Gorgeous Fall

So for my first wedding-free weekend in a while, I headed down to Camp Illiana in Washington, IN, with my husband to volunteer at InterVarsity's Fall Conference. (for college students) Little did I know how beautiful it would be there or how hard of a job cooking for 200 is. After 12 hours in the kitchen Saturday, I have a whole new appreciation for school and camp cooks. Can you imagine how much chili you are making when you start with 40lbs of ground beef? The food was all very delicious and I was lucky enough to bring a few leftovers home! Tim helped in the kitchen some but most of his time was spent playing bass with the worship team. Sunday morning I had a little time with my camera to capture the awesome fall leaves. I thought I would share those in case you don't get a chance to see some pretty trees this season! I was just in awe of the trees beauty.

Cozza Wedding

How cute are these two flowers girls? Well, almost as cute as Lauren and David! Lauren was such a great bride to work with and the first bride I've ever come across who ate a foot long hotdog for lunch the day of the wedding! She had wonderful gal pals that went way back, all the way to the cul-de-sac where they grew up. They have shared many memories together and this was the first wedding for the trio. With a late evening wedding, we got done with pictures in time for every one to enjoy some Papa John's pizza before the ceremony! (Lauren & David both went to ISU, where the 5.99 campus pizza deal will hook you on Papa John's for life!)

The ceremony was very intimate with a dark sanctuary and lit alter area. This church had the scariest cat walks, but great angles for me during the ceremony. Since it was dark, they exited the church lined with sparklers. There was a fun limo ride with a lively wedding party and a few fun pics at the circle before we arrived at the Hyatt downtown. The Hyatt's renovation looks awesome and very contemporary, unfortunately it wasn't all finished on schedule. Despite that, the ballroom was awesome and everyone had a great time, especially during a special concert at the end of the night from a college band, Baton Smooth! The last picture is when David discovered the Colts garter, which Lauren was a fan of and well, he wasn't. They took off for a Florida honeymoon before settling into married life in Avon. Best wishes to this great match!

Long Time Love in Vincennes

Here's a peek at the engagement session I shot downtown with Kaleena & Eli. They're a couple with a long history as they have been together since their senior year of high school! Kaleena was an Indy 500 Princess with one of my former brides, Betsy. Despite the day we shot being generally yucky, the weather broke long enough for an awesome sunset!

Ali & Pete

Ali and Pete had the hottest October engagement shoot ever. A record breaking 90 at 6pm on October 8th! Wow, we didn't see that coming. Ali was a fellow civil engineer at Tim's, my husband, old job. Pete has interned there several summers. I saw Ali on several occasions in the lunch room when I would occasionally visit Tim. I was excited to hear when Ali got engaged and even more excited when they chose me as their photographer! Despite the heat we had a good time on the shoot and then enjoyed a double date at the Jazz Kitchen, in Broad Ripple, for their awesome 8 before 8 special. If you haven't tried this place yet go on a Monday and get the $8 special and listen to live Jazz!

Cheap Eats!

This is random, but if you are looking for some cheap food downtown tonight, the Old Spaghetti Factory is the place to go. They are running an anniversary special offering 1982 prices, which start at $1.89, for a full meal! Tonight is the last night for the special from 5-10pm. Tim and I tried to go Tuesday night, but the line out of the doors reminded me of Broad Ripple on a Saturday night about the time I come home from a wedding. If you don't mind waiting, food doesn't come much cheaper than this deal!

Marissa & Curtis

What a beautiful fall wedding and unseasonable heat! Marissa was a bridesmaid in a wedding I shot for her good friend Jessi two years ago, so when she got engaged she looked me up! This was my second trip to the unique town of Clinton, Indiana. This little town doesn't hide it's pride in it's Italian roots. The town hosts the "Little Italy Festival" in the fall, which I've heard is quite the event of good food and wine.

The girls got their hair done at the same salon I was at 2 years ago. It was nice to have three familiar faces in the wedding party at the start of the day. After running early, which rarely happens, we headed to the church. The Catholic school behind the sanctuary where they got ready just happened to be not air-conditioned and Saturday just happened to be a record breaking day in the heat department. Despite the July-like heat, Marissa enjoyed getting ready in the school she attended for the first part of her academic career. She even spotted a few of her favorite childhood books in the library they got ready it.

The church had amazing stained glass windows and wonderful architectural details. It was a beautiful place for Marissa and Curtis to exchange their vows. After the ceremony they got away in a cop car! Curtis is a local cop, and well pretty much all of the other police in town were at the wedding as well.

The reception was lit by candlelight and decorated with much detail from the hard work of Marissa and Simple to Elegant in Terre Haute. The toasts and first dances brought many tears as Marissa's Maid and Matron of Honor shared stories from when they all became friends so many years ago. The evening was full of dancing and every type of cake you could want, red velvet, chocolate with mouse, strawberry, white and even Oreo! Marissa and Curtis left for a Disney World honeymoon, which I'm sure they enjoyed. Best wishes to the happy couple!