Stephanie & Whitney {Sisters}

I haven't seen Stephanie in close to 12 years but she was the same girl I remembered from high school: outgoing, funny, and full of life! The weekend before Christmas, Stephanie drove in from Jacksonville and her sister flew in from Chicago to spend the holidays with family. As planned, they met up with me at the FSU Stadium for their session...the resulting images would be a Christmas surprise for their dad who is a die hard Seminoles fan. I know he is so proud of his daughters (Stephanie is a lawyer & Whitney is an interior designer) and will have loved their candid and spontaneous pictures that captured exactly who they are!

Darla & Thomas {Wedding}

When I first met Darla and her mother, Mrs. Henderson, they explained how they are the kinda of people who see a vision and bring it to life themselves. I gotta hand it to them, they did not disappoint. Since Darla and Thomas have been featured on the blog twice before for their ENGAGEMENT SESSION and BRIDAL SESSION, I am changing up the traditional format of the blog to showcase how their vision came to life for their wedding day....

This family bible below was also used in Darla's grandmother, mother, and brother's wedding. The pearls were given to Darla by her father just before her wedding day.

A shotgun shell held grass, twigs, and baby pine cones from their land. The shell that was used was from the last hunting trip Thomas's dad ever took before he passed away. Darla made this as a gift to Thomas where the picture of his father and grandmother was worn just above his heart.

The girl's flowers were inspired by Darla but provided by THE FRONT PORCH in Crawfordville. 

The morning of their wedding, Thomas and his groomsmen went hunting together...where Thomas shot a spike. All I know is that this is a lot of guns. Someone driving down Rose Street actually stopped, leaned out the window, snapped a picture, and drove off without once saying a word to us.

Ah, yes. There is a story to this...but you'd have to ask Thomas about it...Darla's mom had to step in and explain the joke to him...but boy was his face red!

After so many weddings I have finally learned how to find that moment before the ceremony where the bride takes a deep breath...and just breaths. This is it.

And after that moment, that second and a half moment to herself, she opens her eyes and smiles knowing that this is it. All of her prayers and wishes have come true. In minutes she will marry her best friend, her partner in life. Darla, you are the epitome of that moment in these two pictures and I adore it.

Thomas' mother was the sweetest thing during their first dance...she loves her son!

Darla's father transformed The Historical Sopchoppy Gymnasium into what Darla and her mother imagined it would be. The entire Gymnasium was covered from top to bottom with hundreds of Christmas lights and the gigantic glass windows were blacked out to further enhance the look. The walls were lined with handmade tree stands that held tall Birch Trees also covered in Christmas lights. It was as if you were in the middle of the woods, just barely able to see by the light of the stars. Unless I lit the room up with a flash...like I did when Darla's dad dipped her at the end of their dance!

Darla surprised Thomas with his grooms cake...and trust me, if you are lucky enough to have this woman design your wedding cake then you know that her cakes taste even better than they look. The guests were lining up to see Darla and Thomas's wedding cakes!

The picture below is of Darla's Man of Honor, her brother Bud, and his lovely wife Linda. The guest book table was lined with photographs of the couples grandparents who were not longer with them.

FROM THE HEART SOUND PRODUCTIONS (Yes, my parent's business!) provided DJ services by Ricky Ott himself. 

Oh Thomas! My question is, who has the other one?

I am not talking about the shoe either!

  

Bailey & Kevin {Couples}

I can admit that I was weary to schedule another session during the week of Christmas since I had all three boys at home with me, 2 newborn sessions, and a wedding to photograph also. However, it was Bailey’s heartfelt email requesting a last minute session that sealed the deal and do whatever it took to schedule a session for her and her husband.

While they met in high school, Bailey and Kevin were not close friends or even hung out that much. Early on in high school, Kevin opted to return to home schooling where he graduated early at 16. It was not until after Bailey's own graduation that they met again. Bailey was waitressing at Gordo’s when Kevin and some friends were seated in her section. While his face was familiar she could not quite place who he was…but Kevin knew who she was right away. After what was undoubtedly a romantic courtship, Kevin continued on with his plans to leave for Virginia where he was attending Tech School for the Air Force. Like so many military men have done before him, it was in a letter that Kevin asked for Bailey’s hand in marriage. This past November, Bailey’s mom drove her to Virginia where Bailey and Kevin were married by the justice of peace in a small intimate wedding. After they were married, Bailey returned home to wait for his word of when he too would be home for Christmas. A week before Christmas Day, she typed out her email to me and that was when I knew I would take the wedding pictures they never had. After my own wedding story, how could I ever say no?

You can see from their session they are just perfect for one another. Mature beyond their years, they see the world in a different way than most. Full of laughter they are playful and sweet but also respectful and intuitive to what the other needs. Instead of posing we talked, I told them to talk, encouraged them to act as if I was not even there...and well, you can look for yourself and see how that plan worked out!

Two days after our session, Bailey texted me and asked me how long her album would be available for before it expired...because Kevin was given his orders and they are relocating to Germany this weekend. You read that right. As of January 4, 2014 at exactly 14:33, Kevin and Bailey will fly to Germany where Kevin is stationed indefinitely. 

This is it folks. Just another story behind why I love being a photographer. I get to tell the story you never want to forget. I get to see a love that is so fearless and bold it makes you feel like part of the story and not just a bystander. I watch sacrifice and devotion unfold effortlessly in what can at times feel like a selfish world otherwise. My job, my work, is exactly what foundation my family strives to build our own lives on…something so amazing that if I did not see it for myself I would question if it ever really happened. 

*The answer to Bailey’s question about her album expiring was that I would have them ready to view and download before they stepped on a plane and leave their album open for as long as they needed me to...it's the least I could do for his service and their sacrifice.

    

Oh, and yes, she is pretty much Reese Witherspoons twin sister. Did I forget to mention that?