestly be supporting two very dedicated artists.
I fed off of their creative energy and managed to create some very cool images of them using their lights. I am excited to push this even more when we collaborate on some future projects.
For me, one of the greatest things about this project was seeing how people reacted to it. Every single person who walked by stopped to chat with the couple about what they were doing. And every single person was memorized by how beautiful it was. 
The sculpture during the day. 
taking it in
"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."
These are the vows many people take everyday. You find the one person whose life and love fits with your own like a glove. Entering a marriage, committing yourself to the person you want to spend your life with is a more than a declaration of love, it is a partnership. You choose to live life as a team. The beginning of every relationship is so full of excitement and passion. As a wedding photographer, I am very lucky to be part of this special time in people's lives. My hope for every couple that I photograph and every couple that I know, is that their love lasts a lifetime, that they can get past the stressful times, the times when they want to give up and remember the vows they took on their wedding day.
Bob is 91 and Louise is 84. When I walked into their home it was very cozy and comfortable. I was welcomed with big smiles. They had 2 boards full of pictures that documented the many years of happiness they have lived together. They were excited to have me over and to tell me their story and I couldn't have been more grateful to be there.
Louise's family was from Italy and Bob was an American. They met through family members when they were young, but it wasn't until Bob returned from the Navy and saw Louise again that their relationship began. They fell in love young. Like many young couple's at the time, because of their age, they snuck over to Kentucky to elope since Ohio's laws were more strict. Their life together gave the world 3 children, who then had children, who then had children, and now their clan is up to over 50 people strong. Their love and a marriage is a solid foundation for their children and grandchildren to look up to. I admire that so much.
The love and partnership these two share is beautiful. It was nice seeing how they balance things out. Bob is a retired firefighter. He is a giver by nature. He likes to stay busy and fix things, he sews, does yard work, he even cuts Louise's hair. Bob adores his wife, I could see it every time he looked at her with admiration. He still surprises her with gifts, and tells her he loves her every night. Louise is a strong woman with the most beautiful smile and skin. She spent her life as a caretaker for her family, but also worked different jobs throughout the years. I imagine Louise was a fun woman in her youth, someone I would like to hang out with. She used to go to Vegas every year with her girlfriends. In all of the pictures they showed me, she was laughing and having a good time. Once the children were grown they spent a lot of time traveling together. When I asked them what they liked to do for fun they told me how much they loved to dance and spend time on their boat the named the Bob-O-Lou. Though they can't dance much anymore, they still play cards every Saturday night and try to get out whenever they can. Louise has some back problems, but Bob is always right there to help her out.
I am a born romantic, I love love more that anything else in the world. I was lucky to get this amazing opportunity to spend time with and photograph Bob and Louise, a couple who is celebrating 68 years of love and marriage. I hope their story inspires you as much as it did me. Their lust for life is what keeps them young and their love for each other is what keeps them strong.
Bob holding a picture of his wife on their boat, The Bob-O-Lou.
Louise saw this bear she really liked on T.V. Bob saw the bear while he was out one day and brought it home to surprise his wife. What a sweetheart. Guys, take a lesson from Bob's book. After 68 years, he still makes sure his wife knows he is thinking of her. I always say, it's the little things.
Here Bob is telling me the reason he doesn't wear a wedding ring because it got caught while he was working. 
Louise was telling me how Bob showers her in gifts. Here she is showing me a necklace he got for her.
I really liked this part of the day. Like every couple, Bob and Louise went through some rocky times when they were young. There was a time when Louise got her own apartment for a short time. Bob was always over visiting, he couldn't stay away from his love and children, so their split didn't last long. In the picture below she was saying "we were like, what are we doing? It was silly, we wanted to be together, we had our family to take care of. " She made sure I knew it wasn't always roses, but they stuck it out through the tough times and they couldn't be happier about the life they have had together. 
I would like to thank to my friend, Suzanne for introducing me to her these two beautiful souls. She is very lucky to call them her grandparents.
