(Fab) Five on Friday

Mixing it up for today's Five on Friday... Instead of the random nothingness that I normally write about, I'm going to share Five Fab Etsy stores!

Here we go! (Note: Click on the Etsy store name to be directed to their shop... Also, all photos are taken off of their store... I didn't take 'em! :)

1. First up.... Wayside Violet's Cable Knit Coffee Cozy... Eco-Friendly and wicked adorable...

2. Next... Are you kidding me with these?! Lauren from Handmade Lovelies keeps me drooling over these awesome pieces to spice up a dull hair day. She has even added some funk for your shoes... (Brides... There are even some some birdcage veils on there too! Keep checking back, she's always adding more!)

3. Made by Keli made my company thank you cards, which I LOVE... She has uber-cute stationary, cards, you name it on her site, but you can also place custom orders! I've seen her wedding invitation work also.... Gorgeous! (Pst... Yes, these are wooden... Sooooo cool!)

4. I can totally picture this necklace paired with a simple, mermaid style, strapless dress. Love it. Check out Florasun for more beautiful pieces like this!

5. Finally, JBugBaby is a new Etsy store that a friend's wife just started... I need to have a baby girl NOW so that I can buy this dress. It's THAT cute.

Thanks for reading today's randomness! I'll leave you with a photo from my early morning engagement session today.... (More to come from that session soon!)

Dawn & Josh - Wedding Day!

I know I say this alot, but honest to God, I'm the luckiest wedding photographer in the world. I am convinced that I have the best clients ever. Seriously. I don't know how I got so lucky.

Dawn & Josh are just awesome. They had an amazing wedding day this last Saturday at the Leapin Lizard Art Gallery in Covington, KY. This was the first wedding EVER at the Leapin Lizard, and it couldn't have been more amazing. Let's get to the photos so you can see for yourself...

Both Dawn & Josh got ready at The Madison in Covington, KY.... I'm in love with this dress shot...

Dawn's sweet green shoes!

Are you kidding me?! GORGEOUS!

I LOVED this bridal party.... SO much fun!

After the ceremony, we headed down to Mainstrasse in Covington for some fun shots.... We saw a band playing & went over to get some shots dancing around the band.... Apparently this guy playing guitar had a better idea!

Cailyn came along to second shoot with me again this week (Thank you girl! You're awesome!) and caught this shot of Josh playing pool at a bar we stopped in....

I gladly obliged when the guys asked for a shot with the Scarface & Godfather posters...

I thought we were so lucky when we passed by this VW bus... and then felt REALLY lucky when I asked the owner if Josh could hop inside for a shot & he said yes!

Now the Leapin Lizard.... SO AMAZING. It is an old Methodist church built in the 1800's that has been converted to an art gallery.

I could have spent hours just shooting random details using the art in the gallery like this ring shot...

One more..... Dawn & Josh had a photobooth, so Cailyn & I jumped in for a little fun ourselves :) Here's a couple....
Congrats, Dawn & Josh! Thank you SO much for allowing me to be apart of this amazing day!

The "S" Family

Jennifer & I have been friends since the 4th grade. We haven't lived in the same state for about 7 years, so thankfully we have the world wide web to keep us connected. Jen's husband, Jed, serves our country with the US Coast Guard and they're currently stationed in Alaska. I hadn't seen them in about 5 years or so, so I was very excited when Jen contacted me about doing a family shoot while they were in town visiting their families this week!

I posted a few shots of their sons, Lance & Max, on Friday playing in the creek.... Here are a few more..... I love little brother following after big brother here...

However, before we headed to the creek to let the boys "be boys", we first did some fun family shots in a more urban setting.... Here are a couple from then:

Here's Jen & her sister Rachel.... This is one of my favorites from the day... Just a classic moment.

Jen's whole family....

A few of Jen & Jed solo...

It was great to see all of you! ...and Happy Memorial Day, Jed! Thanks for all you do!

Natalie & Adam - Engagement Session

This last weekend, I met up with Natalie & Adam for their engagement session. They were torn between a natural feel and an urban feel... so we did both! They are such a sweet, laid back couple & were super easy to shoot! I can't wait for their wedding... If their e-session was this fun, I know they'll rock it out at the wedding! :)

Congrats, guys! I'm so honored to document these amazing times in your life for you!

Here's a few of my favorites from the session for their sneak-peek....

Hot! I looove it...So I totally fell on my butt during this shot.... I guess I was a little to excited about the perfect sign that we were using to our advantage in the background. I stepped backwards into a hole & went down! Thanks for not laughing at me guys! :) Ha ha! (PS, my foot felt okay afterwards, but then started swelling that night! So weird!) - It was worth it for this shot though! :)

Five on Friday... and the joy of being young

Here's this weeks Five on Friday:

1. I wore the same outfit to the last two weeks weddings (washed, don't worry) and if I don't get creative soon (i.e. within the next 8 hours), it's going to be three weeks. But still, here I sit blogging instead of tearing through the boxes of clothes still unpacked in my office & bedroom.

2. My mother-in-law and cousin have been in town this week and have been SO helpful. Taylor has spent many hours entertaining Noah while I worked, painted, and continued to unpack. Lee, my mother-in-law, has helped paint (okay, so she did most of it herself), washed my dishes every day, and fixed my leaky air conditioner. ...and bought me a new awesome set of pots & pans. She's this weeks hero :)

3. I've had more Pepsi in this last week than I have had in all my years of life combined.

4. I'm looking forward to a little pre-wedding meal at Mokka with Cailyn tomorrow before shooting an evening wedding.

5. Today I had a family shoot... We did some shots in town, and then went down some back roads to a creek to let the boys really be boys.... They liked that MUCH better :) Because every blog is better with a photo or two, here's the adorable boys, Lance & Max, doing what boys do best.....

Kaleigh & Jason - Wedding Day!

I'm pretty convinced that Kaleigh & Jason picked the Veraestau Historical Site in Aurora, Indiana as their wedding location just for me. Okay, so maybe not since they already had it booked when they came to me about their photography..... but I just like to tell myself that. :) This place was pretty close to heaven for me. You'll see why soon. I don't even need to explain.

Jason & Kaleigh's wedding day was really awesome. Really. The family, the friends, the unexpectedly beautiful weather & of course the crazy amount of love that these two share.


So maybe I went overboard on detail shots..... Nah.

I love the history in this photo.... check out the Bridal portrait on the wall....

My friend & fellow booty-kickin' photographer, Cailyn, came along to second shoot.... I'm loving this dress shot she captured... (Thank you for all of your help, Cailyn!)

Kaleigh & Jason were on schedule to have their wedding outside. The weathermen had been predicting something like a 70% chance of rain on their wedding day. I have yet to have a outdoor wedding rained out, so I kept telling Kaleigh that I was her good luck charm.... Sure enough, it was a BEAUTIFUL day!

Seriously, Kaleigh. You are beyond beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

Jason shared the sweetest moment in pre-wedding history with his great-grandma before the ceremony. It was just amazing, and of course brought me to tears as well.

Another Jason-made-me-cry-moment.... Ava is Kaleigh's daughter and Jason surprised everyone by giving her a ring during the ceremony.

The (really really ridiculously good looking) new couple! :)

Josh, one of the tour guides who was SUPER helpful on the wedding day, happened to toss these dried up flowers in the sink at one point while he was tiding up. I may have scared him when I yelled "leave those RIGHT there!" as he went to toss them. I loooovveee this shot....

Though I don't want to, I have to stop for now. :) Jason & Kaleigh, thank you for being so great... I REALLY enjoyed getting to know you both & am so thankful for the time I spent with you on your amazing day. Congrats!