Meaghan Elliott Photography

New Blog!!!!

2009-01-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Good news! My new blog is ready! Ross, from Flosites has a few minor things that he is still working on so you might see some changes, but go check it out!!! This is my last post on this page!!!!

Check it out:

www.meaghan-elliottphotography.com/blog

If you are a subscriber, you will just need to re-subscribe. Sorry! :)

m.e.

Sneak Peak.... Kelly + Duffy!

2009-01-11T19:39:00.001-08:00

Over the holiday I met Kelly and Duffy for their engagement session in Fells Point! It was actually the first time that I had met them because they currently live in Los Angeles. They are just the sweetest couple, and I had to share a few pics of our session! More to come hopefully tomorrow on my new blog! Fingers Crossed! ;)

m.e.

San Diego Round 2....

2009-01-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have actually had these photos ready to blog for quite some time...not sure why I didn't blog them! Good news is.... I think this might be the last post on my old blog here... because Ross will be launching my new blog either tomorrow or Monday! Yay! Enjoy these pics from San Diego! Amber and Randall are actually brother and sister and were awesome models! Love their style!

m.e.

Someone is working on my heart....

2009-01-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

Despite my upbeat e-mail yesterday... this has actually been a week where nothing is going as planned....I am swimming in my to do lists.... (my head is barely afloat).... I get the feeling God is trying to teach me something. You know... to trust Him. :) I was hoping that He would teach me on Monday (when my hubby came home covered in ....I don't think there is a nice word for it... vomit.... and I was cleaning it out of his car while I put the dogs in the backyard, who decided to get into the trash and have a party with it ALL OVER the yard....) and it would be over, but alas, it is almost Friday, and I still have not got it. Darn.

Each day has had it's own unique episodes that have kept me from those stupid lists that are haunting me. Today I dropped my hard drive..... no worries, all of my originals are backed up, but there are A LOT, of edits that were not backed up yet. I cried. I want to cry again, but I am not, because I know that my God is bigger than a broken hard drive, and that they are most often recovered with a pretty penny, but it is His money to begin with, and if this is making me a better person then He will gladly cover the charges of the hard drive for the betterment of my character. I still wish I would have gotten it on Monday... :)

But in all honesty, my life is good....not good, GREAT! All the things that matter are just fine. I am truly blessed with amazing friends, family, health, a job I love, and an amazing husband! What more could a girl want?!?

m.e.

Contest winner postponed until tomorrow.... :(

Wow....

2009-01-07T17:45:00.001-08:00

Ok...lots to post... I feel like I always say that... but I do!! I still have Christmas Stuff that I want to share... my new years goals...and all sorts of exciting news.... so keep coming back to hear about some exciting things that are going on with my business!! :)

And, you saw the cute pics of our new little pup... well, I officially feel like Dr. Dolittle. I love our little pup, that is for sure, but with Chester and Sanders, life sure is interesting. (Here's to you Jennifer!!!) I am working on getting all sorts of things done, with all sorts of interruptions. :) I feel like I have a kid! So here is a pic of me.... Dr. Elliott-Doolittle...

Apart from getting used to our new little addition, I have a few things to share!

1. My new blog will launch super soon! Ross from flosites sent me the finished product and there are a few little things to take care of, so lets hope for Friday! It looks awesome and it shows your comments (thank you to my commenters!!! They make my day!) and I will actually be able to comment back, which will be super fun and help me get to know you!

2. I got the knot magazine in the mail today in which Matt and Jennifer's wedding was featured. Yay! My work will be in another publication this month... so I will keep you posted about that....

3. I have fun secret news that I can't share yet until Friday... because I have a meeting with a super fun vendor that I need to go to first before I share any details. :)

4. I have to tell you about how you did for Cans for Comments. You did awesome, so thank you faithful commenters... more info to come!

5. I will be announcing the winner of my portrait contest tomorrow, so thank you for all of your entries. Folks, you seriously had me in tears. I am amazed at what you are going through or have been through.. and I wish that I could do all of the sessions for free but I am trying to help my hubby pay bills. :) It helps our marriage. :) so I guess that just means more contests!

6. I don't have that many spots left for weddings in 2009! I am almost booked up, which is exciting. I will not shoot more than 30 weddings... for quality control and to combat burnout. I want to make sure that the brides (and grooms of course) that I book get the best that I have to offer. I soooo look forward to this coming year!

Ok.. enough text... the following photos are given to me by Amy Campbell. She took them and I did edits... It was about time to get rid of the photo of me that I had on my website. I was at the pumpkin farm, rolling my pumpkin away in a radio flyer wagon.... Don't bother looking, it is already gone. :)

So thanks Amy, for taking a few pics while in San Diego! Even though I couldn't be serious for any pics. I now give all of my clients such credit. It is definitely hard to be on the other side of the camera.... You all do such a good job!!! You rock!

By the way... the driver was in the taxi while I sat on the hood... and it also matches my shirt! :)

m.e.

TuVida: New Line!

2009-01-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I took a few pictures for Katie and Melissa, sister in laws and owners of TuVida. If you have not been there yet, you definitely need to check it out! They have the cutest little shop and do amazing work! They do jewelry and graphic design so it is a great place to go for:

1. your wedding day jewelry

2. jewelry for your bridesmaids

3. jewelry for the new clothes you got over the holiday (all jewelry is 50% through the end of the month!)

4. jewelry for gifts: birthdays, anniversaries, just because, etc.

5. your wedding stationary: invitations, table cards, meal cards, etc.

6. bridal shower invites, place cards, etc

7. baby shower invites

8. business logo or printing needs

They do awesome work, so stop in and tell them I sent you!

Here are a few snapshots of their work...

Because they are both new mommies, they are expanding their shop this year to do more invitations and jewelry geared towards mommies and their babes....

m.e.

Merry Christmas Part 2!

2009-01-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

This is actually part 3 of Josh and I's Christmas, but I went through these images first, so here they are!

The day after Josh's family left, we headed to Atlanta! We went to the Chick-Fil-A-Bowl to watch Georgia Tech play (where my hubby went to school), and to visit with some more of his family (actually super close friends that are like family). His parents and sister also headed down to Atlanta, so we got to see them again. :)

Josh's God Father, Richie, took us and 2 of his grandchildren to the most amazing golf store ever! It was the PGA Superstore. It was unbelievable!!! They have the most amazing equipment for your swing...a huge putting green, chipping area... and they even have a sand trap to try out sand wedges.... An adult playground really. Golf Heaven.

Here are the boys Mark and Matthew "driving" the $15,000 Hummer Golf cart.

Later that day we spent time with Josh's godparents children and grandchildren. We had such a nice time despite the PSU loss in the Rosebowl. :(

Deanna had some of the cutest decorations... had to take some pics! Her house could have been featured in a magazine!

My sister in law, Allison, and Palmer....

All of the kiddos made gingerbread houses!!! They looked great!

Mark working on his masterpiece....

Palmer hard at work...

And little Ross... I would have decorated just like him. One for the house, and one for me...

Allison had to join in the fun!

Matthew hard at work!

Deanna, Mom-in-Law, and Betty...

Oh the tunnel fun! Josh and I noted that when we have children we will definitely be getting a tunnel! The kids had a ball!

Grandma and Palmer...

Mark bowling on Wii

Matthew bowling on Wii

All of the kiddos!

My hubby...

Richie got some golf balls!!! ALWAYS a good gift!

Someone is getting tired...

Palmer showing us her dance moves!

She taught us a few new dances... one was called the q-tip...I might just have to use that one at the next wedding I shoot.... ;)

m.e.

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-03T09:55:00.001-08:00

It has been awhile since I posted, but I have lots to come your way. We spent our Christmas and New Years with family and friends and are now back to get ready for '09! Before the Christmas pics are a few of our trip to get our puppy Sanders. Here is a pic of Chester in the car on the way to get his new sibling...

Getting acquainted on the way home. Sanders had 5 brothers and sisters, so if you are interested in a pup, let me know!

His first bath. Josh gave him a bath while I took pics!

A little nap after a long first day with the Elliott's!

Love this! So, so cute!

Our friends came over to watch the Steeler game and meet the new addition! They actually have a new addition as well....coming in July! They are pregnant with their first kiddo! So exciting!

Here are a few photos from our trip to my hometown, McKean. We headed there on the evening of the 23rd, so that we would be there bright and early on Christmas Eve, but it took us 12 hours to get there! We left at 6:45 pm on the 23rd and arrived at 7am on the 24th! It actually only takes about 5 1/2 hours but we got caught in a terrible ice storm.

Here are 2 of my nephews Ethan and Hayden waiting to open presents.... :) They look so thrilled!

They perked up a little bit!

Brennan opening gifts...

Hayden opening gifts. He was soooo excited about everything he opened. It was so cute!

Venom.... from Spiderman...

Hanging out and playing games. My favorite part of the day!

The littlest nephew, Ryan. Mmmmm....Cookie!

On Christmas Eve, we always go to my Uncle Frank's and celebrate. We have dinner and then Santa comes! Here are all of my nieces and nephews (and sister Amber) on Santa's lap! Last year Josh was recruited to be Santa because he was the new guy in the fam, but this year he got lucky and got out of it. I also got the family fruitcake..... I should take a picture of it. It has been passed on for about 10+ years!

More to come! We left my hometown on Christmas Day and Josh's family came to our house the next day and stayed until the 30th.... so I have photos to share from their visit. We also went to Atlanta for New Years on the 31st and got back yesterday so I have photos to share from Atlanta and the Chick-Fil-A-Bowl as well!!!

Happy New Year!

m.e.

A little peak of the puppy....

2008-12-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-22T11:51:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-19T13:51:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-18T15:01:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

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 :)

2008-12-15T18:32:00.001-08:00

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....

2008-12-14T06:20:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-11T15:25:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-08T10:56:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-12-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-05T09:15:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-12-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-12-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

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.

San Diego Trip

2008-11-30T11:01:00.001-08:00

Gosh!!! It has been awhile and so much to post! I didn't even post half of the things I wanted to post before heading out on my trip to Cali!!! What a gorgeous state!!! I have a ton of pics and will share some of the highlights of my trip in the coming weeks. I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Here are a few pics from the workshop that I attended in San Diego. Eileen was an awesome model. Super photogenic! She is a student who heard about the workshop and volunteered to be one of our models. Here are a few of my favorites that I edited at the airport and during my plane ride home!

At the workshop we all had to submit our favorite image of the day, and I entered this one for day one, and it was chosen as the best overall photo of day 1.... and I won a shootsac and cover!!!! What a wonderful surprise! I actually won the cover that I wanted to get for Josh!

Stay tuned for more posts in the next few days... Off to watch the Steeler game with hubby! I surely missed him!

m.e.

Therol + Alex.... and San Diego!

2008-11-17T05:38:00.001-08:00

Hello all! I am here in Charlotte, NC getting ready to board my plane to San Diego, but had one last post to complete before I head off to the Love Affair Workshop!!! I can hardly believe that it is already here! I am going on about 3 hrs. of sleep... on top of several other days of minimal sleep.... but, I am so excited that I don't think it will even hit me! I will be in San Diego until Friday and then will be driving the coast with my friend Meg... and returning to San Diego on Thanksgiving to fly home! It will be fun and full of adventure... I will be taking tons of photos so expect to see some awesome shots of my trip when I return.... as well as several other sessions that I have yet to blog! So much going on. Business is awesome! Thanks everyone for your patience!

Ok. Now to Therol and Alex. They met in Hawaii and then eloped, so they never had the chance to really have wedding photos so we had a portrait session at Centennial Park in Columbia... We had so much fun! They are so cute!!!! And the fall colors were amazing!!!!!

m.e.

Katie + Drew

2008-11-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Katie and Drew got married at the end of October at the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore and had their reception at the George Peabody Library. It was a gorgeous wedding!

I showed up at the Lord Baltimore Radisson Hotel ready to shoot.... but locked my keys in the car (while it was running!). What a disaster that was! I think that I accidentally bumped the lock door button when I went back to the car to put my window up after talking to the Valet... so needless to say, while I took photos of getting ready, I was on the phone with AAA to have them come and unlock my car. Really I didn't even care if my car got towed... I just wanted to take photos and deal with my car later. All worked out though... Katie and her gals were so sweet and understanding. I felt terrible!!!! But, I am pretty sure that I will not do that again! Praise God that I had my camera equipment out of the car!

Poor little guy!!! I came in with my camera and started snapping pictures and frightened him! He didn't know that I couldn't "see" him getting dressed. In fact, I might not have even noticed if it weren't for the look on his face!

Here is Katie's audience!

One of the guys had the idea to make a photo like Abbey Road... They only had a few seconds to pose... because the cars were not going to wait... It was a god try though!

Thanks Katie and Drew! Gorgeous wedding!

m.e.

Neil and Cassen Trash the Dress

2008-11-13T07:48:00.001-08:00

So awhile back (obviously if you take a look at the trees/weather!) Neil and Cassen had their Trash the Dress Session! So fun! Love, love the pics! We were back at her Aunt and Uncle's property where they got married. It truly is a little slice of photography heaven out there!

I definitely wish I would have taken more at this spot using those shadows!!! They are awesome!

Here is Cassen in her garden attire....

Thanks guys!!!!! You have been so much fun to work with!

m.e.

The Grieb Family!

2008-11-13T06:55:00.001-08:00

I met the Grieb family on the perfect fall day just before Halloween... Chilly air, gorgeous sunshine... colorful leaves.... And, an awesome family! You might recognize Mollie and Brian from April and Andy's wedding. Brian and Andy are brothers... and Brian's family took advantage of my fall family portrait session special in Federal Hill Park. Here are some of my favorites of the day. Talk about a family with energy!

I just love the warm light from the sun!

m.e.

California!!!

2008-11-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

So as you may or may not know, I will be headed to California from the 17-27th... for the Love Affair Workshop as well as to explore the state. My friend Meg and I will be heading all of the way to Northern California, and plan to see as much as we can!!! If you have any places that you have been and that you think we should visit, leave a comment and tell me where we should stop! :)

m.e.

April + Andy!

2008-11-08T20:59:00.001-08:00

Andy and April got married a few weeks ago at St. Paul's in Old Ellicott City. They had amazing fall weather! We started at April and Andy's house where the ladies were getting ready for the big day....

Andy sent some flowers with a sweet note...

Just enough to make a girl cry!

April pinning the boutonniere on her dad.

This is April in her limo, leaving for the church... Take note of the magnet on the side that says go Black and Gold.... yes they are Steeler's fans! Gooo Steelers!

Andy's brother works for an architecture firm in the Inner Harbor, so we were lucky enough to grab some really cool shots.... You can barely see them in this shot, but they are right in the middle. All of the people in the harbor were hooting and hollering... and so excited to see the bride and groom!

Now can you see them?

If you couldn't in the above shots... you can now!

A fun chair in the Architecture Firm...

This shot is from being up on the balcony with them overlooking the harbor.

Ok....now this is leaving the church... A little out of order.... I am redoing my blog. It is in process with flosites.... so soon it should be a little bit easier to get my photos in the order I am looking for!

Uh oh.... someone got caught! :)

Aren't the clouds awesome!

Now to the reception at the World Trade Center.

A few details...

Ahhhh-mazing view!!!!!

Andy had a little surprise for April. He sang her the sweetest and most hysterical song!!! It was soooo cute. I was holding back tears as I took photos!

I love how much effort Andy put into tossing the garter... He is basically bent over backwards, yet... none of his guys even moved to catch the garter!

April with her mom and sister. They have such wonderful relationships!!!

The song playing was not "Walk Like an Egyptian" despite what you might think by looking at the photo!

Boys will be boys!!! (These are Andy's brothers)

And like father like son (dad is on the left...) You will actually see this family on the blog this week, because we did a family session in Federal Hill Park!

Hiding from the camera is not allowed!

The bride chugging, Round 1

If it weren't for Andy closing his eyes in a lot of shots.... I don't know if I would have had that many photos to get rid of from the wedding! The two of them are always smiling and laughing! Such a cute couple!

April chugging, Round 2

Thanks guys! Such a fun wedding!

m.e.