Oh my gosh Andrea and David! There is so much to say! First of all, I absolutely adore them. Andrea is crazy-beautiful but so down to earth and awesome to be around. She has one of the best sense of humors ever. When Andrea and David came to their initial consult with me, let's see, back in May of 2007, I remember one of the first things that Andrea told me. She said "I have a girl-crush on you!" Andrea had been all over my website and my blog and had decided that I was cool enough for someone as fantastic as herself to have a girl-crush on. Seriously, it was a compliment that knocked me over. But that is just Andrea, she is straight and to the point, honest and so amiable and fun-loving you just want to be around her all the time! And David is the lucky man to have that honor! David is a perfect fit for Andrea because he loves her sparkling personality and I just know that they goof off together all the time! David is so sweet and just absolutely wonderful. Since they have been traveling and moving so much over the last year we photographed their engagement session as soon as we met -- so I had to wait nearly a year to see them again (and in the course of that time they had lived all of the US it seems!)!

On their engagement session I had the idea to have a picnic. So we went out to a wooded area and the two of them shared fresh strawberries on a blanket. It was a really fun shoot.

Fast-forward nearly twelve months and their wedding day was upon me. They were married out at Talon Winery. Talon is just so gorgeous. I am convinced they play by different rules out there. It never rains and the sky is always the most beautiful color. And the lighting -- ah, the lighting is always so perfect. Let's not forget to mention that we are surrounded by wine and well, that is never a bad thing!

Andrea and her bridesmaids are a hoot. While they were getting ready in the dressing room at the tasting house all kinds of craziness occurred -- which included but was not limited to -- a bridesmaid doing plies for entertainment.

The ceremony was gorgeous. It was a true stilled moment in time. The wind softly blew (although it strongly blew Andrea's veil! Thank goodness for a quick maid of honor!) and the birds quietly chirped in  the background. It was so serene and beautiful.

After the ceremony we took the whole gang out to photograph everyone. The bridal party were non-stop and some very fun portraits came from the time we had. David's two brothers were in his bridal party and they took turns picking each other up. Something I am sure they understand. ;) But I was never a big nor a little brother! ;)

The flowers were gorgeous and once again done by the ever lovely, Hollie Chambliss. DaRae and Friends did the catering and it looked delicious!

Finally then the two, Andrea and David, headed out for their (much needed!) honeymoon via a sparkler exit for the books (there were like 200 people with really long sparklers who were really, really excited -- it was a sight!). When Andrea came to see me a week or so later for her bridal session she told me they were back to packing again -- off to live in Chicago this time. Again, a fantastic couple and amazing clients. Just call me the luckiest girl around!

Photo above by Amy

Above photo by Amy

Photo above by Amy (isn't she just darling in her gingham?)

Photo above by Amy

I love the notes I get from my clients. They make my day. Since I have begun to limit the number of clients I take on each season I feel I have become even that much closer to the clients I have. They are such awesome people with such incredible personalities. So by the time the wedding day arrives I have been looking forward to it for so long that I am always just overwhelmed with joy.

Alice is definitely one of my awesome clients. I just adore her. She has such a laid-back and funny personality. I call her “lawyer dry” and what I mean is that her humor is delivered in a dry, serious tone and she almost always seems to be “all business” but once you get to know her she is laid-back and charming. Oh and she loves pink. And ruffles. And I love that she loves the color pink and ruffles. It must be so difficult to remain so girly in so many aspects while being so amazing in such a male-dominated field. Yay for being a woman, right? Hell yes, yay!

So this week I received this (note the dry humor — I love it!) note from Alice and it made my cheeks go hot it made me smile so big!

A note from Alice this week:
Angela -

I have to admit I am a little vexed with you:)  Here I am in the nation’s capital while Alex lobbys Congress…. in a shopping mecca…. greeted by fabulous museums… and now I just want to sit in my hotel room and check your blog.  I LOVE the first photo… and can’t wait for more.  Thank you so much for being a part of our day and for capturing the little moments that made it such a big deal.   We are ever so excited to see the rest - and thankful that still photos don’t reveal how badly we needed to take dancing lessons before our first dance (I guess I don’t take well to being led… tough luck for him for the next 50 years.)

Regards,
Alice Bartanen Blevins (and her groom too)

 See why I love her?

And I have known Alice for ages, or so it feels like. She hired me 18 months prior to her planned wedding day. Alice is the kind of woman who knows what she wants! And plans early to get it! I remember when she and her assistant came down to visit me — I think I had not even moved into my most current studio at that time — but I was still at Butchertown Market. Alice was very matter-of-fact and expressed to me, plainly and certainly, that I would be her photographer. She was passionate about having me present at her wedding day and it truly inspired me to hear her talk about my work so intensely. Her connection with my work was immediate and again — she knew what she wanted!

It was a number of months later that I met her now new husband, Alex. Not only do their initials match (Alice Bartanen & Alex Blevins) but their personalities also meshed so well. Alex is also a very serious man, with (as I could tell) a very serious desire to better his world. These are both people you would want on your side fighting for you, if you needed it.

We did their engagement session at the Indianapolis Art Museum. Here’s one of my favorites from the session when we went to downtown Indy:

 


Next, a few months later I photographed Alice’s bridals (in which she looked absolutely stunning!!).

 
But, finally, the wedding day was upon us.

It had called for rain (what is with the weather these days!?) but instead, of course, only sun and a wonderful, light breeze. It was a bit toasty but the festivities were all indoors and air-conditioned so that was of no matter. I had actually gone up to Danville (where the wedding took place) a day early as Alice had requested some rehearsal coverage. I stayed at the really quaint “Beaumont Inn” outside of Danville. The next morning, the wedding. The wedding was held on the Centre campus (Alex’s alma mater) and the campus is so beautiful! We photographed a number of portraits around the campus as it was a gorgeous backdrop. Alice looked so beautiful. When I took her outside the cottage she was staying in to take pictures I was taken aback but how gorgeous her skin was and how — inside the camera — the light was just falling so wonderfully on her face. I could have photographed her all day!

The ceremony was held at the church on campus. After the ceremony Alice and Alex drove off in one of my favorite wedding vehicles — the Gold Shield Rolls Royce. It was a perfect choice for Alice’s understated elegant theme. Immediately after portraits the reception was held at the Norton Center on campus. The guests were surrounded by wonderful art and photography (and the good vibes from all of the art that has come through the Norton!). Kevin Moreland played the beautiful music everyone enjoyed and Hollie Chambliss did the gorgeous (pink!) flower arrangements. They were truly gorgeous. And Alice truly outdid herself. I loved, loved all of the pink. The cake was awesome and all of the little details around the reception were a true delight. I know some of my blog readers will get some inspiration from Alice’s talents!

I feel as though I have been in communication and working with Alice for such a while now that I hate that the wedding is over and we will only be working on the album and then that is it. So Alice and I will definitely have to come up with some more excuses to get together or more things to photograph soon!!

Laura called me about 18 months before her wedding date to retain me as her photographer. I was so honored that she chose me because Laura is in the wedding work field. She, for quite a while, worked the events at Talon Winery. After that she worked for events at the Radisson downtown Lexington. She has recently found her work-home at the Historic Boone Tavern as sales and catering manager. We in wedding work are so picky about our own wedding vendors! I remember having such a time choosing the perfect vendors for my wedding. That was hard! Laura knew from my work at the Talon that she wanted me to photograph the event and I knew from meeting her that I wanted to be her photographer!

I saw a familiar face at Laura's wedding -- Melissa Grohovsky. Melissa also worked out at the Talon and now she is the amazing main contact at the Radisson. It was fun to hang out with "work people" at such a fun event.

When I photographed Laura and Brock's engagements and put together their guest book I started getting so excited about working with them on their wedding day.

I know I say this all of the time but I can never get over it: I have the best clients!

The ceremony was on May 17th in Lexington, KY at the First Methodist Church downtown. It was a beautiful day (a little windy, but hey!). The reception was at the Kentucky Horse Park.

I worked with some of my favorite people: Hollie Chambliss did the flowers, Kevin Moreland the music, Martine the cake and the ever-wonderful Ana Crane-Simpson did the makeup.

Laura looked absolutely stunning, even in her relaxing garb.

There are going to be a lot of posts during this very busy wedding season! Between Amy's weddings and my own it should prove a busy blog!

On May 10th, Stefanie & Danny were married at the Marriott Mansion at the Griifin Gate in Lexington. The wedding reminded me of a fairytale. Everything was soft and pink and the weather was perfect. Stefanie looked like a modern day princess, and she had the grace and kindheartedness of one as well. Danny has such a great energy about him. It was such a pleasure to photograph the wedding! Here are a few images from the day!

Click the photo to start the slideshow: