Oliver entered our lives a few weeks ago.  Hillary – my fiancee- thought our dog Milton, whom I will introduce in another post, needed a friend.   Someone that he could run and play around the house with.  There was an ad from a woman who found some abandoned kittens on the side of the road.  Since they were so young, she believed that something had happened to their mother.  This kind woman took these kittens in, fed them, and gave them to deserving homes.  Luckily one of the homes was ours.

Just for the record, I was not a cat person.  Not sure why, just wasn’t.  Oliver has changed my mind.  His curiosity and fearlessness is amazing to observe everyday and all of the time.  Here are a couple of shots I’ve taken of him recently.  Don’t worry – there will be more.

I met Andrea at Hazelpath Mansion in Hendersonville, TN to do some lovely bridal portraits. As you will see, Andrea really turned it on for this session and killed it!  Not only was her dress amazing, but she is a natural model. Her smile and expressions were so natural and easy to capture.

Thank you Andrea for making my job so easy, and I look forward to posting the wedding pictures!

I had the amazing opportunity to photograph the Capitol Goes Pink for the Cure event at the Tennessee State Capitol in downtown Nashville, TN.   This event raised awareness for breast cancer by lighting up the State Capitol pink for several days.  It was a very touching evening that included many cancer survivors.  Not only were their stories moving, but their strength and determination to beat this terrible disease was overwhelming.  The event was sponsored by the Susan G. Komen foundation and Kari Wagner, Mrs. Brentwood America.  Ruby Tuesday generously donated $5000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and Kari was there to accept it. If you’d like to donate to the Susan G Komen foundation, visit their website to make a charitable contribution to this amazing cause.

This wedding was absolutely gorgeous! The day started out at Claire’s parents home where the girls and her got ready.  Tyler and Claire wanted a nice country setting for their wedding, and low and behold the perfect place was in the beautifully decorated barn at Grace Chapel.  After the ceremony, the party moved over to Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant in Franklin where Claire’s parents and her run the place.  Tyler works at Rebel Brewer which is a beer home-brewing  supplier. He made a wonderful assortment of beers one of which was a black stout for the guests – great job by the way!

Here are a few of the images from their amazing wedding.  Enjoy!

Vendors

Flowers: friend of the bride
Ceremony Site: Grace Chapel
Reception Site: Puckett’s Grocery
Band: Jake Leg Stompers
Catering: Puckett’s Grocery

Kelly and Jim…..rock!  They had a 40s themed wedding.  How awesome is that?  As you can see in the images, Kelly sported a gorgeous gown with gloves, pearls, and a birdcage.   While Jim and the guys were all decked out OG (original g) style.

After the ceremony, everyone headed over to 3rd aVenue South for a period reception and BOOM!  Kelly busts in the room in a completely different dress!

You two owned this wedding and made it one for the books!

Church: Church of the Assumption
Reception: 3rd aVenue South
Catering: Chef’s Market

I had the amazing privilege of being asked to capture Norm Lacey’s astonishing outdoor creations.  This man can take your dull boring backyard and make it into a resort!   Not only does he take your vision and morph it into a design, he will painstakingly place each and every stone to insure its perfect.

Just a couple of things to notice on this design: there is a wicked outdoor kitchen complete with grill and sink.  The fireplace with wood boxes on either side will make sure that your guests stay toasty warm.  A water feature in front of the pergola will provide the relaxing sound of running water.  And last but not least are the Tempest Torches; I’ve never seen anything like them!  They are designed in a such a way that the fire swirls inside of the enclosure and looks like a tornado.

Please check out Norm’s website at www.outdoordesignsonline.com.

We had such an awesome time! We started out on Vanderbilt’s campus.  Why?  This highly esteemed institution was the place they met and eventually fell in love – awww.  After that, we headed to the infamous “Love Circle” overlooking the wonderful city.  Lastly, we sought a rustic country location and ended up in Bell Buckle!  Thanks for trucking all over middle Tennessee with me, guys.  I can’t wait for your Cheekwood Japanese Gardens wedding next month!

This past Saturday The Adventure Science Center hosted their annual Caper fund-raising event.  Since The Adventure Science Center is celebrating its 65th birthday this year, they opted to step back in time and celebrate the decade the Center was born – the 1940s!  Everyone showed up for this grandiose affair.  Just to name a few – Joan Crawford, Humprey Bogart , classic cast of characters from Batman (comic came out in May 1939 – close enough!), Rosie the Riveter, General Douglas MacArthur, and the list goes on.  The big band played all night and the swing dancers never stopped dancing!  Not only was the food  amazing but they even served period drinks like vodka and gin gimlets and martinis.  The silent auction was a huge hit with items ranging from romantic date nights including a limo to 3 night stays in Aruba.  Finally the night was capped with the awards for best costumes being given out and the winner of the coveted Caper Cup being awarded for best costume of the night to “the lady in the big white hat and her beau”.

Congratulations to Jennifer Jackson and her staff at The Adventure Science Center for pulling off an amazing event.  Cant wait until next year!

Lastly, the lady and I all dressed in our period garb.  Hillary is straight 1940s!  Way to rock it babe!

Steve and Jessica are an amazing couple!  They decided to get married in Jessica’s home state of New Jersey.  The festivities started off with the men rousing Steve at his bachelor party – while the girls presumably did the same for Jessica.  Jessica got ready at her parents house – her childhood home.  Then we headed over to Kirkpatrick Chapel.  Ever since she was a little girl, Jessica had always wanted to get married in this church and today was the day! After the ceremony Jessica insisted that we get a picture with the infamous cannon from her alma mater – Rutgers.   Then the evening wrapped up at the beautiful Rutgers Gardens.

Thank you for letting me be a part of this momentousness occasion.

Kayce and JR wed in the beautiful Japanese garden at Cheekwood.  Although rain loomed overhead the entire day, luckily it held off until right after the ceremony which allowed for some killer shots outside.  The big day wrapped up with an amazing reception filled with emotion, line dancing, and an assortment of cakes!  Congratulations you two!

The personal flowers were created by Brocade Design Arts.