The love story of Jessica & Chris

Posted on February 1, 2012 by jen

It started with a haircut. Jessica is a hair stylist at the fabulous Mantra Salon. Most women, especially those with crazy hair like mine, understand how important it is to find a hair stylist with whom you can mesh. I’m not sure if men form the same bonds, but maybe they should… Chris got far more than he bargained for when he went in for a haircut — he found his future bride.

Jess first contacted me about photography services online, but we talked details while she gave my sad locks some pampering. She told me about Chris, and somehow it came up that he is a Cupid Shuffle fan of the highest order. Well, I’m pretty much the president of that fan club, so I knew we would hit it off just fine.

Photographing Jessica and Chris for their engagement session was a blast, and I loved seeing them interact. They have a completely intoxicating love for each other, and they have entire nonverbal conversations — one look, and they know exactly what the other needs.

As it got closer to the couple’s New Year’s Eve wedding at One Ocean, I think everyone was sad to hear that Jacksonville Beach was nixing their fireworks display. Not to fear, though – there were definite sparks flying as Chris and Jessica said “I Do,” and it had absolutely nothing to do with their sparkler exit! Their candle-lit ceremony was beautiful and sweet, with the sound of the ocean as a backdrop to their commitments to each other. The reception did not disappoint, with plenty of bling, and — of course — the Cupid Shuffle. A fabulous crowd of dancers of every age rang in the new year together while wishing the new Mr. and Mrs. many happy years to come.

On a personal note, this was the first wedding for which my wonderful husband served as my second shooter (thusfar I have gone without). I’m not sure how the grueling work of a wedding day lived up to what he had envisioned, but I can say that he did a great job of helping out, and he produced some great images, too! We will see how eager he is to help me the next time around…!

Enjoy these images of Jessica and Chris’s wedding, and check out facebook for a few more!

Jacksonville Wedding Photography This gorgeous wedding came together with the help of plenty of vendors, including some local to the Jacksonville area:

Decorations/Theme: Linda Odom and Tara Simmons of Tales of the South
Hair/Makeup: Mantra Salon
Jewelry: Hot Pink, Orange Park Mall
Cupcakes: Sweet by Holly
DJ: Kelly Meiller (email me for contact information)
Officiant: Kathy Sheddan (email me for contact information)

Welcome to the world, Charlotte Grace!

Posted on June 17, 2011 by jen

There is no way I could be more thrilled than to share this next bundle of cute. You may remember the maternity pictures of my oldest friend from back in February. Well, the months sped by at lightning speed (for me, at least.. ), and Charlotte Grace arrived on May 18th, the newest member of a large family that was in love with her long before her red-carpet entrance. (Side note — there should totally be red carpets in the delivery room.) About a week after Charlotte was born, I was able to catch a flight back to good ol’ Jersey to add my name to the ever-expanding list of the Charlee-Obsessed. There was a lot of baby-bouncing and rocking, snuggling and smooching… oh, and I took a few pictures, too.

Honestly and truly, there aren’t enough words to describe how much I already love this little munchkin, or how happy I am for Megan and her husband Graham. So rather than continue the feeble attempt to find the right words, I’ll just leave you with the pictures!

Time Machines and Pregnant Best Friends

Posted on April 12, 2011 by jen

I told myself I would blog at least weekly, but I’ve been failing miserably at that goal. I have been spending my time making some serious progress on crochet projects (because I’m 90 at heart) and some other random odds-n-ends that needed to be addressed, which is good.

Rather than do the responsible, adult thing and promise to be a better blogger from here on out, I have chosen instead to do the ridiculous thing. I’m going to go ahead and pretend it’s February 20-something-th and I’ve just returned from a quick trip to NJ for a photo session. Why NJ, you ask? Well, join my in my time machine, if you will, and find out..!

Meet Megan:

Megan and I met our freshman year of high school in NJ and were fast friends. We have stayed extremely close through high school (during which time my emo/angsty phase would’ve been reason enough for anyone to toss me off a cliff), the college years (despite being at schools 2+ hours apart), and we’re still just as close today from opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon.

I give you this history not just because it is awesome and rare, but to show just how long I have known my Megan. No one will question my credentials as an expert witness when I tell you that Megan has wanted to be a mom FOREVER. Some girls toss around potential names for future children… Megan was devising plans to steal babies when no one was looking. So now I hope you have a sense for just how brain-exploding, heart-melting EXCITED I am for her and her wonderful husband as they get ready to welcome a baby girl into their home.

Like any good friendtogropher, I invited myself into their home to take some maternity pictures. I was envisioning many more park/outdoor images with a crisp late-winter chill in the air, but the weather didn’t have the same ideas. The temperature that Saturday morning was in the upper-40s, which is tolerable for us Yanks, but the WIND was probably the most blustery I’ve seen outside of a blizzard — sustained speeds in the 20mph range with gusts in the 30mph ballfield. I wasn’t exactly going to suggest we frolic through the meadow with my pregnant friend! We did brave the elements for one image we both really wanted, but we managed to set it up and snap it in probably under 2min, during which there was much hilarity. We spent the rest of the day lounging in their house and taking pictures here and there. The flow was totally unlike any other shoot, but it was so much fun.

I am so happy for Megan and Graham, and I can’t WAIT to meet little miss Charlotte. Don’t worry, I’ve invited myself over to take newborn pictures.

Here are some more images from our day of fun:

Elaine & Jason — Cumberland Island “Trash” the dress

Posted on June 14, 2010 by jen

Elaine and Jason are dear friends of mine and my husband that were married back in April in a gorgeous, detail-rich shinding that was without a doubt one of the best I’ve seen — as guest OR photographer! The only thing that was missing from the day were photos that truly captured the love and personality of this pair. We discussed logistics for a couple of weeks, and this weekend we finally made it to Cumberland Island for a photo shoot. It was approximately 3 million degrees, but somehow these guys made it look like a spring day. They are fabulous!

As a note for brides interested in the “trash,” the dress idea, this session brings up two good points. The first is that your dress doesn’t have to be trashed at all! The dress Elaine wore got a little wet and sandy, but a quick google search will help you find simple ways to wash your wedding dress yourself to get rid of any salt or sand, and it will be as good as new! The other point for brides is that you don’t have to wear the dress! Elaine’s daughter is in love with her mother’s dress (you would be too!), and despite the comments that the dress wouldn’t be ruined, she wasn’t a fan of the idea. So to make everyone happy, Elaine actually went and found a dress on sale that was a similar cut and shape to the one she wore! She got the best of both worlds — a trash the dress session AND an un-touched bridal gown to pass on to her daughter. So if you are interested in a session like hers, think outside the box!

Okay, on to the good stuff!

Kim & Tanner Miser’s “C&C”

Posted on May 18, 2010 by jen

This will be the third time you are lucky enough to see Kim & Tanner’s adorable faces on this blog. Friday was what Kim has been calling their “C & C” — Ceremony and Celebration. While the couple has been legally married since 2006, they didn’t have the chance to do a full ceremony with exchanging of vows, and they didn’t get a chance to celebrate their mariage with family and friends. It was an amazing night, full of laughter and love. These two are so much fun, and their reception was a blast to shoot. I think the only thing that could’ve made it more fun would be if I were a guest out on the dance floor!

This next one I love for Tanner’s face. The officiant was saying something about how they must always forgive, and the resulting expression is priceless:

Theresa, Mike, and More Bostons!

Posted on May 10, 2010 by jen

Today is the second Boston post! Theresa and Mike have been married for almost a year and a half now, I believe. They got married up north in a snowstorm, so taking a bunch of outdoor pictures just really wasn’t in the cards. Plus, this couple is so laid back and fun, and they wanted some pictures of the two of them that capture that side of their relationship, too. And their Boston terriers were added in at the end for a quick family portrait. Love!

Kim and Tanner — back for more fun!

Posted on April 20, 2010 by jen

It’s time for part two of the Kim and Tanner Show! After a couple of illnesses and schedule conflicts, we were finally able to get together for round two of this couple’s engagement shoot. We ended up at the Jacksonville Landing and the Main Street Bridge for a quick photo date. These will be combined with the first shoot to make a guestbook photo album for their wedding, which is less than a month away — so I’d better get busy!

There are so many more that I would love to share, but sadly there is no time! I need to get their album put together STAT!

Kim & Tanner engagement session — part one!

Posted on March 9, 2010 by jen

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Kim and Tanner, a gorgeous couple whose wedding I’ll be shooting in mid-may. By the end of the shoot, we had decided to put together a guestbook photo album instead of just a signature frame, and we also decided to meet back up for a second shoot to get some fun pictures, maybe at the zoo or the Jacksonville landing. These guys were a joy to shoot, and I can’t wait to do it again.. and again…

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