Yesterday afternoon, Emma and I cruised up to Atlanta to photograph Tj and Libby’s New Year’s Day wedding. I can’t think of a more perfect way to start the new year! These two are fun, stylish and personable, and I had a great time celebrating their love along with their family and friends.

The color palette at this wedding was really cool! Tj is seriously stylish, so I knew that their details would be fun and distinct. I love the fact that Tj decided to trade in his tie for a scarf. He looked like a total rockstar!

This wouldn’t be one of my wedding posts if I didn’t include show pictures! Aren’t the black and purple Converses awesome?

Tj & Libby’s non-traditional style inspired me to use some different processing techniques on a few of their images. It’s definitely a departure from my normal style, but it fits theirs perfectly! Tj used to be a DJ, so he and Libby decided to have their guests sign discs instead of a guest book.

Check out this lovely lady! Lovely AND brave. It was pretty cold outside, but we couldn’t resist exploring some of the areas outside the church for her bridal portraits.

When I first met with these two, Tj mentioned that his favorite thing about my work is that I make my brides and grooms look like rockstars. What can I say? I have amazing clients, so making them look amazing isn’t too difficult – especially when they have this much attitude!

What kind of friends do rockstar couples have? Why, ROCKSTAR friends, of course! These are some of my favorite bridal party photos ever!

Ceremony time!

The Abbey at St. Paul’s is a really beautiful location. The ceremony and reception both took place in the open area in front of the altar.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Dunn!

These two are so sweet together.

<3 Favorite!

The after party (aka reception) was really rockin’, but it began with a few sweet, intimate dances between the bride and groom, the groom and his mom and the bride and her mom.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the next few images. They are so full of emotion.

Later in the evening, Tj and one of his friends performed for the wedding guests. They did a choreographed fight/dance that was really cool!

Tj and Libby, I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to be part of your wedding. It was an amazing experience. I wish you lots of joy and adventure in your new life together, and I hope you have a blast in Gatlinburg!

Sunday afternoon I drove up to Cave Spring to photograph Calvin and Jessica’s sweet, intimate wedding celebration. I was really excited to be a part of this wedding because I’ve known Jessica since I came to Georgia Tech, and she and Calvin are completely dedicated to cultivating a marriage and building a family that glorifies God. It was such a blessing to be a part of their wedding!

This is quite possibly my favorite getting ready photograph ever! Jessica’s dad said he loved to help Jessica get ready for church on Sunday mornings when she was a little girl, and he was the one who tied the ribbons on her dresses. It was only natural that Jessica would want him to be the one to finish off her look on her wedding day.

Even though it was a freezing afternoon, we decided to brave the cold just for a few minutes so that they could have some portraits outside. The light was soft and warm, and the location was really beautiful.

Jessica’s mom brought along a Georgia Tech fleece blanket for her to snuggle in to stay warm, and I thought since they are both Georgia Tech grads it would be appropriate to incorporate it in their portraits.

Way to show a little attitude, Jessica! I love how well she carries herself despite the cold.

The wedding ceremony took place at the Cave Spring Baptist Church. I loved the simplicity of the chapel and the focus that it brought to the words they spoke. There were no distractions- nothing else for the guests to focus on but the vows and promises that these two shared as they began their life together.

After the ceremony, we all walked over to the Hearn Academy for their reception. There was an abundance of laughter and Southern comfort foods, and it was so much fun!

I love the light that the candles give off in this image.

One last dance before heading out for the evening.

Their guests showered them with rice krispies as they ran for their car.

Another reason why I was so excited about this wedding is that Carolyn and Matt were in the bridal party! I’ll be photographing their wedding this June. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to have a picture taken of Jessica, Carolyn and me. Thanks go to my buddy Matt Yung for taking this shot and for second shooting for me.

Calvin and Jessica, I wish you the best in your marriage adventures together! Have fun in St. Lucia!

OK, so I probably should have been packing to head home, working on my film project or studying for finals, but instead I found myself falling in love with these images, so I just couldn’t help but edit them! So here they are, ready for your viewing pleasure.

As I mentioned before, Katherine was one of my roommates when I first came to Georgia Tech, but she and I knew each other long before that. We spent endless hours together in high school going over physics problems, calculus homework and English papers, because we always seemed to end up in the same classes. As you can imagine, I was really excited to be able to meet her fiance and do their engagement portraits for them. I was even more excited when she described what kind of portraits she wanted – warm, relaxed and having to do with discovery. She also really wanted a picture of her ring, because it’s so beautiful and unique. It’s an antique from the 1920’s, and she’s been dying to show it off!

It never ceases to amaze me how much someone’s love can impact the life of another person. In all the time that I’ve known Katherine, I’ve never seen her more completely at ease than she is when she’s with Kevin. It usually takes people a few minutes to adjust to interacting with each other in front of the camera, but these two showed no hesitation when it came to snuggling, kissing and laughing together. Katherine says it’s because they’ve had a lot of practice

I love the next image mostly because we had so much help to create it. We were having issues figuring out how to have a shower of leaves without either of us having to throw them, so I recruited a family with 3 small children that was walking by to throw leaves at them. They were more than happy to oblige, and I got the image that I wanted.

Now on to my favorite favorites (Don’t laugh! There is a difference between a favorite favorite and a regular favorite ) As I said before, these two are completely at ease when they are together, and when they hold each other, it’s as though they’re holding on to life itself. They don’t just snuggle or hug – they truly embrace one another. It is so beautiful to witness, and I feel honored to have been able to capture their love.

We were standing up on the bridge behind them when I looked down and saw a large area full of weeds. I smiled my mischievous smile and said, “Change of plans. We’re going to go shoot in those weeds.” Katherine looked over the bridge and said, “In the weeds? Are you serious?” I love it when people say things like that, because it sets me up to surprise them. Katherine said they wanted their session to be about discovery, and, if nothing else, they discovered that I can capture beautiful moments even in the most unlikely of places.

More snuggling, this time at Sip. We went there in hopes of sitting down and sipping on some hot chocolate, because Kevin & Katherine drank it on their first date, and it’s what their first kiss tasted like. Cute, right? Sadly, Sip closes at 5pm on Sundays, so we were too late to get anything to drink, but they did allow us to grab a few photos on their couches before the sun went down completely.

As we were heading back to the parking deck to drive over to Starbucks, I saw this little corner and had to snap a shot of them in it. I love the mood the lamplight gives to this image.

Finally, a few images of them sharing hot chocolate and kisses like they did almost a year ago on their first date.

Kevin and Katherine, it was a pleasure getting to hang out with the two of you. I hope you have a fabulous anniversary and an even more wonderful wedding!