There certain moments in all of our lives when it comes to love, romance and the stuff of great love stories when we wonder, "Will that, could that, ever be me?"
Then you meet your best friend, and they become the love of your life. Sometimes it hits you square between the eyes, and sometimes it embers slowly over time. And then you realize that you have it. You have him, and he loves you. And you can't believe that thing you couldn't imagine could be yours is happening ... your Wedding Day.
And after all those times you watched so many others do those "things" ...
... posing for pictures with your own posse
... sharing your vows
... having those bubbles shower your own faces
... being the newlyweds on the party bus
... and embracing each other in your own first dance
... you're doing them with this person you utterly adore ... surrounded by the friends and family who adore you too ... and it's so much better than you could have ever imagined.
To Charlie & Tommy ~ You are So Loved.
They made their way upstairs to the twinkle-lit barn where they still got to experience the emotional and magic moment of seeing each other for the first time before their ceremony. It was a wet and snowy day, but with Liz's super trooper friend crouching in the trunk space of my RAV-4, the 4 of us plus my 6 foot assistant piled into the car and we drove to the covered bridge for some soft, tender, (freezing cold!) winter pictures.
Then, they created an unforgettably personal ceremony by having their Made of Honor and Best Man each share "How they Met" stories as a prelude to their vows.
Liz spent a lot of time personalizing all the little things ... from handwritten notes to each guest as table cards, to a making their Program into a Liz+Rob trivia activity book, to a selfie booth and wall collage - all their guests enjoyed every bit of it, and I enjoyed getting to see all the love they got to experience that day. A toast to you! xo
Music by Flash and Sound Events
]]>Awestruck and humbled; you are pure perfection - and forever is yours, our undying affection.
Congratulations to this very special couple! xo
1. Force them to sit still 2. Tell them to look happy 3. Cue them to say, "Cheese"
BUZZ!! TRICK QUESTION! The answer is ... Get out of their way and let them play. I am sure my little muffin in the bottom pictures has already lost his baby cheeks - but he'll always be the "Tiny Beach Thinker" to me. xo
I hope this sweet series of their even sweeter family, set in their home away from home, will help them miss us just a little, until we see them next Spring. xo
#brodiesgoodvibetribe #myclientsmyfriends #whenyougiveyouget
With 1 in college and 3 in high school, Jack's mom may have her hands full, but she's so collected, I could see where Jack get his demeanor from.
A terrific young man with a terrific year ahead of him,
Wherever Jack goes, I'm certain he'll make his family proud.
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Heidi & Ryan exchanged highly personal vows in front of 70 guests at Crockett's Run in Hocking Hills OH. They made me think: As families, we struggle, we triumph. We race through our days, and give thanks with our inside voices, but probably not as often with our outside voices. Let's all be sure to thank the person we've created a family with. We've weathered the "bad" and created so much "good". They deserve to hear all the NEW ways you appreciate them. Let's make some promises that REALLY hit home - like when Ryan promised Heidi that he'd look in more than one place for the thing he wanted before asking her where it is. All the wives, I think, shed a tear. =)
If you're like me and my husband, on anniversary night, you'll clink a fast toast of "Love you Babe", while reveling in the calm quiet that happens when the kids are not around. Our 9th anniversary is this week, and I think I'll tell him what my own inside voice is thinking when my outside voice is asking why the trash is still sitting in there. I'll write some new mind-blowing promises of my own, like actually having bread in the house when he's looking to make himself as sandwich. I'll make him look me in the eye as read them.
In my mind he'll swell with tears and gush with emotion. But in reality, he'll giggle and ask "So when do those start?". And I'll burst out laughing and reply, "I don't know, eventually." And that will be "us". But he'll know that I know, I notice and that I care.
Then happily onward to another year of life, love and family memories. xo
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Big Sister Maggie loves her twin baby boy brothers, Luke & Brennan. Everyone is getting on track and Kelly & Mark make an extraordinary team. Congratulations to these sweet treats - you are over a month old already!
]]>1. Little Anthony was our camera-shy-guy ... and, like in the books "Pete the Cat" ... did it foil our chances at great pictures? Heck no! The shyer he got, the more the family shouted, "Everyone stare at Anthony!!!" - and it's my favorite shot of the week.
2. We told the kids to race to the bench and as Dominic's mom uttered the words, "I guarantee his shoes will fall off" - it went flying in the air.
3. When we told them to wait for the signal before racing back - how do you get running kids to stop? The family's reaction cracks me up!
4. When Brad and the boys jumped in for a father-sons picture, I said, "Now mush your cheeks!" And Luke did just that!
Do you have a large extended family but think getting a group picture would be too hard? If so, come spend an hour with this crazy camera lady and I guarantee we'll get the shot and have a ball. Do you have kids who are camera-shy or unpredictable? It'll be the best shot of the day. xoxo
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I'm so glad I did because Natasha Baker and Tyrone Hunt had chosen to drive all the way from St. Louis to exchange their wedding vows in our very own Cleveland. The Plain Dealer and WKYC thought it was pretty cool too because they came too, filming the ceremony as follow up coverage from 2 days before! Alone with the their Minister up on the rock, their tearful joy had everyone choking up. Such a gift!
Then, out of the blue, a lady who lives near the beach ran up to us and told the couple how touched she was that they picked Cleveland for their wedding and made a point of finding them on the beach to give them a small gift to say congratulations. C'mon - if that's not a great example of "We Are CLE" that what is?!
Below is a sneak peak of their wedding day photos, plus, this WKYC segment and Cleveland.com article with a 10-photo gallery by Gus Chan. Yours truly managed to photo bomb photo 2 & 5. #sweetstory #huhsothat'swhatIlooklikewhenishootpictureshmmm
And for all of you out there - I would seat-save just as crazily for you. xo
A toast to Gary & Nicole xoxo
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WOODEN PHOTO CUBE / METAL EASEL / THUMB PRINT WOODEN PHOTO BOX
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Look for their hit, and their CD cover by yours
truly!
