Engagements + Weddings//Savannah, GA

This past weekend Jared and I dropped off the kiddos at Gran & Pop's house in Hilton Head and drove to Savannah for a good friend's wedding.  Jared was a groomsman in Richie's wedding, and we both had such a good time just enjoying the wedding from a different angle... Usually Jared is officiating the wedding and I'm photographing it, but this weekend was just us being husband and wife at the wedding and it was a great change! We had such a good time catching up with old friends and eating good ol' southern cooking (the rehearsal dinner was catered by Lady & Sons, i.e. PAULA DEEN's restaurant!)  In addition to the wedding festivities, I got to catch up with my dear friend Mary who lives in Savannah and take engagement pictures of her and,her soon to be husband, Steve!  Lisa, Mary, and I went out to eat and got some great time catching up, and then we drove to the wedding chapel and took some pictures before the actual wedding started.  Lisa is one of the most special people to me... she was the maid of honor in my wedding and has walked alongside of me in all the ups and downs of life, so it was so great to be able to catch up with her and Justin.  Lisa helped scout out some fun spots for pictures of Steve and Mary (great work Lucie!) and has committed to becoming my assistant for future shoots.  Mary asked Lisa and I to be bridesmaids in her wedding, and we were so excited and honored... now we just have to pick out some dresses that fit the color scheme (and fit my post pregnancy self!).  Here are a few shots from the engagement shoot, from the wedding, and of my really cute husband.  It was his first time wearing a bow tie, and he rocked it.  I think he might be the most handsome man alive (or dead? gross).  I'm really honored to be his wife and need to write a whole other blog post about how great he is.  for real.  But for now some pictures will have to do.  I love you buddy!  And Mary & Lisa! husband (above).  me and husband (below).  and some pics from Richie's wedding...

And now for some engagement pics of Mary + Steve (below)... love this one of Mary- she is one of the funniest people I know and has such a great sense of humor... her laugh is contagious, too!

and cute Lisa... work it, work itMe, Mary, + Lisa! I should post a picture of us from 10 years ago in college to see the differences... Both of these friends recently turned 30 and here I am as the young one (29).  Who knew 30 would feel so young? so happy for you and Steve!!

fashionable wedding

I have a good friend from college who now works with Mocha Club, an organization that is dedicated to funding relief and development projects in Africa by giving up 2 mochas a month ($7) with other friends.  Recently Marisa told me about another non-profit that she has been working with call live fashionABLE.  It's mission is to "create sustainable business in Africa so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy."  I love that.  I am a huge fan of all kinds of charity, but have been thinking how ineffective charity can be when it doesn't work towards breaking a cycle of poverty.  I have worked with some organizations in Athens who collect and give Christmas gifts to needy families, and while I know children were blessed by the gifts, I'm not sure that the organization is really addressing the deeper issues of why these children are in poverty and need.  All this to say, I love what Live FashionABLE is doing.  They sell scarves made by women who have been marginalized by the effects of poverty & forced into prostitution.  The profits of the scarves are sent back to train and restore more women, helping create and sustain businesses that benefit these women and their families.  It's an amazing cycle that is bringing sustainable business into the fashion world.  I love that it helps women work, helps them break from degrading work like prostitution, helps them feed their families, and that it's a way to strengthen a weak economy.  Read more about how the cycle works and the specific women's stories here.  What does this have to do with weddings?  Live fashionABLE has been promoting their scarves as a great gift for bridesmaids and as part of the wedding day outfit.  I think this is great for 2 reasons- it's practical and purposeful:) You could pick out a fun color to go with the dresses and it would make for some awesome pictures, and it would help keep bridesmaids warmier= happier if you happened to be getting married when it's cooler.  Plus, you could wear it again!  And it is blessing people who don't have much and contributing to breaking a devastating cycle.  I posted the video here so you could see faces and hear the story of the man who started the organization...

Adam + Gina

Adam & Gina BLAKELY.  I am so happy for these two, and am grateful I got to be a part of their special day.  Gina was stunning all day... even when she was getting ready she looked like bride beautiful.  Adam was such a hero groom, seen best when he dipped Gina and kissed her when the pastor announced that he may kiss the bride (see picture).  It was nothing less than epic (and so very Adam if you know him)!   The two of them are just really cute and SO in love.  The wedding day was planned out with lots of class, from the fun red shoes Gina and the bridesmaids had on to the amazing band they had at the Biltmore in downtown Atlanta.  One of my favorite parts of the wedding was during the ceremony when they sang the doxology (and asked everyone to join in).  It was really special to me because we sing that with Ethan at night before bedtime.  Ethan has recently started to sing along with us (after 3 years of hearing it every night) and his version is really funny:)  But what made it so special was to think that people everywhere, in wedding ceremonies and nighttime routines are singing this same song about a God who is worthy of praise and pours out blessings on his people.  I thought about someday Ethan singing that same song at his wedding, knowing it had been the anthem under which he slept for most nights growing up.  At any rate, the other part of the day that meant so much to me was having my dad help me shoot the wedding.  As I've mentioned in lots of other posts, my dad was a wedding photographer in the 80s and 90s, and is a technical genius when it comes to photography.  He has helped me so much and it was such a special experience to be able to shoot Adam & Gina's wedding with him there.  My dad even did the manual labor jobs, like carry my cases around and holding light stands up in the air during the reception to help me brighten up the room.  This wedding was incredibly meaningful on so many levels, and was such a great time.  Thanks guys for letting me be a part of it, and I'm so glad that you are now officially Mr. & Mrs. Blakely!!