March Weddings Combloggeration!

Abby & Michael

We’re going to play a little catch-up here with some past weddings all combined into one post.  Our spring was so busy with all sorts of sessions that blogging these weddings went way down on the priority list.  Now, I really cannot let these weddings go without blogging them because we had so much fun with these couples and March was a blast thanks to each of them!

When we first met, my most distinct memory of Abby & Michael was the emphasis they put on “not wanting to be hot” on their wedding day.  They had PLENTY of insurance by first of all scheduling their wedding for March 1st – almost guaranteeing a cold day in Atlanta.

And wouldn’t you know it?  March 1st gave us a random Atlanta snowstorm!  Their ceremony and reception were held at the Biltmore in downtown Atlanta.  We weren’t sure they would be up for it but they were so excited to go out in the snow for their “first look”.  We were excited, too – our first “snow wedding” ever!  Well, as many of you found out, the snow that day was actually pretty messy and wet but we all braved the conditions (basically rain once it hit ANYTHING) with umbrellas and smiles and got some wonderful romantics in the falling snow.

We also found some amazing light downstairs in the bridal room to do some very dramatic bridal portraits.  Abby brought out her inner diva for some old Hollywood glamour.

After we’d all gotten enough of the wet, heavy snow, we headed inside for more romantics and formals.

A tender emotional moment with her grandmother during the Ketubah signing.

Abby’s grand entrance with her parents for the ceremony. This is always a favorite shot for ceremonies at the Biltmore.

We had the most fun ever during their Horah dance.  I have always enjoyed this tradition at Jewish weddings but never have I gotten such amazing shots and expressions!  Abby just looks like she is having so much fun – no fear at all!

Their glam transportation for the departure – a swank silver Rolls Royce!

To see Abby & Michael’s magical snowy wedding, click HERE.

Renee & Milton

First of all, let me say that this is not only one amazingly glamorous couple but also amazingly LUCKY!  I was pretty nervous about the plans to have an outdoor wedding on the lawn of the Swan House in the first week in March.  Heck!  We just had SNOW six days earlier, right?!  But lucky they were and we had a gorgeous, perfect spring day ready to go in less than a week.  That’s Atlanta for you!

Besides the beautiful weather, these two are blessed with being beautiful themselves.  Both are natural models, I swear.  I’ve seldom had a groom like Milton that could pose so well – he could be THE ad for this tux, eh?

I LOVE the Swan House, ok?  And even more, I love the Swan House in infrared…  I’ve been shooting on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center since my early college days and it’s such a magical setting.

The veiw from the top of the Swan House lawn during their ceremony was amazing!  This incredible shot was taken by Mandi Singer for us!

The magic continued to amaze us throughout the day and as we entered the ballroom, I was once again blown away by the decor and design.  Carla Duncan of On Occasions of Atlanta gave us lucious floral arrangements.  The lighting and design are always incredible with A Legendary Event – it’s LEGENDARY! Look at this out-of-this-world cake set up! Each layer was separated by a glass vase filled with orchids and LED lights!  WOW!

It’s also really classy to have a Gobo with your names on the dance floor during your first dance.  I love this, too.  I want one!

Ah, perfect shot of them!

Renee & Milton each had an opportunity to be serenaded by their fraternity and sororities.  This was my favorite shot of Renee and her sisters – you can just feel how happy and proud everyone is!

In an ongoing challenge, I’ve been trying to get more and more creative with my ring shots.  I used their place card holders, these adorable pewter chairs, to balance their rings.  It took two chairs to hold Renee’s ring!

Another ongoing challenge is to incorporate more and more off-camera flash techniques.  Here we set up a flash in the back of the limo (HA!  same limo Abby & Michael used the weekend before!) to give their departure kiss an ethereal illumination.

Check out the rest of Renee & Milton’s wedding in their slideshow HERE.

Kelley & Jamie

For Kelley & Jamie’s wedding, we were lucky to get to go back to another favorite venue again – Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.  This time, I arrived early to the venue to really look around with a fresh set of eyes.  Having shot there so much in the last few years, I wanted to get some totally different shots for these two.

Still love hanging the dress from the chandelier, though!

And of course, every bride wants a photo on the stair case.  I love this view where you can see part of the ceiling above – a peek of the architectural elements of this historical home.

However, here was a room I’d never used before.  The crest in the stained glass window just feels so masculine so it immediately came to mind for a groom’s portrait of Jamie.

Kelley and Jamie chose to see each other before their ceremony and get all the photos out of the way early.  Their first look and other romantics were taken all over the grounds of the estate.  This time, I chose to do something different and chose some views that didn’t necessarily reflect the home.

The staircase silhouette at Callanwolde is another classic!

Kelley entered the ceremony with her father from the top of the staircase – very brave every time a bride chooses to do this!

Here are some of the yummy desserts provided by Bold American for their reception.

What a gorgeous cake!  The challenge here is always with getting the brushed aluminum monogram to show up light enough.  We used a reflector angled just right at it.

Another experiment with off-camera flash. Here we created a spotlight for their first dance!

Thanks guys for wrapping up an incredible March!

To see Kelley & Jamie’s slideshow, click HERE.