Ashley & Dallin's E-Sesh!

Dear Abercrombie: I found your next model's.  Love, Rachel

I met Ashley & Dallin over pizza at Brixx.  They were both so cordial and wonderful to talk with, and we had such a great time out and about finding great places to shoot.  There was this beautiful pond down the street from their house that Ashley wanted to shoot at.  So we parked the car down this back road, hopped a fence and walked this covered path... that led us around the backside of the pond and into another field... HA!  So we walked back and just parked the car across the street from the pond.  It wouldn't be an amazing e-sesh without hopping a few fences right?

And of course I saved my favorite till last!

A Way to a Woman's Heart

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, what is the way to a woman's heart? My surmise? Flowers. Ryan surprised me by bringing home flowers, as well as some of my favorite foods when he went out for half n half yesterday morning (for some reason this man refuses to just put milk in his coffee when we run out of half n half!).

You have to know a few things about my husband... The scene from Kate & Leopold where Charlie is buying flowers for Patrice changed my husband's life. When he buys flowers, it may not be the best arrangement ever... but it means something. It literally means something. Every flower has a meaning, and he refuses to buy a flower if he doesn't know what the meaning is or if it conflicts with another flower that he decided to buy already.

When he told me that the red flowers are called "Red Rover Mums"... my response to this was "As in, 'Red Rover, Red Rover send Rachel right over'?" This was NOT the right response... :) When he put the arrangement together he named it "Rest" and presented it to me. And that my friends is how well my husband knows me. I needed something over the next week or so to remind me of the time I spent up in VA, and keep those memories fresh in my mind. My husband is the best man a woman could ask for... Enjoy the flowers!

The Bridesmaids vs. The Dress

My friend Emmy got engaged many moons ago, and asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I remember walking into the bridal shop, asking for the dress number in my "size" and taking it into the dressing room. Here, my friends, is where I had an emotional breakdown... I was not a size 6... The very kind and stylish designer would not let me fit into their size 6... today I was a 10. Double digits? I nearly died.

The same thing happened with my wedding... and the phone calls from the bridesmaids ensued... "Are you sure this is the dress we're supposed to wear?", "The size chart is wrong!"... Really? The size chart? From the designer who makes the dresses? You're going to argue with that? OK (the sarcasm on that remark was free).

Listen, I, of all people understand that your size does matter. We hold onto that size 2, 4, 6 or 16 with every inch; and when some dress designer wants to tell us that we're a size 10 or 20 it makes us stand there with our mouth open saying, "huh!?"

Here is what all bridesmaids need to understand... You were chosen out of many childhood friends, high school BFF's, college suitemates, and workplace confidants... YOU! The Bride chose YOU to stand up with her on the most important day of her life, and your only responsibility is to take stress OFF of your friend. I've worn bridesmaid dresses that I hated, thought were the wrong color, insulted at the size and sold afterward. Her taste may not be yours, and the designer may be off in your mind... but it's not really about you is it? Choose to be a friend in this time. The dress and the day is not about you... it's about the Bride and Groom. Put your focus there and you will make your Bride a friend for life.

Books that saved my life when I was a bridesmaid can be found here.

XOXO

Morning Coffee

I blame my parents... 100%.

My fondest memories of my childhood were the ones where I got to sit in on my parents morning conversations. I would walk down the stairs in a fog, and there they were every morning... sitting & talking over their morning coffee. Over the years and into warmer weather, they would migrate to the back deck and listen to the birds... or my dad would shoot them (another story for another time). The best time I had was the 6 months before my wedding after I had moved from California, and was living at home again... Some of the best talks I had with my parents were in the morning hours over a cup o' joe. This is what people who have businesses out of their home do!

Now, I'm like this grumpy old man getting out of bed, and begging my husband to have a cup with me before he walks out the door for work... And it's all my parents fault. I want to recreate those conversations with my hubby, but he's always faithful at pouring me a cup before he leaves... even if he can't sit down and enjoy it with me. Maybe someday he'll stop looking at his watch so intently and we can enjoy one of those morning conversations... Maybe after retirement :)

Ashley & Joe's E-Sesh!

HOT. HOT. HOT. OMG. OMG. OMG.

Thirsty for more yet? I was drooling all over these pictures while I was editing, luckily my keyboard survived. I am so thrilled with the fact that Ashley & Joe are my clients... and they almost weren't!

I met with Ashley a few months back, but her Mom wanted to meet me before signing any checks - which is fine, I've dealt with Mother's before (heck, I HAVE one right?). Meanwhile, I had another couple emailing me almost everyday asking if I could meet them - but they wanted me for Ashley & Joe's date! I just had this gut feeling (which again, is right 99.99% of the time) that Ashley & Joe were supposed to be MY couple! So, I met with Mom (hi, Mom!) and showed her my albums, portfolio and contract... and I was booked on the spot! *enter sigh of relief here*

Ashley & Joe were definitely a hot couple to photograph, as well as two people I want to get to know better and hang out with! They had this 50's theme rockin' out all night long, and the love that was in their eyes tells me only one thing... It's an old school kind of love.

Here are some of my fave's from our Southend/Uptown session... only the best folks, only the best...

LOVE THIS ONE!!!

So I meet up with Ashley & Joe at Byron's South End where she showed me a picture that was hanging on her wall... she wanted to replicate it using them! I was thrilled!!!! Finally, something to TEST my creativity! I think I nailed it... It was definitely my absolute favorite from our session!

Rest. Recoop. Refill.

This past week has been amazing. My wonderful husband literally pushed me out of the house, and made me spend time out and away from the busy-ness of our lives. So I drove up to Virginia, and spent some time at our old stomping grounds... Crosspointe (the former Life East campus).

For the first time in a long time I actually found myself thinking clearly and enjoying life again. I met with my friend Cheyenne last week, and we both couldn't get over how "down" we had been feeling lately (my personal feeling is that as wedding photographers you get this rush of adrenaline to help you "push" through the season, and then have this big let down after things have slowed down... kinda've like a bride after the wedding is over. :)

So I went to all my old haunts... Bisset Park (Radford), The Cascades, walking to the 2nd stop sign... Life finally came into focus, and the realizations followed... The past really isn't overpowering, and can't control my future if I don't let it. Who I am fits, and I don't have to make myself try to be anyone other than me... and that's a sigh of relief. People are going to hurt me - that's just life, and the more I run from it the more people I hurt... I think that realization is the most true, and the most painful. It's the walking through life knowing people are going to scuff you up and leave you with bruises, cuts and scrapes that scares me to death; but that doesn't mean that I have to stop being me.

Enjoy the following - it's the awful scenery that surrounded me in VA for almost a whole week! Can you imagine living around this stuff all the time??? Sheesh!

DJ & Andria Married!

This love is the kind that books are written about...

DJ & Andria are an amazing couple, with an amazing family... and a truly wonderful story. There are very few things that make me cry at weddings, but every once in a while something truly unique and beautiful strikes a chord in my heart.

While the girls were putting the final touches on their hair and makeup; DJ's daughter, Rachel was sitting off by herself and said, "Today is going to be the best day ever. Today is when my Daddy marries Andria, and I get to have the best Mom in the whole world." And that, my friends, encapsulated the entire day.

As the day rolled on, I began to see that the love that DJ & Andria share with each other is the kind of love you only wish you could have. They have a deep seated understanding of their admiration and adoration of each other, and that love filled every room they entered. The moments they shared with each other after the ceremony were sweet and romantic, and reminded me of the kisses and love my grandparents shared... A love that would go the distance.

Thank you both for allowing me to photograph your day, and be apart of your family for the past few months. It was truly an honor.

Many thanks to Dawn Roof, for second shooting, Heather Brady from The Look for makeup, and Bryan Borrelli for all the fabulous hair!

Beautiful flowers provided by Darlene from The Petal Shoppe...

And of course... My favorite is last...