When I was talking with Heather & Blake about what they love to do together as a couple, the things that kept popping up were video games and wrestling. :) At first, this threw me off.  But, once they explained that their family already included 10 & 8 year old boys, it all made perfect sense.  Heather really impressed me with her ability to be “giddy engaged girl”, but still hold her own among all the testosterone in the room. Here are a few of my favorites.

100% natural lens flare. Yummy!

Everyone loves Mario Kart.

Check out the rock!  I can’t wait to get some ring shots of this thing on the wedding day!

The boys are at the age where wedgies are “fun”  Blake is happy to oblige.

Yep, that’s an official regulation size wrestling mat in the living room.

How about those eyes?

Keep an eye out for the wedding at Castle on the Lake in about a month!

OK, so even though we are halfway done with January, is it still ok for me to do a quick look back on 2009?

Great. Here we go.

Last year I shot 162,668 images. That’s insane. That’s 445 photos per day.
Now granted, some of those were of my family, but seriously, I don’t have THAT many kids. :)

A big shout out to all my 2009 brides.

You were amazing.

Thank you for trusting me with your day.

Thank you for giving me the freedom to document and capture your day through my lens.

Thank you for helping me feed those kids I mentioned. :)

Thank you for helping me push my work to where it is today.

In case you missed any of them, here they are:
Ruth & Daniel | Emily & Heath | Britni & Chance | Josey & Sam | Polly & Nelson | J’Vonne & Lee | Linsey & Cade | Sara & Yan | Amanda & Royce | Jayme & Jake | Stefanie & Jeremy | Stephanie & Michael | Mandy & Derek | Chelsea & Tyson | Kim & Josh | Megan & Jacob | Neili & Steven | Rachel & Andrew | Lindsey & Justin | Mindy & Dustin | Davi & Jonathan | Erika & Phil | Kaylie & Matt | Mollie & Cliff | Laura & Chad | Jade & Justin | Salem & Chris | Sandra & Robert | Kourtney & Travis | Randall & Danny | Laura & Neil | Lilli & Cameron | Kristina & Nick | Jessica & Charlie | Norma & Jesus | Ellen & Jeromy | Melissa & Alex

Now…. as far are you 2010 brides go…. Erin, Jamie, Monica, Heather, Angela, Miranda, Christina (Come on… you know you wanna book. ;) Jean, Kristen, Brynne, Ashley, Brandy, Amanda, Adrienne, Megan, Heather, Jennifer, Julia, Jamie, & Kiffany, I can’t wait to work with you more and know that once you’ve been married for 40 something years and have grandkids running all around you, you’ll have some super fun photos to show them of back when “grandma” was young and cool. :)

Happy New Year! AlexM

P.S. Don’t worry, Britni, I still have you booked for 2011. :)

I love me some Legacy Venue! A few weeks ago I shot my first wedding at one of the newer venues in the area. The Legacy Venue in Jacksonville. I always love shooting at new places and this was no exception. The place is beautiful and Susan and her staff do a great job taking care of all the little details that you run into on the day of your wedding. You may remember Laura & Neal’s wedding from last month, but if you don’t here are a few reminder photos.

Here is the bridal room in action. You could probably fit anywhere from 10-15 girls in the room and everyone would have some mirror space. :)

These two were married indoors, but The Legacy also has a great gorgeous spot for an outdoor wedding.



A few shots from the reception hall.



In other exciting news the wedding was picked up by a great wedding blog called Hot Pink Brides.

You can see their write up about it here.

Anyway, I always think getting to know your wedding vendors is super important for a bride so here is a little interview I did with The Legacy Venue’s owner, Susan Jones. Enjoy.

How did you guys get started, how long have you been doing this?
We have always loved to host special events. We even held a few weddings at our home before we built the facility. We started building The Legacy in June 2008 and completed it by November 1, 2008



What is your favorite part about your job?
Sharing a very special day in someone’s life.

What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at your venue?
(This of course does not mean that you were responsible for the crazy.)
We had someone propose to his girlfriend at “The Legacy”. That was really neat and something we will always remember. 


What are some things brides should look for when looking for a venue?
I think having many options is very important because every bride and groom visualize something different for their special day. I also think it is important that when choosing a venue, that if they want to get married outside, you also have a chapel or a place inside just in case it rains. It is a lot less stressful if you have a plan “B”.
 


What is something unique to your venue that you are extra proud of?
We love the layout of the facility and the massive window in the reception hall. We also love the fact that the bride and groom have many options for the reception hall layout. The reception hall was built so the dance floor, DJ, Band, tables, chairs, food tables, cakes, etc… can be wherever they would like it to be. They can have any of these things wherever they would like and it looks great!


Anything else you wanna say?
We have a passion for what we do and enjoy sharing that special day in someone’s life. The vows and toasts are one of our favorite parts of a wedding because what is said comes straight from the heart.

The Legacy Venue
Phone: (903) 571-9644 or (903) 586-6463 

Email: info@thelegacy-venue.com

I have been looking forward to Laura & Neil’s wedding since I did their engagement session. These two are a so much fun to hang around. They are relaxed and their chemistry makes my camera so happy every time it photographs them.

The other reason I have been eager for this wedding was it was my first chance to shoot a wedding at The Legacy Venue in Jacksonville. We did Laura’s bridal session there, but venues always seem to really come alive when they are decked out for a wedding. This place did not disappoint. You brides out there looking for a place to get hitched really should give them a call. On to the images….

Laura did ALL the flowers! Most brides can’t handle just sitting around getting ready for the day, much less getting flowers together but she pulled off this crazy fun yellow and black look and I loved it!

Laura had the following image enlarged as her portrait and it was on display. The flower girl came up to me and said. “I want a picture just like Laura in the window.” She hopped up and posed for it. :) I’m hoping to book that wedding in 2024. :)

More yellow goodness.

A bit of First Look fun! Neal thanked me 2 or 3 times during the day for encouraging them to do a first look. He just kept talking about how much “easier” it made the day.

Also big big props to Neil. During their First Look, out of the blue he said. “Let me see your shoes.” He, my blog reading friends, is what we like to call a “catch”.

The talented folks at Chez Bazan did the wedding cakes.

We even got to do some shots with their dog Duke.

This was Duke back at the end of May. He is now a large animal.

Thanks guys for a great afternoon. I can’t wait to get started on your album!

Super great Fourth of July wedding at Castle on the Lake in Jacksonville. No chit chat from me, just straight to the images.

Super cute flower girl. Ready and willing to be photographed.

This was Lindsey’s checklist for the day.

They wanted lots of photos of the two of them and that always starts off with a super fun First Look.

Lindsey had EVERYBODY rocking the white and they all totally pulled it off.

I love me a good ring shot.

It’s funny, no matter how hot it is, once the ceremony rolls around, it’s all kinda just fades away to pretty.

Right after the ceremony they decided to take me up on one of my “tips” and have a meal alone. Just the two of them.

Is it OK to admit that i teared up a bit during Butterfly Kisses?

My ring shot prop and his lady friend. :)

First sparkler getaway where I literally feared for my life. (I think some people snuck in some fireworks or something. There was a lot of flameage happening.



Venue: Castle on the Lake