Michelle and Jeroen Christmas maternity shoot in Groningen

Merry Christmas and fijne feestdagen! Today I'm blogging from the quiet Frisian village of Warns, taking it easy on tweede kerstdag, as it is called here. But, way back this summer, I was lucky enough to end up in the same level two Dutch class as another awesome American woman who's now calling Groningen home. Michelle and Jeroen were so nice to work with, they're just effortlessly photogenic and were very sweet with each other, and their soon-to-arrive baby. It was an unbelievably beautiful day in Groningen on Christmas eve, and I really enjoyed getting to be a part of this time with them.

Bounds-Picou Engagement

Nate and Alicia are a lot of fun. I actually knew Nate's sister better than I knew him, since she and I were in the same grade in high school, but last Christmas I met these two at an ugly Christmas sweater party - I really brought my A game, with snowflake-covered stirrup pants - and then six months later I had the good fortune to be their engagement photographer. They chose Old Salem for their shoot, a colonial-era Moravian area in Winston-Salem, which was a lovely location to explore.

Wolf-Sacks Engagement

Jason and Amber are two of my favorite people from Pennsylvania on the planet. Well, even among people not from Pennsylvania, they're pretty great. They met in college at Penn State and wound up in Danville, Virginia, where Jason worked as a sports reporter at the Danville Register & Bee, which is how I met him when I was working there as a staff photographer. We did their engagement photos at the Danville-Pittsylvania County Fair, which was just ridiculously fun - tons of color and lights, and a hilarious pair of friends.

Ruitje-Dommel Wedding

These two are not only beautiful, super photogenic and totally adventurous, they are also two of my closest friends, so it was so much fun to spend their wedding day with them in Harderwijk. Karin and Jeroen looked like movie stars, and her  glamorous red dress brightened up the cold February day. This was my first Dutch wedding, and I fell so in love with the gezellig atmosphere of the bride and groom's families enjoying coffee together before the ceremony. Adding to the lovefest, my fiancee Elger helped me out immensely by shooting the wedding with me. The whole day was completely relaxed and reflected their personalities to the smallest details. And really, what's not to like about a bride in a red dress?

Blackmon-Friedman Wedding

Bob and Randy! I had the amazing privilege of shooting the Biltmore Estate’s first ever gay commitment ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 17th, along with one of my best friends and photo role models, Lauren Carroll. Bob and Randy are both incredibly sweet guys who are clearly in love, they were both living in New York when they met ten years ago (but they met at Key West, coincidentally), and now live together in North Carolina. They spent the day surrounded by wonderful and supportive friends and family, from a fun rehearsal to an after party with catering from Bojangles. They were a blast to hang out with, especially during their pillow fight! Last year, they adopted a precious little boy, and Sarah Whitmeyer of Whitmeyer Photography did a shoot of their new addition. Congratulations and Mazeltov to Bob and Randy!

Reibold-Shaw Wedding

Jake and Sarah's fall wedding in the mountains was warm and friendly, in spite of the chilly rain throughout the day. Staying indoors was definitely a good idea, and the view of the beautiful Appalachian mountains from the Champion Hills Country Club in Hendersonville made for an etheral backdrop. Jake's father was the officiant for the wedding, making it an even more personal and meaningful ceremony. Thanks again to Sarah Whitmeyer, owner of Whitmeyer Photography, for the opportunity to share this day.

Bathurst-Helms wedding

This is the very first wedding I had the privilege to shoot, in Charlotte in May of 2008, and Jeff and Erin were such a friendly and fun couple to spend the day with. They met at N.C. State University as students, and their personal wedding was such a sweet ceremony - they were so excited to be married, that they actually began walking down the aisle before the ceremony was really finished! And their enthusiasm to head to the reception was totally understandable - they had a FUNFETTI wedding cake, and danced the night away. Now, three years later, they have just had a lovely little girl. I want to thank Sarah Whitmeyer of Whitmeyer Photography in Asheville, North Carolina, for having me as her assistant for this great wedding, and giving me my first experience with the world of wedding photography.