I just wanted to give a little shout out and congrats to one of my couples Kristi and Jason! A photo from their wedding was in the latest issue of Baltimore Bride… Just because!

So excited when my awesome clients get their photos published! It is exciting for us of course… but how cool is it for them!?!? So much better! If I were  a bride and I was in a magazine.. I would be totally stoked!

Want to see their awesome wedding at the Grand Lodge? Click here.

Happy Thursday!

m.e.

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If you have been following the blog for awhile, you might remember Monica and Josh’s Christmas wedding in 2010.  Here is a link to their wedding blog post.

Monica worked on so many amazing details…. and everything looked beautiful! So glad that all of her hard work paid off and that her attention to detail was showcased. Congratulations Monica and Josh on your wedding publication in the current issue of Virginia Brides! I really like that Virginia Brides really shares a lot about the bride and groom. Often times there is more focus on the photos… and I like that this is the opposite! It is a really nice article about Monica and Josh… and all that went into their wedding planning and beyond…

Here are a few wedding details for you all…

Ceremony/Reception Site/Catering: Belmont Country Club

Invitations: The Dandelion Patch

Flowers: The Flower Gallery of Manassas

Music: Kirkabee Deejays

Cake: Amphora Bakery

Favors: Kate Aspen

And now her feature!

Congratulations Monica and Josh on an awesome feature!!

m.e.

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Hey brides! Not sure if you have heard about Aisle Style or not… but it is coming up shortly, and it is an event that you don’t want to miss!

It is put on by Baltimore Magazine/Baltimore Bride, and there are some awesome, awesome vendors there for you to check out… And it is full of wedding day inspiration… So go to meet some great people and get some great ideas! There are wedding dresses… makeup artists….

On top of that…. it is also sponsored by Charm City Cakes! Yup, you know who I am talking about….  Duff… Mary Alice, etc… Well, Mary Alice will be there to answer questions. Just to refresh your memory…. one of our past weddings…

And….(yes there is more) there are actually 2 events this year. One on January 29th at the Grey Rock Mansion (on of my FAVORITE places to shoot)… The second is on March 25th at Tabrizi’s! Go to one… or go to both! Tickets are just $10 for each event (if you buy now…$15 at the door), or $15 for both. Click here to buy your tickets now.

I am sad that I won’t be there this year…. since we don’t live there anymore. I had such a great time shooting it for Baltimore Magazine last year….

Here is just a teeny snipped of the event!

Sample tablescapes…

Just going from memory…I know that this tablescape was put together by Kate Beck Events & Crimson and Clover Floral Design.

This tablescape below was created by Bradshaw Styling, Carla David Design, &  Wicked Willow.

Honeymoon Inspiration…. I am sure any bride would be happy to walk into a room like this!!

Betsy Robinson’s had a lot of dresses to look at…. and there were a few ladies walking around modeling them as well….

Amazing music…. adds to the atmosphere….

Last year the special guest was Katie Martin from Elegance and Simplicity…

Here is a little slideshow with some more pics of the event! Be sure to check it out!!

http://meaghanelliott.myshowit.com/aisle_style_2011

Happy Planning Brides!!!

m.e.

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Yesterday I asked you to pardon my scans…. and today I REALLY mean it! This magazine is big, and thick… and the pages were hard to scan…. but here you go! We were featured in another wedding magazine!

This time you can see our work in Wedding of the United Kingdom! Pretty fun, yeah? They saw one of our weddings on Style Me Pretty and asked if they could feature it… So we said yes!

So onto the feature… Let’s start by saying that Erica and Paul are an AWESOME couple! I absolutely LOVED working with them, and to be honest, this wedding is featured b/c Erica has an amazing attention to detail… and had a beautiful wedding! All we did was document it! So, a special thank you to Erica…  You have great taste, and your beautiful wedding deserves to be published b/c it was a fabulous event and you are a fabulous person!

Their engagement session was shot in San Francisco, Ca…a little taste for you below:

Their wedding blog post here….

A copy of the wedding album here…

And…now onto their 4 page real wedding feature! (and my crummy scanning job…)

Lots of credit to give out on this wedding!

Venue: Grey Rock Mansion

Catering: Simply Elegant Catering

Wedding Invitation and Stationary: Vincent Lee

Wedding dress: Melissa Sweet

Favors: Mouth Party Caramels

Photobooth: Party Booths

Wedding Cake: Artistic Desserts

Bridal Bouquet: Crimson and Clover Floral Design

Happy Friday!!!!

m.e.

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First of all, please pardon my scans… ha ha…

But, we had something fun to share with you!  Last week, I found an envelope in the mail full of goodies! It was a stack of Baltimore Bride Magazines…

and inside was this awesome flower feature that we photographed! Love, love, loved doing this shoot with Staci and the ladies at Baltimore Bride.. and have to say that I am kind of sad that I probably won’t really have this opportunity anymore since we have relocated… but hopefully we will pair up with some new folks in Pittsburgh to do some editorial features here and there….

So without further ado… some B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. bouquets!!!

Bouquet Above by Crimson and Clover Floral Design… Seersucker dress from Garnish Boutique…

Bouquets below:

Top left: Fleur de Lis Top right: Wicked Willow

Bottom left: Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouse Bottom Right: Local Color Flowers

Another beautiful bouquet from Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouse…

Next up….bouquet from Fleur de Lis… One of my favorites!

And the last set…

Top left: Design by Nature Top right: Local Color Flowers

Bottom left: Wicked Willow Bottom right: Crimson and Clover Floral Design

Seriously some stunning work by these local florists… if you are a Baltimore area Bride, you have to check them out!

m.e.

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One last little piece from Dave and Cara’s wedding…at one point in the night Eric with Scheimer Entertainment Services announced the last call for the photobooth….  and I thought, hey, why not! So, I ran over, grabbed some props… and had a BLAST… yup, all by myself. So here you go folks…

A little photobooth fun…. And of course I have to give a shout out to Shutterbooth Pittsburgh! They were awesome, had great props… and you should check them out for sure!

And along with that, a confession… I have been talking about a photobooth since oh….. 2009!!!! Sad, yeah? I wanted to have one and launch it at Danny and Erika’s wedding in June of 2009… and then I thought, well maybe there are more important things that need my attention…. and I’ll do that later… Well, it’s later and it never happened… I have a box of props, and about 75% of the equipment… so maybe this is the year, yeah? Some photographers don’t want to have one… and don’t want to lug everything around, set it up, have someone man it, etc… but I on the other hand think it would be quite a blast…. so maybe, just maybe 2012 will be the year! I know some folks thought it would just be a trend, but I don’t think it will fade away… I actually think it will become much more of a wedding staple… Thoughts? Brides? Any input?

So with that said, yup… let’s put that on the goal list for 2012. You in?

Happy Hump Day.

m.e.

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I am super excited to share this wedding with you for a number of reasons…. one of them being that it was my first Pittburgh Wedding. When Dave and Cara booked, I still lived in Maryland… and we had no idea that we would be living in Pittsburgh! Their engagement session was done in DC…. since Cara lived in that area…. and so it is the best of both worlds and 2 cities that I love!

Cara and Dave got ready at the Sheraton at Station Square….and married at Heinz Chapel… and then back to the Station Square Sheraton for their reception. Just wanted to give a shout out to some of the great vendors that helped make the day so fabulous!

Obviously… The Reception and Catering by the Sheraton Station Square

DJ by Eric at Scheimer Entertainment Services

Ceremony: Heinz Chapel

Florist: Donna Delestienne

Transportation: Vogue Limousines

Videography: Quanti Studios

Cara looked absolutely stunning!! Loved everything about her look…. especially her fabulous hairpiece!!!

Cara looked so stunning!

Cara and Dave did a first glance with the Pittsburgh skyline in back…You can see some of the images from that if you check out the slideshow at the bottom of the post…  ;)

We rode around the town on a trolley…. with a few stops… the first on Mt. Washington… and the 2nd at the Pennsylvanian.

Dave and Cara enjoying the ride….. So cute!

I have to say… the bridal party probably thought I was nuts…. but they were amazing and sweet and went along with me on this one…. It sounds like the Mt. Washington lookout point is a VERY popular place to go for Pittsburgh weddings…. and I wanted to do something different…. so we made the skyline… or at least an attempt.  ;)

Be the Skyline….

They did awesome! Even got some bridges, rivers, and miscellaneous buildings in there….

The sweet almost newlyweds….  LOVE, LOVE first glance for so many reasons!!!

At the Pennsylvanian….

I have to say, watching Cara and Dave was so incredibly sweet!!!! Dave is in the Navy, and has been away a lot…. And Cara lives in the DC area… and so they do not see eachother all that much, and their is such a sweetness to their relationship!

Good news is…..

From this point forward they will be together! They are going to be living in Norfolk, Va… and are taking a cross country trip for the next month or so, from San Diego, California (where Dave was based) to their new home in Va. Sounds pretty amazing to me…. Was thinking about jumping in their suitcase to join them.

Hey guys, mind if I come along? I can document your trip…..  ;)

One of my favorites of the guys….

Love this photo of Cara as we arrived at Heinz Chapel….  She looked at the Chapel like a wide-eyed little girl dreaming of her wedding day….  pure amazement.

And this folks, is the beautiful Chapel that they got married in! So, so beautiful!!!

L.O.V.E.

And this was amazing (guess that must be the only word I can come up with today….). On the way back to the Station Square Sheraton…. we stopped for about 5 minutes if that at the Smithfield Street Bridge for a few pics… and it SNOWED! It was amazing because the weather here has been unseasonably warm… and it didn’t snow all day…. and it really only snowed for about 10 minutes… and at the MOST PERFECT moment!

And of course… it was awesome to watch everyone ring in the new year… Definitely cried… It was a mix of emotion… a touch of sadness but mostly joy. I was a little sad that my hubby was not there to kiss at midnight… especially since everybody around me was hugging and kissing and celebrating… but the tears really stemmed from the joy….

It was really incredible to be an observer in the moment… usually I am celebrating New Years… making noise, kissing my hubby, watching the ball drop, yelling the countdown, etc…. too distracted to take it all in… but this year, I watched…It was kind of a blur bc it happened so fast… but I  loved hearing everyone count down…shouting Happy New Year… Noisemakers going crazy…. people embracing, couples kissing…glasses in the air… Auld Lang Syne playing…. It was such an incredible moment to witness… In fact, writing about it is making me all teary eyed again!  I know, I’m pathetic…  I can’t wait to see the video of that part of the night…

And once the new year started…. the celebration stepped up a notch… You can check out the slideshow below to see more images from the day!

http://meaghanelliott.myshowit.com/oechslein_wdg

Thanks Cara and Dave for an amazing, amazing day!!!

I wish you all of the love and happiness in the world.

m.e.

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Happy New Year all! A bit belated, yes…. but better late than never! We had such an amazing 1st Christmas in our new home in Pittsburgh, and had company in town for almost 2 weeks…. and so we have really just enjoyed this time together as a family…just as the holidays should be.

And, to start of the new year of blogging, I wanted to highlight someone super special in my life… and share a little bit about my favorite part of the wedding day when I am shooting….

I get this question a lot…. and I have to admit, it is kind of hard to choose…but when folks ask me what my favorite part of the wedding day  is, I would have to say that it is watching Dads give their little girls away…  I love watching them walk down the aisle together. Sometimes it comes with tears and sometimes it comes with smiles… I love watching the father daughter dance at the reception. Sometimes I can barely keep the tears back, and other times I have laughed out loud.

I think I love these moments at weddings because I have such a special relationship with my dad. There is just something so unique about a Father-Daughter relationship…. And I wanted to write this post because my dad just celebrated his 64th birthday this past Friday. But, 64 is just a number… and the man behind that number is really worth celebrating. My dad is one of the hardest working men that I have ever met in my life, and he is such a huge part of who I am today, and that I am doing something that I love. He always told me that I could do anything I put my heart into… He told me I was smart, successful… that he believed in me, that he supported me, and that you have to take risks in life to get anywhere. Risk big, win big. If you fall down, no big deal…. just get back up and move on. He was an entrepreneur and I am proud to follow in his footsteps (on a much much smaller scale!). He is a man of integrity and honor…and I am so proud that he is my dad.

I feel so blessed to have spent so much time with him growing up… I know not every kid gets to do that…. Growing up he was my hero, and in so many ways, still is. When I was little he killed spiders and checked for monsters…. He was big and strong and protected me. He made me laugh until my stomach hurt… and I will forever cherish the times we went fishing, walking the property… playing basketball in the driveway…. He taught me to play golf and loved when I beat him…. We played until dark until we couldn’t see the ball anymore… He was the best caddie when I played in tournaments… As I got older, I started to understand the sacrifices he made for our family… and how hard he worked to take care of us. He started to teach me about life and what was important. He told me it’s all about your family and the people you love…and that money doesn’t matter. So thank you dad for all you have done for me, taught me, for how much you have encouraged and believed in me. Thanks for loving mom so well. Not a day went by that I ever doubted your love for her, and that gave me  such an important sense of security. I knew you would do anything for us,your family.

And thank you for helping me discover this path in life…for encouraging me to be an art major in college when every other art students parents told them to get a “real major.” You knew that is where my heart was, and you knew I could do something with it. I am so thankful that I get to document special moments between Dads and Daughters like these…..

I love capturing those moments…and I hope that my brides will forever cherish those images like I cherish these…..

an image from my wedding day captured by Garry Weber

And, I love when our little sweet pea gets to spend time with grandpa so that she gets to know the first guy that I loved… and that I admire so much.

Happy Birthday to the best dad in the world…. and here’s to MANY more years!

Love you lots.

Your little girl,

m.e.

I was really hoping to share these images with you before Christmas… but I have to say when I got back in town here I had lots of Christmas shopping, wrapping, cooking, etc. to do…. I had the preview images ready but didn’t have the slideshow done and just had to share it all!

LOVED working with Kathleen and Zach, and their families…  Some of the nicest, most sincere people that I have met hands down.

I will have to share their engagement session soon on the blog, and if you would like to see a peek of it, you can head over to our Facebook page. We had an awesome time… and the session is dear to my heart b/c we started at the golf course (I am actually a huge golfer if you didn’t know… or at least I was…) and ended in Harbor East.

So onto this fabulous winter wedding!

The ladies got ready at the Belvedere…

With the ceremony at The Baltimore Basilica, and their reception at the Belvedere.  It was absolutely beautiful… and Kathleen looked stunning.

Love this image of the bouquet… love the coloring… the old window….the beautiful view…. has a beautiful winter feel.

Getting Ready….

Beautiful Bride….

I love this… I don’t remember what someone said… but I just love Zach’s expression.  :)

Handsome groom.

Love, love this church!!!

Beautiful….

Love all of her little winter details!!!

To see a slideshow of more images from the wedding, click here.

Thank you Kathleen and Zach!!!

I hope that you had a fabulous holiday!!

m.e.

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Love the sweetness of this couple…. Caroline and Kyle are genuinely some of the sweetest people that I have met and  I LOVED working with them on their wedding!

They had a first glance at Caroline’s moms house… and the light was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Best light of the day….

The Fabulous Amie Decker Beauty did her hair and makeup…. Future brides… if you do not have someone to do your hair and makeup yet, you have to call Amie and her team.  :)

Their wedding was held at the Great Room at Savage Mills…

It was catered by Putting on the Ritz…

And Ken at Absolute Entertainment was the DJ for the night.

Amazing couple. Amazing wedding.

Thanks Caroline and Kyle!! To see a few more photos from the day, click on the slideshow below!

http://meaghanelliott.myshowit.com/murphy_wdg

m.e.