I am so happy that we have found new friends who just “happen to be photographers”. (inside joke haha!)
Cassie + Andrew came to spend the weekend with us a couple weeks ago, and of course, we had to go have a photoshoot!

Thanks ya’ll for being our friends, we are so excited and look forward to many more great times with you! Love you!!

Love this opening shot that *GASP* Michael took! Yes, i’m opening the post with a “Michael shot”. Love you babe, you’re awesome.

We found this field a few blocks from our house, and I knew I had to use it eventually. What better day than to? Cassie asked me how many times we frequently trespassed on property… I plead the 5th.

Hey! Don’t judge! we were going to shoot in a field across the street with peoples cows!!

Horsey.

Love love.

So this one is kind of a happy accident. We had some insane backlighting and really harsh sun, so I was setting up the flash unit. I had set up the shot where Cassie was going to be pulling out the “Dirty Dancing” (love that movie!) shot where she runs and Andrew lifts her up. Buuut she ran before I was ready so I just started shooting HAHA! I actually love the silhouette more.

Yep, this was pretty much them the whole time. Ridiculously cute. Yep.

{WARNING} FAVORITE #1 ALERT STRAIGHT AHEAD!

I have a few favorites, and this is a close runnerup. Bring it OW OW!!!!

Hehe.

Ok so this is my ABSOLUTE favorite from the whole day. We found these really cool abandoned cement drainage tubes and of course, we had to pull a U-ie! They were really nasty and we were threatened by some formidable looking bugs.  However they were no match for our awesomeness!

We HEART Cassie + Andrew!!! Miss you friends!!

Saturday was a gorgeous day and was perfect weather for Sarah+Paul’s loveshoot. The fabulous duo Cassie + Andrew Olimb came to hang out and spend the weekend with us (stay tuned for their loveshoot!) and we had so much fun running around downtown Quincy with Sarah + Paul, getting lost in some sketchy parts of town (ok not so much- at one point I was thinking we were going to have to board up the windows of the car!) rolling down hills, and getting our “mexi-stache” on.

Ok I HAD to post this one. Poor Bailey, she was terrified. But, I nearly fell over laughing whenI ran across this one while making the picks for this blog.

Hello, favorite.

Funny story: We were trying to find a swingset. You would think that this would be easy, right? Well, after 30 minutes of searching, we decided to stop and ask someone where we could find one. We got the directions and went on our merry way. When we arrived, it was a day care with miniature swings and slides.

Um… no.

So we finally found someone who directed us to a local elementary school!

Ladies and gentlemen- I give you… the mexistaches!

Keep scrolling to feel like a kid again.

Ms. Cassie being stealth.

Where’s Waldo? Hehe.

Sarah + Paul (+ Bailey too!), we adore you guys. Thank you so much for hanging out with us! I hope we get to do it more often!

I know you are all wondering what is up with the title of this post, but that story will be in the whole post coming up in the next week!

First up is our amazing new friends Cassie + Andrew of Olimb Photography, who came to hang out with us this weekend. Cassie + Andrew are fabulous, hysterical people who share the same love the Lord and we are just so grateful to have found another couple that Michael + I relate to so well. We adore you guys and can’t wait for our upcoming shenanigans!

While Cassie + Andrew were here, we tag teamed it up for Sarah + Paul’s loveshoot. Sarah and I work together and I am so glad to have found such an awesome friend as Sarah. Sarah + Paul are [thisclose] to being engaged and I know that sometime in the near future Sarah is going to be waving a big ‘ole diamond ring around!

They kept us laughing the whole time- this shoot was SO much fun and I can’t wait to show you the whole post!

Let me tell you from experience, you don’t have to have a huge expensive wedding for it to be absolutely GORGEOUS. For example, when Michael and I got married, since we were both photographers, of course we wanted things that were going to photograph well. Plus, I LOVE details (all my previous brides- give me a shout out here!) so we did a LOT of DIY projects ourselves.

I borrowed this information from my good friend Meg Perotti. She is wonderful, thanks Meg!

I recently came across this post by the ever lovely Rachel Earl and I thought she really hit the nail on the head! I always joke with my clients that I am totally biased in thinking that your photographer is the most important thing but I will tell you this: I have been to a lot of weddings, this we know. From all my experience I will say that location and photography are the two most important things. Get a venue that is beautiful all on it’s own so you don’t end up spending countless dollars dressing up a banquet hall and get a photographer that you LOVE who will document everything about your day that you can cherish for years after the last dance. You could get married in an open field, with 50 people, with fresh fruit, bbq food, and a wild flower bouquet and your photographer will SWOON at the beautiful things they will be able to capture!

Rachael’s advice: (if anything- this post is important to read for that Louboutins link!! HOLY COW!)

1. Okay, so it’s important to first PRIORITIZE. I am sure every photographer that ever meets with a bride asks them what is most important to them on their wedding day. Yes, I do believe photography is one of the most important elements of your day because it is what you will have on your walls or in your album forever. Photos help us remember key moments, emotions, and details. No, I’m not telling you to forgo a cake for your photography, but I can say that a $300-500 dress can photograph well and look just as lovely as a $3000-5000 dress, and yes Christian Louboutins are to die for, but sometimes you can find them more reasonably priced if you look hard enough. (Alas, they apparently do not make size 5, which makes me so sad…)

Yes, photography sometimes can take up a large portion of your budget, as the photographer spends the most time with you during the day (6-10 hours), spends a considerable number of hours perfecting and editing through each image, designing albums and products, before finally delivering a very valuable product. Photographers only have one shot at getting it right. It is the most important day of your life. If they screw it up, you can’t redo your day, the emotions, the moments. I have actually been called on to photograph people after the fact that “didn’t get any good photos”, and also one bride who didn’t get any photos of just her in her wedding dress, which is extra money they didn’t intend on spending…

2. Ask about making payments. If you’re wedding isn’t until September 2010, but you know who you want as your photographer, ask if you can make monthly payments. Most will be more than willing to accommodate you.

3. If a photographer’s pricing just isn’t within your grasp, ask if they would book a bridal session (with or without the groom, before the wedding day), an engagement session, or a post wedding/trash the dress session with you. Often, these 1-2 hour sessions are cheaper, and will still yield amazing art that you can put on your walls, or in a small album or guestbook. Photographers will usually schedule these sessions during the week, and they can be set up during prime outdoor lighting time at a really cool, unique location, which is another plus! No, I am not discounting the time spent photographing your wedding ceremony, reception, bridal party, and family. These are also important elements that need to be photographed correctly, but if you are looking to still get great images without going over the established budget you have set, consider this option.

4. Wait a year on your album or your disk. Yes, I know you want your wedding photos right this second, but how cool would it be to get an album on your first anniversary to relive those special moments? You can always get some cool prints or a few canvases to hang on your wall before then, and I even offer my clients the option to download individual files straight from their online gallery. You don’t have to pay for an album upfront, and I never try to push products on my clients. Consider making your album a little smaller-maybe not in size, but in the number of pages, and include just your favorite photos of the two of you in it laid out in a modern, magazine-style layout.

5. Ask about weekdays, or other non-prime times. As with any vendor, you can sometimes get a small discount if you get married on, say, a Thursday instead of a very desirable Saturday.

Photographers spend a considerable amount of time determining their pricing based on travel costs, assistant fees, time spent at the wedding, time spent editing and producing the final product, wear and tear on our equipment, insurance and professional organization fees, cost of products included in your packages and time making those products, among other things.

I hope this helps! Photographers, for the most part are really cool, normal people, and I for one know that if I meet with a couple who loves my work and clicks with me on the personality level, but doesn’t have the budget for a full day of wedding photography, I always want to explore other options for them to create truly memorable, yet affordable memories of the best day of their lives!

Thanks Rachel Earl for posting this, and also to Meg for re-posting it!

A couple years ago, a friend of mine started an amazing charity that helps educate children in Africa. Epic Change has done some great things so far, and right now they’re 18 votes away from winning an IdeaBlob contest for $10,000! Please go vote for them!

How wonderful this news is! I wanted to share this with all our blog readers so everyone could go vote! Michael and I both voted, and I think you should head over there and check out the site.

Be part of the change you want to see in the world. There are so many people that are much less fortunate than we are. Here is a part of the big project they are working on now:

“We’ll be using the funds to create a technology lab at the school in Tanzania so that children, teachers and parents in the community can learn new skills, access a whole new world of information and enter global conversations by using social media to share their stories online.

Vote now. Pass it on.”

Please go vote NOW. Epic Change is doing wonderful things for the people in Tanzania and all over the world. Voting ends tonight!

Love and Blessings,

Lauren & Michael

Here is the information in case you are interested!
article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29164894/from/ET/
pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aknacer/sets/72157605881081844/
blog: http://nacedesign.com/blog/

We had just talked about becoming partners in the past year, and finally I decided to put a camera in his hand and let him fire away. I loved the results. Seriously guys, he could definitely give me a run on some of the stuff he shot!
So, Michael and I will now be shooting most weddings and portraits together. I am so excited to be able to show you both of our perspectives from shooting. This is such a huge thing for both of us, and we are so excited to see what the Lord brings to our lives and through our business as we make this transition to the next chapter. I love you, Michael.

Now, onto the real reason for this blog post. Dan and Rachelle are two of our very best friends. We go WAY back to when we first met at our old apartment complex in Tallahassee, when we lived in the building right next door to each other. Michael was outside one afternoon walking our dog, and Dan was also out walking their dog. Our dogs hit it off (haha!) and Michael and Dan stood talking for over an hour. Dan invited us to their church and at first, I am ashamed to admit it; but Michael and I had both been struggling spiritually with different things in our life and questioning our faith. We had been trying out different churches in the area, but never did we find one that we felt we were really comfortable in. That Sunday, we decided to go with Dan and Rachelle to church.

I remember that day very well. Pastor Ray seemed to speak directly to us and our struggles, and that day, the Lord burdened my heart so much that I could almost not bear it. During invitation, I began to cry almost uncontrollably. Rachelle and I had become friends; but that day, she reached over and grabbed my hand, and we went up to the front of the church together. I was finally able to let go of all the hurt and feelings of insecurity that I had been holding onto for so long. Rachelle, I don’t know if I ever thanked you for that. God sent you both into our lives right when we needed it. I have come to realize that His timing is absolutely perfect, and that His blessings just continue to flow down. Because of you and Dan, Michael and I have finally come to feel like we really belong somewhere.

Dan and Rachelle have been an ever constant source of love and support for us, and you both mean so much more to us than you will ever know.
We had been trying to plan this “anytime” session for weeks and it seemed that something always came up! The first weekend we tried to do this, I came down with the flu! The next weekend, both of us were unavailable and then the following weekend, it rained all day both Saturday and Sunday. When we FINALLY got around to shooting, God blessed us with some truly beautiful weather. 65 degrees and gorgeous sunshine all the way baby!

{don’t you love her laugh? It’s infectious…}

{one of my favorites!}

{and then we had a bow malfunction… }

{the whole family}

{I told Dan to say something really funny to Rachelle… I can’t repeat it [HA!] but this is what happened!}

{my view…}

{and Michael’s. I KNOW right?!?!}

{seriously with this?? love it!}

{this is Ms. Beasley. Isn’t she sweet?}

{FAVORITE!}

{this is Michael’s take on the image above.}

{dan is an amazingly talented guitarist!}

{the next 2 are Michael’s… *sigh* He’s so good!}

{hello GORGEOUS! My favorite from the whole session! ok ok, so I have a LOT of favorites. Sue me }

Dan and Rachelle- We love you! Enjoy your slideshow!
♥
Lauren and Michael

{be sure to click “hq” on the video to view it in high quality!}

I saw this in church this morning. It really spoke to my heart, and I wanted to share it with you all. You know, I debate a lot of times about what is “too personal” to share with other people on this blog. I think everyone has very different views on whether or not we should use our blogs as just a tool to connect with our readers. But in my case, I want to connect with those that I serve on a personal level. I really don’t want to be just someone that spends a few days with you; I want to have a deep, lasting friendship.
So this is what is on my heart right now. Good, bad, or indifferent, this is who I am. I vow to share it all with you. I know I might lose some along the way (and I have), but my hope is that it will draw some of us closer.
I have been dealing with some really horrible things in my life that I have been trying to cope with as of late. Feelings of doubt, insecurity, worries of things beyond my control. Yet today, when I saw this video, somehow I felt released of all of what I was hanging onto. I am simply letting it all go.
We are all so blessed. Sometimes we get caught up in all the little worries, hurts, frustrations, and whatever else may be going on in our lives. But the truth is, if we give it all over to God, and say “Lord, this is too much of a burden for me to bear”, then he renews our soul and gives us joy unspeakable. This is my prayer for every one of you today…
That you will have “joy, unspeakable.”
Blessings,
Lauren