Kristy owns the real estate company I work for. We both used to work for another great company in Lexington, but Kristy, being driven and immensely brave, left the safety of the nest to start her own company. I joined  her team a little while later, because there’s something about new beginnings that’s exciting to me. Today her company, RE/MAX Elite is one of the most successful real estate firms in town, not because Kristy is awesome (but she is), but because she encourages her agents to be.

This wedding wasn’t just about Kristy and Todd joining their lives together, though it was a huge part, of course. It was also about joining together two sweet families—Kristy and her three kids with Todd and his two.  As a wedding photographer, it can be tempting to apply a one-size-fits-all approach to telling the story through pictures, but I think it’s most important to always be true to the moment. Capturing the spirit of the people and relationships. Recording the real them, though not as a passive observer, but rather as one person with a camera who is very fond of this family.

Cake: Brandi Romines, Happy As A Lark Cakes

Flowers: Mary Warren, All That Blooms

Makeup: Rachael Bullock

Catering: Seasons Catering

Reception:Signature Club

Music: Ben Lacy

Coolest part of my job? Becoming part of family history.

Summer 2008: Allison and Nick are married in Lexington
Spring 2010: Allison’s brother Ryan marries Cynthia in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Summer 2010: Allison and Nick bring Baby Audrey home from the hospital
Fall 2010: Allison gets her MBA and Nick passes the bar exam. Graduation party ensues on a riverboat in Cincy.

And I was there with camera in hand. Cool, eh?

Now I can add one more date to the list. May 1st, 2011, I spent the afternoon with Allison and Nick in their new house in northern Kentucky celebrating Audrey’s first birthday.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

To Allison and Nick—Thank you for keeping me in the loop. It’s been great seeing you go through all the fun life changes. You’re doing an amazing job. Audrey’s a sweetie! Talk to you soon!

After having to cancel our first session because of rain, Paige and Jeremy ventured out on a sunny, albeit chilly day recently so that we could get some shots of Audrey at one-year-old. Totally worth it. She’s a sweetie.

I had a great time with you all!

Joining in on the fun later in the session was cousin Kayden. His mom Jennifer (one of my former wedding clients, btw…) brought him by for a few quick shots. Great seeing you, Jennifer!

Thanks, Paige and Jeremy! You’re doing an awesome job with Audrey. And CONGRATS on the soon-to-be addition to the fam! Can’t wait to meet up again!