The flowers, by Twigs, were oh so lovely and feminine.

Whitney's dress was so beautiful,

As was Whitney herself...

I love this image of her dad at the chapel door, and her ring bearer was precious (turns out a great dancer, too!).

Nate looked dapper himself as he waited for the ceremony to start.

We had beautiful bagpipe music to listen to as guests arrived.

This was a very sweet moment were the flower girl shared a kiss with the bride. Kids are so great!

One of my favorite shots from any wedding, when the groom sees his bride!

The Glassy Chapel is just perfect for weddings.

We all had big hopes for the weather, but despite the rain we were able to get some beautiful images.

Indoors or out (the rain broke just long enough to capture a few), Nate and Whitney make a very cute couple.

The view at the reception, held at La Bastide at The Cliffs, was just as beautiful with it's vineyards.

Such a sweet first dance.

Isn't this cake stunning? Judging from everyone's reaction, Angela Minor's creation seemed to taste as good as it looked.

I'm so glad that Nate and Whitney stepped outside with me for a couple of minutes so I could capture the mountains and the deep Smoky Blue sky.

Nate turned out to have mad skills on the dance floor, it was truly fun to watch. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves on the dance floor, there weren't many seats being used as the Kid Brothers Band kept cranking out great tunes.

I love how happy they look in this first one, and the second is SO romantic.

When you get married at the Inn, a dock picture is a MUST! What do you think of the bandw of Kim?

I chose to share this shot because it gives a good feel of how lovely the property looks and feels.

Things moved on over the Bascom Art Center for the wedding itself. The Basom's mix of modern and rustic elements make it a wonderful, unique place to have a wedding.

The girls, upstairs, and the bride gets her 'supermodel' on - va va VOOM!

I love this one of Chip, I haven't seen a happier man in a long while! :D I think the boys thought me crazy when I posed this shot, but it works with the pottery barn's exterior...

The covered bridge is a fun place to shoot. Romantic!

The covered terrace is perfect for a ceremony - feels like outside, but with protection from the elements.

Dax, the couple's fabulous dog, did the honors as ringbearer. He was awesome!

Kim and Chip are lucky to be surrounded by several very talented singers, who made up 10 person family ensemble

Mr. and Mrs. !

Tim Lundy, at Distinctive Events (and owner of Rosewood Market for all of you who are local) did it all: flowers, catering, the cake.... and it looked wonderful.

Ring shots are always a favorite of mine.

Banks and Shane really got the crowd a hoppin' with a fun mix of bluegrass, oldies but goodies, and rock 'n roll.

I can't help but tear up some when I see the parent dances.... now that I have kids of my own I know it'll be a moment I will be experiencing someday. *sigh* Very sweet.

It was a wonderful day, I hope you enjoyed the pictures. To see more, click here for the webshow.

so the church was decorated with the floral cross.

When my daughter saw a picture of Mindy's dress she exclaimed "I just LOVE her dress!".

Me, I loved her shoes.... even though I'm not exactly a shoe person. ;)

These are two of my favorite shots of them individually.

This is one of my faves of them together.

When the ceremony was about to start, I went looking for Mindy and found her in prayer.

I hope I didn't interrupt, but this was a beautiful moment... I'm glad I got it.

They looked so happy. Mindy was beaming as they exchanged rings ....

and David looked really pleased when Mindy said 'I do'.

Do you like this shot? Does the reflection enhance or detract? I'd love your opinions ...

David's got a great sense of humor so I thought we'd do a shot featuring the rather funny name on his chair.

They were great sports about it. :D

To see the webshow of the wedding, just click here.

As always, thanks for checking in.

A friend of mine is a supporter of From Houses to Homes, an agency dedicated to creating community harmony in the

highlands of Guatemala by building lasting, healthy homes.

She sent my husband a link to their site, so that he can see what they are doing there. (Ever since his return from Haiti, he

has been trying to figure out the best way to build a couple of homes for people he met in Cange. The trip was great! Ask

me about it sometime or email me... I'll try to post up pictures soon. :)

While I was looking at the H2H site, I came across this link to a young man's site.

His name is Roberto and he makes beautiful textiles to support his Mom and Sister. If you like these or find yourself

needing bracelets (in school colors!), please take a peek at his offerings. Seems like a great and easy way to support him.

Thanks!

They opted for the simple and timeless black leather. (I have to say over 70% of my clients do.)

I LOVE this shot! (Might be why it's the opening spread ;) David looks SO 'James Bond' to me here.

Another of my favorite shots. Even though you don't see their heads, this main image is gorgeous and makes a heck of a background for the other images.

As much as I love the opening shot of David, this image with the attention on Ashley comes in JUST a hair behind it. She looks absolutely stunning and in LOVE! Who could ask for more from their bride?

Everything about the day was beautiful. I loved photographing it all. A neat detail was the ice cream sundae bar! They shared a sundae instead of a cake... it looked yummy and photographed beautifully. To see more fabulous details, just click here for their WebShow.

I hope they love, love, love it!

He's my husband, and my love - truly a soulmate. He has me thinking deep thoughts today as he heads out on a mission trip to Haiti. Now, I know that most likely he will be just fine, even though some folks are a little negative about the trip. We are very aware that things are not totally safe in Haiti right now, but the work they are setting out to do is important and I am a woman of faith. We all know, however, how easy it is to say the words, but how hard it can be to FEEL it when it involves the love of your life... the father of your children. Let's just say it hits home.

I won't bore you all with all of the thoughts my mind is asking today, but I did want to share one small thing with you. Being the photographer I am, I can't help but document my family's lives. It's just what I do. It is even why I offer lifestyle photography sessions where I go and spend a good part of any given day taking pictures of whatever my clients do. Life is not meant to be documented only on special occasions, in your best outfit with your hair and makeup just so. I'm very much a believer in catching life as it passes.... the little day-to-day things. They can mean so much in the future.

I was working on an album design today and thinking how much this couple is going to LOVE sharing these pictures with their kids someday. (And those of us with kids can attest just how fast that 'someday' will get here! ;) This put me in mind to take a peak at some of the pictures I have of Tim that I love looking at.... not necessarily the BEST pictures I have, but the ones that speak to me on a personal level.

So I did, and you know what? It helps. To have pictures of him with the kids, doing the day-to-day stuff in life, it helps calm me. I feel more at peace with the trip and I know that, if my worst nightmare came true and he didn't return to us for any reason, it would be good to have these pictures. They would insure that the kids would have wonderful memories of their dad.

I told you, deep thoughts.

Now, some of you may cringe at the idea of talking about the potential death of a loved one, but I have seen it happen over and over in my years as a photographer... life is never a sure thing. We never know when it will be our 'time' and it soothes me to know that I have wonderful images of him - the pictures would be something I would cling to. I've had clients who have lost loved ones and have come back later and thanked me for my small part in capturing their loved ones for them. It makes what I do seem very rewarding. It's good to have reminders of what is really important in life sometimes.

Nowadays in our advertising-intensive world, the marketing of memories may make us all a little cynical at times, but please don't let it keep you from realizing how important photography can be. Lately I've had a few brides-to-be share with me that their dress cost several thousands of dollars so they can't afford to spend $2,000 on photography. I can't help but roll my eyes internally sometimes when I hear someone say something like "pictures shouldn't cost so much, they aren't THAT important". You have to know that someone who does what I do for a living would value photography highly, but that aside - I'm not just a photographer. I'm a mom, a wife, a daughter and I wouldn't take anything for the pictures of my friends and family. I know most folks are on a budget and have to make decisions about their priorities, but it doesn't mean that pictures are not important... it just means that something else may be more important. :)

I'm getting sidetracked here, something I don't want to do. I will write on this kind of thing in future blogs, but just take this away from today's post. Take pictures of your loved ones. Often. Resist the temptation to make them dress up or brush their hair. Catch them exactly as they are, doing things they love. THOSE are the very best pictures a person can have.

Thanks for listening.

G

I came across a blurb in this month's issue of Real Simple that I thought some of you may find helpful, especially if you are looking for a few ideas on your save the date cards or programs. The one above, shaped like a bell when closed, opens up to make a fan. A great idea if you happen to be planning a summer wedding in Highlands. Many of our local wedding venues are outdoors or have no air conditioning.... the Summer Chapel comes to mind. Something like this would be nice. There are many ideas, just hop over to this link to see some others. Links to individual designers' sites are right next to each image featured.... so even MORE ideas! Have fun. Hope you find the perfect thing!

The couple are horse lovers and each even rode up to the ceremony site on their mounts. It was a beautiful day for an intimate wedding in the country. I could've taken a lot more images, I had to rein myself in. :D Hope you like them! if you want to see the slideshow, just click here.

I love these two image of the ceremony. You can feel the love!

The kiss!

The guys did a great job with the music (if you have a website, just let me know and I'll post it up here.)

I fell in love with this cutie! She did an awesome job as flower girl!

Just had to get a couple with the horses!

What do you think, this one or the one above? I can't make up my mind.

I think this is my favorite of Matt.

Of course I took a few with Sierra and her horse. Here's one of my faves.

Sierra was a beautiful bride and her flowers were gorgeous, too.

All the western details were a perfect fit to their big day.

The first dance and the garter were two great moments that evening.

The guests, including Matt's sister, did a number on his truck!

Sierra had a time getting in, but they made it. :D I wish them all the best in their new lives together!!

I have had over my fair share of email issues lately. I've been on the phone with tech guys from all the major players and although they say that everything is fine, it isn't. I will keep trying, but until I can figure out what is going on, please call me if you need anything. If you haven't heard from me, I'm not ignoring you... most likely I've sent you an email that never arrived. It seems to work the other way as well as I've been waiting to hear from some clients and finally picked up the phone to find that they emailed me back after all.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience, and I want to be sure that everyone knows to call me at 828-526-5365 anytime you need me. I'm happy to help. :D

Thanks!