Dean ~ 2 Days Old!

Boy oh boy was this little guy worth the wait!!! Driving to Charlotte to see him felt like an eternity, but I couldn't have been happier when I arrived to see him at truly the very first possible moment that I was allowed! Amazing how much life has changed in two years since Chip & Amber's engagement and rockin' wedding! This little bundle of joy arrived just a couple weeks ahead as a perfect anniversary gift!

 

 

 

Kolbi + Brad = The Blantons 05.11.13

They say you can't tame a wild horse... and Kolbi is a wild one for sure! She is strong-willed and spunky and since it's also said that "birds of a feather flock together", I knew I was meant to photograph her wedding! From a sexy fitted dress to sporting a ponytail hair do, this bride does it "her way"! I also did the bouquets & boutonnieres, so when I arrived she was all smiles to see the flowers came out just how she had envisioned! Outside of worrying when the cake would arrive, which was inspired by the one from the Stevens wedding,  and if the rain would hold off, the getting ready portion was smooth sailing. Jennifer always jokes now that I have a direct line to God's weather plan because I claimed in the the name of Jesus that it wasn't going to rain and sure enough it held off until after the ceremony, and then when I needed clouds to prevent harsh shadows during portraits I said it out loud and BAM a cloud appeared! So the rain-free ceremony went on as planned with the longest entrance walk known to man, and heartfelt moments as the coral roses were carried in honor of Brad's brother and Kolbi's grandpa. After group pictures we did a few newly wed shots on the lawn under the watch of a mama goose who had caused quite a scene during the rehearsal! They made their grand entrance under the white tent, and followed with their first dance. Then there was the dances with the parents, I held it together for Kolbi's dance but then when Brad danced with Lunda, there wasn't a dry eye within a mine, including mine or Jennifer's! Though the heavens were shining down during the ceremony, they storm clouds did open up for a quick downpour during dinner, but it was precisely when everyone was inside for toasts and cake cutting! We had planned for Kolbi to stay in her dress until after sunset pictures but unfortunately she has underestimated how hard it would be to carry the weight of all those fabric layers until that point. She went ahead and changed under the promise that we would do a Rock the Dress session later on, and of course then the sunset was a killer one that can't be recreated even with my direct line to God! The party went on with tons of booty-shakin and even the bride doing push-ups!!! It was great to see a groom get out there and party since it's normally the bride who does the majority of the dancing! The night ended with a classic sparkler exit and I headed home to bed... after all I had photographed the Bigger wedding just 5 days before, had the flu in between, and ran a 5 mile obstacle race that morning... see, equally as wild as she is!