Brace yourself for some seriously amazing DIY backyard engagement party! Nermin and Jehad put this together in TWO WEEKS…. two weeks people?! I wish everyone would start throwing amazing parties like this and of course inviting me to photograph them!
I was thrilled when they contacted me, but I thought for sure they had to have the date wrong. How could they pull off an engagement party for a large group from stratch in two weeks with catering, flowers, decorating etc. Well not only did they pull it off they blew everyone’s minds! I should have taken into consideration that Nermin is an amazing graphic designer and DIY expert. And when Jehad told me it would be held in his parents backyard he forgot to mentioned that is wasn’t any backyard, it was THE backyard to hold an event!
Here are some of my favorites from their party! It was a blast getting to know them and their families as they celebrated their engagement!
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We still did a “first look” because a) I love them and b) it’s always fun to get dressed up and do a big reveal no matter what the occasion!
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Then we did a little mini session as their friends and family were arriving….. seriously people these were all shot right behind the house… I want to live there!
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And brace yourselves for some details 🙂
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As part of their candy table they had locally farmed honey as a treat for their guests to take home…. yum!
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Everyone needed to work up an appetite before dinner and obviously dancing is the best way to do that!
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As the sun started to set the space became this dreamy wonderland of candlight. Nermin did such a wonderful job with lighting that I had to reshoot the details!
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They have friends and family all over the world and as a surprise some of them sent video messages congratulating them….
I laughed, I cried and I didn’t even know anyone so you can only imagine what everyone else’s reaction was!
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And lastly as always a photo of me with the lucky couple! Thank you for letting be a part of the party!
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For anyone currently planning a wedding this post is for you! People always say there are “hot” colors and trends for weddings each year and I don’t know what this year was supposed to be, but I saw a variety of awesomeness! From candlit backyard events to golf themed receptions and personalized touches galore these are my favorite color palettes and themes from the weddings I shot this year! I think definitely the green color family was popular – lots of mints and soft greens as accent colors!
PS – Just 3 post to go after this one (The Couples, The Toasts and The Parties)
First of all I have to start with the Pinterest worthy backyard engagement party of Nermin and Jehad. It was detail heaven…. and you haven’t even seen it because the blog post is still on my to-do list. This is just a taste of the awesomeness that is to come…..
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Julie and John pulled off their yellow, gray and green combo flawlessly!
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My associate Allie shot Jessica and Zach’s travel themed reception and I am OBSESSED with all the awesome details they had!
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I loved the bold statement Lauren and Jordan’s purple and orange combo make – perfect for a fall wedding!
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Elizabeth and Andy used great spring colors for their May wedding. Yellow and gray is always a good combo, but add in some pinks and greens and it’s even better!
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Rebecca and Nathan’s winter wonderland December wedding was details galore. Thanks to Barry at Ivy Vine Florals and Diane at Just Breathe Events for all the eye candy!
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Who needs 50 shades of grades of grey when you can have 50 shades of purple?! (ok maybe not 50, but who’s counting).
I loved the mix of purples for Emma and Michael’s April wedding.
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Krista and Billy win for best DIY of the year! Their golf themed reception was full of handmade details from the tee seating charts to the gold table numbers, Krista was a busy bride!
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Mint was one of the big colors for 2013 and I love the subtle elegance of it that you can see here in Leann and Thomas’s wedding.
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I loved all the color at Barb and Ali’s reception!
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Morgan and Mike’s red and grey wedding, complete with custom bobblehead cake toppers!
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And now we come to the most important part of the day – the actual wedding ceremony! Whether it’s a religious ceremony in a church or a backyard affair with your cousin officiating the emotions are always running high at this point. For most of my church weddings this is also the first time the groom sees his bride (although we all know I love a good first look) so the nerves start to come into play.
As a photographer the ceremony is always a challenge as different churches have different rules about where you can and can’t go. Some let you roam free and you can get great angles and some make you stand in the very back the entire time while you pray that Uncle Bob doesn’t lean out into the aisle and block you right during the first kiss! (it happens). Some churches have great stained glass windows and light coming in and others are like shooting photos in a cave…. except you can’t use a flash haha. But this year I got to shoot at some great venues, both inside and out! Although as I’m looking through alot of my favorites are outside! What can I say, I have a preference for outdoor natural light!
Here are my 10…. ok 11… favorite ceremonies photos of the year!
I love this shot as Carrie and Ben stopped for a kiss at the end of aisle!
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This is a prime example of why I shoot with a second photographer. While I was inside shooting the bridesmaids coming down the aisle Renata got this shot of Leann with her dad just before he was going to give her away. Sometimes you need a deep breath and little talk from dad!
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Joe watching his bride walk down the aisle!
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This was at the Basicilia at Notre Dame during Elizabeth and Andy’s wedding. During part of the ceremony they walk back to the Lady Chapel and I love this little moment of silence with just them during the ceremony.
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My favorite first kiss shot of the year from Hawaii! The tradition is that they have to continue to kiss until he stops blowing the conch shell…. I don’t think they minded 🙂
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Morgan wins for best arrival to a ceremony! She and her dad arrived by horse and carriage for her plantation wedding to Mike.
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I love this little glance from Julie to John during their ceremony. In some churches I can’t even get to a place that I can see their faces during the ceremony, but luckily at this one I did!
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This year I did a few smaller wedding at city hall. This is Alexis and Bob exiting city hall after their ceremony!
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Love this smile from Keri during the ceremony! Apparently I wasn’t as ninja like as I thought because she found the camera!
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I’m always looking for a different view or angle so I used these leaves as a frame during Barb and Ali’s wedding in Indy.
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There is just something I love about this photo of Emma entering the church with her dad….
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