Spring has Sprung! – Photography by Renee and Jonathan McCardell

Did Mallory + Brent plan their perfect in pink outfits? Or have they simply known each other for so long that their look naturally came together, no words spoken? The two are, after all, high school sweethearts, dating for more than eight years. And if their stunning engagement shoot is anything like what their wedding photos will be like, I want to see more. And then I want to submit the photos to Vogue magazine. Because that’s exactly where they belong.

Mallory + Brent appear to be made for the camera. And for each other. The wonderful Renee and Jonathan McCardell of Greensboro, North Carolina, had the opportunity to photograph the beautiful couple as they made their way from the Proximity Hotel to UNCG’s campus. And like true models, Mallory + Brent knew exactly the looks to give each other to make viewers swoon. Or maybe it’s simply because they two are best friends and so deep in love. It’s easy to see there’s no acting or false poses involved with Mallory + Brent. It’s all heartfelt and 100% meaningful. And absolutely naturally gorgeous.

Something tells me Mallory + Brent always look this good together, not just when they’re in front of the camera. After eight years sharing their lives with each other, they seem to have a model relationship. Both in looks and alliance. Perfect in pink and ready for their close-ups, together.

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The First Look Says It All by Renee McCardell.

Another cinema spotlight by by the very talented Sarah Gerber

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Love in a Blueberry Field by Michelle Castle

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

by the very talented Sarah Gerber of Twenty Twenty Studios

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We met at Biola University where we both studied the art of making films.

We filmed every day for eleven weeks in a row – we  developed a skill set that allows us to approach filming a wedding in a fresh way.

We have an organic approach to wedding videography.

Our real passion is to earnestly connect with people, we have to give something of ourselves to them, so it has been a blessing in our work to see each wedding as a personal investment!

We feel that your wedding film is peeking in on this moment – it’s seeing the people, not just the faces; the unity, not just a ceremony; the personality and not just the production.

We really want to make videos that a couple is never ever ashamed to show anyone, it’s a short film that – after it is done – a viewer will feel like they were there – and if they were there, to feel like they are there again.

We LOVE our work.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

by the very talented Jason Lupish and Adrian Dudziak

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Click here to view the embedded video.

by the very talented Rafael Ziah Franco

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Can’t Wipe the Smile Off Your Face – Photography by Stay Forever Photography

When you’re standing next to the one you love, it can be difficult to wipe the smile off your face. “What are you smiling for?” people ask. But you don’t have an answer other than, “I’m just happy.” When I look at the wedding photos of Stephanie + Matt, that’s all I can think. They’re just happy. And really, do you see any photo in the series where the two aren’t smiling? Of course, it’s expected you’ll be smiling on your wedding day, but something tells me these two are always smiling when they’re in each others’ presence.

The fabulous Stay Forever Photography from West Palm Beach, Florida, were able to catch so many of Stephanie + Matt’s wedding day smiles. And I’d even bet that Melissa and Chelsea (from New Jersey) were smiling along with them. After all, the couple’s cheer seems to be infectious. That, combined with the absolutely beautiful Palm Beach setting and the fun nautical touches at the reception, are enough to make anyone giddy with love. The photo of Stephanie + Matt smushing cake into each others’ faces is my favorite, proving that these two really are lighthearted and fun as their smiles have us believe.

One common piece of advice given to brides and grooms on their wedding day is, “just remember to smile.” Well, I don’t think Stephanie + Matt needed any reminders. They’re just so happy. Which is exactly the way it should be.

Stay Forever Photography is also a Diamond member of  www.SnapKnot.com

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A Parisian Fairytale in Los Angeles by Caroline Tran

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Perfect in Pink – Photography by Renee and Jonathan McCardell

Did Mallory + Brent plan their perfect in pink outfits? Or have they simply known each other for so long that their look naturally came together, no words spoken? The two are, after all, high school sweethearts, dating for more than eight years. And if their stunning engagement shoot is anything like what their wedding photos will be like, I want to see more. And then I want to submit the photos to Vogue magazine. Because that’s exactly where they belong.

Mallory + Brent appear to be made for the camera. And for each other. The wonderful Renee and Jonathan McCardell of Greensboro, North Carolina, had the opportunity to photograph the beautiful couple as they made their way from the Proximity Hotel to UNCG’s campus. And like true models, Mallory + Brent knew exactly the looks to give each other to make viewers swoon. Or maybe it’s simply because these two are best friends and so deeply in love. It’s easy to see there’s no acting or false poses involved with Mallory + Brent. It’s all heartfelt and 100% meaningful. And absolutely naturally gorgeous.

Something tells me Mallory + Brent always look this good together, not just when they’re in front of the camera. After eight years of sharing their lives with each other, they seem to have a model relationship. Both in looks and  in alliance. Perfect in pink and ready for their close-ups, together.

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I Got Goose Bumps by The Image Is Found.

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Spring has Sprung! – Photography by Hung C. Tran

Across the country, birds are singing and flowers are blooming. The air smells sweeter and somehow we’re all walking a little lighter. It’s almost as if the worries, the hardships and the bitter cold of winter somehow left us feeling and looking better than when it first arrived. And there’s nothing I enjoy more than a good old fashioned simple spring wedding. And I implore you to find anything more spring-like or more sugary-sweet than a tea-length polka-dot wedding gown and backyard lawn games!

Beth + Matt had dreamed of a spring-time wedding in San Diego, California. Just when the weather-switch had flipped and the smell of fresh cut grass, lemony fresh air and florals were in bloom. What a perfect way to celebrate the changing of their relationship to husband and wife.

Their photographer, Hung C. Tran captured all the energy and excitement of the day, from bocce ball tournaments and croquet competitions to the little children rolling down hillsides and grown-ups reveling in the light and airy atmosphere. The images Hung captured are inviting and playful, which exemplifies the real essence of both Beth + Matt.

I love the pops of yellow everywhere you turn, from the maid of honor and flower girls’ gowns, to Beth’s peep-toe heels and lemon and tulip centerpieces. I love the look on their guests faces – that Holly-go-lightly sort of ease and enjoyment. I love the chemistry between Matt + Beth and how excited they seem to be throughout the entire day.

I love a good old fashioned spring-time wedding. And fortunately, we’re smack dab in the middle of spring so more of this to come I’m sure!

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Tears of Joy – Photography by Michelle Yee

I remember as a young girl, attending the wedding of a family friend and glancing at my mother as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.  Almost everyone else in the room was smiling, laughing and clapping hands as the beautiful couple kissed and walked down the aisle, hand in hand as husband and wife. I asked my mother why she was crying and she told me, “Don’t worry honey, they’re just tears of joy.”  And then she continued crying. I think I probably thought I had finally driven my mother to insanity.

But eventually, I began to understand what tears of joy meant, and as luck would have it, apparently it runs in the family. Sappy commercials sometimes get me (I admit it!), and the birth of my nephews and niece definitely did me in. But there is something about a wedding; the raw emotion displayed, the rituals and traditions, the union of two people who know one thing more than anything else – that without each other, they would be lost; that leaves me almost inevitably, teary-eyed and bursting with joy.

And as an outsider looking in on the wedding day of Ellie + Brian, photographed by the magnificent Michelle Yee of Toronto, Canada, I have to admit again – I had tears of joy forming. I think part of it was the look on Ellie’s face in almost every single picture. She is the epitome of radiant – the very definition of happy. In fact, I think if you looked up the word happy in any old dictionary, you would find a picture of Ellie. And then there’s Brian. And Brian’s family. And Ellie’s family. And all of their joyous, beautiful friends. The couple were surrounded by those that meant the most to them – those people who care as much about Ellie + Brian as they do for each other.

As a child, my siblings and I would tease my mother for her sensitive (but oh so sweet) nature.  I’ll tell you though, if she were here with me right now, looking at these images with me, she’d be crying as well. Because when you’re in the presence of true love – love like Ellie + Brian – somehow, you see through the tears.

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- I was born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay
- My BFA in Photography is from University of the Arts
- I’ve lived in Annapolis, Tampa, Philadelphia + Boston
- I am opening up a new studio
- I absolutely love my wide angle lens
- I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II
- I have recorded over 12 of my own songs
- “Tiny Dancer” By Elton John is my theme song
- I am over the hill for any Damask design
- My favorite flower is the orchid
- I love the sound of water hitting the shore
- Traveling makes me full of life

Dip Me - Photography by Carly Fuller

When it comes to dancing, a dip is one of the most intimate moves you can make.

It says, “I trust you.”

It says, “I’ll protect you.”

It says, “Thank you for always supporting me.”

It says, “We’re in this together and I’ll never let you go.”

But a dip is also about having fun.

It’s about letting loose and taking chances.

You’re in this one together and you may as well enjoy it.

Dip me.

Talented photographer Carly Fuller of Baltimore, Maryland, had the amazing opportunity to photograph Jack + Caitlin’s wedding at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. And while there are many beautiful dancing photos from the reception, I found myself gazing at the photo of Jack dipping Caitlin on the dance floor. Jack is holding Caitlin’s hand tightly, with his other hand firmly placed on her back. Caitlin has her hand loosely placed on his arm, trusting that Jack won’t let her go. She lets her head fall back and knows Jack will keep her safe.

Marriage is often like a dip. You must trust one another and remain certain that you will never let each other fall. Because you’re a team, you take chances together and let yourselves go, knowing all along that you have each others’ support. Caitlin + Jack will forever have each others backs, dipping down and up throughout life.

I love the photos of Jack waiting for Caitlin at the altar and Caitlin walking down the aisle with a huge smile plastered to her face. I love that all of Caitlin + Jack’s friends and family look so genuinely happy for them. But most of all, I love the photo of Jack dipping Caitlin. Because no other words are quite so full of love as are the simple, “dip me.”

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Erika & Ryan Rowell

Doesn’t Everybody Love A Royal Wedding - Photography by Erika and Ryan Rowell

All the world is a buzz this week with the wedding of Prince William and his beautiful bride, Kate Middleton upon us. What will she wear? Who will be in attendance? What about the cake, the flowers? And the question that’s really keeping me up at nights – Who will be photographing the Royal Wedding?? I am on pins and needles, desperately counting down the days to the big event and don’t think I’m not getting up at 4am to watch it all unfold. Yes, I will be watching it – bit by every single bit! But until then, here’s another little dose of royalty for you – James + Laura’s wedding, photographed by the magical, Erika and Ryan of Rowell Photography.

The beautiful bride and her very dapper-looking husband, spent the morning getting ready at the grandiose King Edward Hotel in Toronto, where royalty is virtually spilling from the walls of the beautiful interior.  For the ceremony, guests were invited to the St. Thomas Aquinas Church located on the University of Toronto campus where the couple met years prior. And after an elegant ceremony, guests convened to the Liberty Grand Centennial Ballroom for an elaborate sit-down dinner reception with dancing to follow.

Laura + James understood one very important rule of wedding planning – when you select the kind of high caliber venues for your wedding day such as the Liberty Grand Ballroom, the King Edward Hotel, the St. Thomas Aquinas Church and the University of Toronto Campus, there’s really no need to go overboard with décor. The venues are already elegant and can stand alone in their glory. The images that Rowell Photography captured for this beautiful couple are quite impactful; as much for the beauty that emanates from the newlyweds, as for the beauty that surrounds them on this special day.

And Laura, wow! How gorgeous is she? Her dress, from the Galleria Della Sposa Montreal, is absolutely perfect for her. I want to frame the image of her leaning against the cracked marble pillars on the University of Toronto campus – absolutely breathtaking. I can see why James has such a big smile on his face in almost every single image.

And so from this royal wedding to the next…

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Julie Butler
- I love cheese
- I love Swedish berries
- I love Quiznos
- I love Second Cup Skinny Vanilla Latte
- I love working out
- I love reading the Twilight saga books
- I love spending time with my family

Today, Tomorrow and Forever - Photography by Julie Butler

This is the kind of love story that will bring you to tears, inspire you and remind you to hold those you love extra close.

Joey proposed to Vanessa on the six-year anniversary of the time they first started dating. Being a wedding planner, Vanessa was elated and begun dreaming of her big day almost instantly. All that came to a halt, however, six weeks later.

Vanessa continues the story:

“On June 14th 2009, I received a telephone call indicating Joey had been in a serious accident while motor crossing. As it turns out Joey had been leading the way through a dirt bike trail in Quebec, something he had done many times before, but this time he hit a rock and flew off his motocross. As his friends were a distance behind, they found him sometime later; he was unconscious. Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctors felt his injuries were more than their medical staff could handle and consequently had the ambulance transport him to the Ottawa Civic Hospital Trauma Unit. Joey had broken his spine from T4 to T6 and crushed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. He was rushed into surgery at 11 p.m. at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, where they straightened his spine with two metal rods and 12 screws. Being told that Joey would never walk again, turned our world upside down, however [it] made our relationship stronger then it had ever been.
On June 29th, he was transferred to the Ottawa Rehabilitation Center where he would learn to live his life without any movement and minimal sensation from the chest down. Here he would go through intensive physiotherapy, occupational therapy and learn more then he ever thought he would know about his body. All of this happening while continuing to make plans for our wedding on May 1st, 2010. On September 29th, Joey was discharged from the rehab center and finally was able to come home. He is now fully independent – driving his new car and keeping busy with many sports such as alpine skiing, cycling, sledge hockey and cross country skiing.”

The wedding took place at the same spot where Joey proposed – and the couple’s love radiates from the photos.

To wrap up this gorgeous wedding, We’ll simply leave you with their vows:

“You are my best friend and I love you more with every new day. I promise to support you whether I am right beside you or oceans away, to ensure not a moment passes that you don’t know how much you mean to me. I promise to laugh with you and cry with you, hold you, respect you, be honest and open with you. I promise to stand by you through good times and bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard. I promise you this today, tomorrow and forever.”

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Unspoken Love - Photography by Steph MacKinnon

Sometimes love is hard to explain. You can’t put it into words, but you can see it. That’s why wedding photographers are so vital. If someone says, “What was the wedding like?” you can simply say, “Just look” and show the photographs. Super talented photographer Steph MacKinnon of Nova Scotia, Canada, skillfully captured Heather + John’s special day. A wedding that just needs to be seen to be believed.

Heather + John were married at the gorgeous White Point Beach Resort in Nova Scotia, overlooking the beach. And in each photograph from the ceremony, the couple is looking deep into each others eyes. Their secret glances show the undeniable bond between the two. The bond that everyone else can see, but can’t explain. Husband and wife? It just looks right.

Steph explains that John was in an athletic accident years ago that resulted in a paralyzing spinal injury. Over time, he was able to move again and eventually walk. So, it seems this special wedding day had even more meaning. It was about standing by one another. Promising forever to one another. And always, always giving each other those special looks and secret glances. Those are what makes a marriage last.

Heather looks absolutely stunning, but she looks even more gorgeous with John by her side. And I just love that the wedding photographs are so focused on the couple, the most important part of the day.

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A Smile Says a Million Words About Love – Photography by Darcie Bruce

They say a smile is infectious. And it’s true. Just seeing the whites of teeth, the sparkle of eyes, and the tinges of laugh lines can make you break out into a full grin, too. And that’s probably why I couldn’t stop smiling while looking at Ashlynn + Aaron’s wedding photos. The collective joy is apparent in absolutely every photo, in everyone’s faces. But in none so much as Ashlynn’s. This bride has the most gorgeous smile and she just can’t help beaming in each and every photo. Something tells me the ubber talented photographer Darcie Bruce of Greeneville, Tennessee, was smiling non-stop behind the lens, too. How could she help it?

The smiles start with the engagement photos, showing this couple is truly overjoyed to be getting married. When Ashlynn + Aaron aren’t kissing one another, they’re smiling at each other, practically giddy with happiness. And the kissing in the rain photo is pure romance. Doesn’t it remind you of a scene from The Notebook?

The beaming faces carry right over to the wedding, where each and every guest looks so happy to be present. And it’s easy to see that the wedding party, dressed in passionate shades of purple, are thrilled their friends are getting married. But we can’t ignore Aaron’s smiling either. Darcie told us he was completely at ease despite the incredibly hot temperature outside. But then, it would be impossible not to smile looking at his beautiful bride.

Of course, you expect a bride and groom to be smiling on their wedding day. But Ashlynn, Aaron, and their loved ones are doing more smiling. They’re each saying, without words, how delighted they all are to be together. And there is nothing more important when it comes to a happy marriage.

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Have a Little Faith – Photography by Mireille Aikman

Kanika + Peter had faith in their love from the start. The couple met at work where their company did not support office love affairs. It didn’t take long to choose their love and leave the company. Smart decision on their part, considering their  love affair eventually led to a beautiful marriage.

The very talented Mireille Aikman of Admiron Photography in Amsterdam, Netherlands, had the opportunity to shoot Kanika + Peter’s wedding on the rocks of Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. Being from the Netherlands, this was the perfect destination wedding for the couple and they had guests flying in from all over the world, including the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Norway, India and the United States, for a multi-day celebration.

When the couple woke up on their wedding day, rain was pouring down and more was in the forecast. But Mireille says that both Kanika + Peter were incredibly calm, relaxed and happy. Does a little rain matter when you’re in love, after all? And all the faith they had in the day paid off when, right before the ceremony, the rain stopped and the sun came out.

Mireille Aikman’s photos capture the love between Kanika + Peter perfectly. The looks they give each other throughout the wedding speak volumes about their feelings for one another and their somewhat goofy antics show that they share absolutely everything with each other. Of course, the Sorrento scenery is absolutely stunning, but I had my eyes so peeled to the lovely couple, I momentarily forgot where they were. Until I caught sight of the mountains and blue water again.

Kanika + Peter had faith in each other from the start, and it’s that faith that will likely carry them through their marriage. Not to mention both Kanika + Peter have fabulous examples to follow as both sets of their parents have been married for over 30 years (Peter’s for 50!). That combined with their genuine love and ability to be goofy together is going to make all the difference in the world.

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The Best of Both Worlds - Photography by Shireen Louw

Just the two of them. In love. Surrounded by friends and family. Alone. But together. The very best of both worlds.

It’s the very best wedding photographers who can simultaneously showcase a couple as the only two people in the world, while also showing viewers how much they are loved and cared for. That’s exactly what Shireen Louw from Cape Town, South Africa, did with Melissa + Johan’s wedding photos.

Melissa + Johan were married in Stellenbosch, in the middle of the Cape Town winelands at a stunning venue called Stellenrust. The shots of the couple alone in the woods makes it appear that the couple are in their own secluded paradise. But then, interspersed are photos of their friends and family laughing, smiling, and cheering. You can easily see how thrilled everyone is by the marriage of Melissa + Johan.

I can’t decide what photos I like better. I’m obsessed with the picture of the bride and groom kissing while surrounded by all of their wedding guests who are throwing their hands up in the air. But I’m also incredibly touched by the series of photos of Melissa + Johan standing alone in the wooded area, looking at each other like nobody else exists.

Though the beautiful couple seems to be surrounded by the love of others, they’re also completely wrapped up in the love of each other. Isn’t that what makes the perfect wedding day?

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