Stacy's Stuff
Traci's Stuff
Posted on February 22, 2010
I know this girl…. who’s last name is LOVE! And she makes CAKES!! To know Mrs. Love, you must love CAKE!! If you want to see her cakes look here and look HERE {click right here 
}
Posted on October 23, 2009
is a song from the Cure that I loooove, click below to listen and get your Friday really moving!
I LOVE THE CURE
And I am in love with candy bars at weddings… not the ones that come in a wrapper… the tables at weddings that are colorful, sweet and delightful.
I shot a wedding as a 2nd shooter last month for the lovely Ms. Donna. I got to hang with the guys and take in the little things of the day. Brad and Angel had a fish themed wedding. brad was even caught fishing the morning of his big day. And to top off this wedding I GOT A PLACE CARD SETTING WITH MY NAME on it!!! Talk about being excited! It was nice to feel like a guest. I sat had a very yummy dinner, still craving their spinach salad! And then had the pleasure of enjoying a bite of cake. When our time was done I even got on the dance floor (of course I was invited lol) and cut loose a little. It was a great time!! Here is something I threw together to get on here so I could share! Enjoy! And who ever it was who came up with the candy bar – THANK YOU!!!
Posted on October 22, 2009
This past weekend Stephanie, Traci and I loaded up and headed to Fayette County Illinois. We had the pleasure of meeting up with Ashley and Kyle for their engagement session. To say the backdrop for their session was beautiful is such an understatement. Fall by far is my favorite season of the year, and October hands down is my favorite month. The drive out there we got to see some breath taking scenery, fall was really beginning to peek and the weather was perfect. After a week of off and on rain it was nice to be outdoors and being surrounded by God’s beauty. Thank you Ashley and Kyle for having us, we truly enjoyed your session. Here is your sneak peek, more to come soon!
Posted on October 17, 2009
It’s been a gloomy, rainy and downright depressing week here in the St Louis area. Oh how I have longed for a little sunshine and sparkle in my day. I was skimming through a recent engagement session I had with the lovely Tatum and Justin and came across this picture I took and had to post it. You will see more from this session soon! So here you go and enjoy the sparkle and shine! Have a great Saturday everyone!
Posted on October 6, 2009
As some of you may know, I am currently in the very beginning stages of planning my wedding renewal. I have a slew of blogs I love to visit. I would visit them on a daily basis if I had more time in the day. I have come across some very amazing things, great ideas and tips that even I would have never thought about.
One of my recent sites I visit too often is Bravo Bride.
Ok what is it and why is it so great? Bravo bride…. you can go there and you are certain to find what you are looking for. Need favors? Centerpieces? Or what a about a dress, new or gently used. If you need any of those, check out the site. You will not be disappointed!
And you too can see times on there. Had too many favor boxes left over? Have centerpiece mirrors you have no idea what to do with now? Then visit this site. It has something for every bride. I found an awesome vintage dress on there. Wish I knew for certain this guy is going to ask me all over again, I would have grabbed it. Of course it would have included a major crash diet. But what is a little diet to the perfect dress?
So go here – www.bravobride.com and check it out. Be sure to let me know what you thought.
Enjoy!
Posted on October 4, 2009
It’s 9:15 p.m and I am ready for bed. I am beat. No I didn’t have a long wedding day, nor did I spend the day running after little ones begging them to be still for me for a sec. And nope I wasn’t even chasing after my own kiddies today. Today, Stephanie and I ventured into uncharted waters. Well at least for us they are. We set up a booth with the goods at the annual Lebanon Fall Festival. It was a GREAT experience! For our first booth and throwing it all together in basically two days, I would say we did a pretty banging good job. See for yourself.
Also you will see a familiar face in the upper right hand corner. Yep, it’s Traci. With her lovely parents showing off her family portraits we did last month. One week after delivering Miss Sydney and she’s out and about. She’s one heck of a lady!! Please also note that amazing large picture in the bottom right picture. That is Miss Traci’s oldest son. Is he not the cutest! And let me tell ya… that picture was a HUGE hit today.
I had the pleasure of being stationed right next to a local cake diva. I see her almost daily walking her adorable son and cutie pups past my house. Who knew? Lucky for us she had yummy samples, I tried the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Now I don’t get too excited over chocolate cake, even though I am a huge chocolate lover. BUT her chocolate cake was DELIGHTFUL. And the cream cheese icing… OH MY GOODNESS!!! Delish! So be sure to check out The Brick Street Bakery’s website. You will not be sorry. Check out her cake on display today. It was amazing!
I got the opportunity to walk around a little. Thank you Steph for letting me have a moment to take in all the great crafters and artists. Though I couldn’t stop and really peruse their wares, I snapped away and was greatly inspired. I was also reminded that Christmas is only a few short months away. Man I have a lot of things to get done. One thing at a time…. here are a few snaps I took on my stroll.
For those of you wondering… who are the winners. The winners have been drawn. And I will be sending out emails and giving you 3 lucky ladies a phone call Monday to let you know who you are. 
) We also went ahead and picked out 2 runner ups. We had such a HUGE response we felt 5 was better than three. I think that can go for a lot of things. We want to thank all the great folks who stopped and admired our work, left us with beautiful comments and just stopping to chat. I got to catch up with a few old clients, see new babies, see babies that have grown. Met grandparents of my clients and got to talk to some of the local folks. It was great. I really did enjoy myself and look forward to doing this again next year, though we will look and be named something very different. Opps, did I let that slip??
A picture of my Logan pulling names.
And before I head to bed I want to say Thank You to the local Boy Scout Troop. They kept the place clean and tidy. And they were there after to clean up the mess that was left behind. You boys rock and I can’t wait for Jax to join up.
Night y’all!!
Posted on September 28, 2009
When I met this super cool couple I knew I HAD to have their wedding!!! If they had said no I probably would have had a two year old melt down, grabbed his leg kicking and screaming. But luckily that didn’t have to happen!! Shew… I would imagine that would have been down right ugly. I got to meet up with them this weekend, they came all the way from some ;o) Army base in Missouri… they played it like it was no big deal, well anytime someone takes a day to drive all the way to see me, get back in the car and go all the way back… I am going to make a big deal out of it. Thanks guys!! You two ROCK my socks and I am soooo looking forward to your Rockabilly wedding coming up in November!! Enjoy your sneak peek!!
Posted on August 26, 2009
I often find myself, as many parents do, asking myself where has the time gone? I am still in a fog, trying to figure out when my baby boy grew up. 8 years ago my world forever changed. 8 years ago I became a mama for the very first time. It was a scary birth and we are so blessed to have him here with us. His birth was full of scares and questions, but he was a tough guy and proved to us that he is not one to mess with. He is a miracle and we thank the good Lord everyday for allowing us to be his parents. I get choked up reliving that day. It was full of excitement, confusion and fear. But here we are, eight years later. He’s growing up so fast. This fella is truly a unique kid. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He’s smart, inquisitive and sharp as a whip. I couldn’t imagine my life with out this fella. He’s an amazing son & big brother!!
We usually spend his birthday at the state fair, but this year the fair was a few weeks after his birthday, so that post will come soon. So we celebrated his birthday pretty low key here at home. Decorations were paper airplanes suspended from the ceiling, it’s his lasted obsession. And his cake choice was Strawberry Cheese Cake, yep he’s got some great taste! His birthday dinner request was steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and corn on the cob. A real man’s man! It was a lovely day.
Posted on July 13, 2009
I’ve tried numerous times to blog about Nicole and Jim’s wedding day, and I have had such a hard time summing it up. Where do I begin? How do I end? Their wedding location was amazing! The ceremony was touching, I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t stop watching. When we met up and did formals I honestly have never met a group so calm, cool and relaxed. Everything went perfectly and flowed so smoothly. I was thrilled to spend a little extra time with just Nicole and Jim for some one on one formals of them before we hit the reception. Nicole and Jim were high school sweethearts, attending homecomings and proms together. They grew up together. And their love grew right along with them. You will see it in the pictures, it’s obvious he thinks the world of her and I think she’s pretty fond of her BEERMAN! Once the sun began to come down it was time for us to get to the party. And let me tell you right now, if I were to give out awards to my couples for the “best of” this reception would blow it out of the park. Don’t get me wrong, all my couples have had great receptions, but this one’s feel was so different than all the others. It was comfortable, it was warm and it was ROCKIN”! Their DJ Zack from Complete Music had the dance floor jumpin all night long! It was great, he was great and this I will scream from the rooftops, Zack is by far the best DJ I have EVER come across! He was well organized, you could tell he worked hard to give his couple and their guest a great time. And there is no way anyone walked away from that wedding saying they were bored!! I hated leaving myself, I didn’t want the night to end. So thanks so much to Nicole and Jim for allowing Traci, Stephanie and myself to be a part of your amazing day!! Cheers!
Nicole’s dressing room was massive. I walked in and she had me at large beautiful window light. I love natural lighting!
Is this grandpa not the sweetest?
I love Nicole’s style. Simple, classic and stunning. Her flowers were amazing.
This wedding was the first in many that ran right on time. Everything went so smoothly. At exactly 6 p.m the organ pipes filled the sanctuary and Nicole, on the arm of her very proud father, made her way down the aisle to her sweetheart.
From laughing over their dreams of having a dotson ranch to the tears of the handfasting ritual, they kept this gal on her toes. It was a great ceremony if I were getting married again here in the area I would have Lamira Martin from Your Ceremony, Your Way officiate it in a heart beat!
We had a blast with the bridal party.
And off to the reception. Again I can’t say enough good things about Nicole and Jim’s vendors. Be sure to check the end of the blog to get the detailed list of them.
A special shout out to Traci, if it wasn’t for her amazing eye for the little things I don’t know what I would do! And for Stephanie, what can I say, without her I would be a mess. She keeps me moving and organized. I would and many things would be lost with out her!
Nicole and Jim, we all wish you an amazing life together!
Their fantastic vendors:
Cake: Artistry on Cakes (Nancy Robinson- Belleville, IL) AMAZING!!! Check back soon as I am hoping to get to the shop and do a feature on the blog about them!!! The cake was to die for and I seriously stalk their storefront!
Florist: Flowers and Balloons (Mascoutah, IL)- they only did the bouquets. Nicole made the centerpieces herself- bulk tulips from Sams Club. AWESOME!!
Hair: Elite Retreat Day Spa & Salon (Belleville, IL) not only was Nicole’s hair beautiful, her mom had a great haircut from them!! i can’t wait to get in there and get my new do!
Dress: Davids Bridal (Fairview Heights, IL)
Minister: Lamira Martin {www.yourceremonyyourway.com} words cannot express how I felt about her ceremony. It was truly one of a kind!
DJ: Zach Lorton (Complete Music)- he did an amazing job
Reception: Shalafly Tap Room
Posted on June 29, 2009
I had the pleasure of being a 2nd shooter a few weeks back. It had been years since I was the side kick, and honestly I loved it. It gave me the chance to see someone else be in charge. I got to work beside my dear friend and fellow photographer Donna from Design Imaging. We had a bast and her couple was amazing! Everyone was so laid back and cool. And the day was magnificent! I’ve never shot a wedding at a winery and was thrilled when Donna informed me of the beautiful location. I met her out at the beautiful Villa Antonia Winery in Hillsboro, MO. If you are looking for a quaint little retreat to run away to and have a jaw dropping event, this is the place. The staff was superb and the food was yumtastic! So with out further ado I will leave you some images that I got to capture. Thank you Donna for allowing me this opportunity and I look forward to working together again soon!!
I love the little details of this wedding. She gave out fans to everyone. It’s so nice when they think of their guests. And when you see the unity sand you will be blown away. I have never seen anything like this and I was very impressed. I wish I would have found out where they got that at… hmm I might have to investigate. I do have a wedding in 4 years and a few months. ;o)
As the main photographer I am the one who usually is with the bride the entire day. When I have a 2nd shooter I send them off to hang with the guys. So this day I got to hang with the guys and I had a blast. They were so easy and entertaining!
Ok next up the kiss and the guest book. I loved the guest book idea so much! They had pictures of each of their guests, not sure they were able to do that but I am sure with a small intimate wedding it wouldn’t be that difficult. They had a table set up for the guests to come and take a scalloped edged peice of paper to write a nice note on. It was great. I love it when they make it personal!
I always imagined a winery wedding would be timeless and romantic. Well this wedding proved me right!
And finally, in honor of my daddy who passed 4 years ago this coming week the father daughter dance. I miss him greatly and another reason to add to the list of many, WHY I LOVE MY JOB, because at each and every wedding I am reminded of him, our love, our understanding and our bond. That even though he’s not present, he is forever with me in spirit and heart. And all of us daddy’s girls know… that we may be bigger but we still can remember dancing on daddy’s toes.
~Stacy~