A little peak of the puppy....

I have been getting some messages that people want to see the cute little puppy that we got before Christmas....so here he is! Meet Sanders! More to come soon! We have company until tomorrow and then we will be headed to Atlanta.. but I plan to post! Merry Christmas! I hope that you had such an amazing holiday with friends and family!!!

m.e.

The Key to a Long Life...

Hi all! Have a few things to share... but I am going to try and keep my posts up over the holidays here... 

Just wanted to share a photo of my hubby's grandmother. She just celebrated her 96th birthday! She is an amazing woman!!! She is doing so well!!!  All this woman needs is a pair of glasses... and other than that, she is in tip top shape!

Here she is celebrating her birthday on North Carolina.... and just in case you want her secret to a long, healthy life... I will share it. 

1. Take naps

2. Drink milk

Did you ever think it would be that simple?!?

Have some Christmas things to finish up over here.. and then I will have to share some pics of our new addition! Hubby and I got a puppy this past weekend. His name is Sanders... and he is a cute little Labradoodle.  :)

m.e.

La'Tai + Ricco

Meet La'Tai and Ricco! What a cute couple! I just love the way that they look at eachother! They are just too cute! They actually have a really cute story of how they met.... La'Tai lived out in San Francisco and Ricco went out there for a trip. They met, hung out just about every night he was there... and from there it was history! So La'Tai moved out to the East Coast and they are getting married! 

They have actually seen all of their photos already... so this isn't much of a surprise for them... They picked a few photos for their Holiday Save the Dates, which turned out really cute!

We took some photos at a nearby park in Catonsville. It was COLD!

Love her cute little mittens!

We also took some pics at their house. They recently bought it, and it is adorable! They were actually having friends over that evening to celebrate their engagement.

See how they look at eachother?! ....love....  ;)

Thanks La'Tai and Ricco! Have a great holiday!

m.e.

Let the Party Begin! Amanda + Dan Part 2

I promised you part 2... and here it is! I realize that I am not posting any pics from the ceremony.. I apologize for that... It was actually the shortest ceremony that I have ever been to... The pastor said it would be about 7 minutes... He was very accurate! It was short, but super sweet. 

Here are a few of the days details for you.... 

The flowers that Amanda put together...

Ohhhh... this was fun! By fun, I mean a good idea. I wasn't sharing in the Cosmopolitans... Amanda and Dan had a Cosmo fountain, and their guest favors were Cosmo glasses, so guests filled up, and took their glasses home!

They got married on November 29th... at the Kent Island Yacht Club, so needless to say there were a few holiday decorations out... had to use them!

You go girl!

Love it! Too, too cute!

It was VERY cold outside... but I think that Dan and Amanda enjoyed a few moments to spend with one another.   ;)

Amanda's parents... What a funny couple!  ;)

Go Dan! Go Dan! Go, Go, Go Dan!

I absolutely just loved the guys shoes!! Fabulous!

Mom and son, Jamie, who is newly engaged! Congrats!

This was officially my last wedding of 2008. It was amazing. Dan and Amanda were truly one of the most accommodating couples ever. Thank you guys. You were super sweet to work with... and I am glad we are not done!

Amanda and Dan have a Trash the Dress session coming up. Should be fun. They have a few ideas, one of them includes using a old CJ7 Jeep on big wheels (my dream car!!!).

I will continue to post through the holidays.. I have an awesome engagement session to blog tomorrow.. and lots to come from my trip to Cali.... and we might have an addition to the family soon...not a kiddo.... ;)

m.e.

Amanda + Dan!

So....it is not every wedding that I get to head to the Shooting Range... Is that even what I should call it? I grew up in a family of hunters, so I am used to the hunting thing, but this was like Nintendo Duck Hunt!!! I headed to Pin Tail Point to check in with the guys the morning of the wedding... and they were, well... shooting clay discs? balls? ducks? I am not sure what the wording would be, but it was definitely interesting! They looked like they were having a great time!

Manly. Need I say more?

Here is the whole gang! 

And now to the ladies hotel room... There was a lot going on!

 A little dress detail. Her dress was HEAVY!

Check out her bling! You should see her ring, WOW!

What woman doesn't want a pair of these?!

I love this pic.... someone's cute little tush in the corner.  :)

A little out of order, but Amanda did her own flowers... She actually did everything herself, except that she hired a photographer (me!) and a band! She is thinking about becoming a wedding planner. I think she should go for it! Her theme was the 50's pinup.... Notice the table cards?

I think she fit right in to her theme. She looks awesome!

Let's not forget the cute dog!!! Amanda actually made the dress the dog is wearing! I told you she did everything!

Someone had a difficult job....

Dan made it back from the shooting range, on time and in style!

And he brought along the guns...

ok...more to come!

m.e.

Happy Thanksgiving.......late :)

Yes, I just wished you a Happy Thanksgiving... and yes, it is LATE! I traveled through Thanksgiving this year because I attended a workshop in San Diego, and then had a wedding the Saturday after Thanksgiving... (plan on blogging that tomorrow or Wed!) I must say that as my plane landed on Thanksgiving evening, I had a mix of emotions running through my head.... I was excited to see my hubby as I had left him for 10 days.... I felt terrible that I left him that long... that I didn't cook him Thanksgiving dinner... that for the first time in my life, I was not going to spend Thanksgiving with my family.... I wiped the tears from my eyes and made a decision that I plan to stand by. I shoot holiday weddings and have a holiday fee.... but I will no longer include Christmas or Thanksgiving on that holiday list. The truth is, nothing is more important than my family... and there is not a price tag that could be paid to keep me from them in the future. Try me. ;) I am so blessed to have the family that I do, and I can't wait to see them this Christmas!!! (and next Thanksgiving!) 

So, with that said, I did make my hubby a Thanksgiving dinner soon after I got home and we had our own little mini Thanksgiving... 

Below is one of my favorite holiday wines. It is from Boordy Vineyards in Md, so if you are not local... Sorry!!! If you are local, go grab a bottle! On the back it says you can even warm it up... haven't ever tried that, but maybe this season I will. It is a little bit sweeter of a wine... but different and delicious!

And for our dinner I made my first ever Pecan Pie! It was delicious (If I do say so myself). I have to say that this is one of my new favorites... Josh's family introduced me to Pecan Pie.. I had never had it growing up, and it is just amazing!

I was excited when I got back from San Diego.. because I love hosting people, and I am in a Tuesday night Bible study with some of my favorite girlfriends... and I host for the month of December! So, I cut up some "Christmas Apples" ......

And made some kiss cookies... I know they look funny, but I always use Dove chocolate, because it tastes so much better than Hershey Kisses...not as cute, but yummy!

And then my friend Katy came... and I gave her a hug and somewhere in that transaction my plates of cookies and apples fell... on the TREE!  :)  If you know my dog Chester, this is like Chester Heaven. He loves apples and loves chocolate... so now there is melted chocolate drizzle and apples all over the tree....

And here is my dog, cleaning it all up!!! He licked it for about an hour... literally.... The tree was shaking... the star fell off... ornaments were falling off... and I in between photos... was holding the tree to keep it from falling over... that would have been a DISASTER!

I eventually got the idea to spray the tree with cleaner.... hoping that it would taste gross and it would keep him from licking the tree.... and hoping that it did not kill him!!! It worked!!! He still goes over to the tree once and awhile and sniffs it, like just maybe it would turn into Chester Heaven just one more time.  :)

m.e.

Just a Few Days Left....

Just a few days left for a few things.....Just a little reminder for you!

1. Portrait Session Contest: Time is running out. All entries must be received by December 30 @ midnight. No exceptions... sorry. I plan to take them with me on the plane to Atlanta where I will be spending New Years to start deciding on my winner.I have had some really awesome entries. Keep them coming... It doesn't have to be long... Click here for the details

2. Cans for Comments: I will be taking the cans to the Maryland Food Bank on December 23rd.... Don't make me go in empty handed. If you leave a comment I will donate a can. Even if your comment is "Put a can in for me..."  I will put a can in for you  :)  I have just a week left... My goal is 100.. Help me get there for a good cause!  :) Tell your friends! I will try to blog something everyday to give you things to comment about ;) If you are a first time commenter, I will put in 2 cans for you!

3. Christmas is coming! I am sure that you didn't need a reminder for that.... but I did! I have been working to put in everyones holiday print orders and then it suddenly hit me that I needed to get on top of my own gift giving! 

Here is a little eye candy for you today.... Chester my dog. Just wanted to get him involved in the Christmas spirit.  I got pretty excited about this when it snowed (less than an inch) last week, and thought oohhh...we can get photos outside in the snow!!! I had the extension cord ready and everything. Let's just say that not all went as planned. Have you ever strung lights on your dog? It wasn't that he minded.... He actually really seemed to like it, but I had to wrap the legs so loosely in an effort not to hurt him of course, and so when he walked around the lights started falling off of his legs... and then that made things a bit interesting. I think next year I might try again...and not wrap his legs.

m.e.

Brianna + Brett

Meet Brianna and Brett! We went out one FREEZING morning before I left for San Diego. It was soooo cold and windy!!! They were troopers for sure! We headed out to the Liganore Winery for their session.  Gorgeous! I just loved the sky... It was the perfect winter sky... looked like a storm coming...but also pockets of bright blue. It was the first time that I got to met Brett, because he is an aviator in the Navy, and does not currently live in the area. They were a super cute couple.... laughing and giggling, and keeping eachother warm!

Isn't that an awesome sky?!?

I think that this photo might be my favorite!

This is the owner's dog... Huge dog!!! Looked like a polar bear!!

We got a tour of the inside!!! How fun!

m.e.

Emily + Steven Part 2

Ok... it is here, Part 2 of Emily and Steven's wedding. :) The first few are from getting ready at the hotel. Emily has the cutest niece... and she was in all sorts of pain and discomfort that day, because.... she had to go to the bathroom... and couldn't.  :)  Poor thing was uncomfortable... but it was so cute... and luckily she is little enough that I can share this on my blog and not have to worry about embarrassing her in front of any friends or boyfriends, etc...  but Aunt Emily will have some funny pics to share with her when she gets older!

Here is grandma trying to brighten her spirits and her little upset tummy....

And here is the victory! I just had to post it because it was hysterical. Everybody was whooping and hollering and doing a little "poopy victory dance!"  And the best part, was when she announced that she went, Emily pointed and yelled, "I see it!"  And so I looked at her.... and sure enough... there is a lovely lump in her pants.  Too Funny. No wonder her little tummy hurt.  (Sorry if I have grossed any of my blog readers out. It was really  funny.)

Ok... back to the bride. Here are a few pics in the lobby of the Hyatt.

And here are the boys over near Emily and Steven's cute little house!

Steven next to his road....

Emily and Steven got married at a church right across from their house. The church is called St. Mary's, Star of the Sea.

Emily on the trolley waiting for all of the guests to go into the church.

Hanging out outside the church while waiting for the ceremony to begin....

Emily peeking through the door while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Here comes the bride...

Just peeking at the bride and groom through a little hole in the pew.

The new Mr. and Mrs!

First dance...

Here are the name cards.... Steven actually designed them! He did an awesome job!

The invitations... Steve designed these as well. I just started having fun inside the Baltimore Visionary Museum.... with all sorts of ideas flowing for some details shots... and then the security guard came and kicked me out!!! Ok... so I did touch the art... Oops... But I had to?!?!? So enjoy the few shots that I got before I got kicked out... I was just getting started.

And I told you how awesome the flowers are, right?! Here they are... There are a lot of photos below of the different bouquets and centerpieces... and yes you do see eggplants, cacti, asparagus, feathers, and artichokes... the designs were made by Caroline at a Garden of Earthly Delights! Amazing, amazing flowers!!!

Here is their cake from Sugar Bakers...  I took a photo of it in the cool light... because these were the color lights that were shining on it. Funky!  :)

And Steven made this awesome photo mobile to hang full of photos of them and their friends. Isn't it cool?!?

The toast...

They made CD's for their guests as favors.... Cute!

The song...was not Walk Like an Egyptian despite what it looks like...

The paparazi..... wives of the groomsmen.

And the little kids dance circle....

Cake cutting got a little bit messy...

Emily says, "This cake is good!"

Dancing with grandma.

And the traditional picture of Emily and Steve...

m.e.

Giving Back!

I have really been thinking so much about how blessed I am... And in an effort to give back and bless someone else, I am going to host a little contest here over the next few weeks. 

Here is what I am giving away: A 1 1/2 hour portrait session, CD of high res files included.  :)

I would love to give this portrait session to a family/couple who just deserves to be blessed.... maybe you just love them to pieces... maybe they are going through some tough times and this would brighten their day.... maybe they are always blessing others and it is their turn....  

Whatever the reason, let me know! How you can enter: 

1. Submit an essay (no longer than a page), a video, a photography... anything.... telling me why they deserve to win!  Be creative!!!

2. Send all entries to meaghanelliottphotography@gmail.com. Please put HOLIDAY CONTEST in the subject line. 

3. Entries must be received by December 30, 2008 at midnight!

4. In your entry, please include your name and contact info!

*I will travel up to 50 miles (one way) to complete the session. If you want to enter someone who is not local and would be willing to help take care of a travel fee, you can still enter!

I plan to announce the winner at the start of the New Year!

Pass this along!!! 

Happy Holidays!

m.e.

Emily + Steven Part 1

Right before I left for San Diego, I shot Emily and Steven's wedding...  What a blast! They are a super laid back couple, just enjoyed every minute of their day. This is only part 1 of the post because I need to submit holiday print orders... and then I will be back with round 2 of pics of their wedding.  We started at the Hyatt in downtown Baltimore. Awesome hotel. 

Oh you know.... just a salad and some wine in the tub.... 

Curious George and company. Curious George is VERY important to Emily... and is really a part of her life events.... so much so that he even had a tux for the occasion!

Love that you can see the reflection of the dress.... and the rain. The weather was all sorts of confusing that day... Bright and sunny, crazy storm clouds, HARD rain, and then it cleared up again!

Just having some fun with the reflection in the window.

And again... The colors were already funky in this pic, so I played with them a bit more...

Emily's sister.... who actually happens to be a neighbor of mine! Small world!

Emily wore a ring of her mothers as well... as her something.... uh oh....old.  There. I said it, but I am only repeating it.  Maybe it was the something borrowed??  :)

And here is one of her bridesmaids... being a good bridesmaid, of course! And she was actually a guest at the wedding that I shot last weekend! Like, I said... Small world.... or as they say Smalltimore. (You would not call it that if you grew up in McKean, Pa. We literally have one blinking light in the center of "town."   I love that town... don't get me wrong... but Baltimore isn't quite sooo small in comparison)

The little cuties watching the bride get ready!

Here are: the Chips 

Emily LOVES the Panera Bread potato chips... LOVES... so it was funny because everywhere I looked... people were eating her chips! I didn't even blog all of the pics of the chip eaters... Here are a few.

Notice the smile...

More smiles....

No Smiles!!! (At least on Emily's face)  :)

Emily's reaction to her flowers... which I must say...  AWESOME! Can't wait to share the pics in the next blog post! Yes, I am making you wait!

CREEPY!  ha ha... Sorry Emily.  

BEAUTIFUL! See... I made up for it!

Emily wore awesome shoes!

m.e.

Sue + John... The cutest couple ever!

John and Sue are the cutest couple!!! I will never forget when Sue e-mailed me initially about their wedding with the disclaimer that she was a little bit "older."  She really isn't that much older than my typical bride...and she is young at heart!!!! (So is John!!!) ...

And besides, I don't discriminate on age!! Every bride is beautiful, and she is the cutest bride to be ever! 

We went to DC early in the am to beat the crowds of people. See how cute they are? Just like teens in love... flirty and playful.  :)

They just laughed and enjoyed one another. I don't have many photos of them where they are not laughing.   :)

We had perfect timing to catch the last of the fall leaves... The colors are just gorgeous! I am sad that fall has already passed... Went so fast!

Work it Sue! Love this pic. I think this might be my favorite!! Doesn't she look awesome?!? Old who? I don't think so!

the end!

I can't wait until their wedding in March!

m.e.

Help Toys for Tots and Burn off those Thanksgiving Calories!!!

Get excited for Brews and Bells!!! (That is beer, and kettlebells)   :)

I am excited to share that this coming Saturday, Sandy Sommer, of Charm City Kettlebells will be conducting a workshop to benefit Toys for Tots.  

Here are the details for the Bells:

Who: YOU

What: Learn Kettlebells (the best, most effective workout ever!)

When: Saturday, December 6th from 2-5pm

Where: 2030 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, MD 21231

Why: Because it is a great workout, and a great cause!

Cost: $50 (this price includes 2 weeks of FREE classes)

Here are the details for the Brews:

Who: YOU (again.... do you get the picture yet?)

What: Come enjoy (free) delicious beer and drink specials if.. (see cost)

When: Saturday, December 6th from 6-9pm

Where: Alexanders Tavern in Fells Point, MD

Why: A great cause!

Cost: FREE if you  

1. attend the Kettlebell workshop

2. Bring $10 and a new unwrapped toy

So, I hope to see you there! If you can't make the workshop you can still support the cause and head to Alexander's Tavern. 

If you have any questions or you want to register (you must register for the workshop portion), contact Sandy at sandysommer@charmcitykettlebells.com

m.e.

Baby Bryce

A little while back, I headed to my hometown Erie to visit with family and friends for a few days. You might remember Sommer from maternity pics... Well, her darling baby, Bryce, has arrived.... and she is cute as a button! I wasn't there too long, but enough to grab a few pics... with hopes of coming back, but Bryce fell asleep, and she slept for a looooong time, so hopefully I can grab some more pics next time I visit!

Sommer is such a good mom!!!

Poor Skye.... someone else is getting attention these days....   :) 

Still pouting...   :) 

We set Bryce down for a few pics and she was out before we knew it! This is the beginning of a marathon nap!

She had her cute little bum sticking up in the air. 

m.e.