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stacey & zach are engaged!

katealtmix — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:28:26 +0000

when matt & i started dating it was his last semester of college and only my second. he moved to asheville while i was still in athens and it was NOT an easy transition for either of us! so when i think of stacey in mississippi and zach in florida my heart goes out! we talked about it a little while we were shooting and laughed at how good we all got at talking on the phone while apart! we were so glad they found a little window of time to meet up in atlanta for their engagement pics and also happy to be a little part of the reason for the reunion. we shot much earlier in the day than we usually do so we were utilizing some light we aren’t as used to- it was a nice challenge! for stacey & zach- i guess living so far apart makes you really appreciate the time you have together because these two were truly a joy to shoot! not only are they an adorable couple- their interactions are so sweet and perfect for photographing! …but i guess i’ll let you be the judge of that ;)

***please click here to see stacey & zach’s slideshow***

stacey & zach, you guys did such an awesome job staring into the sun and trying to relax and look natural at the same time. ;) anyone who can do that totally rocks in our book! we are excited to be your photographers and we cannot wait for the wedding! until then, enjoy those phone dates knowing the end is in sight! ;)

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noel & michael are married!

katealtmix — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:25:40 +0000

if i had to choose one word to describe noel & michael it would be ‘genuine.’ they are both so open and sincere about everything- their love for one another, their faith, their dreams- spending the day with them was a treat! noel is truly one of a kind- so interested in everyone around her and naturally encouraging and helpful as she carries on conversations. i was trying to describe her to matt later but i really couldn’t come up with the right combination of words- noel is just passionate about everything, especially the passions of whoever she’s speaking with! it’s almost like it makes her happiest to see others happy but yet, it’s more than that, remember what i said about not being able to find words? this babbling paragraph proves that i guess. ;) we spent the morning chatting about marriage, new homes, the importance of faith and eyelashes, separately. i wanted to include these next images just as a little tribute to noel’s love of lashes- i think she ended up curling hers at three different times throughout the day!

noel & michael decided to see each other before the ceremony so we would have time for a variety of portraits. not to be redundant, but you know how much we love it when couples make their own portraits a priority! noel had chosen the perfect place for them to privately meet and it was such a sweet moment! before noel got there michael asked matt all the questions he could think of to make sure this moment was exactly as perfect as it could be for noel. these two are just so darn perfect for each other! ;)

the rain clouds were threatening so we dashed outside to grab a few images before it hit! when it did start, the rain was light and we were able to stretch our time outside just a little bit without getting too wet!

when we were finally forced back inside we didn’t complain! this awesome room was awaiting us and we couldn’t have been happier with the light. noel & michael were up for some classic indoor shots as well and they worked it like they do this every day!

then it was time to split back up and rest a bit before the ceremony. the ladies munched on chickfila (another reason i love noel- she works for chickfila corporate, one of my favorite companies ever!) while they touched up one another’s makeup and greeted the guests who came to peek in on the bride before the ceremony. i love this next shot of the minister with his stunning daughter, she looks like a porcelain doll!

it was finally time for noel and her mom to make their way down the aisle and they both got a little emotional! their matching huge grins and their matching watery eyes did not leave michael’s face as they walked down to meet him. it was so clear how thrilled noel’s mom was to have michael as part of her family!

then it was time for the reception! noel & michael were introduced as husband and wife and entered down the same staircase they used for their first meeting on their wedding day- such a perfect way to come full circle!

matt did some exploring and found a awesome empty theatre in the same building as their reception. we mentioned it to noel and she was all about taking some portraits there! they missed just one song as we worked quickly to grab a few dramatic images. noel & michael- you guys are the BEST!

then it was time for the bouquet and garter toss- i love this next pairing as michael and noel goofed off during the garter removal and noel’s mom and sister reacted to their silliness:

michael surprised noel by hiring a limo for their exit- she knew there was a surprise but didn’t want to know what so she covered her ears until michael was finished working out the details with one of his groomsmen- i think this series is so cute!

***please click here to see noel & michael’s slideshow***

noel & michael, LOVE you guys! thank you so so much for choosing us to capture your wedding day; it was a joy! we wish you both the very best in your new life together; knowing you two a little bit better now, no doubt you’ll have a blast!

brandi & thomas are engaged!

katealtmix — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:39:57 +0000

there are so many reasons we are excited to be working with brandi & thomas- starting with: they are beyond awesome. i met brandi at UGA when she moved in with some of my friends into the apartment just below ours. every day when i’d walk out to class, brandi would grin ear to ear and say hello in the sweetest southern drawl you’ve ever heard! you can’t help but smile around her- her optimism is contagious and her faith is inspiring. thomas is about the luckiest guys alive to be spending the rest of his life with such a bright light!

we met them for coffee to chat about their wedding and we were excited to find that our styles are very similar- they are getting married at one of our favorite venues, king plow, and they wanted a similar feel for their engagement pics. we decided on a park with some ruins in athens but when that option was removed last minute by construction, brandi & thomas trusted us with our alternative location- i am so glad they did! we were happy to be in athens, happy to be shooting with the warm sun and most of all happy because we were working with brandi & thomas. they made the shoot so comfortable and natural and i’ve been on the edge of my seat, excited, to get these images up to share since the second we left athens! seriously, one of my favorite shoots ever:

***please click here to see brandi & thomas’s slideshow***

brandi & thomas, cannot even wait for your wedding! you guys are perfect together- watching you interact while we were shooting was such a blessing- no doubt you have a beautiful future! :)

holly & brandon are married!

katealtmix — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:51:42 +0000

holly & brandon’s wedding day dawned SUNNY AND WARM!!! i could end this post right here because that really describes everything about their day- but i can’t help but expound upon that just a little. ;) for two med students in residency in new york city, it was beyond perfect! it was sunny and warm- did i mention that? and then when we walked into the salon and were greeted with holly’s shining eyes and brilliant smile i was as ready as anyone to get this lovely day started! i met her best friends- a few of whom i’d met at a previous wedding- and we all talked lightly about what was coming- holly marrying her soul mate, brandon. when everyone’s hair was perfectly set, our little party split and met back up a little later for mimosas and makeup before getting started with portraits.

i love this first image of holly because it’s so natural and sweet. she’d just finished with her makeup and was just looking around at her bridesmaids getting ready just taking everything in- she seems so content:

holly mentioned her desire to have a few bridal portraits taken as well as some images with her maids- so we all wandered around shooting together- me pulling holly off by herself every once in a while. she is so natural in front of the camera i kept having to remind myself that we were on a time schedule, haha, here are a few of my faves:

meanwhile, the guys arrived at their amazing ceremony site to get started on a few images of their own! i LOVE how matt used the natural shadows in this next image- brandon almost looks spotlighted!

the ceremony started and there was not a doubt in anyone’s mind that holly & brandon are perfect together! they stared into one another’s eyes, smiling but intense and promised their lives to one another. there were so many sweet moments to capture and cherish…and the sun cooperated quite perfectly!

after the ceremony holly & brandon had blocked off plenty of alone time for portraits- we couldn’t have been happier! the park (usually used for history events!) was the most perfect setting and holly & brandon worked with whatever we threw at them! their natural comfort around one another combined with their shared desire for amazing pictures created some of my favorite couple portraits EVER!

we hadn’t been able to work with the sun in SO long we may have gotten a little over excited with these next few, haha:

the reception flew by in waves of tears and toasts and some serious dancing! the band was beyond amazing- we’d recommend them to anyone who wants their reception to be a huge party! here are a few of our faves from the night:

***please click here to see holly & brandon’s slideshow***

holly & brandon, we wish you both the very best! you’re already such an amazing and inspiring couple- so fun loving and passionate about life! we are so thankful to have met you and we hope to see you again!

jennifer & rob are engaged!

katealtmix — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:04:43 +0000

so this was take two at the park where we were supposed to shoot carolyn & trae before the rain started. we were still so excited about the location that we suggested it to jennifer & rob and they were totally up for checking it out- because they are awesome! after quite a fight with atlanta traffic we all were in the same place ready to get started. and get started we did! since we were racing the sun we didn’t give them quite as much time as we usually do to get comfortable but they were ready for it! their natural comfort with one another made their shoot just flow easily from one location to the next. i know i’ve mentioned it before but we really are so lucky to have such amazing couples like jennifer & rob! couples who know what they want, understand our style, and make things happen!

the sun made it’s first appearance in a while and we were happy to take full advantage of it!

it made me really happy when jennifer mentioned that she really loved close-up shots; so do i! they had no problem at all with us getting a little bit close to their faces to make sure we nailed our closeups- love them for that!

these next two combination shots are simply my shot and matt’s shot of the same moment- it’s fun to look at images this way! also- gives a pretty good excuse for hiring two photogs, no!?

it got dark really fast once the sun set so we were able to grab a few with the moon- a first for us! this was my fave:

***please click here to see jennifer & rob’s slideshow***

jennifer & rob, you guys did an amazing job jumping straight into your shoot! i know this means awesome things for your wedding day; we’re excited! :)

erica & jeff are married!

katealtmix — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:47:39 +0000

when we first met erica & jeff i cannot say that we weren’t intimidated. they are both police officers and if there’s anything that can make my heart stop on the way to anywhere, it’s a cruiser. maybe that says something about matt’s driving? anyway, after a few minutes joking around about said heart stopping we were totally at ease! they told us all about their families and the reunion that their wedding was going to be- plenty of out of town guests, family and friends were going to be reconnecting and some even meeting on their wedding day! we were excited to be part of the action!

erica & jeff got married in asheville, north carolina, one of our favorite cities! their wedding was held in the deerpark restaurant at the biltmore estate which meant we were totally excited about the time they’d blocked off for portraits. then came the rain. it was expected, of course, but still, no one was thrilled. the ceremony was moved indoors as was the dance floor and the portraits around the grounds were cut pretty short. BUT! you’d never have known that wasn’t exactly the way things were supposed to be if you looked at erica! she was buoyant, to put it mildly! her smile stretched across her face the whole day and she could NOT get over the fact that she was about to marry her best friend; it was so perfect- just the way things should be!

we got started at the early girl eatery, a little spot in asheville that never disappoints. i was excited to be back in the mountains and it seemed everyone else was in just as good spirits as well! from breakfast we walked over to the salon where we spent most of the afternoon in the flurry of bobbi pins and blush, the exact type of girlishness that erica claims she isn’t used to- but on her wedding day she’d decided to go for it, glittering hair piece and all! she made me laugh when she explained it all; her dimples getting deeper when she talked about the hair piece especially. but enough of my commentary, the pictures!

erica’s little flower girl was the sweetest ever- and her name is stella! of course, i took an immediate liking to her:

one of my favorite things about shooting with matt is combining our pics in the end and seeing what the guys were up to while the girls were getting ready. in this case the ladies were a bit behind i guess because matt and i took these next two pictures only a couple minutes apart, haha, i love how similar the compositions are! it’s SO FUN to work with my husband!

i love this next sequence matt captured of jeff- somehow it reminds me of james bond…or alec baldwin…? :)

the ladies took a bit longer to get ready than the gents so they spent the afternoon hanging out in the beautiful grand bohemian hotel lounge waiting for the ladies and bonding- or whatever guys call it:

a few portraits in the rain!

the day started to truly fly by when the ceremony started! everything was a blur of joyous tears, hugs and lots of fun as the reception kicked in and the party started!

i love how romantic this last image is:

***please click here to see erica & jeff’s slideshow***

erica & jeff, thank you guys so much for having us all the way up to asheville to capture your wedding! the rain didn’t dampen your spirits and your wedding was such a celebration! we wish you guys the very best!

amy & jeff are married!

katealtmix — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:57:53 +0000

well, as the last few posts have mentioned, there has been a lot of rain lately. most of our weddings have been moved indoors and our engagement shoots have been mostly rescheduled or shot under umbrellas. what has struck me most about this last month has been the resilience of our clients, ready to smile and explore despite the huge drops that have fallen on their perfectly styled hair. amy & jeff did just that. as their venue scrambled to put their rain plan in effect, amy and jeff went through their day like nothing was different. we even shot a few portraits in the rain! but i’ll get to that later. ;) my day started as they usually do, in a salon with a few of the bridesmaids- chatting and easing into shooting as the hairstyles transformed from the all over tease to a smoother, more elegant design. do you call hairstyles designs? i don’t even know. but what i was sure of is that the day was going to be awesome- everyone was ready for a party! amy arrived smiling holding an array of brightly colored umbrellas- last minute gifts for her bridesmaids. her attitude put everyone else at ease about the weather and from then on it was decided that rain or shine, pictures with umbrellas had to happen. i agreed.

matt started his day hanging out with the guys, grabbing lunch and relaxing at amy & jeff’s house. eventually the actual getting ready had to start, haha- i love the shots matt captured there!

the rest of the day flew by and before i knew it amy and jeff’s first look was happening and then we were shooting portraits. outside. in a little drizzle. no umbrellas. gotta love a couple that hardcore about beautiful outdoor lighting on their wedding day! the rain picked up and finally it was me that suggested we move inside. there were some interesting spots around the house, thankfully, and we shot the rest of the portraits, including family portraits, as the reception was set up around us!

pretty much loved the chandeliers at cedar plantation, so sparkly!

and then came the umbrella pictures! it was raining and rather dark but no one seemed to mind venturing out into it. we were glad we got the safe pictures out of the way before the ceremony because amy & jeff encouraged us to just have fun and do whatever craziness we thought of, so we did. as different as these shots are from what we usually do, i love them!

the reception was the kind of party i’d been expecting all day- totally awesome! everyone danced and enjoyed one another and one of the most rockin’ parts was that amy & jeff danced so much too! many times brides and grooms find themselves too busy to eat or dance but this couple was not about to let that happen. they enjoyed their reception as much as anyone and danced the night away!

we were in the zone shooting when we saw amy & jeff making their way toward us- their getaway car had arrived and they wanted some images with it, more then just them taking off. aaand this made us love them even more than their colorful umbrellas, their homer groom’s cake, the fact that they’d asked for our photobooth and their amazing taste in music- they were making sure to take time from their reception to get the images they knew they wanted in the end- SO SMART! here’s my fave:

then it was back in for more dancing- these are some of my most favorite reception shots EVER! please do check out their slideshow for more!

***please click here to see amy & jeff’s slideshow***

amy & jeff, we are still talking about how awesome you guys are! your optimism, despite the rain, made your wedding day so fun for everyone involved. we wish you guys the VERY best and we hope you like your images! :)

lauren’s bridal portraits!

katealtmix — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:26:23 +0000

we rarely share bridal portraits on this blog because we don’t want to give away the bride’s loveliness before the wedding and then after the wedding it usually totally slips our minds since we’re buried so deep in wedding photos. not this time! well, we are buried BUT we’re pulling these out of the archives to share. lauren & matt got married this past weekend and we can’t wait to blog their wedding but until then- please enjoy these images we made with lauren this past april!

are you as in love with this dress as i am!? gosh, lauren is just stunning! ok, gotta get back to editing so we can share their beautiful wedding soon! I LOVE MY JOB!!!

amy & jeff are married! photobooth edition.

katealtmix — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:22:34 +0000

there was no way we weren’t giving these pictures their own post! in fact, i wish i could post every single one of them here- THAT’S how ridiculously awesome their photobooth was. amy provided tons of props and her guests took full advantage of them- creating nothing less than ART:

*CLICK HERE to view them ALL*

carolyn & trae are engaged!

katealtmix — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:17:00 +0000

carolyn & trae are the two busiest people i know so when their engagement session got rained out i was so relieved when we found another date before their wedding that would work! but THEN, it rained again. wasn’t there a drought here in the atl not too long ago!? anyway, whatever the weather carolyn & trae were ready and willing to push right through and make the shoot happen! we’d met them at a pretty park near emory and as soon as we were all assembled and ready to go, the rain forced us under cover. we wandered through parking decks, overhangs, construction, loading docks and healthcare buildings searching for covered areas to shoot and looking back, i am seriously impressed by how patient and relaxed these two were! in the end i think their session ended with a pretty diverse sets of images- each little vignette different but beautiful thanks to their love and optimism!

first up, the park we were supposed to be shooting in:

then we moved on… parking decks!

overhangs too! we eventually had to leave this spot when a trash truck showed up, haha, gross!

a few inside during the worst of the rain- thanks emory heathcare system for providing such large windows!

a few more overhangs and it was a wrap!

***please click here to see carolyn & trae’s slideshow***

carolyn & trae, there’s something special about a couple who can ignore their surroundings and just focus on each other the way you guys can! we are so excited for your upcoming wedding, after this shoot i know it will be such a joyous day!