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Newborn Portrait: Colby – Pike Road, Alabama

What do you get when you put together famous names of whiskey and cheese? You get a little ball of cute named Jameson Colby, or Colby for short.

black and white newborn portrait in montgomery alabama smiling newborn baby pictures in pike road alabama

This little guy makes me smile extra big, because I’ve been taking pictures of his mom and dad since before they were married, or even engaged. Colby’s furry big brother Tutter is even a Chanterelle Photography veteran, making his first appearance in mom and dad’s engagement pictures way back in 2008! engagement pictures at the waters in pike road alabama

Fast forward 5 years and he’s back, keeping watch over his little bro. 🙂 dog watching over a baby in pike road alabama

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Wedding: Amy & Jon – First Baptist Church & Bottling Plant Event Center Downtown – Opelika, Alabama

If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember me mentioning that I wanted to adopt a bride who brought cookies from Sweet Malisa’s to our first meeting (clearly it doesn’t take much to win me over). Well, that was lovely bride Amy, whose wedding day at First Baptist Church turned out to be a rainy one. The soggy weather didn’t dampen her spirits though, as her mom helped her put on her Sincerity ballgown, and her grandmother’s ring, which was her “something old”:

Since he’s currently stationed in Texas, I didn’t get a chance to meet Army Captain Jon until the day of the wedding. Turns out, he’s a perfect match for Amy, because he is just as kind as she is. It’s hard to describe, but he looks at her with this kind of quiet admiration that was so sweet, it made my insides go a little melty.

Once they had their “first look”, they exchanged gifts. His gift to her: a diamond necklace. Her gift to him: a set of antique Tiffany & Co. cocktail picks that were miniature replicas of the swords given to officers in the Union Army during the Civil War. She included a note that said they were symbolic of how she sees him: “a rare find”, “fun to show off at parties”, and “a little bit nerd-tastic” among other things!

Amy’s dad has been playing the piano at the church for many years, so it was fitting that he play the prelude at his daughter’s wedding. Later, he played another piece on the Steinway during communion, which left everyone wide-eyed in awe of his talent.

We had planned a pre-reception stop for pictures just down the road at The Overall Company, which is where Jon popped the question. That’s when a little serendipity came into play – I always carry a solid black golf umbrella in my car just in case it rains on a wedding day. Black is great because if the bride and groom need to use it, it still looks good in pictures. When I went to get the black umbrella out of the the car, I noticed I also had a yellow one in there – the exact shade of yellow that Amy chose for one of her wedding colors. I bought that umbrella for my 2011 Christmas card shoot, and to this day, I don’t know how it ended up in the car, because that shoot was done in my house. I took it as a sign that we needed to bust it out for at least one or two shots!

The reception (there’s that yellow again!) was held at the Bottling Plant Event Center, where Jon sabered the champagne (he’s no rookie, Amy told me he practiced), and modeled his Army Stetson:

Amy & Jon: it’s not often that I get a sweet note in the mail with parts written by the bride AND the groom! Thank you so much for the cookies, the note, and for trusting me with your day!

Ceremony Venue: First Baptist Church

Reception Venue: Bottling Plant Event Center

Photo Location: The Overall Company

Wedding Gown: Sincerity

Groom’s Gift: Tiffany & Co.

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Wedding: Kelsey & Ryan – Alley Station Rooftop & Ballroom – Montgomery, Alabama

This Alley Station shindig was the perfect blend of tradition, DIY, and rock & roll. It’s not often that I find a lovely lace Wtoo gown, a bouquet by Graylillies tied with ribbon from the bride’s parents’ wedding, a veil borrowed from the bride’s sister-in-law, and a guitar-playing teddy bear dressed in a tux, all in the same hotel room!

Ryan is the frontman for The Dave Matthews Tribute Band, so it was fitting that he gave framed, limited edition Dave Matthews posters to his groomsmen as gifts:

It had started to rain while we were taking pictures, but it cleared up just in time for the start of the rooftop ceremony. And when the groom is in a band, it couldn’t be more perfect to kick off the ceremony with a ringbearer with a mohawk.

So Ryan, do you take Kelsey to be your wife? 😉

After the ceremony (Ryan did eventually say “I do”, of course!), guests entered the ballroom for cocktail hour, followed by a fantastic seated dinner of filet mignon and crabcakes, both by A Catered Affair. The decor featured DIY touches made by the bride’s family, including the table numbers, the wood containers for the centerpieces, and the seating cards:

After dinner, the festivities continued up on the rooftop, which had been flipped from ceremony location to dance floor. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Kelsey & Ryan opted for multiple flavors of Gigi’s Cupcakes, topped with a mini cake for them to cut before their first dance.

When the groom sings for a living, it wouldn’t be right if he didn’t sing a song for her at the reception (turns out a wedding ring doesn’t get in the way of playing a guitar after all!):

I told this story on Facebook, but just in case we’re not friends there, here’s what you don’t know about this next picture. The bride’s grandfather spent the majority of the day in a wheelchair. With the help of a family member and a cane, he walked down the aisle to his seat at the ceremony. Afterward, he stood for family pictures even when the dingbat photographer said he could sit if he wanted to (silly me). During the cocktail hour, I spotted him using his feet to scoot around while in his wheelchair to get from one spot to another. And at the reception, he used those feet again to stand up for a dance with his girl, right next to their table:

Kelsey & Ryan: Here’s hoping it didn’t take too long for you to get all that tossed lavender out of your hair. 🙂 Can’t wait to see pictures of the littlest gypsy!

Venue: Alley Station

Wedding Gown: Wtoo by Watters

Floral Designer: Graylilies

Catering: A Catered Affair

Cupcakes: Gigi’s Cupcakes

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Happy Holidays from Chanterelle Photography – Behind the Scenes Secrets!

It’s funny how as soon as Missy and I debut our annual holiday card, people start asking what we’re going to do next year. Well here’s the dirt on that: we don’t usually figure it all out until about a month or two before Christmas, and even if we had it worked out before then, we wouldn’t tell you! But since our 2013 “Hunger Games” card has now gone public, I can let you in on a few behind the scenes secrets. I don’t want to give away ALL the magic behind how we became Katniss and Effie, but I’ll spill a few details below!

Photo secret: The picture of Missy and me is made up of two separate images, shot by my buddy Joe while he was in town to help me with my best friend’s wedding. We actually took several of Missy and me together, but I ended up choosing two different ones and blending them in Photoshop because I liked those two shots the most.

Wardrobe secret: I already had a Columbia ski jacket that is a similar style and fabric to Katniss’ arena jacket, but it’s grey and a bit bulkier. So I pulled out the fleece lining, pinned the back to make it a little slimmer fit, temporarily added some orange trim, and of course, turned it black. Missy is wearing one of my BCBG shirts that just happened to be close to the color of Effie’s outfit. It was a little snug, but she was a good sport about the whole thing!

iPhone secret: I took a picture of the mockingjay pin with my iPhone for the front of the card (see below), then designed the front of the card to mimic the cover of The Hunger Games book. I didn’t like the title font they used on the book, so I used the font from the movie instead.

Hair secret: My hair is lighter than Katniss’, so I got a digital dye job to make it closer to her color. Missy’s wig is actually blonde (not that lovely greenish hue!), and is supposed to be part of a Lady Gaga costume. 😮

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Wedding: Amanda & Lucas – Bragg-Mitchell Mansion – Mobile, Alabama

Before Lucas had even popped the question, Amanda spotted the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion during a drive through Mobile, and knew that was where she wanted to get married:
She wasn’t as sure about the Tara Keely by Lazaro gown though. In fact, she HATED it when she saw it on the mannequin. Luckily, her smart and sneaky bridesmaids knew better and had it put in her dressing room anyway. 🙂 And I just have to say – as much as I love fancy, glitzy, sky-high, make-Carrie-Bradshaw-drool shoes, I love a bride that is willing to buck the typical satin-y bridal shoe trend and wear a cute pair of Tom’s under her floofy gown. Points for originality!
Lucas was supposed to return from his deployment in Afghanistan only about a month before the wedding, so there was a little concern that he might not make it back in time if he ran into any delays. But he came in right on schedule and brought his sense of humor with him:
Their bridal party was hysterical. If you know me, then you know I love people who can make fun of themselves, even if it’s a little politically incorrect. Let’s just say this racially diverse group had NO problem doing just that!
Pretty sure either the bride or the groom licked the other’s face just before this shot. I’m guessing Lucas was the guilty party judging by the completely grossed out reaction of his sister!
The reception featured Georgia Roussos Catering, and a cake by The Little Cake Shop. The Ginger Babies cake topper was custom made to look like the bride and groom, down to the dress and the uniform.
When it came time for the bouquet toss, it seemed to go like it normally does, and the sweet girl in the seafoam green dress was going to walk away with the prize…
…until The Great Bouquet Snatching of 2013. I had to give it a name because it was THAT EPIC. Seriously, it was like a wedding drive-by.
Amanda & Lucas: thank you for everything and here’s to many years of happiness and never having strangers pick up your packages again!

Venue: Bragg-Mitchell Mansion

Wedding Gown: Tara Keely by Lazaro

Shoes: TOMS

Catering: Georgia Rousso’s

Cake Designer: The Little Cake Shop

Cake Topper: Ginger Babies

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