Jenn and Christian’s wedding was held at the Seattle Yacht Club on a gorgeous October day. I’m a total sucker for anything with a Nautical theme so I was in heaven! It was a wonderfully relaxing day and both Jenn and Christian were laid back and trying to soak in all the day had to offer. Jenn was stunning….talk about a classic beauty….she found the perfect balance of looking bridal but still looking like herself. One of my favorite details of this wedding was Jenn’s father’s boat with a banner that had the names of the happy couple on it.  The whole day went so smoothly, and both families were such a joy to work with. This was one of those rare weddings were I could just slow down and really take in the surroundings. It was an incredibly enjoyable experience:) Thank you Jenn and Christian for being so amazing and I wish you guys all the love and best wishes!!

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A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the pregnancy shoot I did with the Farrell family and I promised a look at their new addition, baby Holden Liam. Holden was born in November and my family and I got to meet Holden over the Christmas holiday.  Like I mentioned in the previous blog post Ashleigh Farrell is one of my sister’s best friends so getting to see Mallory meet Mr. Holden for the first time was really special. The cholic gods were on our side that day because Holden was in a wonderful, relaxed mood.  He was down right charming, giving me cute little smiles and lip curls.  Precious doesn’t even do him justice, he was beyond precious! We were all smitten within seconds.  In the McKenzie family we consider our close friends to be family. We always lived far from our other relatives so we made special long lasting connections with the “family we had around us” which was our friends. Ashleigh and Shaun are definitely family and when I get asked to capture such incredible moments in their life I feel so blessed. Days like that one remind me of how wonderful my job is.

I also mentioned in the previous post that Ashleigh is also a blogger and has a great blog that is filled with touching and funny stories about their new life with Holden. It’s a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to any new mothers out there.

Today also happens to be Shaun’s Birthday coincidentally, so a big Happy Birthday shout out to Shaun. I hope you have a wonderful birthday with your new baby boy!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day, and even some with my parents, my sister, and yours truly:) Can I just say there is nothing sweeter in the world then seeing my daddy holding a little baby boy…..melts my heart every time!

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Another one of my passions is food photography. I remember four years ago when I was graduating college I was so determined to move to NY and shoot for magazines, restaurants and cook books. Nothing could stop me….aw the feeling of determination of someone who had never been told no or let down before in her life…..well NY soon remedied that feeling. Plans always change, and in my opinion they change for a reason. I was trying to soak up all the experience and life lessons I could. So two big moves and four years later here I am ready to start the food photography adventure again:) First step on my adventure is to get my updated food portfolio and website up and running. Well we are very close, hopefully the next few weeks it will be ready to go, but until then I thought I’d share it with all of you. My goal is to add to it every month, even if it’s just me setting up shoots in my dining room:) When I second shoot for other wedding photographers I’m the one who is following the catering waiter/waitress trying to shoot the food….I get some funny looks:) I just can’t help myself, even at weddings I make sure that I get awesome shots of the food and the beverages. Poor Justin if I bust out my 5D one more time at a restaurant I fear he just might die of embarrassment….like I said I just can’t help it:)

Well wish me luck on my new food photography adventure. I’m excited to see where it takes me:)

Enjoy.

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“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”  ~Emma Goldman

Another one of my favorite details to shoot at a wedding is the bridal bouquet. Usually the bridal bouquet is very special and symbolic to the bride. It either contains flowers that are the colors of her wedding or she has chosen the flowers specifically for their meaning. Some are more superstitious then others but in the end the bridal bouquet is one of the bride’s most important accessories. Historically, bouquets consisted of strong-smelling herbs and/or flowers and were carried by the bride to ward off evil spirits. It was also a symbol of fertility, but I like the warding off evil spirits explanation better:) However, I think looking into the historical value of wedding traditions is important. You should know the meaning behind what you’re doing, what does this action or accessory represent. Why is it important to do these things or have these things on my wedding day? You might decide that not all the traditions translate for you and what you want on your wedding day. It never hurts to do a little research:) One fun fact I found out is the tradition of tossing the bouquet actually stems from England where the women used to try and rip pieces of the bride’s dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. I found that incredibly hilarious….and intense! I think you get a little glimpse of your bride’s personality when you see her bouquet, and I do my best to capture it in the best way possible.

Here is a fun link that tells your the historical meaning behind flowers and what they symbolize  http://aboutflowers.com/flower-a-plant-information-and-photos/meanings-of-flowers.

Here are the gorgeous bouquets from this past wedding season…so pretty!

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