Last wedding of 2009!  Woohoo!

What a way to cap off the wedding season. Torie’s and Scott’s Frankfort wedding couldn’t have been better. Crestwood Baptist Church and the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History were excellent choices for wedding venues. Late November in Kentucky can be dicey, but it was a clear and reasonably warm day. Even better? Torie and Scott chose to do all of their pictures together prior to the ceremony (love it), so we got to go into downtown Frankfort for some really sweet portraits of them and the wedding party.

To Torie and Scott—Thank you!  I’m so glad you chose me to be your wedding photographer.  It really was a perfect day, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.  You rock!

To Billy Ray and Micah—Good seeing you again!  Stay in touch!

Here are just a handful of my favorites:

Big group!

My favorite shot of the day. Cool, right?

So funny.

Betsy Whiteman was my second shooter for this last wedding of 2009.  Check out this cool setup for the ring shot she came up with.  Awesome, eh?

Love this shot.

Before you watch the slideshow, will you all do me a favor?  I love staying in touch with the friends and family of my clients.  Feel free to add me on Facebook and Twitter.  Oh, and you can go HERE to see all of the wedding images once they’re up.  In the meantime, by preregistering, you’ll get a five dollar gift credit toward any prints you purchase.  Cool, right?

Enjoy the slideshow and please leave a comment below if you feel so inclined.  Thanks for stopping by!  Bye! -shaun

For once in my life, I’m at a loss for words.  I want to tell you how amazing this wedding weekend in Nashville was for me, but I swear—every word feels inadequate.  For someone like me who gathers energy and inspiration from my surroundings, this wedding was nearly too much for me to handle.  I seriously felt overwhelmed visually, emotionally, at a soul-level.  Let me try my best to explain this and not sound like a babbling fool…

Jess and Billy are like gravity.  They draw together effortlessly, and never with an ounce of pretense or show.  They are 100% comfortable with themselves and each other, and it shows in the easy spirit they carry.  This sentiment echoed throughout the whole weekend.  Everyone was warm and festive.  Like a much overdo family reunion.  I’ve never seen so much hugging, and I’m a hugger from way back.  Love it.

The venue?  Seriously?  I could shoot there for an entire wedding season and still never capture that much beauty.  Historic Cedarwood is THE ideal place for a wedding and reception.  The facilities, the grounds, the food, the service—perfectly connected.

Okay…I can sense that my words are falling short.  I’m going to shut-up now and let you enjoy these images!

Gorgeous, right?

A fun little spin on American Gothic.  Make sure you check out the slideshow to see what else Jess and Billy did with the pitch-fork.

To the family and friends of Jess and Billy—I had a blast with you.  Keep in touch with me through Twitter and Facebook!

To see all of the proofs, go HERE and preregister. You’ll get a nifty five dollar gift credit for print purchases by doing so.

To Jess and Billy—Thank you.  You’ve enriched my life, and I can’t wait to stay in touch.

And now for the slideshow!  Enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment below when you’re finished! Bye y’all!  -shaun

I sold Amber and Lee their first home a few months ago.  It’s really fun for me when I get to help people with their weddings AND their real estate.  I love doing both jobs, and I love my clients.

Lee and Amber had both their ceremony and reception out at the gorgeous Spring Valley Golf Club.  The following vendors helped to round out the day perfectly:

Catering: Dottie’s Catering

Flowers: Misty’s Florist

DJ: D.Jay Music Service (Jay Ring)

Photography:  Me, silly!

Here are some of my faves:

Amber and Lee chose to do all of their formal photography BEFORE the wedding ceremony, which means we got to do one of my favorite things, a first look.  With a first look, the bride and groom still get that special *wow* moment, seeing each other for the first time, but it’s private.  Just the two of them.  I’m there, too, but I’m hanging back, staying out of the mix while they enjoy some quiet moments together before we get the rest of the day started.  Since all of the formal pictures are out of the way early, the bride and groom, wedding party, and immediate family get to join the rest of the guests at the reception immediately after the ceremony.  Perfect!

So sweet.  Love this shot.

Priceless.

I don’t always post pics of the dj at weddings, but this guy is particularly special to me—he’s my brother from the same mother!  Jay, a.k.a. D.Jay (clever, right?), does an AMAZING job, and we work really well together.  Whether you’re needing music at your wedding, corporate event, or private party, he’s your guy.  Check him out HERE.

Before you watch the highlights slideshow, do me a favor.  Please click HEREto add me to your Facebook, and click HEREto follow me on Twitter.  I love staying in touch with the family and friends of my clients!  OOh, and one last thing—Click HEREto reregister to see all of the images from the wedding (there are a TON)!  You’ll receive a five dollar credit toward any print purchases by doing so, too.  Easy!

Enjoy the slideshow! Peace out, y’all!  -shaun

Leather Craftsmen is the shiz.  They’ve long been recognized as one of the best album manufacturers around.  A bit pricier, sure, but we’re talking about albums that will be passed down as heirlooms.  It’s worth it!

Also worth it?  Every cent I’ve spent with the Serif Group this year.  Check out my new print collateral.  The logo, stickers, custom wrapping paper, notecards, envelopes…all of it—all their ideas. Aren’t they the coolest?

One quick note:  Don’t be hatin’ on my gift wrapping skills.  I tried my best! 

I love my couples, and I love visiting their hometowns.  Lindsey’s and Corey’s wedding in Brodhead, Kentucky was a breath of fresh air toward the end of the 2009 wedding season.  It was a little cold out, but it was great to be out in the beautiful landscape of Rockcastle County, just as the leaves were in the peak of their color change.  Even better?  Being around laid-back, warm people.  Good for the soul, you know?  Thank you to Scott Hicks for second-shooting with me.  Always fun, homey!

Big thanks to the following vendors who made the whole day perfect:

Catering: Schafer’s Catering

Flowers: Teresa Thompson

Cake: Kasandra McNeil

Check out some of my favorite images and the entire highlights slideshow below.  I’d love to hear from all of you, so please stay in touch!  You can add me on Facebook and Twitter, too!

Lindsey and Corey opted to see each other before the ceremony in order to get all of their wedding party and family shots done early.  Be sure to check out the slideshow below, and you’ll see how the “first look” moment works out.  It’s a very sweet way to still get that “ah-ha” moment.  This is a shot of Corey seeing Lindsey for the first time.  Awesome, right?

Totally unstaged.  I walked outside the sanctuary right before the ceremony and found Corey taking a few minutes to collect himself.  Love it.

McKinsey, the bride’s sister, rocked out a bit during the ceremony.  She’s sooooo good, and I hope she’ll call me for her promo photography when as she’s climbing the ladder of the music biz.

Wanna see the highlights?  Click on the play button below!

ALL of the pics will be available HERE in a week or so.  Feel free to click on the link and preregister to see them.  You’ll be notified once they’re ready, and you’ll get a credit for any purchases, too.  Thanks, y’all!  -shaun

I met Ethan at a crawfish boil several years back.  We talked cameras, he educated me a bit about hot sauces, and we ended up staying in touch.  He and Mia called me up last year to be their buyer’s agent when they were ready to buy their first house.  Through that process, I got to know both of them a lot better, and I’m so glad to now be able to call them friends.  They’re salt-of-the-earth kind of people.  Smart. Funny. Genuinely warm.

With so many people coming in from out-of-town for their wedding, Mia and Ethan wanted to give their wedding guests a real feel for Kentucky.  They started the day with an early, intimate ceremony at the historic Bell House in downtown Lexington.  I couldn’t help but feel a lump in my throat as Ethan’s joy overflowed into tears during the vows.  Such an honest, sweet moment.

Every detail about Mia’s and Ethan’s wedding was unique and fun.  Cupcakes and jellybeans.  Mason jar vases for the flowers.  Ethan wore a sharp, dark-gray suit with a green tie and handkerchief to match the green mums in Mia’s bouquet.  Mia’s dress? 100% perfectly her.  A-line, empire waist, with a tea-length cut so she could rock some purple pumps.  Awesome, right?  For their favors, Ethan got to inject his passion for heat.  Each guest took home a bottle of CaJohns hot sauce, complete with custom labels showing their fave engagement session image.

After the 9:30AM ceremony, the guests got to enjoy a hearty southern breakfast with such staple items as sausage, biscuts and gravy, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns (peppers included–good call, Ethan).  With the ceremony, breakfast, cupcakes, and formal photography wrapped up by noon, everyone got to enjoy the rest of the cool late-October afternoon in classic Lexington-fashion—the fall meet at Keeneland.  What a fun way to hang out with your guests, right?

To Ethan and Mia—You two rock.  I’m thrilled to be in your lives.  I wish we could get together more often!

To everybody—If you enjoy the images and slideshow below, please do me a favor and give me a shout-out in the comments section.  Here in a few weeks, you’ll be able to see all of the proofs, too.  You can go ahead and click HEREto pre-register (AND get a discount).  Last thing?  Please add me to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  I’d really like to stay in touch with y’all!  Talk to you soon!  -shaun

Definitely my favorite shot of the whole day.  I love Mia’s laugh, and you can totally see the surprise AND adoration in Ethan’s eyes.  Awesome.

Don’t forget to watch the slideshow!  Thanks!