It’s always a happy day when we get to feature work from our friends at Henry Photographers! Getting to share this super pretty beach-y day after session makes this a very happy day! Because not only do I love day after sessions but I am also craving a wondrous day on the beach. And this shoot is the exact beach-y pick-me-up I needed. Especially since it’s filled with a couple very much in love!

Nora and James met in college where James turned Nora down not just once, but twice(!!). The first was after she’d worked up the courage to ask him to be her date to her spring cocktail party. He had had other plans. The second time she learned that he was actually dating someone. (Sad trombone.) When James graduated later that spring, the two lost touch.

The following year, Nora was out with friends at a local restaurant celebrating her graduation. James, now a single man, was at the same restaurant with some of his friends. As Nora and her friends got up to leave, James, who had never shaken the memory of turning down Nora’s invitations, suddenly noticed her from across the room. James made the split second decision to approach her before she left, hoping to reintroduce himself and recapture her attention. Unfortunately for him, Nora was now the one in a relationship. She remembered him, of course, but merely exchanged brief pleasantries with him before continuing on her way.

Two and a half years later, James, who was now living in New York City, received a message on Myspace from Nora. A very brief hey, how’s it going? hope you’re doing well kind of message. Not willing to let yet another opportunity pass him by, James responded with overwhelming (jubilant, creepy? his words) enthusiasm, writing about a page and a half response pouring his heart out about how much he wished he’d gone on that date with her in college. Six months later, she was living in Brooklyn. :)

Sometime later, off Popham Beach, Maine is a small island only accessible during low tide, James and Nora walked to it’s highest point. There waiting for them stood an easel with a painting. Upon closer inspection, Nora realized it was a painting of a man proposing to a woman. Confused, Nora turned to James to find him already on bended knee. Yes, was the only thing on her mind after that.

{Behind the Lens with Katherine Henry} Nora and James have been so great to meet, photograph, and spend time with. We met a year before the wedding when Craig and I went to NYC to shoot their engagement session. After the session, we went to dinner and we knew at that point how fun this was all going to be. Nora and James are the type of people we love to have as friends, they are caring, sweet and so in love.

We were so excited when they requested a Day After Session. I really think this is something all couples should consider. Just think about it, it makes so much sense! On the wedding day, you can be very limited in the amount of time you have for your photography. Sometimes you have under an hour and that just flies by! Couples put so much thought into the location of their weddings, sometimes it’s a special spot they went on a date or maybe where they like to visit on vacations. These locations have so many fun spots to use, but when time is limiting you just can’t get to them all.

Nora and James were married in Ogunquit, Maine, a town with tons of amazing picture spots. On the wedding day, we were able to run to one little spot downtown and then had to quickly get to the reception. There was so much more to explore! For the Day After Session we were able to really explore and take our time. We walked through the woods to find a beautiful beach. This is something we never would have had time to do on the wedding day.

The other advantage is you don’t worry about your dress, since the wedding has already happened. Nora did bring a second dress since she had been envisioning some photos in the water. There are so many beautiful white dresses out there and not enough wedding events to wear them too, so this is a great chance! James also changed his outfit from the day before and went for a black jean look. I loved how both looks worked together.

I hope couples will consider doing beautiful Day After Sessions and really take advantage of the beautiful locations their weddings are held. A Day After Session is not a “Trash the Dress” session for us. How can anyone do that to an amazing gown?! We look at these sessions as more time to explore and capture beautiful timeless images.

Beautiful and timeless, they certainly are. Thank you so much Katherine and Craig for sharing this gorgeous day after session with us today and for unknowingly fulfilling my beach day craving. Thank you also to Nora and James for sharing their sweet love story with us. Congratulations and so much love to you both!

xoxo

I cannot believe that January has come to an end, and brought with it, the end of vintage month. Such a bittersweet moment. Because I’m so excited to share this vintage day after session from Tessa Marie Photography (formerly Light Love Laughter Photography) today as our last vintage feature of the month! The proposal story is seriously adorable, you’re going to love it! :)

Lydia and Josh were introduced by mutual friends at church who truly believed they would be a perfect match. Following their initial first meeting, Josh made every effort to see Lydia at church, before finally asking for her number. Over the next few weeks, the two spent hours talking on the phone and getting to know each other. But when Josh asked Lydia out on a date one night after church, Lydia hesitated. She’d come to see him as a really good new guy friend with no romantic feelings attached. Fortunately for her (and him), Josh had made it his mission to win her heart and eventually wore her down.

Long story short, Josh very quickly did exactly what he’d set out to do. He not only won her heart, but completely swept her off her feet in doing so. He showered her with love notes, gifts, surprises and chivalry. Lydia began to trust him more than she’d ever trusted anyone. He became her best friend. She had never felt so adored and beautiful before in her life. His love for her spilled out from the way he looked at her to everything he did and said. (Annnd I’m swooning, aren’t you?)

Eight months later, Lydia’s best friend came into town to spend the day with her for some much-needed girl time. They had coffee and manicures together and lots of girl talk! All of which was a setup by her handsome hubby-to-be! You see he remembered Lydia saying once that she wanted her nails to look nice when she got engaged. (Ha! I can so totally relate!) So he made sure he scheduled a manicure for her the day of. (How sweet! Boys, you should be taking notes!)

Around five that afternoon, Lydia’s friend decided she wanted to go on a drive around Atlanta. Though she thought it was a little odd, Lydia went along anyway. When her friend pulled the car over next to the park where she and Josh had had their second date though, she knew something was up. Her friend handed her a letter from Josh and pointed to a sign surrounded by candles at the entrance to the park.

The love note instructed Lydia to follow the candles and pick up the puzzle pieces for a special message from him. There were four stations throughout the park, each with a giant puzzle piece with a note on the back of them. When she gathered the pieces together, they formed the words “I have one question for you. You know where to find me.” She knew immediately where he was waiting for her and raced off to the park bench where they’d shared their first kiss. There he was, waiting, on bended knee. She didn’t even hesitate this time to say yes!

{Behind the Lens with Tessa Marie} Josh and Lydia came to me initially to do their wedding. I was booked on the day they set and so I wasn’t able to document their story. Lydia and I stayed in touch and as I was planning to do a styled shoot with Mao of Four Inch Vintage Fold and Rentals, I knew just the couple I wanted to “model” for me. We’d already discussed doing a bridal session for Lydia – and so, without her knowledge, I went ahead and worked with Mao to style the shoot. I had Josh and Lydia arrive not just to a beautiful location at Vinewood Weddings and Events, but to this super cute little styled shoot we’d put together. They were shocked and absolutely thrilled and, I must say, they pretty much, without a doubt, rocked it! :)

I’ll say they did! What a sweet couple and an even sweeter love story! Thank you so much Lydia (you looked GORGEOUS by the way) and Josh for sharing it with us today! So much love and luck as you continue on your married way! :) And a very special thank you to Tessa Marie for sharing their shoot and love with all of us today!

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Photography: Tessa Marie Photography

Venue: Vinewood Weddings and Events

Styling: Four Inch Fold – Vintage Rentals

Florals: Boukates

It’s a wonderful morning for love isn’t it? I am so happy to share this amazing love recaptured shoot from Deborah Zoe Photography! There’s something about seeing a woman put on her wedding dress again and reliving the most important day of her life with the love of her life. In fact, it was this very shoot that had me falling in love with Deborah Zoe’s talent. Seriously, she’s amazing. And this couple? So sweet. You actually might recognize them (or rather this photo below) from a Saturday Snapshot a few months back. I love that I’m able to share the entire shoot plus their love story with all of you today.

Allison and Josiah had been attending the same church for a few years, but had never really interacted. Josiah caught Allison’s eye one day when she heard him talking passionately about his new job. A few months later, they fell into their first ever conversation which coincidentally led to their first date. They met for coffee on a Friday evening and wound up talking for five and a half hours. They realized then that there was something between them.

Over the next several months, Allison and Josiah spent a lot of time together. And before long, Allison’s dreams and Josiah’s dreams became “their” dreams. (Aww.)

Nine months after their first coffee date, Allison and Josiah flew down to Florida to visit Allison’s parents. One day, on a beach in Venice, Josiah got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. As soon as she said yes, Josiah explained the process of how the proposal came to be. Including the sixteen hours of ring shopping with Allison’s mom AND the ring getting lost in the mail to Allison’s parents house. (Note to self: Don’t ship really special and important jewelry.)

Allison and Josiah plan to revisit that same stretch of beach where he proposed (that they now claim as “their beach”) for many years to come. (Le sigh.)

{Memories of their Wedding Day} Our wedding ceremony was outside on the coast of Maine the last Saturday of September. The entire week prior to our wedding day, the weather looked like it would be cold and rainy the day of. But the actual day ended up being the last warm day of the year. The very next day was cold, rainy and raw. We were blessed to have so many of our friends and family there supporting us on our wedding day. It was amazing to have everyone there in one place.

{Wearing Her Wedding Dress .. Again} I loved putting my dress on again and having photos taken with my husband. I changed out of my dress before we left the reception and hadn’t put it on again until we had the photos with Deborah Zoe done. I felt just as amazing as I did on our wedding day. I couldn’t have been happier with the wedding dress I chose.

{Behind the Lens with Deborah Zoe Photography} I love doing what I call “Love Recaptured” sessions for couples and brides. Sometimes couples want to get back into their bridal attire simply because they want one more excuse to wear it again. :) Others, it’s because they didn’t have a great wedding experience with their photographer and would like the opportunity to have their photographs taken again. Either way, these sessions are so relaxed and stress free and a lot of fun for the couples.

Allison and Josiah, even after almost a year of marriage, are still newlyweds at heart. I’d often catch them stealing kisses in between shots or moving to get even closer to each other after I posed them. Isn’t it wonderful to know that your love for one another can continue to deepen and strengthen far after the wedding day? :)

Indeed it is. Seeing them together like that and hearing what Deborah had to say from behind the lens makes my heart so very full and happy. It’s what a wedding day is all about. The love of two becoming one. Knowing that that love will only continue to grow and strengthen is simply the icing on the cake. Le sigh.

Happy (belated) anniversary, Allison and Josiah! We wish you both nothing but the best and so much love and laughter in the years to come. Thank you for sharing your love story with us. And a very special thank you to Deborah Zoe for sending me their entire shoot (that I seriously love so much) to share with all of you today!

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Photography: Deborah Zoe Photography – Venue: Wentworth by the Sea

Dress: David’s Bridal – Men’s Attire: Macy’s

Florals: K. Lilly Floral Design

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Have a wonderful Monday!

xoxo

The moment this love shoot appeared in my Two Bright Lights inbox, I knew it was something really special. The love between this couple seemed to emanate straight from my computer screen to the center of my heart. I didn’t know just how touched I was until I read Aleyce and Josh’s story. Aleyce’s words touched me in such a way that I knew I could never do them justice in my own. Which is why I want to share Aleyce’s email entry to Evoke Images’ 2010 Christmas Giveaway (which they won!). There is really no better way for you to experience what I felt from this love story than to experience it firsthand. It is truly the saddest, sweetest, and strongest tale of love I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Aleyce and Josh’s love story is the kind of love people dream about. It’s raw and sweet and enduring. It’s a love to be admired and cherished. It is truly an incredible honor to share this story and these photos today from the incredibly talented Maranda of Evoke Images.

I do have a couple of instructions before we get started though. Take your computer (if you can), iPad, or whatever piece of technology you are reading this on to your favorite quiet place. Maybe it’s at your desk in your office or a favorite cozy chair. Once there I want you to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and open your heart. Let love in. And begin.

(*Make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby. You’re going to need it.)

“My fiancé, Joshua, and I got engaged on March 5, 2010. We originally thought that we would wait until March 5 the following year to get married…but it seemed so far away…so we picked a beautiful fall wedding on October 30, 2010.

Time passed by us making plans, buying dresses/tuxes, and booking caterers! Around the first of September I realized my wisdom teeth were coming in…so I had to make an appointment to get them removed. Oh joy right? The wedding is next month and I’m going to have oral surgery and a puffy face…fun! I got them out with few complications.

When Josh and I were leaving my check up on Monday, September 27th, 2010…we thought we’d get breakfast and go home and snuggle up in front of a movie.

Little did we know that this morning would change our lives forever.

We were going down Hwy 67 doing 65mph when a guy didn’t look where he was going and pulled right in front of our car! Without even 10 seconds of time to react, we couldn’t even brake…instant impact! All I could feel was extreme pain in my stomach…my fiancé was asking, “Baby, are you okay? Talk to me. I love you.” as he dialed 911 and called for an ambulance. I couldn’t speak for what seemed like forever…finally all I said was, “I hurt.” Luckily an EMT was driving by and started checking me out and when the ambulance got there the paramedics put me in a neck brace and I was strapped to a back board. I never thought in my life I would be in this kind of situation.

As I rode in the back of the ambulance next to my fiancé (also on a back board) I cried in pain…worse…I could hear him crying. We were taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital where we were taken in for CT scans and xrays. Joshua had a concussion, minor back pain, and a cut in his knee. I was vomiting and saying over and over “I hurt. Please help. I hurt.” They sent me home saying “You’ll be ok. Everyone hurts when they are in a car wreck.” So I went to stay with my grandmother for a while because I could hardly move. Three days went by and I couldn’t eat without vomiting.

The pain was unreal. I thought I was getting better for two days following, but Sunday I started getting worse again. I figured I’d sleep it off. Monday morning I woke up and felt horrible and it just got worse the later in the day it got. When I spiked a fever of 103, I decided to go to Parkland Hospital. After a few hours in the waiting room they took me back and started running tests. I was hoping for good news…but only bad news came. I had fluid in my stomach showing up on the CT Scan. They rushed me in an ambulance to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis immediately. Sadly, Josh was working until 2 am…and it was only 11pm. I was told there that they weren’t really sure what was going to happen, but that they had a good feeling and thought they knew what was wrong. The surgeon said she’d know more when she cut me open. I was scared…by now Josh had gotten there and was holding my hand. His face was the last thing I can remember from I went under anesthesia.

They told him that there was a chance I wouldn’t make it…if I didn’t go into surgery soon I wouldn’t have a chance. I went into surgery around 6:00 am on October 5th, 2010. The surgery took six hours I was told. I don’t recall much of the first few days in ICU. They told Josh and my family that these next few days were crucial.

I remember waking up and telling him that I love him, but that’s all I could recall.

A couple weeks went by, during this time I had to learn how to sit up, walk, and go to the bathroom again. I had 2 tubes in my stomach, one in my mouth, one in my nose, and I was cut open from my waist up to my sternum… The morning of October 16th, I woke up sick again…so they ran tests. Bad news, more infection…which meant surgery to place 2 more tubes. I quickly started feeling better and was released on October 19th, 2010. I left the hospital with a neck brace, 3 tubes (they removed one that day), and my stomach was an open wound…which meant we had to move the wedding. I cried.

Mid November, I got my neck brace off and went into my last surgery to remove the other 3 tubes. I’ve been in physical therapy ever since…and my stomach is finally closed, but the scars will be there forever. We are getting married this Saturday December 18th, but will be back from our honeymoon the morning of December 22nd. With me still in therapy I can’t go to Rome like we had planned…but we will be going in March next year. I’ve attached a picture of us…and a picture of me in the hospital. I’d like to get some “couple” pictures of us…so we can remember this time in our lives forever.

Our love is so strong it endures all things.” ~ Aleyce. O

Aleyce and Josh, your love is a blessing. And it will endure all things. Never lose sight of that or each other. I don’t believe you will. We wish you both so much love, happiness, strength, and health in the years to come! Aleyce, we wish you wonderful and healthy thoughts for a continued recovery! And we hope very much that you enjoy your honeymoon in Rome together!

I think I speak for all of us, when I say your love springs hope that there is a happy ever after out there waiting for each of us.

{Behind the Lens with the incredibly talented Maranda of Evoke Images} I always try to draw my inspiration from the couple themselves. Although I come into a session with ideas and inspirations, those really are secondary to me working with the couple’s energy/dynamic and personalities. I laugh a lot, and pretty much make a fool of myself during sessions… so when I get to work with a fun couple like Josh & Aleyce (who laugh with and at me) we automatically hit it off! They laughed and giggled and shared secrets through the shoot. She loves and depends on him. He adores, protects, and cherishes her. They are sweet to watch together… you can feel the connection they have – it’s so very real.

Josh and Aleyce’s sweet story really inspired me. All throughout the session I kept thinking about what they have been through together. It makes me very emotional to think that I was chosen to tell their love story… It’s such a beautiful one and I was honored to work with them!

Like I said before, it was truly an honor to share their story and these photos with you all today! I cannot thank Maranda of Evoke Images enough for giving me the opportunity to do so!

Happy Thursday!

xoxo