Just a reminder: I'll be appearing today at the Kentucky Bride Bridal Show at the Lexington Convention Center (not to be confused with the other show at the hotel downtown, or with the gun show at Heritage Hall. Seriously, I'm not going to be at the gun show.) from 12p to 5p. Brides who are ready to book a wedding at the show will enjoy a discount of $200 off single photographer coverages and $400 off plus a free 20 page engagement photo guestbook ($125 value) if you sign a contract at the show and make a deposit (check or credit cards or Paypal accepted at the show).

Images and story after the jump...

Before I get to talking about Michelle and Kris' July wedding, I want to mention that I'll be appearing this Sunday at Jacki Allen's Kentucky Bride show at the Lexington Convention Center. (Click on the link for $2 off admission)  Stop by and spend some time talking with me about your plans, and ask everything (and I do mean everything) you need to find out to be comfortable working with me to document the wedding of your dreams.  As a show special, I'm offering $200 off single photographer coverages and $400 off and a free engagement photo guestbook (regularly $125) for brides who book me at the show.  Click on the pricing link above for a link to our current signature wedding collections.  As always, we're happy to customize any collection to fit your needs best.

Pictures after the jump...

Just a quick image from Jenn and Matt's wedding this weekend in Ohio-- for those of you scoring at home, that's my 7th state this season, 3rd this month. Beginning to miss my own bed, not to mention Kristina and the kids. But first, off to shoot a newborn session!

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I'm still in Lexington through Wednesday for consultations- June and July of next year are booking fast, so call me right away to schedule an appointment!

One of the things about weddings is that they often seem to be too familiar after awhile.  You start looking for the same things, you set up in the same places in the aisle, etc.   But then one comes along that busts up all your usual routines, and for me, Meredith and Aaron's wedding certainly did that.

Their original plan involved a small ceremony in a nearby state park, but someone pointed out that there was no alternate location at that site if the weather turned sour, and boy, was that a good call.  The day turned out to have a light, but steady, drizzle, and instead of fighting the weather, we got a charming venue that was perfect for the intimate size of the gathering and promised fun for all.

I've been sitting on this one since April for a reason, and it's finally time to bring this one out for view-- Tara and Glenn's wedding is featured on page 48 of the new issue of Kentucky Bride Magazine, out tomorrow, to coincide with Jacki Allen's Kentucky Bride bridal show at the Lexington Convention Center (1-5p, Bluegrass Ballroom).

I had a blast shooting this one with longtime associate Jennifer Creed, who's now setting up shop down in Nashville. The day started at the Campbell House for preparations, including hair by Sara Drury of the Jon-Beck Salon and makeup by the always awesome Ana Crane-Simpson, before we headed down to Calvary Baptist on a trolley. After the brief ceremony, we headed to the Round Barn at Red Mile for the reception, and everyone tells me they've never seen the Round Barn look so good, and part of the credit has to go to Charles Ray, who did the flowers. The cake was by Judy Myers of Delectable Edibles, and Domino provided the evening's soundtrack. The event was held together by the always capable Jackie Lee of Every Last Detail.

I could go on posting images from this wedding all night, but nothing matches seeing it in print, so go pick up your copy of Kentucky Bride today!

Another hectic week around here having just gotten back from Michelle and David's wedding up in Rochester this weekend.  Michelle was one of my wife Kristina's college roommates at Syracuse, so this one was a labor of love.  Of course, any weekend up in the Rochester/Syracuse area means we had some boxes to check off, like a post wedding dinner of takeout from the local edition of the Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, introducing the kids to Heid's of Liverpool the next day, but mainly catching up with old friends.

Since we're getting ready to have Caroline's preschool graduation (I'm not ready for this) and a wedding up in the Amherst, MA area this weekend, I've only got a couple to show you from this weekend, and I've still got a bit of the last Real Weddings post to get uploaded soon, but click through to see more from this weekend's festivities!

How much did I love this wedding? Start with a stellar venue for prep time-- Rachel got ready at the lovely Swann's Nest bed and breakfast located just a mile beyond Keeneland on the way out towards Versailles.

She and John had their first meeting that day on the grounds there and it was a superb place for portraits.

Her Vera Wang dress was stunning-- easily one of the top 5 dresses I've seen on any bride in my career, New York or Kentucky or anywhere else-- more importantly, the way she just started bursting with a mix of joy and confidence when she stepped into it... simply breathtaking.

Combine that with an Orthodox Christian wedding, with its own sense of mystery in its rituals, the crowns, the incense, the room full of traditional iconography... you end up with a wedding that really stands out in its uniqueness here in the Bluegrass.

I'm so in love with this wedding that this look at it will be a two-parter, so that you can focus on the beauty of the first half of the day before diving into the fun of the reception next week! Click through for more images from this one after the jump...

I've been up to my eyeballs in editing from all the recent weddings, engagements and the odd sweet sixteen the last couple of weeks, but I wanted to share a few shots from Megan and Andrew's wedding this weekend-- first of a string of four weddings in four different states over the next few weeks. Check out the traditional Filipino barongs Andrew and his groomsmen opted for instead of tuxes-- Mabuhay!

Click through for more!

Some days this job is really easy.  Put people in great light, let them be themselves, let it all hang out.

Saturday was not one of those days.

Outdoor wedding on a family farm, and it rained.  Lots.

So we did little adjustments, like move the bridesmaids' formals into the sitting room, things like that.  But really, that wouldn't have been sufficient.  This was a beautiful property, with an amazing garden where the cocktail hour was supposed to be before the skies opened up.

I suppose we could have found a place indoors to take portraits, but... naaaaah.  I pulled out a bridal white golf umbrella, and off we went.  The umbrella did exactly what I hoped it would:  Not only did it leave Mary's hair immaculate, but it grabbed the available light, and focused a whole lot of soft, gentle light right on them.

Some days, you have to just make a picture.

More images after the jump...

I was set to visit wedding designer Julie Murphy at her downtown Lexington studio yesterday, when I got an excited call from her-- there's a friend of yours here who wants to surprise you! So I hightail it down to Woodland Avenue, and when I got there, Eliska the mother of one of last year's brides, Carlyn, was in, talking with Julie about her son Will's upcoming wedding! (We're still not sure if that one will be Lexington or Cincinnati, but I can't wait!)

Carlyn and Scottie were one of the fun ones last year--great locations (Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church and Fasig-Tipton), charming couple, obvious affection. Here's a look inside their wedding story...

Click the gallery images below for more...