Donielle & Bret | Seven Canyons Resort | Sedona, AZ

This wedding was part of my 2008 "Baby Owen Special." I rarely shoot less than a full day (10 hours). It's difficult to fully document wedding events in less time and stay true to my style (which captures moments from preparation to the end of the evening) This year; however, I had Baby Owen and many families convinced me to shoot their event for less time. It pains me to leave early before the reception has even started, but alas, these are the sacrifices you (temporarily) make when you have a little one. Please also enjoy a previous post about this event. If you would prefer to have your own slideshow window open and see it larger, click here.

Donielle & Brett | Sneak Peak | Seven Canyons | Sedona, AZ

June 21, Donielle & Brett were married at Seven Canyons, which is a glorious private residence golf club in Sedona, AZ. It boasts incredible views of red rocks without actually hiking or driving into the desert. It was a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding, but rare, since you have to be a member or owner to have a wedding event there. This first image was inspired by a LIFE magazine photo shoot by Howell Conant. I saw this curtain at Donielle's villa and really wanted to try using it.

Kristie & Brent

I loved Milwaukee and am having 'Redmond-Benham family withdrawal'. Sometimes in this business, especially after a destination wedding, you feel like you are a part of the family and that was definitely the case this weekend. The groom's family is from Flagstaff, AZ and the bride from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This wedding was unique for many reasons but one unfortunate similarity that pulled these two families together was both the bride and groom's fathers had passed away recently. The bride's father passed away 2 years ago and tragically, just two weeks ago the groom's Dad died of heart surgery complications. Needless to say, this couple's love has already stood the test of good and bad, sickness and health. I really admired the strength of this family to rise above the tough times in life and still manage to pull through and celebrate. As some of you know, I used to be a co-director for the BreastFest, a breast cancer benefit. Our message is to celebrate and remember those who have died, which is harder than it sounds. What touched me so much about this wedding was how the Redmond family had experienced tragedy just a couple years ago and Brent had comforted Kristie and her family, and now due to the circumstances, Kristie and her family would comfort Brent and the Benham family (not to mention the GREAT friends both families have). Both families found strength in one another and celebrated this wonderful day with Kristie and Brent as their father's would've wanted! This wedding embraced the true spirit of a marriage and the power of love (cheesy but true). Please pray for both families as they recover from a tumultuous month.

Back to the wedding gossip: the details to this wedding were incredible. The flowers were stunning... in fact, I've never seen such attention to the flowers, which really made the room POP! We did a quick photo shoot the day after the wedding to capture some additional portraits of Kristie and Brent... enjoy!

View slideshow here
P.S. The 'Robert Benham Memorial Fund' has been established for Mother of Redeemer Orphanage in Piura, Peru (a charity that the Redmond family founded a while back) and the Phoenix Children's Hospital.

donations can be made to: The 'Robert Benham Memorial Fund'
Chase Bank
4830 N. US Highway 89
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004

Christine and Brian

As I said in my last post, I was in Maryland for the weekend at the Savage River Lodge, photographing a wedding. The lodge had casual elegance with great wine and excellent food. Check them out in this month's issue of Southern Living Magazine. Christine and Brian had gorgeous weather on Saturday which allowed them to get married in their #1 choice spot, outside on the deck. The light was perfect and it was a joy to work with them. All their friends were so fabulous and everyone had a great time. View the slideshow here

Savage River Lodge

Hello from Maryland. I am photograhing an intimate wedding in the mountains of Maryland this weekend, near Baltimore. I even went cross-country skiiing today on fresh powder! Tomorrow is the big day and I'm excited for snowy portraits. The first photo is the lodge where the reception will be and I'm staying in one of these quaint cabins. Check out Savage River Lodge

Casey and Jasmine

I photographed a great wedding this weekend in Boston for my cousin Casey. He and his wife, Jasmine were both thrilled to be getting married. Their love was palpable. I enjoyed being a witness to their special day and was honored to take the photographs.

Becky Reid, my inspiration

I was honored when Becky Reid asked me to photograph her wedding. The affair took place on December 28, 2006 in Rome, Georgia. Becky, a fellow photojournalist, knew me from the University of Georgia. Despite being several years younger than me, Becky had more PJ experience and was my first photo editor while I shot for the UGA student newspaper: The Red and Black. Upon graduation, I took a staff position at our local newspaper, The Athens Banner-Herald. Becky became our freelancer and later moved to London, UK. Becky continues to amaze me with her uncanny ability to enterprise her own assignments. It seems every time I talk with her she is galavanting around the globe shooting a story in China, Spain and Kyrgyzstan... Becky Reid is an inspiration and living proof that if you are determined and follow through with your dreams, you can have a career doing what you love. Her husband, Dan is such a lovely man and I am thrilled that they found one another.

As a side note, I talked my former collegue (and fabulous photographer) at the ABH, Dot Paul, into assisting me with this wedding rather than being a boring ole' guest. hee hee. Dot and I had a blast working together again and it was our pleasure to photograph this event. Here's the three of us: Dot, Becky, and I.

Kristin & Matt

I feel lucky to have introducted Matt and Kristin. Matt is an Atlanta high school friend whom I've known since my 15th birthday. Kristin is a rock star that I knew from the good ole' days in Athens. I fixed them up a few years back and well, they got married this past weekend. It was really special for me to attend such a close friend's wedding AND not have to work. Because I am working at so many weddings, I sometimes miss the "good stuff." Luckily, I got to be a guest at their wedding and I even felt calm because I knew Marc Climie had the photography covered. I DID shoot a few images, because I really do feel lost at weddings without my camera, so a few frames helps me feel 'normal.' I especially liked that I knew the family and could snap this one of Matt's Dad and sister dancing.