Wedding Show Fun

Wedding shows are an interesting thing.  Especially for photographers.  We are generally introverts, kind of shy people.  Or at least I am.  Don't get me wrong.  I love people.  But I feel like I have an awkward and bashful side, especially when it comes to conversation.  And I meet new people all the time.  So almost everyday I make an attempt to overcome said awkwardness and bashfulness as I get to know  a new bride.   At these shows, I meet about 100 new brides for only a few minutes.  Hello awkward potential.  It can be a bit daunting but luckily I have Gabe and I love my job.  This year we had a great time chatting with everyone and showing them what we are all about.  I focused on just being me and meeting lots of lovely brides-to-be.  Turns out, it's not so hard.  Did I mention that I had Gabe by my side?  I love that guy. I felt great the the show this year.  I LOVE our booth.  We brainstormed, went to antique shops, and bought patio furniture so our booth would meet our eclectic and cozy vision.  I think we succeeded.  I even bought a new dress and shoes for the occasion.  I will use any occasion as a reason to buy clothes and shoes.  The shoes were unbelievably painful, but boy, were they cute.  I managed to wear them the first and last 30 minutes of the five hour show.

Another great aspect about this year's show was Jacki Allen's WOW Event.  I went to the mini conference and had the pleasure of listening to Tara Guerard, Elizabeth Messina and Janie Medley.  These ladies are three "greats" in the wedding business and they had a lot of insight to share with us.  After they spoke, we went to Spindletop for a reception where I got to chat even more with Janie and Elizabeth.  Elizabeth is an extremely talented photographer and I am very inspired by her work.  Janie runs a very successful blog (The Bride's Cafe) for bride's and she is a blast.  Oh my goodness, I learned so much!  Thanks to Jacki, Jaimeson and their team for organizing this wonderful event.

Anyway, here's how the booth played out:

Ta da!

Gabe bought these flowers to spruce up the booth.

He also found these fabulous antique cameras!  We used our bookshelf from home to display our bigger prints.

Gabe's mom found our easels.  They were perfect!

Gabe is ready usher in the brides.

Below is our crown jewel of the booth: the coat rack.  My mom tied perfect bows to our prints so we had another way to display our work.   I borrowed Joy's veil (one of our 2010 brides, thanks Joy!) and used a pair of my heels to top it all off.

The painful, yet beautiful shoes are in the background of the picture below.  They did go great with the dress.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the MLP booth!  Happy wedding planning!

Published: Kentucky Bride Magazine

I am laying here sick on the couch.  My back is to the kitchen and I am listening to my Gabe make chocolate chip cookies.  He said he found a bag of cookie mix in the pantry and wants to make something sweet.  Bag of cookie mix?  I've never bought a bag of cookie mix.  I think he bought it for me back when we started dating...almost two years ago.  Well, it's all we've got it and he's making them. He preheats the oven.  It ticks forward in stops of five degrees.  He's found 350.  Opens the bag.  Pours the mix into a bowl.  Turns on the faucet.  Measures the water.  Too much.  Pours a small amount back into the sink.  Takes out the butter.  Starts the microwave.  I'm assuming the microwave's role is softening the butter.  It beeps after a couple seconds.  Not long enough.  Another few moments.  The beeping.  He takes it out and unwraps it, letting it land on the mound of cookie mix with a soft thud.  The oven beeps.  Preheat is complete.  He cracks an egg.  Not a clean crack but it gets the job done.  He chooses a spoon and starts mixing.  It is not mixing well.  I can hear the loose crumbs and chips running from his spoon.  He mixes harder.  No luck.  Mix transfer into a metal bowl.  The Kitchen Aid mixer starts.  That batter doesn't stand a chance against rhythmic thumping of the mixer's paddle.  I love my mixer.  The chips are drilled into the bottom of the bowl.  It stops.  A spoon steals a scoop.  He chases it with water.  Takes out a cookie sheet.  More scooping.  I'm not sure how much dough is going onto the cookie sheet versus Gabe's mouth.  Why is cookie dough so good?!  The oven timer beeps to about ten minutes.  I go ahead and ask for some milk.

Anyway, below is Taylor and Alex's wedding day spread, featured in Kentucky Bride magazine.  Gabe and I knew this was going to be an amazing as soon as we met Taylor and Alex.  They are a fun couple and their wedding was so unique.  I had to describe it to KY Bride when I submitted it and here is what I said:

"This is one of my favorites from this year. Gabe and I had the privilege of traveling to Farmington in Louisville. Alex and Taylor had a beautiful ceremony and one of the most fun receptions we have ever been to, equipped with a photo booth and gelatto stand! From the bride's dress to the groom's belt buckle, the wedding was full of fabulous details that every photographer dreams of."

Enjoy!  You can pick up a copy at Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Barnes & Noble, Joseph-Beth Booksellers and Meijer in Kentucky.