Patricia & Dan: Love in Stockton Park ~ Jacksonville Photographer

I'm going to start out by saying Patricia & Dan are my ideal couple - these two are real, down-to-earth people. I was in Jacksonville for a wedding and since Dan lives in Jacksonville, we decided to do the e-shoot there. I'm sure most have you have caught on that I'm a true Florida girl and that I'm constantly driving all over to see family & friends and capture a wedding or two! Since Florida is Über HOT & HUMID in June, we got up early to beat the heat and were in Stockton Park by 8am. Unbeknownst to us, so were most of Jacksonville's fishermen~ which that early on a Saturday I proceeded to call fishers-of-men because my brain wasn't fully functional! The shoot went well and the fishermen added character to the morning... we wrapped the session up in about an hour! I'm excited to show you a few of my favs...



Below is my favorite picture from the shoot. I told Dan to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. I'm not sure what he said but it made her smile and blush a little!



Patricia is stunning... I love this close up of her!




I can not wait until their December wedding in Tampa!!!


PSA: those brides & grooms-to- be that haven't enter the Peach Blossom Photography giveaway ~ you have until tomorrow at midnight!!! So if you want to win a free e-shoot, 50 save the dates, and more goodies - go leave a comment on this blog post: http://peachblossomphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/amazing-bridal-giveaway.html
Feel free to enter the give-away to win the prize as a gift for a friend getting married!!!!


Cheers,
Julie

Swoozie's Bridal Party Event ~ Norcross Photographer

Swoozie's at the Forum in Norcross held their second Bridal Showcase of 2011 last week. As always ~ it was an awesome event. It is great to hang out with brides-to-be, local vendors, and the amazing Swoozie's Ladies. Congrats to all the ladies that won the great prizes. Here are a few photos from the evening...









The vendors included Gigi's Cupcakes, The Pen Palette andBelk.

For all those brides & grooms-to-be, don't forget to enter the Peach Blossom Photography Bridal Giveaway. You can enter to win a free engagement shoot, 50 Save the dates, and more fun stuff!!! Check out the blog post and leave a comment: http://peachblossomphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/amazing-bridal-giveaway.html
Contest ends June 30th!!!

Cheers,

Pratik & Katie's Piedmont Park Wedding ~ Atlanta Wedding Photographer

My husband Brent and I were invited to our friends Indian Wedding at the Greystone venue in Piedmont Park. It was a wedding rich in color and culture.... not to mention the Bride & Groom looked fabulous! I took my camera to make sure I could capture a few key moments... but I put it away for most the evening after dinner so I could enjoy being a guest for a change.


The above photograph and the below photograph on the left is during the Kanya Danam (Giving Away of the Daughter). The below right photography is during the Rajaham (Sacrifice to the Sacred Fire) The bride places both her hands into the groom's and her brother then places rice into her hands. Together the bride and groom offer the rice as a sacrifice into the fire.



Below is my favorite photo from the evening. It was taken at the end of the ceremony after they completed the Satapadi (Seven Steps).

After the ceremony, the two changed into my favorite attire from the night. Katie's saree was hand beaded and exquisite... Pratik was rocking Gold and Purple and looked like a king!


I love Pratik's groom's cake... not only is Coca~Cola a staple in Atlanta- he just happens to work there!

(on the right) Groomsmen Nate and his lovely wife Charlotte posed for a picture and (On the left) I caught this beautiful women in a gorgeous saree laughing.

Below is the whole GA Tech Crew... they are a hoot! Brent is hidden in the back grinning like a little boy!

Sapta Padi

Let us live with honor and respect.
Let us walk together so we get food.

Let us be happy and enjoy life.
Let us walk together so we get strength.

Let us share joys and pains together.
Let us walk together so we get wealth.

Let us not forget parents and elders.
Let us walk together so we get happiness.

Let us observe all acts of charity.
Let us walk together so we have family.

Let us live long and peaceful life.
Let us walk together so we have joy.

Let us be friends with love and sacrifice.
Let us walk together so we have friendship.

Best wishes to the newlyweds... I hope they are enjoying themselves in Mexico!! Thank you for letting us be part of your special day.

Cheers,

D-I-Y Starfish Details

For me - details are uber important and they really add the special touches to make every wedding reflect the personality of the bride and groom! But, for the every day bride having a wedding planner/designer do everything for you is not always an affordable option. This was the case for our wedding! I wanted a lot of unique touches but I wasn’t going to shell out tons of cash on the little details Brent and I could do ourselves! So I googled beach weddings and came up with a list of DIY projects using starfish and shells that I wanted to incorporate in our wedding…. And here is how I made them! Once again Cat did an amazing job capturing all the details!

~Starfish Boutonnières~

Materials:

2” Sugar Starfish

Hot Glue Gun

Silver Pin Back

Super easy! Hot Glue the starfish onto the pin back and let dry. I would suggest making a couple extra incase the starfish break.

~Starfish Aisle Decorations~

Materials:

6” Sugar Starfish

2” Satin Ribbon

1.5” Satin Ribbon

Double Sided tape

Hot Glue Gun

Cut both sizes of ribbon into 34” strips. Use the double-sided tape to secure the 1.5” onto the 2” ribbon. Fold one side over the other to desired loop for your ceremony chairs. Secure loop with a hot glue and let dry. Once dry, you can hot glue the starfish into the center. Use enough glue so the starfish won’t fall off due to weight.

~Starfish Program Fans~

WARNING: This project took forever! you will want to have your bridesmaids help!

Materials:

Straw Fans (order off internet)

2" Sugar Starfish

1.5" and 5/8" Satin Ribbon in wedding colors

Pearl Cardstock

Hot-Glue gun

It took my bridesmaid Jess and I about 3 hours to wrap all 46 fan handles with ribbon 1.5" ribbon and set it with a drop of hot glue. My husband (then fiance) spent about an 1.5 hours hot glueing on starfish. Then my wedding planner Kelly put holes in all the programs and tied them on the fan with a piece of ribbon. I had pre-designed the 4x6 programs in photoshop then had them professionally printed. Pearl Cardstock needs to be used with a laser printer.

~Shabby Chic Starfish Wedding Signs~

Materials:

Wood

Acrylic Paint

Starfish

Shells

Ribbon

Sandpaper

Chocolate Brown spray paint

#2 pencil

Paint brushes in different sizes

Day 1: Cut wood to desired size or buy wood pre-cut from craft store. Sand down edges if needed. Coat entire surface with chocolate brown spray paint and let dry.

Day 2: Paint 2 coats of light ivory acrylic paint and let it dry overnight.

Day 3: Sketch on wording and designs with pencil and paint design with desired acrylic colors. Let dry overnight

Day 4: Lightly sandoff edges and sides to the desired “shabby chic” look is acquired. Hot-glue on starfish and shells for more character.

Here is a link to the youtube tutorial we used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5OCDMsGvJM

Warning: Brent and I spent 2 weeks working on our wedding signs. I would paint wording and designs and then not like it so I would wipe everything clean with 2 coats of light ivory acrylic. It took a few tries to get them exactly how I wanted them. However, the night before were leaving Atlanta to drive to Key West, Brent used a finishing clear coat on all the signs and it turned most of our signs yellow and dingy (all but 2). ALWAYS use a test piece for each new can of clear coat before spraying your signs especially if you have a light colored base. The first can didn’t turn anything yellow but the second can did.

I was able to find most of the materials for all my projects at Michaels. Check http://www.michaels.com/ for coupons before you go into your local store! Be patient with you projects… and realize that sometimes they don’t work out. If that happens, pop a bottle of cheap champagne and celebrate that you are still getting married to your best friend. ( yes- popping a bottle of cheap champagne was my solution to every piece of wedding planning drama!)

For more info on my wedding vendors including discounts and a chance to win a free engagement session in June - visit the following posts:

Detail's & Discount's

The Amazing Bridal Giveaway!

Julie's Do's and Don'ts for Destination Brides

Cheers,

Jeremy & Aubry got hitched ~ Newnan Wedding Photographer

I had anxiously awaited Jeremy and Aubry's peach inspired wedding for months even more so after we did their engagement shoot at Stone Mountain. And to no surprise... it was amazing! They are naturals in-front of the camera - not just because they are beautiful people but it’s their interactions with one another that the shutter captures. I also have loved how Jeremy took an active role in planning to make sure his bride-elect remaind stress free!

Their wedding day was a super hot Georgia Day but you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting than Dunaway Gardens! And despite the heat... everyone had a really good time getting down on the dance floor! I wish these two endless years of love and laughter.... and a safe return from their honeymoon!

Venue: Dunaway Gardens
Caterer: Chick-Fil-A
Cupcakes: Endulge Cupcake Boutique - endulgecupcakes@gmail.com
DJ: Tony Johnson
Coordinator: Events Decorated























To see more of Jeremy and Aubry's Dunaway Gardens wedding, click here for a slideshow.


Cheers,