It’s already the middle of February in 2012, and I can’t believe it! Time is flying. Although it seems the days have been slipping right by lately, we’re super excited. We’re excited about all of the fantastic brides and grooms we’ll be working with this year. We haven’t had a chance to photograph engagement sessions for all of our 2012 brides and grooms yet, but we’ve had a few….and let me tell you, that is enough to get me seriously pumped about this wedding season (even if I am going to be the size of a house for several of the weddings)!

We’re still busy as little bees editing around here, but I wanted to take a quick break and share some of the lovely faces you’ll be seeing lots more of on the blog in the coming year! Can’t wait to get to know all of these couples even more in the coming weeks and months!

Jeanna and Keith couldn’t have custom-ordered more beautiful weather for their October 1st wedding. The sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect as Thomas and I headed to meet the bride and her bridesmaids Saturday morning. They were busy as bees in their room at the resort. Excited conversation and hairspray filled the air. The ladies were curling their hair, putting on makeup and chatting about wedding day details.

After the bridesmaids got Jeanna in her dress, in unison, there was an audible gasp. She was perfect. {I looooved her dress.} It was elegant and formal, but it had the perfect weight and movement for a beach wedding. Oh – and it had pockets. {Swoon!} She looked stunning. After taking a few photos of Jeanna alone, we found her dad, and headed to meet her groom. Jeanna had decided that she wanted her dad to take her to meet Keith for her first look, which we loved.

Keith was thrilled to see Jeanna, and she was equally as excited to see him. I think my favorite part about their first look was the little spin she did to show Keith her dress when they first saw each other. It was the sweetest.

The day was beautiful. From the flower Jeanna wore in her hair, to the boutonnieres, bouquets and centerpieces – everything was gorgeous. The bridesmaids wore beautiful deep blue dresses, and the honorary bridesmaids wore pewter. The groom and groomsmen looked dapper in their khaki and white. The simple white bouquets with pops of green were just right for this beach wedding- simple and elegant.

During the ceremony, it was completely apparent how much these two loved each other. The look on Jeanna’s face as she walked towards her groom said it all. Jeanna and Keith’s minister performed a “knot commitment ceremony,” in which he tied their hands together, showing that they were now bound together for life, as husband and wife.

The whole day was an absolute dream – beautiful place, amazing weather, handsome couple, awesome guests, and most importantly – love. Jeanna and Keith’s love for each other, and the love their family members and guests had for the two of them, was so apparent, that it seemed to overshadow everything else. The flowers were beautiful, the dress was stunning and the beach was glorious, but the love between Jeanna and Keith out-shined all of the pretty decor and details. As it should.

Jeanna and Keith, you guys are the real deal. We are blessed to not only call you our clients, but to call you our friends. We are so glad that we have gotten to know you and were able to be present for {and photograph} such a beautiful day in your lives. We pray that you guys share a marriage filled with joy, laughter, companionship and more love than you even knew possible. {We know you will!}

A few of the lovely vendors we worked alongside…

Wedding Venue – Portofino Island Resort
Florist – Fiore of Pensacola
Bride’s Hair and Makeup – Fusion Spa and Salon
Bride’s Gown – Pensacola Bridal Loft
Bridesmaids’ Dresses – Pensacola Bridal Loft
Groom’s Apparel – Men’s Wearhouse
Groomsmen’s Apparel- Men’s Wearhouse
DJ – A DJ Connection

Thomas and I had not met Cammie and Justin before their wedding day. We’d only had a few telephone conversations and email correspondence prior to the big day. We always prefer some face time with our clients before their weddings…we just find that it’s much more comfortable on the wedding day if we’ve gotten to spend some time together, just hanging out, before we’re present for such personal moments in our couples’ lives. But we said a little prayer, stepped out of the car and went to find the bride and groom!

I’m sure you’re wondering when the aforementioned swooning happen. That my friends, would be during their first look. First Looks – no kidding – are what I love the very most about my job.

I never, ever get tired of watching a groom’s eyes light up when he sees his wife-to-be as a bride for the very first time. I never get tired of the moment that takes place immediately after the bride has tapped her groom on his shoulder and their eyes meet. The tender hugs and kisses, softly-whispered words and sweet tears. Nope. They never get old. They are precious and lovely and wonderful every single time. I can’t usually hear the conversations between our brides and grooms during this time, but honestly, I don’t want to. The first look is their time, and only their time. Those are their words, only for each other.  But the fact that I am blessed to be present for such special moments? Well it makes my heart go aflutter and butterflies dance in my stomach.

Justin and Cammie’s first look was certainly beautiful, but what made my heart nearly overflow with affection for them, was the story Justin shared with me right after, when we started their portraits.

Justin told me that when he and Cammie first met, they were both, individually, praying that God would send them a mate. Although they were both praying for a spouse, they had also come to the understanding that God’s will may be for them to remain single, and they both, individually, accepted that. Not long after that, Cammie and Justin met, and it was clear right away, that God had sent Cammie the mate she had prayed for in Justin, and Justin the mate he had prayed for in Cammie.

It’s not just this story that makes me swoon, though. That’s not the only reason I fell in love with these two. The pure, unadulterated love, and the open and honest way in which Justin told Thomas and me about their love story, is really what made me fall for this couple.

I am blessed every time I photograph a first look. Every. Single. Time.

But this…this was special. Learning about Cammie and Justin’s love story, right after photographing their first look….well, there was just something very special and personal about it.

These moments are why I do this job. It’s not the pretty dresses or flowers. It’s not the lovely details and amazing venues. It’s not even all of the free cake.

We do this job for LOVE.

It is capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments between a bride and her groom. It’s about giving them, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the gift of being able to experience those moments, over and over again, through a photograph.

Why do we do this job? We do this job because of couples like Cammie and Justin Abercrombie.

Every time I photograph a first look, I am not just blessed professionally. I’m not just blessed by the beautiful reminder of how special this job, that Thomas and I do, is.

But I am also blessed personally. These moments remind me to love my husband purely, unconditionally and with my whole heart. I look at Thomas a little bit differently after moments like Cammie and Justin’s first look. I treasure him more. I remember to thank him, for being my groom and for choosing me as his bride. And I remember to thank God for giving us to each other.

Cammie and Justin, thank you for allowing us to be present for such a beautiful moment in your lives. Thank you for sharing your love story with us. And thank you for making me fall in love with my job, and my husband, even more. We pray that you continue to fall in love with each other, over and over, more and more, for years and years to come. God bless.

(We are super excited about photographing another Kelley wedding next summer! Cammie’s sister, Kayla, got engaged after she caught the bouquet and her boyfriend {now fiance} caught the garter at Cammie and Justin’s wedding.)

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
Let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea resound and all that is in it;
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing,
Let them sing for joy before the Lord,
for He comes to judge the earth.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:31-34

Thomas and I are off for a short weekend getaway. We’re going to stop…just for the weekend…and enjoy God’s beauty.

We’ve had four fantastic weddings in a row, and we can’t wait to share them with you here, very soon. (In the meantime, you can check out our Facebook page to see some recent weddings and sessions!)

I hope you remember to stop every now and then, even when life is racing by, and take in God’s glorious creation.

Sometimes, I hope you  just STOP.

Smell the roses, watch a sunset, or listen to the waves crash against the sand. God’s beauty is all around you. Enjoy it this weekend, friends.

We’ll be back to work on Monday!

(A big thanks to Thomas for the photos in this post. He took these at Pensacola Beach before we headed home from Jeanna & Keith’s wedding.)

While Thomas and I have shared much about our daily lives, family members, friends, and of course, our clients here on the blog, there are two very important team members who never get any recognition. They never complain, though. As long as their bowls are full, beds are soft, and heads are petted every now and again, they don’t mind that no one gives them any credit. But after reading a wonderful article in Garden and Gun Magazine this afternoon, I decided that a shout-out to Mickey and Goose on the blog was long past due.

Thomas and I are 26 and 28, have been married for 3 (almost 4) years now, and many (I mean MANY) of our friends are adding little ones to their families these days. While we definitely want children in the future, it’s not something we’re planning for currently. Even though we don’t have children, we do have two ankle-biters who keep our household quite exciting.

Mickey is a 7-year-old Bichon Frise, who prefers mud over baths, would take on any Pit Bull that crossed his path, and thinks he’s top dog in the Boutwell house. We would never tell him that he’s really a French lap dog who should be groomed daily, or that he is NOT the biggest, baddest dog on the block, because it would break his fluffy little heart. He thinks he’s 100% mutt and the size of a Great Dane. He would much rather live on a farm than in the city. He’s never met a chipmunk he wouldn’t chase, a cat he wouldn’t challenge, a lap he didn’t want to sit in, or a stranger who he wouldn’t gladly lick square in the face. From our front door he seems unfriendly, barking through the window above our couch, but I know that he simply thinks he’s doing his job, protecting us from the evil FedEx delivery man and that wicked Girl Scout selling her cookies. Once you enter our home, he’ll be the first to sniff your feet, and then wag his tail in approval, waiting for you to bend down and give him a little love in return. When we take him to the pond, he spends 90% of his time in full-sprint, with his nose to the ground, trying to smell every smell possible. He wants to explore every inch of the great outdoors, nose first. While my furry little man, given to me by my father when I was 19, certainly loves the outdoors, he enjoys the comforts of home as well. He’ll gladly sleep with me all day if I am sick, never leaving my side, until Thomas makes him go outside to do his business. Then he’ll begrudgingly get up, stretch, yawn and with some persuading from Thomas, go outside, only to return to his bed beside mine ten minutes later. When I sometimes have sleepless nights, and I move to the couch so that I don’t disturb Thomas, it never fails, that I’ll hear the quiet click-clack-click-clack of his paws behind me, and then his little white face emerges in the darkness. He always finds a way to join me on the couch during those sleepless nights, even though he knows that’s against the rules. After all, I couldn’t possibly say no to my furry little sleepless companion. On the days we work from home, he’s never far away. He can usually be found lounging underneath my desk around my feet or underneath my chair. He’s a spunky little guy, always overjoyed to greet me when I come home, usually with his once-stuffed toy fox in his mouth, wagging his tail wildly. It doesn’t matter if I just made a quick trip to the gas station; he’s always thrilled when I come back. While he’s always happy when I arrive home, he’s equally sad to watch me leave. As soon as we pull out our suitcases and start laying out clothes, Mickey pouts. He usually refuses to eat, lies in the window and gives me the cold shoulder. I’ll eventually scoop him up, give him some love, and then watch him sadly stare at me from the window as I pull out of the drive.

Goose is our other ankle-biter…well, he’s actually more of a knee waist-biter. He’s our 5-year-old black lab. I gave him to Thomas for our 1-year (dating) anniversary. He was a precious ball of fur that fit in my hand, with a cute little squashed-up face, giant ears and even bigger paws. He was an adorable, clumsy mess. Now, at five years old, he’s still a clumsy mess with giant ears and paws, but the rest of his body caught up with the ears and paws. He’s 98-pounds of genuine love…on a day when he hasn’t stolen Mickey’s breakfast or broken into the bag of dog food. He has the best disposition of any big dog I’ve ever known. When my niece was a toddler, Goose never minded when she’d pull on is ears or try to ride him like a horse; he was just grateful for a new playmate. He loves swimming and playing fetch more than anything else in the world. Every day around two, when Thomas has been working at his computer for hours, he’ll run into the living room, find his bone, and then sit by Thomas’ desk, wagging his tail and whimpering ever-so-slightly. Then he’ll pace, from the back door to Thomas’ desk, waiting for Thomas to get up and play fetch for a few minutes. Afterwards, he’ll gladly return to his spot beside Thomas’ desk, at his feet, and nap until Thomas is done working for the day. Then he’s ready to play again. He’s the best snuggler ever, and while Mickey thinks he’s a giant Great Dane, Goose thinks he is a Teacup Chihuahua. He wants nothing more than to curl up right in your lap, and even though his size makes this quite difficult, it doesn’t keep him from trying. He is the sweetest, most docile giant dog you’ll ever meet. I love that big boy…even when he gets stinky or sheds all over my house.

Oh! The other thing I forgot to mention about Mickey and Goose? A very important thing? They are best buds. Mickey, who is white and fluffy and weighs fifteen pounds, and Goose, who has smooth, black hair and weighs 98 pounds, can often be found playfully wrestling or snuggled up sharing a bed.Our neighbors affectionately call them “Rob and Big,” for those of you who remember the show on MTV. Thomas and I’ve often called them Rocky and Bullwinkle. We’re quite sure that Mickey comes up with the schemes, and Goose is the muscle behind the big ideas…which have usually been disasters in our home. (For example, Goose would pull down the lattice along the fence in our backyard, and Mickey would find his way out into the pasture beside our old house. Goose would be left in the fence, crying, not understanding why Mickey could fit through the fence, and he could not.) Bless his sweet bones.

The verrry best thing about Mickey and Goose, though, is that they love us no matter what. Even when we have to leave four weekends in a row to shoot weddings, don’t get to play fetch because there is too much work to be done and don’t feed them at 5 o’clock on the dot, they still love us. Even when we have morning breath, messy hair and aren’t as chipper as we should be, they still love us. They are the silent partners in our business, our encouragers on the dreariest of days. They love us even when we make mistakes…even when we don’t say the right things…even when we don’t love ourselves very much.

There is not much that those sweet furry pups can’t fix…or at least make better…on a rotten day. That certainly makes them worthy of recognition, and even worthy of praise, here on the blog. So tonight I’m going to snuggle with those doggers a little more, give each of them an extra treat and love them a little harder before we head to tomorrow’s wedding.