Thursday, December 20, 2007

julia & blake ;)

sorry this post is coming late....
there are just THAT many photos to sift through.
and i haven't even gotten joelle's pictures yet.
these are all of mine.

i need to apologize in advance to all of my other brides that i work with, because this post is going to be longer than any of your wedding overviews ever will be....this is going to be a personal post, for a personal friend.

julia and i went to church together, worked together, and then she got engaged and asked me to shoot her wedding. i was so thrilled, but wondering how i was going to pull it off professionally, while really staying in the moment and celebrating this massive covenant between the two of them!

i honestly do not have a clue where i should start, but i am going to go in chronological order and begin with the rehearsal dinner.
mr. schwarz did SUCH a wonderful job -- i was incredibly impressed!!!!! the decor was southwestern/tex-mex and it was simply adorable. the slideshow, the toasts, the anticipation of what the next day would bring...it was SO special for julia and such a thrill that i was there to share in that with them!!!






































the next morning, we all joined in the Wedding Day Brunch fun being held at Maggiano's....I wasn't really paying too much attention, as I was eating more than snapping pictures....but that's ok, right Mrs Flowers?? (she wanted me to have fun and not worry about this portion of the weekend festivities!)





then we headed back to the Flowers residence where the girls starting preparing to be shuttled to the church....



julia was dressed and ready to roll by the time i arrived!!!



and of course -- these are the shoes....





all the girls had been given lip gloss and i couldn't resist this line-up shot :)









her bouquet probably weighed 20lbs....
i'm not even kidding....







walking to the sanctuary!!



i love this picture. LOVE.
so much about it....capturing the SECOND before the doors open, i totally remember that feeling from my own wedding and MY stomach was having butterflies, so it's neat to remember that moment!



before i continue....i have to tell you....i'm hard to impress when it comes to weddings.
as a wedding photographer, i've seen it all.
granted - i still get choked up at times....it's hard to really throw me for a loop.
with that said...i've never...eeever...heard an organ like this.
it took my breath away.
julia walked down this aisle not only looking like an angel, but the music was astounding, full, magestic, and so so so powerful.



and i'll probably get choked up even typing this, because i DEFINITELY got teary-eyed in the balcony at this next part.
once she got to blake at the end of the aisle...the organ swelled to a thundering volume (at least in the balcony it did!!) and flowed into congregational singing with "O Come All Ye Faithful."

now, when i think of that song, i think of light violins on Christmas Eve.
not this version.
it sounded as though we were entering heaven.
i get chills even reliving it.

i've never been so thrilled that there are 4 stanzas to a song, and i could have stood up there and sung it over and over again all night.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.


it was truly magnificent.
julia, you were radiant, beyond imagination...
but even more radiant was the message...your example to everybody...
because we WILL adore Him forever and i could have stood in that balcony, and started forever RIGHT THEN!



i love this shot....



she glows when she smiles!!!























i was and still am so honored to have been able to witness this event with you both and with your families!!!! it was nothing but a joy and i hope you're having a wonderful time on your honeymoon!!!!!

much love always -- allison (& joelle)

Monday, November 26, 2007

Melanie & Matthew

i'm not certain that old town, alexandria will ever be the same after this past saturday's wedding, celebrating melanie and matthew!!!!

...but is that such a bad thing? ;)
i have to start by publicly thanking seth for helping out on saturday as my second shooter!! as a wedding photographer trying to anticipate each moment, calculate each factor, accommodate all the requests, i can say it's such a comfort to head into each wedding with a partner who 'gets it.' whenever he, or his wife, julie, pitch in as second shooters -- the day is THAT much smoother for me! THANKS SETH!!! you make my job so much easier....! (you too julz)

now -- this wedding was actually ALOT of fun! we started out in the bridal suite at the Old Town Hilton to get ready! we had hair...we had makeup...we had pets...we had it all! melanie is incredibly organized, and the morning went off without a hitch! when time isn't really a pressing problem -- i have that much more liberty to be creative with my photography and i feel this wedding in particular shows that!

the wedding was beautiful -- seth and i commented that this church, BY FAR, has the best overall lighting conditions out of ALL the churches we've shot in so far (hint, hint, future brides!!) and obviously, nothing beats the Old Town waterfront for some bridal party portraits. sure, everybody was reluctant in the beginning, after all, it was BARELY 50 degrees. but with some begging, we got some fantastic shots -- and before we knew it -- THE BRIDAL PARTY was offering crazy picture ideas!! i'm assuming that after a while, you go numb in those dresses and figure, WHAT THE HECK......and it worked out perfectly!!

i haven't even UPLOADED my reception photos yet -- these were simply the ones we showed at the reception while everybody was eating dinner....i have HUNDREDS MORE! but i'm a little behind with the holiday and all....so that will have to be Blog Part 2, for this wedding....

Melanie, you were a GORGEOUS bride and SO accommodating and it was our pleasure to capture your big day!!!!! Matthew, I'm sure Seth can comment more about his one-on-one time he had with you and the boys that morning but you were also a great sport, and I wish you all the best in the world!!!! Enjoy!!!