Lawyers in Love

We were approached by Nikki and Trey a few weeks before Christmas to do the photography at their wedding.  We really couldn't say no because they're both lawyers and probably could've drummed up some false charges against us and took us to court.  We're just a mom & pop business so we can't have any bad publicity.

Of course I'm being facetious (I'm using big words because I think lawyers are impressed by them).  Nikki and Trey are a really awesome and funny couple.  One of the great things that happens as a result of our photography is that we really get to know some people that we might not have otherwise.  Originally, Nikki and Trey were going to do a quick wedding but then they were convinced to do it right by Nikki's parents.  I guess parents really do know best because Nikki's emotions definitely got the best of her once the wedding started.

Trey was the epitome of cool even though he has this disgusting love of Duke.  I was really torn since I'm a Terp but I was able to look past it knowing that UMD really is the better basketball team.  He knew just how to make Nikki laugh when we needed it and knew how to let her wipe cake on his face as well.  You know why they're perfect for each other? They started singing the theme to Good Times during one of their pictures when they were looking off in the distance.

I've decided to paste the lyrics to the song just for old time's sake:

Good Times.

Any time you meet a payment

Good Times

Any time you need a friend

Good Times

Any time you're out from under

Not getting hassled, not getting hustled

Keepin' your head above water

Making a wave when you can

Temporary lay offs

Good Times

Easy credit rip offs

Good Times

Scratchin' and surviving

Good Times

Hangin in a chow line

Good Times

Ain't we lucky we got 'em

Good Times.

Are you laughing?  Good, b/c I was almost crying during their singing.  You better believe there were more laughs at the reception as well.  Btw, these two lawyers really did it up once they decided to have a proper wedding.  The reception was at Ruth's Chris! This was no silly horrs dovers (that's how I say hors d'œuvre ok?) and cake reception.  This reception featured pure unadulterated steak and lobster tail.  They even had a cupcake table from Crumbs Bake Shop (Linda was super excited).  Near the end of the reception, Nikki was surprised with a serenading by 3 Alpha Phi Alpha members.  Nikki's Dad was rusty but held his own whereas Trey was more interested in having fun behind Walter's back as Walter carried the group.  Talk about a fun and interesting wedding! In the end, there are two words that perfectly describe this wedding...Good Times.

This was the first time we had a couple opt for a "First Look". A First Look is when the bride and groom see each other before wedding.  Some people think it loses the emotion of the bride coming down the aisle but you can see in the later pictures that this is definitely not true.  The advantage of doing a First Look is the bride and groom have a lot more time for pictures.  In the case of Trey and Nikki's wedding, we actually had all formals done before the ceremony.  The only picture we took after the ceremony was the picture with the pastor. Let me tell you, this made things so much more relaxed and calm.  This is definitely a great idea if you want to get really good pics without worrying about time.

Another advantage of the First Look is your bride-to-be can get the lint off your shape-up! Ok, she's probably fixing his eyebrow but still, it's a good thing!

Jared sitting in Pastor Baldwin's desk.  Looks like a good fit!

Alpha Phi Alpha serenading an Alpha Phi Alpha Sweetheart

Mmm mmm Macarons!

Linda and I celebrated Christmas early so that we wouldn't have to bring our gifts all the way with us to AZ (especially since we're bringing gifts for 9 nieces and nephews!)

This was one of my favorite gifts that she gave me. These are macarons from Michel Patisserie. Definitely awesome desserts. If you haven't had a french macaron (NOT the same as a coconut macaroon btw), you should try one.

The box she got me had espresso, chocolate, raspberry, vanilla, mint, almond, strawberry, and peanut butter and jelly (yes, PB&J FTW!) among others. We're finishing the rest off today because they only have a shelf life of about 3 days. I just wish they weren't so expensive. These little mini hamburger looking things cost about $2 if purchased individually because how labor intensive they are.

On second thought, maybe you should just look at my pic and imagine how good they are instead of actually trying one. You might get addicted...

My wife's the best for giving me an extremely thoughtful gift. We've only had these twice in our lives and they were both times when we were on travel and decided to splurge. I guess Christmas is also a good day to splurge right?

Preacher's Daughter Married to a Mountaineer

We had a lot of fun doing Brian and Brenda's engagement session in Georgetown a several months back and had an even better time shooting their wedding.  First off, we had perhaps the rowdiest group of groomsmen ever (check out the "Groomsmen Gone Wild" pics). The ceremony had plenty of tears...from Brian. You could tell this day really meant a lot to him.  After the reception where there was way too much food, we headed to the Ritz Carlton (yep, Brian spared no expense for his special bride) and took some bride and groom shots.  They even got upgraded to the Ritz Carlton suite which had 3 different bathrooms and 20+ rooms just because they got married.

Brian,
It may be hard to top this on your future anniversaries.  Way to ruin it for us other married men.

Mr. and Mrs. Powell,
Congrats you two.  Can't wait to see what God has in store for the two of you.  Thanks for letting us share in your special day.

If you're friends or family of Mr. and Mrs. Powell, please drop them a line by leaving a comment!  Tell them how much you love them, how much you miss them, or how much you hate WVU, not necessarily in that order.

On to the crazy groomsmen pics!

In case you didn't realize, Brian LOVES WVU. WVU Socks #1

GROOMSMEN.

GONE.

WILD.

I have to give a shout out to my man, "BIG WILLY"!

Gotta love that beautiful autumn foliage

Maybe the kid on the right is a big Redskins Mike Sellers fan?

WVU Socks #2

WVU Socks #3

Who would've known that Brian loved WVU?!?!?

Oops - there goes the sparkling cider flute...

Groomsmen back at it

WVU Socks #4

Brian's sister tricking everyone into blowing bubbles