Alright morning people, spill it. What is your secret?! How do you wake up early (before 8am) and function? I know some of you prefer mornings…enjoy them, even. I don’t get it! I’ve been trying this week to get up 1 1/2 hours earlier than usual, and it just feels so bad. Okay, I know it’s only Tuesday and I’ve only done it twice in a row, but so far I’m not loving it and I never do. I went to bed at nine-thirty last night (it was practically still daylight), figuring that if I got my required 8 hours I’d happily bounce out of bed at 6:30am, but that didn’t happen. I went out for a walk right when I got up, and I pretty much wandered around Ashburn with my eyes closed. I drank a Diet Coke for a little caffiene boost, but that didn’t help either. So tell me, what are the tricks? I have a method to wake up and get out of bed on time – two alarm clocks plus Chris to tell me to get up – but what are the secrets of actually feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed?!
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Mike & Denise – 6.7.08
Mike and Denise’s wedding was probably one of the most unique weddings I’ve ever been to as a guest or a photographer and I totally love it when couples aren’t afraid to step outside of the box. Just from hearing about the schedule, I knew this one was going to be different. The event started on Friday, June 6, but the timeline was created so that the actual ceremony would take place Saturday at Midnight on 6.7.08 after cocktail hour, dinner and dancing! Sarah Hodzic and I arrived at the Glenview Mansion early in the evening to do some photos of everyone getting ready and some of the details, and I have to say that the details were spectacular.
I especially loved the flowers:
And her dress:
And this cake! The sign reads, “Why are there skeletons on the cake? It comes from Mexican wedding figures called Los Muertos, which is a traditional symbol of a couple being together forever even after death.” Do you recognize the figures? They’re from The Nightmare Before Christmas!
Dinner was served first, in their non-traditional timeline. After dinner, the cake was lovingly and politely cut and served:
And also after dinner, there was a huge, kid-tempting chocolate fountain. Here’s the “before:”
And this sequence is the “after:”
Someone almost didn’t make it to Midnight for the ceremony:
But everyone was re-energized by the time their heartfelt ceremony was held at the stroke of Midnight on the porch of the mansion.
Thank you Denise and Mike for sharing this amazing day with both Sarah and me. We had a great time capturing it!
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Meet Zoey
My friend Coelle has just about a billion really cool things going on in her life right now. She just recently bought a fabulous new house, graduated from her Master’s program (I’m so proud of you Coelle!), and as if those two things weren’t monumental enough, she has added Zoey to her life. I visited this evening for the new-home tour, and I got to meet Zoey! This puppy is quite possibly one of the wiggliest most adorable things ever and I’m glad I brought my camera along for an impromptu puppy portrait session:
Zoey is an eleven-week old French Bulldog, and is just the sweetest little thing. She makes the cutest grunting noises and I love her little smooshed face. In addition to exploring her new territories, she has her contemplative moments like this one:
I think we wore her out after playing for a while. She started dozing off, even while sitting up!
She’s only been with Coelle for a few days, but I could already tell how bonded they are. Zoey is one lucky pup – she’s going to be well cared for!
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My Own Holy Grail
This is ridiculous, I know, but we all have our quirks, right?! I’ve been on a quest searching for Diet Cherry 7-Up in a can my whole life. I could frequently find it in the 2-liter bottle, but the 2-liter only tastes good to me the first time you open it. After that it’s kind of bleh. And I’ve even seen regular Cherry 7-Up in cans, but never the diet version (I don’t like drinks with sugar in them). I honestly didn’t even know if Diet Cherry 7-Up in a can existed, but I only hoped and dreamed. I looked for it in the grocery store every time I shopped even though I realized that it wouldn’t just all-of-a-sudden be on the shelf when I’d never seen it before. I even looked for it when we traveled. So you can imagine my utter shock and disbelief a couple of weeks ago when miraculously I spotted it at Safeway in the Broadlands. One lonely 12-pack just sitting there on the shelf, and I practically dove for it expecting someone else to swoop it out of my reach before I got my hands on it. It was mine! I happily paid for it, took it home and chilled it, and enjoyed one can a night for several days.
Chris and I went back to that Safeway this past weekend, and they had restocked the soda aisle. I found FOUR 12-packs of Diet Cherry 7-Up cans and promptly purchased them all with no hesitation. I’m stoked that I’m now all stocked up:
What are you searching for? What is the one thing you’d love to find, but haven’t found it yet?
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Alex & Margaret – 5.31.08
I absolutely adore so many things about photographing weddings, but probably the best part of the job is being around a fun, sweet couple who is willing to share their joy with everyone around them. Alex and Margaret were one of those couples, and they made the event so wonderful to participate in. Not only were they so fun, but they are gorgeous! I second-shot once again for Sarah Hodzic, and she posted her amazing images and wrote a great story about the day on her blog so please do stop by and check it out.
And in the meantime, you can see a few of my favorite images from the event here, starting with the ceremony at St. George’s in Arlington. The day started out pretty much like a monsoon, but thankfully by the time the ceremony started the rain cleared up.
I love a good bubble send-off!
So adorable…
And then so stunning.
The reception was at a really fun location in Arlington called Top of the Town. It’s just like it sounds – it has an amazing panoramic view of DC. After this beautiful first dance (I loved the lighting!) the dance floor was packed all night long thanks to the fantastic band.
How awesome are both of these cakes?!
Congratulations and best wishes to Alex and Margaret! If rain on your wedding day really is good luck, you two are all set for an amazing marriage together!