It’s that time of year again!! The Annual Album Giveaway!  If you are a past client of 2010, check your email and look for the details!

First up is Andrea & Josh whom I had such a lovely time with at Glenmoor. Seriously, they were a photographers dream couple to work with and I am so glad that I was chosen to share their day. I loved every ounce of love that went into this wedding and I LOVED how much love their was in this room. It’s hard not to adore a couple like them. It also helps that Andrea was a blogstalker and admitted freely to the fact! *blush*

“I’ll admit it: I was one of Those Girls who started to casually peruse wedding-related websites like Style Me Pretty, Wedding Chicks, and Weddingbee before my then-boyfriend, Josh, showed up on my doorstep in December 2009 with a ring in his pocket. My browsing wasn’t completely irrational: Josh and I had been together for nearly four years by the time we had gotten engaged and had waited quite a while for both of our educational and career goals to align before tying the knot. I knew that once we got engaged, we’d want to get married fairly quickly, so I called these dreamy web surfs “preliminary research.” It was during one of these “research sessions” that I stumbled upon Corey Ann’s photography website, and I was immediately captivated by her images. I clicked through pages upon pages of stunning photographs that captured everything I had wanted our long-hoped-for wedding to represent: affection, honor, pride, laughter, honesty, and most of all, love. I saw it in the happy smiles of brides looking at their groom from the other end of the aisle. I saw it in the gaze a groom held on his bride as she listened to the minister read a Scriptural passage. I saw it in the father of the bride’s tear-filled eyes as he raised his glass to toast his beloved little girl and new son. Corey captured all of these representations of love so perfectly, and I knew as I neared the end of her portfolio that she was the photographer I wanted to one day capture our wedding. I even sent her a quick “I’m not engaged yet, but you’re awesome!” email – just to let her know that her work was appreciated.

So it was a no-brainer that when right after Josh proposed, I headed to my email and ask Corey what her availability was like for 2010. I wasn’t surprised to find that she was booked for a majority of dates we were eyeing, but I was determined to make something work. A flurry of emails between a handful of churches, reception halls, priests, Corey, and various vendors ensued. When it looked like Labor Day weekend was the only date that would work with a majority of our scheduling factors, I emailed Corey, hopeful that she’d miraculously have September 4^th open. Alas, she did not. So we kept searching and searching, trying to put together that important combination of venues and vendors that would work within a nine-month deadline. Finally, we found a cluster that clicked: the gorgeous Glenmoor Country Club Chapel was available on September 5^th, Josh’s dad was honored when we asked him to officiate, and was Corey available, too? YES. And so it was.

Hiring Corey as our photographer was undoubtedly one of the best decisions we made during our hectic wedding planning process. Whether it was via email, phone, or in person, she was the consummate professional: prompt, friendly, and helpful. Since she has witnessed so many weddings, she was full of useful advice but was never pushy or overbearing – I could tell that she was eager to celebrate the nuances that made our wedding unique, and that meant so much to me as I tried to put together a day that represented us in meaningful ways. On the day of our wedding, Corey was a dream: punctual, inconspicuous but ready to assist where needed, and completely in control of her craft. (And you guys. Her bustling skills? Life saving is all I’m saying.) She was patient and kind, even offering to take group pictures with my girlfriends’ digital cameras.

And the finished product? It was everything I had hoped it would be during my first glance at Corey’s portfolio just a few years ago.  The images she captured were pure reflections of love: our love for each other, our love for our families, our love for our friends, and our love for those who had gone before us. It was all there in the beautiful collection of photographs documenting our wedding day, and I know that, when we look back on these pictures ten, twenty, thirty, (God willing) forty years from now, we’ll be instantly transported to the way we felt that day – because of the amazing gift that Corey’s talents have given us.

Without further ado, here are a few extra shots from our day that are some of my favorites:

 

My “something borrowed” was a string of pearls that my mom wore on her wedding day to my dad, who is no longer with us, on December 15, 1978. I wasn’t sure if I was going to wear the pearls or tie them around the stems of my bouquet, and it was literally a last-minute gut-instinct decision to wear them. It “got a little dusty in the room” (as Josh puts it) as this picture was taken.

My beautiful mom never cries in public, and she was trying so hard to not break down here. The result is a poignant smile that says so much. This is one of my most treasured pictures of her.

 

I absolutely adore the look on Josh’s younger brother’s face here. I’m pretty sure a similar looking-up-at-my-big-brother shot might have been taken when they were younger.

 

Josh honored my dad by wearing his tie old clasp. He never got a chance to meet my father, so this was really special to me.

 

I wish I could replay this moment over and over again. This picture = true happiness.

 

One of my favorite “bride and groom” shots. We tried so hard to slow things down and take in every little second of a day that went by so quickly. Time seemed to stand still here.

 

Josh and I approached the idea of a bridal party with a very relaxed attitude. We told our closest friends and family that we wanted to include them in our wedding but that we didn’t want them to feel obligated to spend a ton of money or time on us. So they wore what they wanted, sat in the first few rows of the ceremony, took group pictures with me, and chilled out for the rest of the day.

 

Ditto on Josh’s unofficial groomsmen, who once deemed themselves members of “The Bachelor’s Club of America.” Funnily enough, almost all of them are engaged or married now.

 

I can almost hear Josh’s laugh when I see this picture. I love it so much.

 

Blissfully happy.

 

Thank you again, Corey!

Andrea & Josh