Congratulations to Emily and Johnny who are getting married today! They will be wed at St. George's in Belle Meade with a reception to follow at the Carriage House at Belle Meade Plantation. I do not have any photos of them but will leave you with a beautiful shot off Carl Rd in Leiper's Fork and my new sweet friend, Tootsie.
During the summer my workflow gets super busy!!! I spend at least 12 hours a day working on images, ordering proofs, uploading galleries, planning and marketing...sometimes with just one day off durning the week to work in the yard....it gets overwhelming, exhausting and then an email comes that knocks me in the head and reminds me how fulfilling being a photographer is.....
"Mary...
ohhh my goodness!! How is it that you are just SOO GOOD!! Its unfair to other photographers out there! Your ability to capture everyone's personality is almost unreal. In every picture -- especially the kids- the people actually look like themselves. We can't believe how many you got of us laughing or celebrating... It just reminds us of how ridiculously happy we were that day.
Every. Single. Person- keeps telling us how great our photos are- how we all look like we belong in a magazine or in Times Square... how it was incredible that you caught some of the most split-second, greatest moments... The champagne flying out of the bottle as Eric corked it, or the toast of my sister's and all of us cracking up! We are just so overjoyed with your work- you were everything we've ever dreamed of for a photographer and hands down the BEST decision we made...
You created lasting memories of how amazing that day was and caught the energy in a way that will bring us back to it every time we look at those photos.
Thank you... so much.
Monique and Eric"
This is Jax at two weeks. Amazing how much he has grown!
This past Saturday, June 23rd Jessica and Jeff tied the knot at The World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day. Jessica looked absolutely stunning and Jeff is one of the most handsome men I have ever met! Jessica's girls wore these beautiful salmon colored dresses and Jeff and his guys wore really sharp khaki suits with ties that matched the bridesmaids dresses.
Jessica had a picnic theme going on with quilts spread out on the lawn behind the church, a tent complete with red checked tableclothes and flipflops for the guests to wear. The guests dined on picnic food. Fried chicken, bisquits, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and baked beans. It was yummy. Thanks to the caterers for making me a plate that has fed me for three days!!
All the flowers were created by the fabulous Sarah Timms of Stems by Sarah. The guys wore a single peachy gerber daisy, the girls carried bouquets of mixed flowers and the bride carried a bouquet of miniture white and peach roses. The moms wore a single gardenia.
In lieu of the guest book the couple ordered a signature board. The board measured roughly 30x20 and had a three image storyboard with images from their engagement session.
The couple departed under a cascade of rose petals for the downtown Hilton.
a load of terrific clients!!
"they look so good!!!! we are so excited to see the rest of them. i love the ones with izzy the most :) and christian loved all of them. thank you so much again, we really had a lot of fun. we were excited about working with you after we saw your portfolio and we are even more excited now that we have worked with you!! we can't wait for the wedding!"
lib christian and izzy
"Ahhh! I love them already! Amazing! I knew I made the right choice with you...one decision I was immediately 150% positive on! I am so pleased already! Thanks so much for posting and sending me a sneak preview...don't worry, I looked and then went right back to work!
Thanks again...look forward to seeing the others!" michelle
A few days ago I met Michelle and Matt on Vanderbilt's campus for their engagement session. They drove in from Memphis for their session. These two are so cute and have lots of chemistry. On this trip to the campus I discovered a few new areas, such as the tall moss covered tall picket fence that hides HAVC equipment, a fire escape and a bed of these really cool smooth rocks.
Last week I met Libby, Christain, Izzy (their dog) and the Porsche for a photo session for Libby and Christian's engagement. We went to the Shelby Street Bridge. Libby brought her beloved, Izzy and Christian, his beloved Porsche which he and his dad have spent the past 11 years restoring!! Both are super cool, creative, beautiful individuals. Also, Libby's mom came along as Izzy's caretaker and Christian's dad as the car's caretaker.
This little guy is soooo cute! I photographed him for the first time a few months ago. What a beautiful family he has been born into. His mom is also one of the first to purchase a wrap canvas from me and has it hanging in his room.
When Blaine's mom called me to set up an appointment she mentioned his curls. Wow!! What a cutie pie. Blaine loves rocks, his Thomas the train and these two adorable stuffed animals, Bear and a lion that his grandma gave him.
a few days ago I went to the home of Carissa and Tim to photograph their sweet family. Carissa told me she had a one, two and three year old and I have to say it was a challange! Everyone did so well!! Carissa is such a sweet and patient mom. After we did some family photos and individuals we moved to the swingset and then the kitchen to make some cookies.
I love the photos so far and hope you, Carissa and Tim enjoy them as well.
Mary--
oh wow.
I've already sent the link to EVERYONE so they can see some of the absolutely gorgeous work you did... my goodness. I'm in shock. They are just so stunning... Its so strange to see me and Eric in those photos- especially when studying the other brides you photographed... now WE'RE in them!! crazy!
So excited to see more of your work- you are absolutely insanely talented, Mary...
what a great group of photos to come home to... look forward to hearing from you!
Monique =)
A few weeks ago I met Anne Claire and her sweet mom, Lucy Claire in Leiper's Fork to photograph A.C. in her gown! We started out at Serenite Maison, an eclectic store full of all sorts of really cool stuff. Alex, the owner was gracious enough to allow us to use the store for a few minutes. Of course, I could not get out of there without buying a couple of vases with images on them and carry light beautifully. We then headed over to Leiper's Creek Gallery, where A.C.'s aunt Lisa is the curator. I had a great time finding places such as the doorway and huge window in the back to place Anne Claire. Lisa was a huge help creatively as she suggested we use some of the paintings as "backdrops". I really liked the results. We then headed out back to the Leiper's Fork stage and finished up.
If you are ever out Leiper's Fork way you should check it out! It is a great community...one that I would consider leaving Old Hickory Village for!!
Saturday turned out to be such a beautiful day!
I arrived at the site at 1:20 to be greeted by a septic tank truck. It seems that the septic system overflowed...ewwww....the home owners have been in the house for sixteen years and this was the first time this had happened. Everything was cleaned up and smelling fresh way before the ceremony.
The site looked so beautiful. Monique and Eric were married on the back porch of his aunt's home with the guests shaded by a huge oak tree. One could distant thunder in the background but we were very lucky as no rain fell. I heard reports the next day from my friends of crazy downpours all around the city. Eric even had a backup plan that was Top Secret and not to be opened unless rain came. I wonder what was in the envelope? It was a beautiful ceremony full of classic 40's music. After the ceremony the bridal party and myself boarded a pontoon boat and took a little cruise! It was such a nice way for everyone to decompress before the reception.
Below are just a few of my favorites...there are soooo many more....I just loved being around Monique and Eric, their families and friends. Everyone made me feel so welcome. I really felt like a guest and not just the offical photographer!!
