Lake Lanier Wedding Photographer : Engagement : Cassie Jo and Grant

^ That right up there?  I wish I could bottle up all that love and share it with everyone else, because it's contagious.  And awesome.

A little secret about Cassie Jo and Grant: they're actually already married! They actually tied the knot just a couple of weeks before this session took place...and I think it totally shows.  How adorable, and glowy, and happy do they look?  Love it.  And, I still get to hang out with them, because they have a fabulous celebration planned for April!  

We started out at the rescue squad house that Grant's family started.  It's actually a huge part of their relationship...they started dating shortly after Grant (during a shift) came to Cassie Jo's aid after she got in a wreck.  He wound up having to cut her out of her pants!  Somehow, her dada still loves him.  ;-)

The light and color was the stuff of dreams...

True story: when you're already married, you can change in the car whilst travelling up the Saluda Grade.

Greenville Wedding Photographer : Engagement : Megan and David

Exciting news, friends...this shoot marks the beginning of things I did in the FALL!!!  Which is extra great fun because it's pretty much Winter now.  Le sigh.  Okay, moment over...moving on now...

Before I get into the adorableness on a stick that is Megan and David, I have to talk about a personal struggle I've been facing lately.   I'm afraid that Steven is a much better wife than me.   I know that I've mentioned on numerous occasions that my hubby is an excellent cook.  It was definitely one of his snazzy early dating tricks.  Like, "Don't worry about dinner when you get home from work tonight.  I'll come up with something."  And then that "something" is pesto steak tips and cheddar fondue.  What just out of college guy can do that??  And then there's my girls' night tonight, when he is whipping up an entire meal from scratch.  Because he feels my friends deserve better than under-boiled noodles and jarred sauce.  And all that is great, it really is, but around Christmas every year, I start getting this creepy, weird domestic kick.  And I get really into baking and other dessert-like stuff.  So I look up fun new recipes, try them out, and sit back and bask in the glow of my success.  People rave about how they had no idea I was so skilled in the kitchen.  It's awesome.  

That is until this year, when Steven decided to start making homemade cheese.  That's right...fresh cheesey goodness right in our kitchen.  And he did it right in the middle of my baking bonanza.  So what happens when I take fresh saltine toffee to my parents?  Well, nothing, because they're entirely too distracted by the fact that I also brought some of Steven's fresh mozzarella.  And it's good.  And how can a yummy toffee treat compete when someone took a gallon of milk and brought forth cheese??  I'm sure I'll be talking to a therapist for a few years about that newfound inferiority complex, but in the interim, I've decided to just throw up my domestic white flag and give him this one.  So, he can cook, and churn, and get his Martha on all over the place, and I am going to sit on my keister, watch sports, and scratch something.  That'll show him...

Okay, still reading?  Excellent...onto business!  Megan and David are getting married this coming June at Furman, and I'm pretty sure they win my award for most preciously adorable couple ever.  Seriously, just look at these guys:

I rest my case.  :-)

Fact: I did not retouch/enhance/do anything to Megan's eyes.  They're actually that color.  Love!

This chalkboard sign makes my whole heart happy.

On our way to our last location, we decided to take a road that cuts through a horse farm.  And I promise that I really was planning to just quickly and quietly scoot on through...but then we saw this guy.  :-)

 

Greenville Wedding Photographer : Engagement : Marissa and Justin

About a week or so ago, I made reference to rescuing a dog.  In hindsight, I'm not really sure that such a statement really sums up what happened.  Yes, it does involve me reuniting a dog with her family, but calling it a dog rescue makes it sound like a well thought out plan, with copious amounts of strategery.  Why yes, in Raganville, we like to make up words as they best suit our needs.  Anyway, I think this whole scenario might be best described as the Great Doggie Incident Of 2011.  

At some point in the last year or so, I have become a crazy dog person.  I've always loved dogs, but I'm suddenly getting to a point that I worry actively over strays, plan my dog's birthday party, and repeatedly watch Today Show segments on miracle puppies.  It's kind of weird, yes, but nothing that messes with my daily routine.  Until the day of sweet Marissa's bridal session.  I was on my way to meet her at my studio, when I noticed a dog, trotting up the road behind me.  It worried me a little because I was about to turn onto Highway 11...aka a major highway with lots of huge trucks and other things that dogs should not be running out into.  I called Steven and asked if he'd kill me if I picked up a dog, because I just KNEW if I didn't, the poor thing was going to get hit.  He said fine, because he's kind of a crazy dog person too.  The next little bit looked something like this:

Panic as dog crosses major highway. 

Half pull over, get out of car, leave door open and car running.

Cross highway while sweetly calling to the dog.

Hold out my hand to see if my new doggie friend will come to me.

Dog does come to me, and then rolls over to let me rub her belly.  Clearly I am gifted in the art of animal rescue.

Dog, clearly aware of my giftedness, begins licking my hand as a thank you for saving her.

Realize I have no plan to get the dog back across the street into my car.  Also that my car is half in the road and still running with the door open.  Crap.

Attempt to encourage the dog to come with me without the benefit of treats or a leash.

Call Steven.  Tell him I'm now trapped on the side of the road, certain that I'm choosing between this dog's life and my car, which has nearly been hit approximately 17 times at this point. 

Give Steven the phone number on the dog's tag.  Begin to question how well thought out my rescue plan was.

Another car pulls over.  Like, actually pulls over.  Off the road.  

Nice couple that seems to have put more thought into this whole endeavor steps out, and suggests that I move my car.

Nice couple gives me a leash.  I am now able to escort her into my car.

Breath huge sigh of relief.  I am now back in the game!

Realize I still have a bridal session to shoot in a few minutes...and I now have a dog in my car.  Double crap.

Steven calls and tells me that he has located the dog's vet, and should be procuring the contact info for her owner's shortly.  I tell Steven that I'm not sure what to do with my new friend because there's a bride that needs my full attention as well.  Steven promptly leaves work.

Marissa and I jet off to shoot one INSANE bridal session at the Cliffs Chapel, while Steven bonds with the dog.  Who we now know is named Bear Bear.  

Bear Bear's owners pick her up from my studio and all is right with the world.  

This whole thing probably only took 15 minutes from start to finish, but I'm pretty sure that I lost about 5 years of my life.  Seriously.  Why did I not park my car on the shoulder to begin with?  Why did I think I could possibly lift a 50+ pound dog on my own?  Why is life so much easier for everyone else?  

In any case, I have no regrets...when I sell my life as a sitcom one of these days, this one will make a great episode.  I'm not kidding.  You should totally call me up, Tina Fey!

Okay, pictures, yes...I was going to do that, wasn't I?   Marissa (who gets double cool points for not freaking out when I had a random dog with me when we met up for her bridal session) and Justin are getting married in exactly one month!  Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session...

As soon as we got to the orchard, it started raining.  Thankfully, we found a nice little tree canopy for them to hide under.  :-)

 

Clemson Wedding Photographer : Engagement : Megan and Kasey

I woke up on Wednesday morning feeling like someone had laid a brick on my face.  Completely stuffy, eyes swollen, head achy...all the fun things that come with seasonal allergies.  For the most part, I expect it with every season change, but I have to issue a complaint about this particular instance: it's just barely below 80 degrees outside.  It didn't stop me from immediately pulling out a pair of boots, mind you, but come on!  One day into slightly less spontaneous combustion inducing temperatures, and my allergies flare up?  Did the summer heat wave mess up my internal thermometer so that 75 degrees indicates MAJOR SEASONAL CHANGE?  Blogging about my allergies...could I be any cooler??  (Or make better use of really lame puns to REALLY drive the point home?)  I think not.  

But seriously, I have this thing about seasonal events being played up too soon...Back to School stuff in June, Halloween decor in August, Christmas lights the day after Halloween, so I'm going to go ahead and protest the pollen.  I feel I should at least be able to enjoy a light hoodie, or a Pumpkin Spice latte without breaking into a sweat before the congestion fairy pays me a visit.  So really, allergies: stop it.  Stop it right now.

Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest (Whew, allergies...get off my chest...I'm on a roll today.  Everyone's gonna want to be my friend!), let me get to the prettiness that is Megan and Kasey, aka quite possibly the funniest 2 people you could ever have priveledge to hang out with.  We spent a pre-Fall morning together roaming around the Clemson campus and botanical gardens, starting out at the stadium...

How pretty is Megan??  For real...my brides make my job way too easy!

We told Kasey that if he was a good boy, we'd let him drive the train.  He was.  :-)

True story: we saw a semi-nude sun bather near this cabin.  

Thank you so much, Megan and Kasey.  I cannot wait for your New Years Eve wedding!

Greenville Wedding Photographer : Engagement : Kayla and Jason

When I was 11 years old, I spent a few weeks out of the summer at a local day camp.  One morning, on the playground, my little group of friends and I discovered a tiny cat that had gotten trapped in a drainpipe.  We, being the highly respectable, parental friendly crew that we were, told one of our leaders immediately, and within a couple of hours, the kitty was rescued and on its way to a loving home with one of my campmates.  Well, it must have been an incredibly slow day for newsworthy events, because the local news team came out to report the story.  As they interviewed the camp counselor (who actually crawled into the pipe to acquire the cat) and one of my friends (whose family was adopting the cat), I naturally assumed I would be next.  So, imagine my surprise when the reporter decided NOT to interview me based on the fact that I heard the cat meowing when everyone else within a 20 foot radius did!  The nerve!

I decided, in a tremendous burst of maturity that I still carry with me today, that even if I didn't get interviewed, I was still going to be on the news that night.  Which is what began my life as That Random Person Wandering Around Behind The Reporter.  I take extreme pride in my technique, which allows me to be equal parts visible without being overly distracting (ie: no waving at the camera, t-shirts with slogans, etc...).  It's a real art form; one that I took very seriously at Courtney and Tip's wedding, which was filmed for Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta.  Notice how neither myself or Steven do anything but accentuate the action going on around us...

I must confess, that in a very rare change of pace, I wasn't actually trying to get on camera...if you look back at their post, you'll see that there was far too much other loveliness going on for any of us to be even remotely aware of the film crew.  Lol, and if I had realized I was on camera, I can assure you that I would have prevented my face from doing THIS:

Seriously, though, congratulations again for being chosen for the show Courtney...you were a truly stunning bride and I got all misty reliving it!  

What's that?  You want to see some pictures that aren't cruddy quality iPhone screencaps??  Well then, you have come to the right place!  Kayla and Jason are getting married at the Burt Stark mansion this coming October.  We met up in the charming little town of Abbeville for their engagement session, and they could not be more adorable.  Kayla and I also exchanged high fives over being smart enough to find boys who like to cook to marry.  Go us!

Kayla, are you kidding me with this fierceness??  So gorgeous!