Weekend at the Lake

Well, we spent the weekend at my parents' lake house on Smith Lake (Alabama). My older brother Jim, his wife Karen, and their kids Kendall and Jackson, my younger brother Ben, my husband Kelly, and my daughter Parrish were all there. It was hotter than hot, so the lake was quite appealing. I got some great photos of the kids, and of Karen jumping off the sun deck 12 feet above the water. Ben, Kelly and Parrish had jumped from there last year, and Parrish did so again this year. Jim, and even Kendall also jumped this year. Jax and I were the only real chickens, and he doesn't count since he's not quite 5 years old! He stood up there for the longest time before taking the walk of shame back down the stairs. I couldn't let 7 year old Kendall outdo me, so I stood up there, looking down those 12 feet (which look like 40 from up there!), and trying not to panic. I went to the edge and retreated so many times I lost count. When I finally gathered the courage and made the leap, I thought I would pass out before I hit the water. As it was, my left ear popped and I got water in my nose. But I did it! I didn't completely chicken out, and I didn't have to take the walk of shame with my 4 year old nephew!

A Lovely Couple...

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of photographing the marriage of Darla and Ryan. What a delightful couple! You can see in their eyes how much they adore one another. They were married at Cheekwood, which is also where Ryan proposed. It was an extraordinarily hot and humid day for an outdoor wedding, but the ceremony was short so it wasn't too bad. Congratulations, and best wishes for you both!

The Newlyweds...

Ashlae and Andrew's wedding was this past Saturday. They were married at the small country church that Ashlae's mother attends, and Andrew's father officiated. It was a beautiful and very personal ceremony, during which both Ashlae and Andrew were nearly overcome with emotion.

After the ceremony and a few more pictures, the reception was held at Amber Leaf, in a very old building on the square in Gallatin. Unfortunately, it was the hottest day of the year, and the air conditioning in the reception hall was broken! In spite of the extremely hot and humid conditions, everyone seemed to have a great time. The DJ had a lot of fun activities for everyone on the dance floor, and there was no shortage of food.

My many thanks to Dave Pavol for all of his help that day--Dave, you are a fantastic photographer, and I couldn't have done it without you!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day of the newly married couple:

Ashlae and Andrew--you guys are a great couple, I loved working with you, and I wish you all the happiness in your lives together as husband and wife.

Mary Ann and Larry--you guys are way cool! Love ya!

Ashlae's Bridal Portraits

I had the priviledge of creating Ashlae's bridal portraits a few weeks ago. We did this at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center--the largest non-gaming hotel in the world. Our favorite images were from the Delta area of the hotel. Ashlae was great to work with, and David Wright was an indispensable help. (Thank you, David!!! ) Here are two of our favorite images from the session: