Casting call!

Hi, everyone! As you can see, I'm working on a new site, blog, and products. I need your help!!! I am currently looking for a model / bride for a print project. I am looking for someone who can take direction, has access to a currently fashionable wedding gown, is comfortable in front of the camera, and is not afraid of thinking outside of the box. I will work with the model and together we will style the shoot, based on her attire. The session will likely take place on a Sunday afternoon in several locations around Indianapolis. If you are interested or know someone who is, please send me an email by February 8 with "casting call" as the subject line and include a photo of the candidate as well as the gown. The model will receive a CD of non-watermarked retouched high resolution images. I am looking to complete this session in March. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

P.S. I am proud of myself for blogging every day during the month of January! It was a lot of work but I am going to try to keep it up. If I miss a day in February, the first person to leave a comment on the most recent post on my blog will win a free photo session.

Athena + Eric :: just one

I have another fun wedding coming your way soon! For now, enjoy this lovely moment. This image is straight out of the camera -- no adjustments whatsoever. I adore the colors, Athena's smile, the way she's looking at Eric, and the position of the light.

More fun in the snow!

In continuation of yesterday's post, here are some of the photos I shot of Jake and Libby goofing off in the snow.

I was laughing so hard during their snowball fight -- it's a wonder these are in focus!



I absolutely LOVE the way this one turned out. It is perfect and it needs to go on their living room wall. You hear that, Jake?


Oh how I love this one too. Jake's yard is amazing.


Isn't this just about the most perfect snow day kiss you have ever seen?


As you can see, the four of us enjoyed our snow day! We hope you enjoyed yours. :-)

The winner of my hot chocolate giveaway is The Arthurs! I will be sending out your gift certificate next week. Enjoy!!!

Another snow day!

What do you do when you get 14 inches of snow?

Play in it!

Jake shot these photos of Ken and me having a little fun in the snow today. I'll share the ones I took of him and Libby with you all tomorrow.




I hope your snow day was as fun as mine!

Snowed in!

For my blog readers outside of Indianapolis, we are getting lots of snow here! It is perfect packing snow, so soft and fluffy. While I like being out and about, I am perfectly fine with being snowed in sometimes. After all, a snow day is a perfect day to cuddle, drink hot chocolate, make snow angels, and eat snow ice cream!

What is your favorite snow day activity? Leave a comment for a chance to win a gift certificate for a couple cups of the best hot chocolate in Indy! The winner will be announced on Thursday.

Enjoy the snow! I'm off to cuddle with the hottest guy in the world. :-)

Oh, I almost forgot. Jake dropped off our wedding photos today!!! I can't wait to share them with you all!

Big changes are coming soon!

Also coming soon:

Sarah + Michael - engaged
Athena + Eric - I do
Ellie + Matt - I do
best of 2008 weddings
featured weddings
my wedding!!!
and much, much more!

How to dye your crinoline

As a wedding photographer with an affinity for details, I absolutely love seeing and photographing the unexpected. A bright colored crinoline is no exception! Some of you may remember Heather, the gorgeous DIY bride who dyed her crinoline hot pink while on spring break. Isn't it fabulous?! This image made it to her storybook album as well as one of my sample albums.


Before you begin, you need to choose your color! RIT offers 26 colors of dye. I personally love Fuchsia 12, Sunshine Orange 43, Tangerine 40, and Aquamarine 24. (Aquamarine 24 would be a perfect addition to the poppy and aqua wedding I am dying to shoot.)

Since crinoline is fairly large and fluffy, it is best to use the washing machine method for this project. You should use either 2 bottled of liquid dye or 4 boxes of powder dye when dyeing your crinoline.

1. Fill your washing machine with enough hot water for the fabric to move freely.
2. Add the dissolved dye to the hot water.
3. Wet your crinoline in a sink or the shower, then add the wet crinoline to the dye bath in the washing machine.
4. Set the washing machine for the extended cycle. Make sure the crinoline soaks for at least 30 minutes before the rinse cycle begins.
5. Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear.
6. Hang to dry or dry in dryer.
7. Clean the washing machine by running a hot water cycle with bleach and detergent.
8. If the color is not bright enough for your liking, you can repeat the process!

Cassidy + Corey

Ken and I met up with Cassidy and Corey for an engagement session in downtown Indianapolis on a coooooooooold and rainy fall day. They were troopers, though! Can't you just feel the love?!?! And oh how I adore her boots...





I can't wait to see you two this summer for your wedding (when it will be much warmer)!!!

Jess + Jared won!

I just wanted to leave a quick note and say Jess and Jared won my go green giveaway! Jess and Jared, send me your address so I can send you my favorite AVEDA candle.


Congratulations, Jess and Jared! I hope you love this scent as much as I do.

On an unrelated note, my sweet husband bought me a bouquet of gerbera daisies today. I'm a happy girl!!!

Addison

I have had the pleasure of photographing little Addison since she was just a baby. We had an in-home session at seven months, a session at Holcomb Gardens on her first birthday, and an incredible session at Fort Ben when she turned two. As soon as it warms up this spring, Addison and I will meet again for a super fun session involving train tracks and amazing light -- but that's all I can say at this time!





P.S. Mention Addison and receive $50 off when you book a natural light session for your little one for April 2009 now through the end of this month. Hurry -- sessions are limited.

need invitations?

Check out Nic and Kirsten, the husband-wife team of evapaul on Etsy. I cannot say enough good things about them!!! Ken and I were so impressed with their quality, pricing, and turn around time. It was important to Ken and me that our wedding invitations were modern, classic, urban, and cool all at the same time. Nic and Kirsten were so wonderful to work with and knew exactly what we wanted! You may have seen this on my old blog, but here is our invitation:


[Photo by Jake Gardner]

While our invitation was a custom design, evapaul also offers templates. Check out Emmy -- I love it!!! The Annie save the date is also pretty rad and it would go with the poppy and aqua wedding I am dying to shoot. And at $2.00 each, what a steal. So someone take a hint already and give me a wedding with those colors to shoot!

Finally, because it's cold outside and this photo reminds me of the happiest day of my life and makes me think of sunshine and love, I'm posing it here for your viewing pleasure.


[Photo by Jake Gardner]

I apologize for the reposts. I was not able to import my old blog and there's lots of stuff over there I want to share over here! I hope you all are staying warm. Remember, long underwear is your friend this time of year!

go green!

I try really hard every day to be as green as I can be. Being a vegetarian helps, but my concern for the environment is not the reason for my vegetarianism (neither is the animal thing -- I just don't like meat). Whether I am recycling, buying things locally, or letting my laundry dry naturally in the air, I always try to be environmentally aware. Take a minute and read these great tips about how you can help the planet by incorporating these environmentally friendly suggestions into your daily life.

I love when brides and grooms have environmentally friendly details at their weddings. This could be in the form of recycled glass vases, vintage jewelry, or even organic champagne! Check out these delightful eco-friendly invitations by vreelanddesign on Etsy. Love them!!! I am just dying to shoot a wedding with these colors!


Have I ever mentioned how much I adore AVEDA? Each time I walk into an AVEDA store or salon, I just feel so good. The scents are to die for -- and knowing that AVEDA cares about the environment, well, that makes it even sweeter! AVEDA founder Horst M. Rechelbacher states, "Our mission at AVEDA is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At AVEDA, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility -- not just in the world of beauty, but around the world." Now isn't that wonderful?

If you have made it this far, I would love to send you my favorite AVEDA candle -- the Madagascar Plant Pure-Fume Candle. All you have to do is tell me how you are making your life a little greener in the comment section below. Maybe it is something you are doing at your wedding...maybe it is something you are incorporating into your daily life. Either way, I would love to hear about it! On Friday this week, one lucky winner will be chosen!

cupcakes!

Cupcakes are a great way to incorporate a ton of cake and icing flavors along with adding an element of whimsy to your wedding! (I have this photo in one of my sample albums and it ALWAYS turns heads!)


For those of you local to Indianapolis, The Flying Cupcake does an awesome job! If you are a fan of lemon, try the Pucker Up. Yummy. Holy Cow Cupcakes in Carmel is also amazing!

If you are into details as much as I am, check out these delightful laser cut cupcake wrappers by Estilo Weddings. I personally love Passion and Spice. These wrappers would make the perfect addition to any wedding cupcake!!!

Bre + Drew

Bre and Drew were married this fall in Brown County and their day was just perfect! It had been raining for days but it finally cleared up the day of their wedding. They really had the perfect fall day!

When we arrived at Bre's house, we were greeted by a very happy bride who couldn't wait to slip into her gorgeous gown! Ken snagged this shot and I just love the way the light is pouring in through the window.


This shot makes me smile.


So does this one. It is one of my favorites from the day. One of my blog readers mentioned the way Drew is looking at Bre -- yeah, he adores her!


Smoochie smooch out on the dock.


Bre, you are stunning.


And Drew makes a pretty good groom!


This one might be my favorite of the day. I love how her veil is blowing in the wind.


My view:


Ken's view:


One of my favorite bouquet shots ever!!! I love those wildflowers and the gerbers, of course!


Check out their rings! Bre's vintage ring rocks!!!


Ken caught this sweet moment.


There's the gorgeous Bre again!


The wind really picked up here -- haha!


Oh yeah, she's a natural.


Another favorite. (Have you ever seen "You, Me and Dupree"? Please note the best man patch in the background.)


Ken caught this one of the girls chatting it up. I love these moments!


A sweet moment from the ceremony.


Bre and Drew made a mailbox for their wedding cards. What a fabulous idea!


The wildflowers looked so great in terracotta pots.


There was a delicious pumpkin cheesecake at each table. Yummmm.


And of course you all have seen the penguin cake! The significance? Penguins mate for life.


Drew chopped off the penguin's head. Ken shot this and I thought it was hilarious so I had to post it.


Look at these yummy fortune cookie favors!


This was Drew's fortune!!!


First dance. I told you -- he adores her!

Bre and Drew, thank you so much for inviting Ken and me to be a part of your special day. Ken and I wish you love, laughter, and happiness forever!