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Engagement: Jessica & Danny – Blount Cultural Park – Montgomery, Alabama

I love tradition. Really, I do. I have a military dad and an Asian mom, so my family was built on cultures known for respecting tradition. But I have a very independent spirit too, so I also love people who are willing to buck tradition and do their own thing. There’s nothing wrong with wearing a dress or a sport coat in your engagement pictures (and I’ve shot that many times), but there’s nothing wrong with having a uniform, kids, and a motorcycle in them either. 🙂 So when Jessica mentioned that she wanted Danny to wear his military uniform in some of their pictures, I thought that was great. Put Danny’s 13, 7, and 6 year old kids in a few pictures? Even better. Then they showed up with Danny’s slick black Harley Davidson. I’m pretty sure I drooled a little bit because in the back of my mind I saw this happening:
harley davidson engagement picture engagement pictures on a motorcycle engagement session at blount cultural park engagement pictures at alabama shakespeare festival

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Portrait: Colby – Blount Cultural Park – Montgomery, Alabama

The last time I saw Colby, he wailed (though we did get past it!). This time around, there were still some teary looking eyes, but only because the wind was making them water. He had magically grown from baby to little boy, from crawler to fully mobile walker. He brought one of the trusty cows his mom said he carried everywhere (the longhorn was chosen from his collection for this trip), waved to other kids he saw in the park, and watched every dog that went by until it was out of sight. Too bad his dog Tutter was too tired to jump into the car to come along!

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Wedding: Debi & Chad – Auburn University Chapel & Acre Restaurant – Auburn, Alabama

Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved Buffalo Wild Wings and always wore shorts (he literally owns one pair of jeans and one pair of khakis, and those are reserved for only the most dire situations). He met a girl with the most adorable dimples you’ve ever seen, and decided it would be totally worth it to face the agony of wearing pants in church if it meant he could marry her. So one fall evening at the Auburn University Chapel, he did just that. 🙂

Debi’s lace dress from Mori Lee had a hidden surprise – her “something blue” was her new monogram, stitched into the lining of the gown. A little less traditional (but seriously fierce): her sky high Steve Madden shoes. She kept everything else simple; there were no bridesmaids to be found, and she got dressed in the tiny bathroom of the church with the help of her mom.

The crew from Invision Events (this time it was Liz and Morgan taking charge) effortlessly pulled things together, including some rustic decor provided by the groom’s mom, and gorgeous flowers in fall colors by Opelika Floral Company. The ceremony may have been the shortest I’ve ever shot – just eight lightning fast minutes!

After an exit through a sea of Auburn shakers, we made our way across the street to grab a few pictures (including some with the iconic Samford Hall in the background) before heading to the reception:

Since their wedding was a small, intimate affair, they skipped the ballrooms and event halls and opted to have their reception at super hip farm-to-table restaurant Acre. Long family style tables were set up to create a private dining area, along with rustic wood farm chairs from The Event Group. The autumnal color scheme continued throughout the tablescape, with the newlyweds’ monogram embroidered on the napkins in a deep shade of orange. Lanterns perched on top of birch stands, which matched the tiny birch place card holders.

Guests were invited to customize a three course feast by choosing from options such as strawberry and candied walnut salad, and grilled beef tenderloin. Since carrot cake bread pudding was served to all for dessert, Debi and Chad had their wedding cake sliced and boxed (in Auburn orange of course) for guests to take home as favors. And as if double dessert wasn’t enough, anyone who lives in SEC country knows the real treat at any fall event is live TV broadcasting the hottest conference game!

Debi & Chad: I hope you’ve shown that adorable little Flapjack all the pictures so he can see how his mom and dad’s story began. Thank you for letting me be a part of it and for feeding me like a queen!

Ceremony Venue: Auburn University Chapel

Reception Venue & Catering: Acre

Event Planning: Invision Events

Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden

Floral Designer: Opelika Floral Company

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Engagement: Meredith & Dean – Montgomery, Alabama

Here in the Deep South, it’s hard to believe it took this long for me to find a couple who were brother and sister. 😉 Okay, so Meredith and Dean aren’t technically related, but the Chicago-based actors met when they were cast as villainous twins in a play (funny coincidence: Dean actually has a twin brother in real life). In the production, the brother and sister duo had special powers – which is kind of perfect, considering Dean is a big fan of video game star MegaMan and Meredith moonlights as a kickboxing instructor. After some hand-holding backstage and a lot of texting (he would ask her random, but important questions like, “Batman or Superman?”), it was obvious this was a match made in superhero heaven.

I’ve had many dogs make appearances in engagement sessions, but this time it was Jake the cat who made the trek down from Chicago to Alabama with his human parents:

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Wedding: Lauren & Alex – The Oaks Plantation – Pike Road, Alabama

After much waffling due to the sheer intimidation factor, I decided to finally tackle blogging the wedding where I took more pictures than any other wedding I’ve ever shot (before or since). That day, I filled almost every memory card I brought and if you know me, then you know I’m anal retentive enough to bring A LOT more than I think I’ll need. I couldn’t help myself though, because every time I turned around, there was another flower, another funny face, another little something that I couldn’t walk past because it needed a picture. The thought of condensing all of that into a blog post made me want to curl up in the fetal position with a dozen Krispy Kremes, but I did it. Drumroll, please…

It was classically Southern – a summer outdoor wedding at a plantation home (The Oaks Plantation in Pike Road), a lace gown, a whole mess of bridesmaids and a groom’s cake worthy of Steel Magnolias (more on that later). Though I’m not a native Southerner, I’ve been here long enough to know that if it sits still, you can monogram it. Monograms were everywhere at this wedding, including the bridal party’s “getting ready” shirts, and the ribbons on their bouquets, thanks to Kimberdoodles Monogramming and Embroidery Designs.

Yes, they are this adorable in person. They might be two of the nicest people on the planet, and I’m not just saying that because they left a tin of cookies on my porch at Christmas. I’m not even saying that because Lauren’s mom offered to take care of me when I’m old, since I don’t have any kids to put me in a home when I’m all crotchety and inappropriate. I’m saying that because they humor me when I’m being a great big dork, which is pretty much all the time. That, my friends, is saying something.

Cutest thing about this picture that you didn’t know: the dashing silver-haired gentleman officiating the wedding is the groom’s grandfather.

Crystal Strickland and her team from Southern Posies did a fantastic job pulling the entire event together, from the planning stages, to the flowers, to the celebratory champagne table that awaited guests (and bride and groom) as they exited the ceremony.

A room was set up specifically for the younger guests, and included kid friendly food, as well as plenty of candy, games and supervision. And let’s not forget a cart from Nancy’s Italian Ice to keep the kiddos cool (gotta stay hydrated, right?).

The food was handled by the always fabulous Tammy Griffin and the crew from A Catered Affair, and included a biscuit bar. Yes, biscuits are a very Southern thing, especially when you have several different types of biscuits and a slew of toppings and fillings to choose from like the guests did here – from jams to ham, to apple butter. But I think the biscuit bar wasn’t just a featured Southern food, it was also a little shout out to the bride, aka “Pea Biscuit”. Confused? Well, hang onto your biscuits, because this is where the story gets ridiculously adorable. When Lauren was a little girl she wasn’t such a fan of English peas, but of course mom insisted that Lauren eat her vegetables. Normally Lauren would smash the peas into her mashed potatoes to make them more palatable, until one day, mom didn’t make mashed potatoes the same day she made peas. So Lauren did what any clever Southern girl would do: she got up, went and got a biscuit that mom had made earlier, cracked that puppy open, and smashed her peas into that instead. Fast forward a few years to when Lauren got her first car, a green VW Beetle. The license plate spelled out…you guessed it. Pea Biscuit. 😀

And just in case you weren’t a fan of biscuits, or the meat at the carving station, or the fried green tomatoes, or anything else on the spread of good eats, you could drown your sorrows in a table full of desserts. There’s no super cute story to go with these, but who needs one? They’re DESSERTS. And they’re TEENY.

Out on the back porch, artist Barbara Davis was commissioned to paint the reception scene live as it happened. Yes, really. If you look closely at the next few pictures and scroll back up to this painting, you’ll immediately recognize the vintage furniture, the floral arrangements, and even the outfits of some of the guests.

As if this wedding didn’t already seem like it came out of a movie, Lauren’s dad couldn’t quite keep a hold on his emotions during his toast. Neither could Lauren’s mom. And neither could Lauren. Y’all, I could not deal. These people are too sweet. As they say in the meme world: DIS TEW MUCH!!! Good thing I was heading out shortly after that with Lauren and Alex and their video team to take advantage of the late day light and shoot a few more portraits.

The bride’s cake (by Vickie’s Cakes) had its own room, surrounded by the bridal portraits we had taken a few months before the wedding. Classic round tiers, with a white on white monogram, the cake was decorated by Crystal with pink and white flowers to match the flowers used throughout the day.

The groom’s cake (by La’s Cakes) sat outside, and if you remember the movie Steel Magnolias, you’ll remember the inspiration for this groom’s cake: red velvet, in the shape of an armadillo. In the movie, Shelby (Julia Roberts’ character) says, “People are gonna be hacking into this poor animal that looks like it’s bleeding to death.” Judging by the guests’ reactions, I’d say the cake was effective. No word on whether the pink flowers on the bride’s cake were ‘blush’ or ‘bashful’ though. 😉

If the armadillo dismemberment was too much and guests were headed home, they could grab a sweet treat on the way. Since Alex is a Mobile boy and a fan of Moon Pies, it was only natural to put them alongside bottles of RC Cola as wedding favors.

After plenty of time on a packed dance floor, an impromptu performance of “Ice Ice Baby” by a bridesmaid’s fiance, and a few turns in the photo booth, the newlyweds made their exit in a 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud from Coats Classic Cars.

Lauren & Alex: thanks so much for letting me be a temporary Taylor/Fleming (Imma call it ‘Flaylor’!). May you never eat another English pea, and always get the tail end of the armadillo cake!