for chris, kyle was the girl next door. like, literally. well, actually- across the street. they grew up friends, their families grew together, their brothers became college roommates. it’s so perfect it could be a movie, but how much better is it that this is their real life!?
kyle is a wedding PRO. that girl knows more about weddings than anyone and her ideas are always overflowing with inspiration and creativity! we traded TONS of emails about this engagement session- we changed the location at least four times and the prop list kept growing! thankfully they have a vehicle that fits all of the fun things they brought along- even a couch! we met them at a beautiful private home in buckhead and the backyard was just the perfect backdrop for these images. we spent the afternoon sweating ourselves into dehydration (but no worries! kyle brought drinks for us all! i tell you, she’s awesome!) and experimenting with all of the fun things they pulled out of their car- balloons, flowers, picture frames, quilts, etc!
it was a little different for us to be shooting a session with props but we had a lot of fun with it! kyle designed her shoot to be colorful, happy and creative and we hope these images do her ideas justice! can’t wait for their wedding in october!
first up, some fun with balloons! i love the happy warm yellow she picked!
ok, so we LOVED the balloons…a few more! ;)
check out the colors here! so cheerful!
the property ended in beautiful tall hardwoods and i love the background they created for this next image, it’s hard to believe we were in the middle of the city!
kyle & chris are so sweet together! despite the heat they cuddled and loved on each other the whole time. their chemistry is so evident and their relationship is so developed, it’s easy to see when they are together that they’re perfect for one another.
aaaand, the fainting couch! this piece of furnature is one of kyle’s favorites and it paired so nicely with the tall thin trees! and oh, how they made this work! way to rock it, guys!
MY FAVORITE!
kyle & chris, you guys are awesome! we are so lucky to have met you and we can’t wait to see what fun you have in store for the wedding! in the meantime, hopefully we’ll run into you at church! :)
when we first met jessica and earl they warned us that based on earl’s position in the air force there was a chance that they wouldn’t know until the last minute if their wedding could really happen the weekend they were preparing for. nevertheless, jessica forged ahead, planning away and leaning on faith that it would work out. and oh, it did!
the morning of their wedding, jessica met me at the door of her parent’s home with a head full of hot rollers and a huge smile! the sun was shining, the details were finished and she was ready to marry the man of her dreams. after years and years of dating (and a few jokes based on that), it was TIME! we had a lot to catch up on since their engagement shoot and i was so excited to hear that she & earl had already had the chance to set up their new home- in nebraska! jessica talked excitedly about the town they would soon call home- noting as an afterthought that she would definitely miss her coke products- they’re all pepsi out there and there’s no making that switch for someone raised in georgia. bottom line though, she was beyond excited to start her new life with earl!
as the girls finished up getting ready it was finally time for jessica to settle into the makeup stool for the creation of her ‘bridal look.’ she went pretty natural with a little bit of a smoky eye- it’s always so amazing to watch make up stylists at work- it’s such an art! in the end when jessica looked into the mirror her eyes filled with tears- it was perfect!
while the ladies grabbed a light lunch i wandered around outside with THE dress, looking for the perfect spot to shoot it in her dad’s expansive garden. i was in heaven, of course, among all of the beautiful veggies but in the end i really loved the way her dress contrasted with the quaint little greenhouse on the edge of the garden. the light was intense so exposing for the dress brought out the rich blues and greens of the sky and lush gardens. i love the resulting shots so much!
meanwhile, matt and the guys were pretty much just hanging out! relaxing over chick-fil-a and generally goofing off! ;) but really, they were totally ready on time- even with a little time to spare so matt could grab a few amazing outdoor portraits! i love these two shots matt took outside the church:
the real waiting happens at the church- when everyone is dressed, portraits are done, bouquets are back in their water and everyone is just- waiting. it is usually a sweet time of story telling and reminiscing but also a time to really focus on what’s about to happen. as jessica and her ladies did just that, they also kept a running commentary on the guests as they were showing up! it was great to hear how everyone was related and knew one another and there were little bursts of excitement as everyone arrived. what a great way to build up the excitement!
as the time drew near, everyone assembled at their assigned location and waited for the ceremony to begin! since we weren’t allowed in the church, matt and i took extra care to get these shots just before the doors were closed and we were ushered to the balcony. i love all of the expectant expressions:
…and of course we shot between the doors a bit to see what we could get! i am in love with this one of matt’s:
we had only a few minutes to grab a few portraits before the reception so we had to think fast! matt quickly decided to shoot through the window of the ground floor of their reception venue and i think the result is stunning- i especially love the colors!
then it was party time! after a sweet first dance and some mingling jessica and earl headed to the cake cutting and then back to the dance floor for a few emotional toasts. as the sun started setting the view of atlanta was stunning and kids of every age enjoyed the view. UNTIL the dance floor exploded into insanity- lead by none other than the groom himself! some of you may have seen us mention it on twitter- but a light bulb was literally shaken from the ceiling and shattered on the dance floor it was so crazy! after a short respite while someone grabbed a broom it resumed and didn’t even slow down for a second the rest of the night!
when it was time to leave jessica & earl exited to clouds of smoke and sparkle! since they were staying at the hotel next door, they carried a just married sign between them as they ran off to the hotel- stopping only to wave one more time. so lovely!
jessica & earl, thank you guys for including us in such a special day. we were so glad that it worked out perfectly for your desired date and we wish you a lifetime of things that work out just as perfectly! best wishes!
katie & blain booked us through the mail so we thought it was a great idea when they suggested we all hang out a little before their engagement session! we met at octane, enjoyed some quality coffee and a little hummus (strange combo? yes.) and chatted about everything. even puppies, my new favorite topic of conversation. katie has a cute and fiercely loyal mini australian shepard and while we were there we laughed as katie received a reassuring call from the pet sitter to let her know that little mikko hadn’t destroyed everything in their house yet! :)
once we’d drained the last speck of coffee from our cups, we headed over to blain’s alma mater, georgia tech, for some engagement pics. we’d never shot there before- or really even been on the campus! luckily we were with a local- as we shot, blain shared snippets of info about the campus and school as well some of his memories there. it was awesome finally getting to know one of atlanta’s landmarks- about time too!
as the sun sank lower the humidity and mosquitos burst forth as a united force- but katie & blain powered through it! we were all smacking them off of one other between shots but we were still going strong- must have been quite a sight for anyone who saw us! so katie & blain, to you i must say, WELL DONE!
we started the shoot off at a little secret garden area that blain knew about- it was quiet and peaceful, and a great place to get things started:
from there we just wandered, looking for sunlight, cool architecture, interesting plants- anything and everything! katie & blain seemed up for whatever so we tried a few experimental shots so ridiculous that we pretty much all just laughed at the absurdity of it- so thanks guys for your willingness to run between these two trees multiple times so we could get this shot!
the variety of textures and architecture at tech was surprising! there was stone, iron, wood, brick and plaster for us to play off of- sometimes all in one place!
this rock wall was unique too- now that i look at this next image it almost looks like they are lying down and we flipped it up- but really, it’s a wall! the sun was glaring over them but i love the washed out look this image has. and look at katie’s eyes- WOAH! so so pretty!
all it takes is a three foot bed of daylilies and an awesome couple to pull of a dreamy image!
we really liked this reflective building- it’s creates such an interesting background as it reflects the rest of the campus! great idea to swing by these buildings on the way out, blain!
katie & blain, we are so excited to be working with you guys! it was awesome to take some time to get to know you and relax together and i think it shows in the images. you guys rock, hope you love them!
