Oh, Florida.  Land of the palm trees and fresh oranges and no-see-ums.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.  I was delighted to return to you for Nikki and John’s casual and intimate beach wedding.

Here’s the story.  Nikki and I go way back.  Like, our mothers were friends in high school.  We met when WE were in high school, after she moved back to Wisconsin from Georgia.  Thanks to the magic of Facebook, we got back in touch with each other years after graduation.  Fast forward a few years later.  She’s a volunteer firefighter.  So is John.  They met during a fundraiser when the guys from John’s station showed up to support Nikki’s station.  Then, she started dating John.  They got engaged.  She asked me to drive up to to Minnesota to take their engagement photos.  It was awesome.  :) I knew right away that they had a relationship that was pretty special.

But… it gets even better.  They knew they were getting married on the beach in Florida, but hadn’t decided if they were bringing along a photographer or hiring someone there.  John knew how much Nikki wanted me to shoot their wedding, so he contacted me secretly to make arrangements… he wanted to surprise her… with me!  I thought that was one of the sweetest things.  Anyway, back to Sanibel.  :)  Nikki and John stayed at The Sundial.

Loved the light in this room!  Nikkie’s maid of honor is a makeup guru (Hi, Kate!) and her sister is great with hair (Hi, Amanda!).  So this was one lucky bride!

Stunning.  Just… wow.

Amanda cleans up pretty well, too!

They didn’t want to see each other before the wedding, so we arranged for this shot.  Pretty fun, eh?

I love the simplicity of this ceremony.  It was small.  Intimate.  In front of a gorgeous scenic landscape… the gulf of Mexico.  The colors were so muted and lush.  Lovely.

She is gorgeous when she’s tearful!  I, on the other hand, am not.  At all.

And this is when it started raining.  We were a bit worried – there were some pretty thick clouds.  So all of their portraits were shot in overdrive mode.  Quickly.  :)

P.S.  I’m still catching up on blogging weddings from 2011.  I promise they are on the way!

Thank you Joel & Anelena for allowing us to be part of such a beautiful day.

My email auto responder is already turned on, and I’m sorry in advance for any delayed emails from my end …. I’m probably cleaning the house and doing laundry …. haha.

I’ll keep you guys posted about our new arrival, and I’m sure there will be an overload of newborn photos once it makes it big entrance ;o)

Until then …. I hope everybody is doing well :o)

I couldn’t resist posting this one, just love it, haha … what a cutie! :o))

This girl just melts my heart :o)Little firecracker :o))

She’s such a doll! :o)Happy almost first birthday, little girl! <3

Not sure if you checked out my advent calendar – I did a little count down with some photos of my little girl – so I’ll share the link. Check the full gallery, you can find it on my FB page :o)

Here are a few of my favorites of little Miss Anya from the last 2 months :o)

Mommy and Daddy agreed to squeeze in Kennedy’s shoot a bit early as I was worried about our next session conflicting with my due date, so here’s my little treat for you guys :o)

Seriously …. HOW CUTE (!) is this little girl??? :o)

This one was too cute not to share :o))

Melissa contacted me only a few months ago and asked if I’d consider shooting a wedding in NH, and I have to be honest, …. one usually has to convince me to do a November wedding – you just can’t ever predict the weather and I love taking the posed photos outside. BUT I met Melissa & Mat at their friends wedding that I shot last year, and dear I say …. they are BOTH 2 of the nicest couples I’ve ever met … so … how could one EVER resist + who would ever say no to a backdrop like Mount Washington??? – Right.

Well, I am pretty sure it’s safe to say that EVERYBODY had a blast that weekend, what a goooorgeous day they had! Thank you both SO much for having us photograph your very special day – Darcy and I had an absolute blast and I LOVED seeing all the bridesmaids again – how fun!! And thanks also for being up for taking photos outside … in the cold …. and the super bright sunlight (eeek) … we all know how freezing it was that day, haha! :o) You guys are an awesome couple – I’d make the trip any day to have you in front of my lens again!

I hope you guys had a woooooonderful time on St. John (boy did I envy you!!!!) and I hope you enjoy the little sneak peek before you get to see the rest of the photos hopefully later tonight :o)

Melissa & Mat held their ceremony at the St. Rose of Lima, Littleton, NH and had their reception at the gorgeous Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH.

Aren’t those flowers absolutely stunning??? I’ve never seen roses like those!

Meet Melissa, the pretty bride:

Love this photo:

Ahh, so pretty!

And doesn’t she just have a beautiful smile? … whole room lights up!

gotta love the Mount Washington Resort and it’s beautiful interior!!

Soooo pretty, right??!!!

And a few Darcy took while she was hanging out with the guys :o)

Meet the handsome groom, Mat:

Love this moment :o)

Loooook at that place!!! What a dream!

Best bridal party!!!

Eeeeeek, sorry for posing you in that bright, bright sunlight, but I had to take advantage of that pretty view! :o) You guys rock!

Told ya!!!! BEST bridal party!! :o)

AND one of the sweetest couple! I’m one lucky photographer! :o)

My favorite of the day! WHAT A PLACE!

I could take photos of you guys every day! SUCH a happy couple!

One from Darcy, LOVE the light!

And two more from Darcy:

Can you believe that place???? We came just in time! PERFECT light – even if it was a *bit* chilly by that time :o))

A few detail / interior shots :o)

And a photo of sweet Jen & Dennis who got married last year :o) Hi guys! :o)

Alright, I’ll confess, I didn’t know which ones to post, so here are a few from their first dance. SO pretty!

Smiles, smiles, smiles!

Way to make even the famous table shot fun! :o))

Party photos!!! And boy did they have a party! Put 200 fuuun people, an awesome band and a really cool DJ in a big room and see what happens! Good times!

And uhm yes …. they had fireworks at their wedding! Way to finish a fun wedding season (for me). Seriously …. who’s gonna top that? THANK YOU GUYS! Wow, wow, wow!

A very special THANK YOU to my second photographer and dear friend: Darcy Babers

Ceremony: St. Rose of Lima, Littleton, NH

Venue: Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, NH

Florist: Emily Herzig, Floral Studio

Meet Emma (11) and her sister Abby (10):

Little Kennedy – now 3 months old visited me last weekend for a little session. Can you believe how much she’s grown?? Such a little sweetie! And check out how good she is on her tummy, I was very, very impressed. Can’t wait to see you again in 3 months little girl!

Gosh do I love that cute little hat :o)

I hope you guys don’t mind me sharing some Holiday themed photos … I know we’re still 2 months away …