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Wedding: Becky & Tyler – The Elms of Coosada – Coosada, Alabama

Becky and Tyler were doing the long distance thing while Becky was in Montgomery getting her PhD. Since their families were spread out all over the country (from Missouri to North Carolina), they figured why not have everyone meet in the middle and have a summer wedding in Alabama at The Elms of Coosada?

rings on black and white wedding invitation

As I was photographing all the wedding detail items, I discovered Becky and Tyler chose to incorporate some very special items into their wedding. A butterfly pin that once belonged to Becky’s grandmother would eventually be pinned inside Becky’s gown. She would also be wearing a locket with a picture of her late father inside. Then I came across a handkerchief in a white envelope. The words “For Tyler’s Bride” were written on the outside. Turns out Tyler’s grandmother crocheted a handkerchief for each of her future granddaughters before she passed away. How sweet is that?

brides shoes for alabama wedding

bride wearing locket with late father pictured

bride waiting for alabama wedding ceremony to start

Becky’s empire waisted David’s Bridal gown had POCKETS (along with a French bustle that Becky had added later):

In honor of Becky & Tyler’s upcoming Walt Disney World honeymoon, the groom and groomsmen all wore socks featuring various Disney characters:

Soon it was almost time for the ceremony to start, so Becky put on her veil – the same veil her mother once wore. Shortly after, the officiant and Becky’s brother (who would be walking her down the aisle, since their dad passed away in 2011) came to the bride’s room for a quick prayer.

The reception was held in in the pavilion, complete with lot of globe lights. Colorful begonias adorned the tables (Becky & Tyler later donated these to my nursing home project) and “nerdy” wedding favors gave guests a giggle.

Once again, Becky’s brother stepped in for their late father and took his place for the father/daughter dance. It was an overwhelming moment for everyone, but especially for Becky and her mom.

Bucking tradition, Becky and Tyler decided NOT to have a wedding cake . Instead, they went with a dessert table full of mini pies, plus a variety of huge donuts from nearby Deaux Boys. They also nixed sparklers or throwing rice/rose petals for their grand exit – they opted for glow sticks!

Becky & Tyler: thank you so much for letting me be nerdy with you! I had a feeling when I met Becky at the bridal show that we would be a great fit, and I have never been so glad to be right. Here’s to keeping your faces SMOOSHED together forever!

Venue, catering, and floral design: The Elms of Coosada

Wedding gown: David’s Bridal

Hair: Amplify

Makeup: Montgomery Aesthetics

Donuts: Deaux Boys

Honeymoon location: Walt Disney World Resort

Engagement Photos (by yours truly!) can be seen HERE!

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Portrait: The Lowery Family – Jackson Lake Island – Millbrook, Alabama

Time flies – the last time I photographed the Lowery family, they only had two kids! The two boys now have a spunky little sister to dote on. It was a super hot day out on Jackson Lake Island, where the movie set depicting the fictional town of Spectre (from the Tim Burton film Big Fish) still stands, albeit a little precariously in places. We were greeted at the entrance by owner Bobby Bright, who happens to be the former mayor of Montgomery. Our “celebrity” sighting and the friendly goats of the island were a nice distraction from the heat, and we made it out alive!

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Wedding: Kelley & Vince – St. Cecilia Church (Tustin) & The Villa (Westminster) – Orange County, California

If you love weddings, you’d love a Vietnamese one, because they last ALL DAY. There are multiple ceremonies, both cultural and religious. There are multiple wardrobe changes for the bride and groom, and the guests often change out of ceremony daywear to more formal evening attire for the reception. All in all, Kelley and Vince’s day was about 15 hours of matrimonial goodness, and it was AWESOME.

In an unusual turn of events, I didn’t actually meet Kelley in person until the day before the wedding. Even though the wedding took place in Orange County, California, it turns out she’s from Lawrenceville, GA, just a couple of hours up I-85 from me. She and Vince met when she was in California visiting friends, and as the saying goes: the rest is history. I was hoping she got plenty of sleep in the weeks leading up to the wedding after the big move to California, because she was going to get a workout with 3 different wedding dresses (not to mention switching up hair and makeup here and there). 😮

Kelley got ready at her sister’s house, which was abuzz with family activity because Kelley is #12 out of 13 siblings! :0 The first event for the day was the Vietnamese ceremony that takes place before the church ceremony. For that, Kelley opted for a contemporary version of a traditional Vietnamese outfit (also known as an áo dài), with a sheer overlay and a rose gold tint. Downstairs, the living room was being prepared for the arrival of Vince and his family.

Speaking of Vince, his mom and my mom are cousins, which made the day a little extra special. He was getting ready at his house a short drive away, where my friend Karen (my second shooter for the day, and an amazing photographer based in San Diego) was busy capturing the action. Vince also went with a contemporary Vietnamese look for the first part of the day, with a lush gold jacket. Soon it was time for him to jump in the limo to start the Vietnamese ceremony.

Now if you’ve never seen this type of ceremony, there are so many symbolic details involved that it would take at least a full page to explain. So here’s a a super-simplified version of what happens: the groom, his family, and the groomsmen go to the bride’s house bearing gifts wrapped in red (for good luck) to give to the bride’s family. The bride is “presented” to the groom, speeches are made, prayers are said. The groom then takes the bride back to his house, where more prayers are said, and more speeches are made.

Once the Vietnamese ceremony was complete, we headed to St. Cecilia Church, where the bridesmaids changed into peachy-pink lace dresses. Kelley changed into a white Western wedding gown, and Vince switched to a classic black tux with an oversized, butterfly-style bow tie. After the bride and groom were officially married, we took a few quick pictures at the church, then headed to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts to finish up formal photos with the bridal party.

The reception was held at The Villa, which was decorated with an explosion of pink and white flowers. Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour while Vince changed into a dashing brocade jacket and Kelley switched up her hair and makeup. Soon it was time for the ballroom reception to start, where guests were treated to a multi-course dinner, as well as mini desserts made by Kelley’s friend, who happens to be a chef.

Between dinner courses, Kelley changed back into her Vietnamese ceremony outfit, just in time for table toasts. This is another one of those traditions that can take a bit to explain, so here’s the gist of it: the newlyweds, their parents, the best man, and maid of honor visit each table to thank the guests for coming, and also to receive blessings from the guests. Monetary gifts are given, and there are often drinks involved. 😀

Just before the cake cutting, Kelley changed into a sleek white beaded reception dress. And if you thought that would be the end of the wardrobe changes, think again! She changed one more time at the end of the night, to a chic black outfit and pearls.

Watch the video below to see more from their day, summed up in less than 3 1/2 minutes!

Tea ceremony venue: Private residence

Wedding ceremony venue: St. Cecilia Church

Reception venue, catering, and floral design: The Villa

Bridal party photo location: Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Bride’s shoes: Christian Louboutin

Videography: F1 Productions

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Engagement: Lauren & James – Private Residence – Fitzpatrick, Alabama

I met Lauren several years ago when I shot her mom Debra’s wedding, which was a crazy fun shindig that ended with a reception at their farm in Fitzpatrick, aka Beechwood Farm. At that time, Lauren and James hadn’t met yet, but thanks to Facebook and Instagram, I was able to see some of the adventures they had together once they had their fateful meeting at Auburn. So naturally, I was happy for them when I saw they had gotten engaged, and even happier to be asked to shoot their wedding, which would be taking place in Atlanta. But for their engagement session, it seemed appropriate to head back to the farm!

Taking some photos at the stables was a must since that’s where the James surprised Lauren with his proposal. Fun side note: I needed to hop up onto the fence to get myself at the right angle for a few pictures. Once I did that, I was looking through the camera and shooting, but I could hear one of the horses come close to me (I think his name was Tank). Then I felt what I thought was a nibbling motion on the back of my jacket. Still shooting, I asked Lauren, “Do I need to worry about this?” Her reply was something along the lines of, “No, he’s just checking to see if you have snacks.” A horse after my own heart! 😀

When I spotted the curved branch on this tree, I had to do something with it because it was so unusual and the lighting was great near it. The branch had naturally grown into the shape of half a heart, no Photoshop here!

Stay tuned for pics from Lauren & James’ Atlanta wedding, including a gorgeous reception at Summerour Studio!

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Commercial Food Event: Research Chefs Association Conference – Savannah Convention Center & Westin Savannah Harbor -Savannah, Georgia

RCA (aka Research Chefs Association) combines culinary skill and science – “culinology” if you will. Food-centric events are some of my favorite events to shoot, and here’s a little known fact: I’m actually a science nerd with a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology. Needless to say, the RCA Conference in Savannah was the perfect job for me!

Like most conferences, there were plenty of educational opportunities, mostly in the form of speaker sessions at the Savannah Convention Center. There were some speakers whose faces I recognized immediately, such as Bryan Voltaggio (you might remember him and his twin brother Michael competing on Top Chef). Matthew Raiford of The Farmer & The Larder (who you might know as a James Beard award semi-finalist) was also in attendance gave a captivating keynote, adding tidbits about his grandmother.

Since the conference took place close to Halloween, it seemed appropriate that the cocktail competition was held at a Halloween-themed party at the Westin Savannah Harbor. In a room decked out in purple lighting and cobwebs, attendees were provided with glow sticks and bracelets. With plenty of cocktails, the dance floor wasn’t empty for long!

The expo is always a highlight at any culinary related conference, because attendees get to chat with vendors and sample their wares. You might not recognize some of the vendor names since many cater exclusively to the foodservice industry, and not directly to consumers. But some were household names like Tabasco, and anyone with Asian blood like me would recognize Lee Kum Kee!

During the expo, there’s also a culinary competition with a student division and a professional division. The goal in both divisions is to create a meal that would be suitable for sale as a pre-packaged product sold in the freezer section of the grocery store, and of course, make it delicious. The meals were actually flash frozen during the competition, and the judges microwaved them on site according to instructions, just as you or I would if we were whipping up some Lean Cuisine for lunch!

The awards ceremony was a fun end to the conference, with plenty of champagne and ice sculptures. Live auction items were interspersed with awards (Oscars, take note!), and competition results were revealed. The student competition winners had my favorite reaction. 😀

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