Michele and Kenley set the bar high for our 2010 wedding season. What a way to start the season!

Michele was stunning!!! Her skin is like glass.

Ryan said when he popped into Kenley’s room he saw all of this laid out perfectly. I’m not gonna lie, it made me smile. Me likey some anal organizing.

Michele entering the room for their “first look”

Let’s get our pose on….

I know this is similar to the last, but I love them both and couldn’t choose.

We moved inside for a few shots using their fun decor.

Kenley wanted in on the action grabbing his brother’s camera while we were shooting Michele at the bar.
There is Kelley Boykin our lovely assistant and friend who came down from Palm Springs to help us out for the day.

Getting ready for the main event!

The pastor going over his notes.

The beautiful grandparents.

Kenley’s parents

I think Michele’s grandma has one of the sweetest smiles.

The cocktail hour area.

Michele’s father gave a beautiful speech.

and then he serenade the audience with some John Denver tunes!

The man LOVES to sing.

I have to end with this photo because it makes me laugh. Charlie (who is in blue to the right) is the older brother of the subject in the photo. His brother was getting increasingly boisterous on the dance floor and Charlie leaned over to me and said, “You just wait, he’s going to be the guy with the tie around his head before you know it.” About an hour later……

MONEY!!!!! Who’s got two thumbs and wears a tie around his head….that guy! Haha.

Michele and Kenley, it was a killer wedding. You guys were the picture of relaxation and happiness on your wedding day. The venue, the weather, your family….perfection! Thank you for kicking off our wedding season with a bang. We loved Miami and we love you guys!

So we ask you to take a moment with each category, consider it, savor it, marinate in it, and cast your vote! There are 15 categories so scroll all the way down.

It is just that easy!

We will open the polls on Monday, January 4 and close them on Monday, January 11 at midnight. The winners from the 15 categories will then go into a random drawing. First winner will receive a 16 X 24 canvas wrap, the second winner will receive a 12 X 12 canvas wrap and the third winner will receive an 12 X 18 enlargement. JUST FOR BEING THE BESTEST!!! How rad is that?

BUT WAIT DEAR VOTERS…..you can win too! By leaving a comment at the end of the post you will be eligible for a drawing for a $15.00 Starbucks card. All you have to do is link to a photo that meant something to you in 2009. It could be a personal photo, a photo from another photographer or one of ours. We would love to see what moves or inspires you! That’s it…..leave a comment, be in a drawing. (Unfortunately, Facebook links will not work)

Get your clicking finger ready and vote, vote, vote….THANK YOU for helping support our awesome 2009 clients.

And…. Begin!

Romance

Mark and Katherine:

Adam and Lauren:

Ellen and Erik:

Heather and Tim:

Dustin and Christy

Hillary and Josh:

Cindy and Josh:

HOT POTATOES

Sara and Todd:

Candace:

Heather and Tim:

Chrissy and Jay:

Ellen and Erik:

Molly and Chris:

Thad with groomsmen:

CUTIE PETUTIES

Amanda and Jason:

Jamie and Paula:

Jill and Jed:

Cindy with bridesmaids:

Julie and Steve:

Joe and Joanna

PASSION

Jamie and Paula:

Chrissy and Jay:

Kristin and Tim:

Adam and Lauren:

COLOR POP

Jamie and Paula:

Heather and Tim:

Kristin and Tim:

Stitch in Time Editorial Shoot:

Jay with groomsmen:

Chrissy with bridesmaids:

Josh with groomsmen:

BEST UPS

Joe and Joanna

Christy and Dustin

Erik and groomsmen

Chrissy and Jay

Jed and groomsmen

Tim and groomsmen

JUST PLAIN PURDY

Jill

Sara

Jill and Chris

Ellen

Natalia

Lauren

SHOES GLORIOUS SHOES

Molly

Ellen

Jill

Heather

Hillary

PUT A RING ON IT

Cindy and Josh- Charity tokens

Molly and Chris

Comic book lovers Kenley and Michele

Chrissy and Matt’s signature drink at their reception

Jill and Jed

Heather and Tim avid gin lovers

Susan and Thad

Catherine and Nick

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

Molly

Candace

Kenley and Michele

Chrissy and Matt

Susan and Thad

Joe and Joanna

INTENSE

Natalia

Ellen’s mom

Michele

Jill and Jed

Molly hugging her mom down the aisle

Jay

Kristin dancing with her dad

DETAILS THAT CAN’T BE IGNORED

Molly’s awesome derby hat

Ellen’s chalk signs at reception

Ellen’s vintage bridal shoot wearing her mothers wedding gown, grandmothers headpiece at the church her parents got married at.

Jill’s mother’s necklace worn on her wedding day.

Set up a ring shot on Chrissy’s favorite tattoo of Jays: Lion/God defeating the Snake/Satan.

Tim’s grandfather watch that was given to him after his passing, held by his grandmother, the recent widow.

Ellen standing on the tractor her grandfather used to ride on many decades earlier. It now resides on their friends farm.

Josh’s dad officiated his son’s wedding ceremony to Cindy. This is the Bible he used to read scripture and during the vows.

MISCELLANEOUS

During Ellen’s vintage bridal shoot, we worked in a portrait of her mother wearing the original bridal gown.

Heather and Tim’s wedding…flower girl hit her limit.

Molly and Chris’s wedding. Bridesmaids switched to flip flops and shoved into a photo booth together.

Matt and Chrissy read separate vows to each other after their ceremony but had an ill-timed moment where they bashed heads.

Kristin and her mom during reception.

My brother Jamie putting out the vibe.

Dustin doing yoga in the desert

OUT OF A MOVIE

Jill and Jed

Chrissy and Jay

Catherine and Nick

Cindy and Josh

Adam and Lauren

Ellen’s mom took a shot of Ryan and me in action. I am just thankful it is far enough away not to show any sweat rings or my deflated eyelashes. Looking at this picture takes me back to the sweltering August heat. Ryan is in a dress shirt and tie…crazy head!

Ellen wanted to head over to an old fashioned Dairy Freeze to grab a rainbow cone.

Or last location was over at a long time family friends farm. It was full of antique hidden gems around the grounds. I mean, who has a partial VW bug rusted in their back yard? AWESOME!!

Ellen’s grandfather used to ride on this tractor many decades earlier. It now resides on their friends farm and we thought it only fitting to incorporate it in, not to mention the pop of orange is terrific.

Only Ellen can make straw look this good.

The gentlemen, whose farm we were on, grew up in a tiny little house at the rear of the property. We went over for just a few more shots as the last rays of sunshine were going down on the horizon.

Ellen….you were and are an incredible client. We had so much fun with your shoot. Your liberal attitude on your dress made a good shoot, GREAT! Can’t wait to share your wedding pictures.

It was a simple setting, simple concept….but Ellen’s classic beauty and the fact she bears an uncanny resemblance to her mother at the age her mom got married made the shoot so exciting.

This is her mom’s original veil. Doesn’t she look like you could pop her on top of a cake?

I wish I was there when she gave her mom all the pictures she printed. As her mom told me at the wedding, “Once I figured out it wasn’t me in the pictures and it was Ellen in my dress, I boo hooed myself all night.” That sounds like a gift well appreciated.

Kristin is seriously one of the most adorable, sweet, fun girls I have met in awhile. We hit it off from the words “special education”. Kristin just finished up her first year as a special ed teacher and before I started popping out kids I was a special education teacher. The acronyms started flying between us….VGLA, IEP, SOL, and the dreaded NCLB (No Child Left Behind…gag). It was a good thing the boys could default to baseball…in particular, the Red Sox. Tim is also loyal Sox fan, bonus. There was no shortage of coffee and chatting on our first meeting.

It was obvious when we met Kristin that she was cute as a button (that saying cracks me up) but as a bride….what a stunner! Her Greek inspired ivory dress was perfection on her tan skin. She looked positively beautiful!

Tim and Kristin were totally open to rearranging their schedule to do a “First Look” before the wedding so that we could have lots of time to shoot photos without a reception agenda breathing down our necks. Time for her reveal.

Pinning the boutonniere.

I know they are hard to look at, I am sorry.

Tim and Kristin exchanged gifts before the ceremony. Tim got Kristin a monogrammed necklace.

And Kristin got Tim cuff links that look like mini rope knots. Just the first of many nautical themed details.

This was one of those shots I knew I had to do but it was going to cause some tears. Tim told me that he was wearing his grandfather’s watch that was given to him. His grandfather had passed away not too long ago. I asked if Tim’s grandmother and widow would be willing to hold the watch so I could take a picture of her hands with her husband’s watch. She graciously agreed but cried the whole time which made me cry. It was so precious and touching. I was grateful for her willingness to take such a personal shot for me.

Look at this nautical crew sporting their navy and Kelly green! You are not seeing double, that is Tim’s twin brother behind him.

Never get sick of jumping shots!

Let’s take a closer look at that form Tim.

I wish I had shot on burst mode for this next shot. It started as innocent as “Hey guys, can you jump out at me?” and ended with the gentlemen all the way to the left being “butted” out of the way and into a thorny rose bush. It was horrible and hilarious all in one. He took it so well dispite the fact he was literally pulling thorns out of his flesh. It is one of those, “hahahaha are you okay hahahaha seriously are you okay hahahahaha”.

Not as much jumping or shoving amongst our ladies.

On to the reception. The nautical themed was woven throughout the various rooms. Great touch.

Classic Ryan ring shot. Love the texture of the rope. Great job babe!

The bridesmaid’s were all given some adorable flipflops to dance in.

I don’t know if I am going to get this 100% correct. I remember her father telling me that in the Air
Force when they wear their fanciest uniform the guys have a “party shirt” underneath the jacket. A wedding is not an occasion that the Air Force allows the “fancy” uniform to appear but he can wear his dress blues. Kristin’s mom decided that Kristin’s dad should still have a “party shirt” for his daughter’s wedding so she had a special shirt made which he debuted once the dancing cranked up a bit!

There was a serious dance-off between two gentlemen and one young lady.

The boys had some cigars to celebrate.

Time for the send-off.

Keep it spicy brides and grooms! Keep it spicy!

You would never know it looking at Cindy. Cool as a cucumber, she worked those layers of crinoline, tulle, and taffeta like she was getting paid. We already knew Cindy could turn it on for the camera after her fall engagement shoot with Josh and she did not disappoint with her bridal session.

We just got back from shooting their beach wedding in North Carolina and can say with certainty, we are very blessed to know them and call them friends now. What an awesome, godly couple.

Enjoy some Cindy magic.

We can’t talk about someone we love and are related to and make it brief.

This day finally arrived.

So I never grew up with a sister. Just one lucky brother (cough, cough)! I never knew what it would be like to argue over boys or sneak clothes out of each others closets and I guess I never will! Inheriting sisters in my adult years is like winning a relational lottery. I love my sister in laws and I am thrilled to now have Jo in my life. I feel like I have a small glimpse of what it would have been like to have a sister.

This weekend was definitely a sprint not a marathon. We had a tight schedule to keep and all of us were scattered between Maryland, DC and Northern VA. So there was lots of shuttling around town but it made for some fun moments in the car.

Friday night we arrived in time to help set up the wedding/reception site and then off to DC for a delicious rehearsal dinner, courtesy of Ryan’s parents. Moe’s Southwest Grill catered the event…..HEAVEN!!! I am fairly certain I could survive on Tex-Mex the rest of my life. I ate until I ran out of buttons to let out on my pants. When I die, embalm me with guacamole please.

The boys dressed up Joe for a night on the town. This is just a small version of payback for what Ryan had to do at his bachelor party. Let’s just say a wig, makeup, dress and large sign were involved as well as being pranced around town to busy retail stores.

The guys headed off to the DC Improv to watch Harland Williams perform and the girls had a girlie night at Joanna’s townhome.

Saturday was the big day!

I stuck with the boys due to having one vehicle. They got ready over at Joe’s apartment. Banana Republic outfitted the guys with some sweet gray pinstripe pants, argyle sweater vests and Joe’s gift to the guys were a pair of Chuck Taylors and red ties.

Joe and Joanna decided to do a private reveal before the wedding. I love this!! Ryan and I did it too and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

This is the first wedding in four years that we have just gotten to enjoy the festivities with no photography responsibilities. You will see in the next few pictures some awkward angles because I was trying to stay out of the way of my two friends and fellow AMAZING photographers, Amy Martin and Kate Headley.

The bridal party went to various locations around town strutting their stuff. I LOVE the girls dresses from Anthropologie. I could write a whole post about that store in general as it is my FAVORITE…but I digress. The teal and red theme was in full effect with the ladies ensembles!

Dan is enjoying himself a little too much.

LOOOOOOOOVE Joanna’s headpiece. Ladies…take note…HAWT HAWT HAWT!

The four Portnoy brothers from left to right: Sam, Dan, Joe and Ryan.

close up of the Chucks.

The four girls in the center at the Charron sisters: Jean, Joanna, Jill and Jen. (Ryan’s sister, Meridyth, is on the far left…she survived growing up with four brothers!)

A few of The Jo(e)s….I hardly got any of the two of them. Tried to stay out of the way on those shots.

Playing around with some new actions we bought….trying to see if I like them or not…undecided.

Ladies get ready to grab your ovaries. This is Iris, Joanna’s niece.

Seriously…isn’t she just the most adorable thing? That tutu and patent leather red Mary Janes….oh man….amazing!

The girls all carried clusters of various white flowers.

This is my brother in law, Pat, who we call the 5th Portnoy brother because he strongly resembles the youngest Portnoy, Sam. Of course, Ryan’s sister who married Pat hates us saying she married someone who looks like her brother…but isn’t that what family is for…to make fun of you?

Pat said he wanted to give me an honest expression of how he felt. He had been chasing their toddler around for hours and was a bit worn out.

Time for the main event.

An old music hall was converted into the ceremony and reception location. Strings of lights, paper lanterns, and paper flowers adorned every square inch of the hall. Joanna tirelessly baked enough cakes to be a centerpiece for each table in lots of yummy flavors.

Hands down, Joanna’s entrance during the wedding march was the most dramatic moment ever! The song, “How He Loves Me” by Eddie Kirkland was sung by the amazingly talented, velvet voiced, Steph Modder. The music came to a crescendo half way through the song and WHAM the doors flung open and Joanna came down the aisle. There was no way you could have been in that room and not have your heart skip a beat…it was beautiful and powerful!

They “I do’d” and then the celebration began. We chowed on some seriously amazing BBQ!!!

On to the dancing. It felt SOOOOO good to dance! We may be totally mismatched in height but we can bust a beat together. Don’t let our matching outfits and goofy grins fool you. We are two bad mamba-jambas on the dance floor.

Ryan’s brother Sam and our niece Ella

Portnoy family sandwich.

The music stopped after about 30 minutes and friends of the Jo(e)s took the stage, “Rockseratops” ripped some amazing classic rock songs. We all stood with power fists in the air belting every nostalgic word to Journey until we were hoarse.

Joe took the mic at one point and finished off a song dedicated to his beloved.

Next came one of the highlights of the night. Joe and Joanna, along with about 15 other friends have been learning and practicing the routine to Beyonce’s “Put a ring on it” and performed it for us all.

For your amusement….a little sampling of the routine. (you may have to refresh the page if you don’t see a play icon on the video)

It was a blast!!! We had so much fun celebrating another monumental family event. Joe and Joanna we love you guys so much. Thank you for allowing us to be such an important part of your engagement period. We have loved watching you grow together through the highs and lows. We count it a privilege to pray with and for you both over this last year and a half. God has truly blessed you with each other and we can’t wait to see all that He does for you as you honor him with your vows you took that day.

We love you!

She really wanted to see if we could get permission to shoot part of her session at City Stadium in town. The Lynchburg Hillcats, Single A affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates play here.

We finally got the okay and had the whole place to ourselves. How cool is that?! It was really fun to go some place totally unique to Blair. The second part of our session was held on her family’s tobacco farm, which was the location of her wedding yesterday. Unbelievable amounts of acreage set against a large pond. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Blair, you were an awesome bride yesterday, we can’t wait to get to your wedding photos…for now, here are your long awaited bridal portraits. Thank you for being a bride that let’s us have some creative freedom to shoot outside the box.

Calling her shot

These trees are massive!

She is so graceful and elegant. Her sweetheart dress was perfect on her. We shot her wedding this past weekend and had an awesome time, but we are backed up on wedding entries, tis the season…. so I can only dangle this little carrot in your face in the meantime.

Kelly you were so fun, relaxed and beautiful to photograph. It is great to finally release your bridal session for others to admire your beauty. You were a radiant bride on Saturday.

I love the way she is looking at her mom in this photo.

I can give one wedding photo as a teaser. I love the romance of this picture and the finish. It looks like an old newspaper.