Rustic Pennsylvania Engagement Session | Kellie and Matt

Engagement, Love, Stories Documented  //  28th March 2013

Even though we grew up in the area, we never imagined how beautiful this rustic Pennsylvania engagement session would be! Yes, the creek, snow covered woods, frozen pond, random wood piles and everything about the environment made this session remarkable… but it definitely was the beauty of Kellie and Matt’s love that made the session unforgettable!

We have known both Kellie and Matt for quite some time. We all grew up in the same small town and got to know each other through different avenues of life! (For example, Ryan worked with Matt during high school and was in many of the same school classes as Kellie… starting all the way back in 2nd grade!) When we received an email from Kellie sharing her excitement that she and Matt were planning their wedding, we could not have been more excited! We couldn’t wait to hear more about their love story and how this beautiful world brought them together!

Although we knew both Kellie and Matt growing up… it wasn’t until after graduation that Kellie and Matt got to know each other! In fact, it took a blind call from Matt to Kellie to start their relationship off! Matt’s cousin was looking out for him and suggested that he give Kellie a call! After just a few dates, they knew they had something special!

When Kellie and Matt are together, their love radiates from their smiles! We loved spending some time with them at a local hunt club in Pennsylvania over the weekend! It was such a beautiful and peaceful setting… the perfect place for Kellie and Matt to escape the busyness of their lives and soak each other in!

Kellie and Matt… thank you for sharing such a beautiful day with us! Your peaceful love and happiness radiates and is a joy to be around! We are so excited for your wedding and so grateful this beautiful world brought you two together!

 

 

Washington DC Proposal | Proposal Photographer

Love, Stories Documented  //  21st February 2013

When Kevin contacted us last year about surprising his girlfriend, Jennifer, by asking us to be his proposal photographer when he proposed at the Jefferson Memorial, we literally jumped up and down. Seriously… picture Ryan checking the emails and saying, “That is so fun.” And then I say, “What, What is so fun?” And then I literally run over to Ryan and both of us hover around the computer reading Kevin’s email with a whole lot of excitement to follow!

Having a guy contact us about surprising his soon to be fiancé is magical to us! But having him ask us to be a part of it is even that much more magical! Not to mention, Kevin shared with us that Jennifer was a blog reader and the Maid of Honor in Allison and Tom’s wedding from a year and half ago! Ohh my goodness- yes we were super super pumped!

Photographing a proposal is always a little tricky… as much as we plan ahead of time, we are always a bit nervous. What if the timing doesn’t work out the way we had planned and we actually miss it because they arrived earlier than planned? Or what if the taxi driver knows a different entrance and drops them off there? Or what if the sun sets early?!? Haha! I know that’s not really possible. But if these are the thoughts going through my mind, I can only imagine the thoughts that were going through Kevin’s.

Kevin handled EVERYTHING so calmly and with so much joy! His “story” was that they were going to be attending an event at the Memorial. When they arrived to the Memorial and did not see the friends they were supposed to be meeting or any other sign of an event, Jennifer definitely had the look of concern on her face. But Kevin, without skipping a beat, just kept right on going. They made their way to the top of the stairs and Kevin got down on one knee. The rest of this amazing story can be seen in the photos! Words are hard to describe the pure joy, happiness, and AMAZING love that poured from their hearts! ;)

Congratulations Jennifer and Kevin! We are so honored to have captured this AMAZING moment in your love story!

 

The AMAZING Marriage Project

Love, Stories Documented  //  13th February 2013

You know when you walk down the street and you come across the sweetest couple walking hand in hand and giggling and laughing at each other? Sometimes they are an older couple helping each other step-by-step and other times they are younger and basically pulling each other across the street. Either way, they always seem to have a zest for life and most certainly exude love that adds an extra beat in our hearts! Those moments when we witness the love that these couples share always has a way of stopping us in our tracks and reminding us to slow down and soak in this life!

As we mentioned with our What If post on Monday, we have had this idea brewing for awhile, but we finally decided to take some action and start The AMAZING Marriage Project. We want to photograph married couples who love unconditionally. We want to hear their stories and learn about the good and the not so good moments that they have used to learn what unconditional love is all about! We want to take the knowledge that we gain from these AMAZING couples and share it with the world. To be honest, we are not quite sure what the end product will be… maybe a book, a documentary, or even just a blog series. But what we do know is that we are SO eager to learn, to document these AMAZING stories, and to share everything with you!!!

 

Here is where we need your help! We are looking for 15-25 married couples that would be willing to allow us to photograph them, interview them, and even shoot some video of them in an effort to document their love story in this moment in time! (We have asked our good friend Jeremy Mitchell of Jeremy Mitchell Cinema to help us out with the video portion! ;) Whoop Whoop!) We are looking for couples who have been married for 1 day up to 100 years (ok, we know the longest married couple has been married for about 80 years… but we can dream right?! ;) ). We are hoping to photograph couples that may have gone through some tough times in their lives (who hasn’t right?) but have chosen LOVE and HAPPINESS above all else. We would love to find couples who are so excited to share their stories in hopes to make a difference in the lives of others!

 

Hopefully at this point you are thinking…. YES, I know the perfect couple for this project. Now go nominate them! ;) Please. It is super easy! Click Here. Don’t worry, the couples will not be asked to pay anything. This is a personal passion project for us and this is just one way that we feel like we can touch the lives of others and learn more about what goes into an AMAZING marriage! After a short nomination period, a selection committee will help us decide which couples to choose for The AMAZING Marriage Project. More details can be found on The AMAZING Marriage Project Website.

 

Photo Contest: Win a FREE Photo Session!!!

Engagement, Life, Love, Stories Documented, Wedding  //  1st January 2013

Happy New Year!!!  Wahoooo! We just did a little cheers with our mimosas and good friends Natalie and Hugh…to making 2013 the most AMAZING year yet! We are so excited to think about 2013, but first we are taking a good look back at 2012 with hugely grateful hearts!

It is so incredible to look back over 2012 and think about all of the AMAZING couples who have touched our lives in such a special way! Every single photo session that we have done has left a special mark on our hearts. We always take so much away from each session… unconditional love and joyful happiness are two of our favorite takeaways! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for trusting us as your wedding, engagement and anniversary photographers! This year we even took a sense of adventure away from many of our sessions!  It is crazy to think that we photographed in Paris, Barcelona, Mexico, Punta Cana, Southport, NC, Annapolis, the Eastern Shore, Baltimore, Altoona, PA, Montoursville, PA, Rye, NY, Winston-Salem, NC, and so so so many more locations! Wow! We are so so so grateful for every couple we have had the honor of photographing and for the every adventure they have taken us on!

This year, we wanted to do something EXTRA special for our couples to say THANK YOU for such an AMAZING year! We are hosting a Facebook Photo contest (that is live now!) and we are giving away (not just 1) but 2 photo sessions!!! We pulled 1 photo from every couple’s session we photographed this year and put them on Facebook. The photo that gets the most votes by Monday, January 14th will win a FREE photo session that can take place anywhere in the United States! ;) (Yes! We will travel to wherever our couple would like to go! Who knows… maybe if they talk us into it we would even go abroad?! ;)) The official rules are on the Facebook Contest site. And there is something AMAZING in this for all of the voters too! We will choose 1 person from all of the voters at random to win the 2nd FREE photo session! AMAZING, right?!  Honestly, we are so so so grateful for all of the AMAZING people our business has brought into our lives, this is just our little way of giving back to all of you!

Now, don’t wait… please go vote! And share the contest with all of your family and friends too… maybe if they win the photo session they would share the love with you!?! Who knows!

Thank you again for making 2012 such an AMAZING year! Our hearts are so full of gratitude! Happy 2013!

Naval Academy Wedding Photography: Jen and Scotlin’s Love Story

Love, Stories Documented, Wedding  //  28th December 2012

There was something incredibly calm about their day. Jen was as relaxed as can be! As the craziness of “bridal time” (regular time fast-forwarded) surrounded her, she stayed calm knowing she would soon see Scotlin at the end of the beautiful Naval Academy Chapel aisle.

Scotlin stood at the end of the aisle looking calm and ready to go. The moment where he would finally see his bride walking down the aisle in her gorgeous dress was finally here. As soon as he could see her, his face lit up with a big smile! This was that moment he had anticipated for so long!

Jen and Scotlin’s wedding was not only a celebration of their love and their union… it was a celebration of their strength and courage. Scotlin had recently returned from a 6 month deployment where he and Jen had very little contact. As hard as those months certainly were, they knew they had so much to look forward to in the weeks ahead! Their love certainly shined through and now they are celebrating with a wedding, a surprise honeymoon to Italy (AMAZING!!), the completion of their new home they built… and even a new puppy! So much happiness!

Jen and Scotlin, we are so grateful to have been a part of your gorgeous day! Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate along side you! Congratulations on all of your excitement ahead! We wish you nothing but the very best!!!

Thanks to all the awesome vendors that made Jen and Scotlin’s wedding AMAZING!

Naval Academy Wedding Photography: Liz and Ryan | Photo Booth: Liz and Ryan | Invitations and Stationery: Allison Barnhill Designs | Hair: Sherri Hoover, Bodywellness Salon and Spa | Florist: Intrigue Designs | Venue: United States Naval Academy | Reception Venue: Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel | Bakery: Fiona’s Cakes | Transportation: Towne Transport | Bride’s Attire: Mary’s Bridal | Bridesmaid’s Attire: David’s Bridal | Groomsmen’s Attire: Men’s Warehouse | Wedding Bands: Zachary’s Jewelers

Enjoy more of Jen and Scotlin’s Naval Academy Wedding Photos in their slideshow below and be sure to leave Jen and Scotlin a comment to congratulate them!