Engagement Story Contest Winner!

I loved loved loved reading all your engagement stories! As I've mentioned, there's no way I could choose a winner, so I left that up to a few friends of mine. They had such a great time getting to know you all through your stories! Over the last few days, the votes were spread out across all the entries, and for awhile, I was beginning to think they were going to be able to choose a winner either! We ended up with a five way tie, until the last vote came in.... And the winner is.... Lena Acheson!! Congrats Lena! I'll be in touch to talk with you about your session! Everyone else will be receiving a complimentary 11x14 print - just for being wonderful :)

To all who participated, thank you again for taking the time to be a part of the contest!

Dave and Dana - January 23, 2010

My first wedding of 2010! I was so happy to start the year off with Dave and Dana!

They were married at the Chestnut Ridge Resort in Blairsville, where their reception was also held. Right away, I was touched to see how close Dana is with her family. Shortly before she walked down the aisle, the four of them group hugged - crying and laughing at the same time. It's clear Dana has a special relationship with each one of them - so beautiful to see! The ceremony was sweet and so touching. Dave and Dana wrote letters to each other that were read aloud by the ministers, and throughout them, they spoke of knowing and loving each other so deeply and honestly. They were funny, too - which incited more laughter through tears, this time with their guests - hundreds of them - joining right in.

Their reception was absolutely gorgeous! The hall and details were stunning, the food was wonderful, and the Chestnut Ridge staff took great care of everyone. Dave and Dana, their family, and their guests were so fun on the dance floor - they congoed, they chicken danced, and they polkaed with seemingly endless energy!
Lisa, Ashley, and I felt privileged to photograph such a lovely wedding! Dave and Dana, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day! We wish you a long and beautiful life together!


Love this -

During the reading of their letters -

Pretty girls!

What a beautiful bride!

My favorite -

This is her Uncle Rocco, who is the general manager of Chestnut Ridge. She surprised him with a special pseudo-father/daughter dance. He has three sons, but no daughters, and Dana very much wanted him to have that honor.

Dave and his mom, and Dana with her dad.

Dana also wanted to have a mother/daughter dance.

Mr. and Mrs. DiBasilio -

Tell us your engagement story! (Free stuff involved!!)

I love hearing engagement stories, and I'm pretty sure everyone else does, too - so here's the deal: Tell us your story in the comment box before Sunday, the 24th. A few of my friends will read them and pick one they particularly like. The "winner" will receive a complimentary Bridal or Boudoir Session - just in time for Valentine's Day! Tell us when, where, how - even if things didn't go exactly according to plan, we'll love hearing your stories!

Here's a few shots from Danielle's Bridal Session: (click any photo to see a larger version)


Good luck!

2009

My couples are the best in the world. Over and over I'm blown away by how gorgeous, how fun, how unbelievably in love they are, and how grateful I feel to know them. As a small tribute to my brides and grooms of 2009, here's a slideshow of my favorites from each of their weddings.

Amir and EPauline - Engagement Session

Last Sunday, I met Amir and EPauline in Pittsburgh for their Engagement Session. We had scheduled their session for the week before, but had to postpone due to excessive iciness. On the morning of their shoot, we considered rescheduling again, but decided to give it a try. We lucked out completely and got a beautiful afternoon! Amir and EPauline are such lovely people, and it was wonderful getting to know them a little better. I'm looking forward to their wedding in June!

My niece, Christe (pronounced Christy), is a faithful blog follower, and happened to be hanging out with me while I was putting together this post. I asked her to help choose the photos (much to her delight), and this is one of her picks:

(Another Christe pick:)

Josh - Senior Session

I met Josh (who was referred to me by the awesome Nicole Schneider) in New Brighton for his Senior Photos. We started down by the river, and I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was unbelievably cold for the first fifteen minutes. I told him we should take a break so he could get warm, but it was also because I had lost all feeling in my fingers. Seriously. By the end though, it was actually pretty nice out - we even got a little sun for some gorgeous backlit photos.
Josh is into music and art, and is really fun to hang out with! Here's a few of my favorites from his session:

The Belcastro Family

I shot the Belcastro's family session the same day as Josh and Jackie's session. We had decided on Brady's Run, and even though it was the coldest day of the year up to that point, we went for it! We were all freezing, but looking at the photos, you'd never be able to tell. They were all so nice and sweet, and we ended up with some great photos, despite the weather.

Here's a few of my favorites: