Warning: Awesome, albeit lengthy story below…

Josh has stayed in touch with me since 2008 when I photographed him at UK. It’s been fun hearing about all the cool things he’s been doing since graduating (like living in NYC, Chicago and working for MTV…haaaaaay). Josh has always popped in from time to time to comment on my blog posts, but since meeting Ashley, I’ve noticed more and more interest in the wedding photography.

A couple months ago, Josh contacted me to see if I’d be available to meet him at Natural Bridge. He said that Ashley might be the only person more obsessed with my work than he was, so he’d like to have me there as a surprise to Ashley to capture the moment that he proposed. Sweet guy, eh?

Plans changed, though, and Josh realized that their trip to Kentucky would be shorter than expected and that proposing at Natural Bridge wouldn’t be logistically possible. He assured me, though, that he would be in touch in the future to talk about the photography for their Chicago wedding.

He came up with an even cooler way to propose–at a concert hall in Chicago where they had first met. He arranged with the owner to have exclusive access to the venue. He printed up fake tickets to an event, took Ashley there, and much to her surprise,  they were there all alone. It was then that he proposed. Well played, sir.

But another surprise was brewing. You see, Josh’s best friend Ashlee (who I’ve know as long as Josh) arranged for me to come to Kentucky’s Rough River Lake  the day after the proposal. It’s there where Josh and Ashley would be coming to celebrate with friends and Josh’s parents at their lake house. They were told to bring something cute to wear that night, because they would be going out to a nice restaurant near the lake to celebrate. I arrived after they were all inside the house, got my camera ready, and then cued Ashlee to bring them outside. They came walking out, and I was there with my gear, ready for an engagement session. Josh, who prides himself on being unsurprisable, was speechless. Ashley was surprised, too, but came up to me immediately to chat. She’s such a sweet (and beautiful) person.

And Ashlee is an amazing friend to them both for putting this all together. I was happy to be a part of something so fun.

Josh’s parents have the yard of their lake house decorated with so much interesting, colorful and eclectic decor. The colors you see in the foreground of this next shot are from a Mississippi Bottle Tree. They keep bad spirits away.

The best way to know that Josh was surprised? Had he known he’d be photographed, he might have brought different socks. Ashley swears that he was wearing hers…lol

From left to right, Giancarlo (another good friend), Josh, Ashley, and Ashlee.

The rest of the fam—Brittany, Priscilla and Coconut.

Love this shot of Josh and Ashlee.

Told you it was eclectic!

Next, we went to the marina. Ashlee stayed behind with Josh’s parents to help them prepare dinner. Giancarlo came along to help out with the reflector.

Ashley and Josh “borrowed” a couple items from a nearby boat.

Being there to surprise them the day after their engagement was a treat for me, too. They were still glowing from the proposal.

This was not staged. Bwahaha.

The sun had already set while we were driving back to the lake house, but there was still just a bit of that sweet dusk sky left to rock out some off camera lighting.

Giancarlo was a champ.

My favorite from the day.

Back at the house, we enjoyed a tasty vegetarian dinner and sat around swapping stories. I got to know Ashley better, and she’s just as amazing as Josh has been telling us she is. I’m so happy for them, and that they have a good friend like Ashlee that helped put all this together. Great weekend.

And no post would be complete without one more shot of Coconut.

Thank for stopping by, everyone! Please leave a comment below and hit me up on Facebook if you feel so inclined. Here’s the page for the studio, and here’s my personal page. Bye!

Purvi and Paras are getting married later this year in Lexington, but when it came time to schedule the engagement session, there was really only one option. It was in Louisville that they had their first date. Louisville where Paras proposed. Purvi lives there, so it’s in Louisville that they reconnect when Paras is in town. And if there’s a city to fall in love in, I think Louisville’s a pretty awesome choice. Cool architecture, interesting people, culture for days, and then there’s the waterfront.

On their wedding website, Paras tells how he first saw Purvi at a graduation party they both happened to be attending. He saw her from across the room and couldn’t take his eyes off her.  I love when that happens. When something unexplainable draws people together. That’s the good stuff.

Another fortunate coincidence for me was that Purvi’s father knows the Holly’s father. You might remember Holly and Vinay from last year, when I photographed their Indian wedding. Purvi and Paris came to know my work through seeing those images. So thanks, Mr. Enaker, for spreading the word!

To Purvi and Paras—-you guys rock. I had so much fun hanging out that night, and I’ll look forward to seeing you soon!

Here are a few of my favorites from my time with Purvi and Paras. Enjoy, and please feel free to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter, and to keep up with my newest work and upcoming promotions, you might want to go to the studio’s Facebook page.  Thanks for stopping by!

Imagine a fresh, homemade apple pie. Now add whipped cream. And more apples. With sugar. That’s how sweet Elaine and Tommy are.

They’re thoughtful, too. The wedding had so many little reminders of their past. Paris Landing is the same place where Tommy and Elaine had their first date. Last June, Tommy planned a scavenger hunt that lead Elaine back to that same shoreline to propose. Awesome, right?

Elaine carried and wore a three special items on her wedding day. Her maternal grandmother’s wedding ring, the Bible her paternal grandmother carried at her own wedding, and Elaine’s mother’s pearl necklace. She wanted to honor the three most important women in her life. Told you she was sweet!

Last thing to mention—If there were ever an event where I’d feel pressure to be PERFECT, it would be this one. Tommy, Elaine and Elaine’s dad Bill are all photographers. No pressure, eh?

I saw some of Bill’s work during the photo-montage slideshow running during the reception. How wonderful to have so many moments from Elaine’s childhood captured (quite brilliantly) by the loving eye of her dad. Makes me want to photograph Carson even more while I have the opportunities.

Below you’ll find some of my faves, as well as a highlights slideshow at the end. Hope you like everything! To see all the images, you can click HERE and receive a gift credit to use toward purchases. Thanks!

How cool that their first look was in the same spot as their first date and proposal?

My favorite from the day.

Gorgeous!

Tommy and Elaine exited the wedding by boat. With me aboard!

Beautiful shot of Tommy’s mom.

You might remember my many posts about Bill and Jackie Powell from Serif Group. They are the ones who gave my business its new look a couple years back (logo, website, printed materials, ads—everything). I love their work, but I love them as people even more. They’re friends with Elaine, and that’s how I got connected with this wedding. Below, you’ll see Bill rocking out some mad dj skills as a wedding present to Elaine and Tommy.

Billy, Zachary, Jackie and Bill

A little shout-out to the vendors:

Venue: Paris Landing
Cake: Cakes N’ Things/Vicky Geurin
Flowers:  A Festive Touch/Jodi Richerson
Hair: Hair Studio/Jessica Wilburn
Make-up: Sara Horstman
Musicians: Jennifer Becker and Kasey Tobin

And lastly, if you enjoyed these images and would like to stay in touch, I’d love that.

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