3/28/2006

Ashley and Jeff


Our second wedding this weekend was for our friends Jeff and Ashley. Jeff and I have been friends since high school, where we participated together on the golf team. We also took a couple years of Spanish together but that's another story.

Ashley and Jeff's wedding took place at the Chattanooga First SDA Church. Prior to the wedding the bridal party headed to downtown Chattanooga for some shots at the Bluff View Art District and the Hunter Art Museum, where Jeff and Ashley became engaged. We had so much fun. Ashley waited at the top of a spiral staircase while Jeff came out from behind the building to see his beautiful bride for the first time. It really was a special moment.

We had a great time with the bridesmaids and groomsmen throughout the day. And both of the families were so delightful. Even though there was a large number of guests, their wedding ceremony was intimate and personal, and it was made even more special because they were married by their good friend Ben Lundquist, a pastor from Arizona.

Following the ceremony, the reception was took place at the FairyLand Club on Lookout Mountain. It was an all-around extraordinary event, and we were honored to be a part of the celebration.

Ashley and Jeff, we wish you only the best happiness and joy. May God richly bless you as you begin your new life together.

3/27/2006

A Prayer for Joe


Traditionally we use the space on our blog to talk about our clients, friends, and everything else that's going on with the business. But sometimes we find it beneficial to bring up subjects of a more consequential nature. They may not always be related to our business, but they effect our lives in a way that's indeed big enough to mention.

On Saturday afternoon we were shooting the pre-wedding activities, when we received word from one of our photographer friends in Kentucky, that Joe Buissink, a photographer in LA, had suffered a heart attack the night before. He was in the hospital, stable, and would hopefully be heading to surgery the following day.

Joe is seen throughout the industry as one of the top wedding photographers in the world. He has always been one of my photography role-models and someone that I really admire. And he's truly one of the most interesting and fascinating people I've ever met. I was blessed to attend one of his two-day workshops in Miami in January. Although it was just three months ago, my experinece at Joe's workshop made an enormus impact on my approach to photography and the manner in which we interact with people.

So today we write to express our sympathy and concern for Joe and his wife Marilyn and their family. Our prayers are that his health will be restored soon and he will be back doing what he loves.

Summer and Ezra


We were excited to have the opportunity to have two weddings this weekend. Summer and Ezra were married in St. Petersburg at the Don Cesar Beach Resort. It was a beautiful wedding...everything about it. Summer wore a beautiful Vera Wang gown and her girls wore some of the coolest bridesmaids dresses ever. The guys looked really sharp too.

It was a little windy and unseasonably chilly, but the garden scene was lovely. After the ceremony we headed out on the beach with the bride and groom for some sunset shots. Beach shoots are always fun and really romantic, even if it was a little cold. Then we went back inside for the reception party.

I was blessed to be shooting next to my wife Joy and our friend,
  • Alisha Clark-Nelson
  • from St. Louis. We really had a great time. Summer and Ezra, we wish you all the best as you begin this new chapter in your life together. May your days be filled with happiness, joy and love.

    3/24/2006

    Meredith and Ian




    Meredith and Ian are one of the neatest couples we've ever met. One thing that we really love is how they're willing to try anything we suggest. Perfect trust is really great between a client and photographer. Believe it or not, it was 6 am when we took this fountain shot! I'm telling you, they're dedicated! Then we went to a nearby laundry mat. Little did I know that they had brought props. How cool is that?!

    Next we headed to Park Avenue in Winter Park. When we arrived I picked up my camera from the passenger seat of my car and then went to the trunk to change lenses. When I opened the trunk I realized that I had left my camera bag at the laundry mat...30 minutes earlier!!!

    So Rick, a friend who was with us, drove back with hopes of finding my abandoned gear. While he was gone, Meredith suggested that we pray. She prayed and a few minutes later Rick called and said, "Prayer works, I've got your equipment!"

    Shayna and Andrew




    Shayna and Andrew are such a sweet couple. They're both from Florida but didn't meet eachother until they were in school together at Liberty University in Virginia. We had so much fun on their engagement shoot, and we're looking forward to their wedding in June.

    I have to share a quick funny story about Shayna. She contacted us through our website, like most brides do. I was sitting at the computer one evening when her contact email arrived. So I immediately picked up my phone and called her. What I expected to hear was "hello, this is Shayna" or something to that effect. Instead I heard, "Hi, Mom!" I paused, stuttered, and said something like, "ummmm, this is Garrett Nudd from Orlando, you just emailed me requesting wedding photography information...." I think she might have been a little embarrassed, but we had a good laugh.

    3/15/2006

    Kelli and Kent


    The second wedding at Casa Feliz this past weekend was the wedding of Kelli and Kent, our friends from AHS. They also had a beautiful wedding, officiated by Kelli's father. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were lots of fun and their families were great too. Their reception was hosted by Allan Isidro, another good friend, and I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great time. Thanks guys, and God bless you as you begin this exciting new chapter of your lives.

    Elaine and Frank





    I'm always excited when I have the opportunity to shoot at Casa Feliz. But twice in one weekend...what could be better than that! First it was Elaine and Frank. What an extraordinary wedding. A beautiful bride and handsome groom and wonderful families on both sides. Inbetween the wedding and the reception, the bridal party walked down Park Ave for some pictures. We all had so much fun. Thanks guys, and God bless.

    3/07/2006

    Whitni and Aaron




    Today we had the opportunity to do an engagement shoot with Whitni and Aaron. They're both from Orlando, but they're presently living in Tennessee. Aaron lives in Nashville, where he's a musician, and Whitney lives in Collegedale where she is finishing up her English Education degree. Fortunately they were visiting on spring break. It was great meeting you guys and we're really looking forward to your wedding in December. Congratulations!

    Brandi and Scott



    Brandi and Scott have really become good friends since we first sat down together over a year ago. Since then Scott and I have gone golfing together and we've talked about doing it again sometime soon. With Brandi and Scott, we did two engagement shoots. The first one was really rainy so we did another when the sun was shining. Speaking of sun shining, we had a great time at their wedding. It was such a beautiful day at Cypress Grove Park. Brandi's maid of honor was her mother and Scott's best man was his father. It was an emotional wedding, and the toasts that Brandi's mother and Scott's father gave were so warm and heartfelt. It was truly a blessing just to be there. I was also blessed to be accompanied by our friend Jim Cook, a photographer from Kentucky. We shot so many images that it's unbelievable. These are two of our favorites, taken after the reception when most of the guests had gone home.

    Kim and Matt's engagement shoot





    When we first met with Kim and Matt, we connected immediately. What is typically a one-hour client consultation turned into a lot longer than that, but we were having fun, talking with the family, playing with Graycen, and laughing about all kinds of things. Matt and Kim both work at Florida Hospital. We're excited about their upcoming wedding in the Bahamas, which will take place in May. Congratulations, guys!

    Maureen and Colin




    Maureen and Colin were married in at St. Mary's in Winter Park. Their reception was held at the Winter Park Raquet Club. Everything went well and it was such a perfect day. Surrounded by nine of her closest friends, Maureen was one of the most calm, cool, and collected brides I've ever seen. As for Colin, well, his smile speaks for itself. Congratulations guys!

    3/02/2006

    Love is...

    Meredith's 8th grade portraits


    This afternoon we had the pleasure of working with Meredith for her 8th grade portraits. She did a great job, and I couldn't be more pleased with how these turned out.