Christmas traditions seem to herald in the Christmas season and one of my treasured favorites is time spent with friends, sipping pot after pot of tea in front of a kitchen fire, and enjoying each other’s company.  Debra’s Christmas tea brought so many visual (and tasty) delights, I had to share a few!

I loved this vintage Christmas tree with all the little dolls and toys.  It reminded me of the old 1934 movie, Babes in Toyland.  I could almost hear the notes from the song March of the Toys … “Come back to the toys your childhood knew, For we are true, whatever you do. We’re waiting to play the same old way, Through night and day, though you are gray, we’ll wait for aye!”

Shelby and Abbi worked extra hard to make all the delicious treats!  Here, Shelby hand shapes and powders each chocolate truffle …

My little friend Margaret was in her own imaginary world as she played with this tiny hand-made tree.  She was so sweet to show me one of her treasures …

Our ‘afternoon’ tea lasted way into the evening (aka – friends who don’t want to leave!)  When we finally headed out the back door, Frank pointed out the tiny door near the steps, illuminated by a single wall lantern.  So pretty!

… ‘So bring Him incense, gold, and myrhh, Come peasant, king to own Him; The King of kings salvation brings; Let loving hearts enthrone Him.’  (Angels We Have Heard On High)

‘And the angel said unto them, fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’   Luke 2

October is one of our favorite months for a wedding (that’s our own anniversary month!) but Julia and Jeff’s was truly extra special.  We loved all of the fall color and detail that highlighted their wedding day – everything glowed with the warmth of it all!  Julia and Jeff were so laid-back and easy going – it was such fun being a part of their day!

Julia looked beautiful and I loved the bridesmaids’ dresses with the pumpkin colored sashes.

… the sweetest flower girl – she actually smiled in every picture but we couldn’t resist this one!

… the happiest ring bearer ever!

Their lovely ceremony and reception were held at the Shrine Temple on Ponce de Leon in Atlanta – the rain sprinkles held off during their outdoor ceremony and just long enough to get our formal shots – yes!

Thank you Julia and Jeff – what a special day!

We had been looking forward to Rebecca and Walker’s wedding for months – from their engagement shoot in Piedmont Park to Rebecca’s bridal portrait session, and all the correspondence in between.  It’s been a delight and joy to get to know them and their families!   This wedding was beautiful and every detail so lovely.  Rebecca’s flowers were wrapped in her great-grandmother’s lace and she wore a diamond ring that belonged to her mother.  She also carried an intricate chantilly lace handkerchief that was a gift from Walker’s mom.  So special!  Enjoy!

Peachtree Road United Methodist Church boasts one of the prettiest bridal rooms in the City!

It’s been a strange wedding season this year with all the heavy rains we’ve had in Georgia (especially with the huge drought in recent years) but our ‘rainy day brides’ have been wonderful!  Rebecca knew her wedding day might bring along showers so she came prepared with a lime green umbrella that picked up the ribbon color in the flower bouquets.  Great idea!  (the flowers were designed and created by Randy Smith).

We all HAD to laugh!  One minute we were doing just fine, dodging a few sprinkles here and there, and then, all of a sudden, a cloud burst open right over our heads!  We just had to show you these cute expressions as everyone ran for cover (including us with our cameras)!   All the bridesmaids were such GREAT sports and a tremendous help to keep things light!

Their beautiful reception was held at the newly renovated Greystone at Piedmont Park.  Avenue Catering Concepts did a fabulous job with the food, and the band, Sensational Sounds of Motown, kept everyone on the dance floor!

The rain let up long enough for us to run outside and capture a few Atlanta skyline shots – lovely!

Congratulations and blessings to Rebecca and Walker!!   Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Erin and Doug picked the perfect fall day for their engagement shoot up at Big Canoe.  The color was at it’s peak and they were relaxed and having fun.  We’re also looking forward to their December wedding which is right around the corner .  We love it when we have the opportunity to shoot something just a little bit different and unexpected and Erin and Doug’s wedding is going to be just that!  Their ceremony will take place at the gazebo on the Square in Marietta and their reception at the recently renovated Strand Theatre across the street.  Thanks Erin and Doug – we’ll see you in a few weeks!

We’re getting ready to post Erin and Doug’s engagement pictures as well as Rebecca and Walker’s wedding (hurray) but I had to squeeze this post in for Anna and Jonathan!  As you might recall from our very last post, Jonathan is the twin brother to Justin who is marrying Heather … whew.  Anyway, when Anna saw Heather’s engagement pixs on the blog she (so kindly) reminded me that we had never posted their pictures on here … SO….here they are!!  It’s kind of neat to look back at summer’s loveliness one more time!  Thank you Anna and Jonathan – your wedding (in just a few weeks) will be great FUN!!

We REALLY appreciate everyone waiting so patiently for their blog posts to appear.  Frank is busily editing (hang on!) and I’m posting, so we’ve got our tag team working.  Posting these blog images is actually one of my (Wendy’s) favorite things to do!  We have the neatest couples and it’s so much fun getting to know them and hear about their engagement stories and wedding plans.  We actually have a FIRST coming up with Heather and Justin’s wedding – Justin has a twin brother, Jonathan, who is getting married in December (to Anna) and we’ll be shooting their wedding also!  This will be so much fun to have all of them together – TWICE – cool!  We have identical twin boys too so this whole scenario will be interesting to watch in more ways than one!

Justin loves to golf so he brought along his clubs – hey, that’s a great way to get the guys interested in a photo shoot ….

Thanks Heather and Justin!  We’ll see you at the December wedding!

With all the strange weather we’ve had over the past month, I was glad that Jadie and Jim’s engagement picture date turned out to be sunny and cool – perfect!  Jadie is in school in Nashville, and her weekends in Atlanta are limited right now, so it worked out perfectly.    These two were so comfortable and relaxed – you can just tell how much they enjoyed being together.    Their wedding next spring should be super neat – the reception is at Jadie’s parent’s home in Alpharetta so that will be extra special!

You know, I’ve been trying hard to think of where to start with this post about Allison and Andrew and am going to have to try extra hard to put it all into words that will do them justice.   First of all the word NICE is right up there at the top when it comes to describing  them both, along with GENUINE, CARING, HAPPY, JOYOUS, and, of course, FUN!   As wedding photographers, we have this wonderful privilege of stepping into one of the most important and special days of someone’s life.  It’s a treat to be there to observe, help if needed, and capture all those special moments that happen as the day unfolds.  For Allison and Andrew, their destination wedding festivities began with their rehearsal dinner in historic Madison, Georgia and the threat of rain was imminent for the remainder of the weekend.  SO, with a brave face and a ‘nothing is going to spoil my day’ attitude, Allison charmed us all.  Along with some help from her wonderful family, champion bridesmaids, awesome wedding coordinator, and easy-going Andrew, their OUTDOOR wedding and reception turned out to be FABULOUS!!!  Wait until you see this rain and Allison’s cheerful smile ….

Above:  the beautiful Madison Oaks Inn & Gardens

Turning lemons into lemonade!  At the last minute, Allison and her bridesmaids were able to find these adorable rain boots with matching umbrellas at a local boutique in town!  They were a perfect match to their bridesmaids dresses and flower colors (how cool is that?!)

Allison and her brother Scott kept us all laughing …

Allison watches as guests arrive … in the rain …

Just before the ceremony was about to start, it really began to pour.  Allison waits …

Not just a sprinkle or two … driving, pouring rain ….

Allison’s wedding coordinator, Tracey Hickey of Consultants Unlimited, was wonderful and kept things running smoothly – she and her assistant Lisa were soaking wet by the end of the ceremony!

But all is well ….

After the ceremony, the rain let up and tapered off – just in time to get the shots we needed of Allison and Andrew and the wedding party – hurray!

Congratulations Allison and Andrew!!!   You’re the BEST!