We were supposed to be phasing out the old banner from Ian Lozada Photography. Really, we were. But when the center banner from our new bridal show booth got lost in shipping from the printers and a replacement failed to arrive in time for the Metro Bridal Show, we were forced to use the old banner one more time. Those of you who were sharp enough to use our QR code were sent to the new website, where you were routed straight to the show specials.

In case you were wondering what the new banner was supposed to look like:

As you can imagine, over 170 weddings in 11 different states over the last 6 seasons, I've learned a little bit about making the best of it when things don't work out the way they were planned, which is a very good skill to have in the business of weddings.

Can't wait to hear from you about your plans!

Recently, I did a little bit of a different type of photo shoot for our longtime friends at M&M Pest Control, New York City's leading pest control firm. The photos were of some funny t-shirts proclaiming to the world it was safe to "Date Me… I'm Bed Bug Free!" I have no idea if they're moving many of the shirts, but they did their real job, which is to get lots of coverage in the local media. As a result, my work has recently appeared on Fashionista, Racked NY, Bikini Buys, The Lo-Down, and NearSay, and the shirts have also been mentioned in Coco Perez, the NY Times' T Magazine blog, amNew York, and New York Magazine's daily fashion update.

The funny thing is that at the time of the shoot, I was sporting quite a few bed bug bites, courtesy of a Lexington, Kentucky hotel that could have used M&M's services! But if, unlike me back in May, you are bed bug free, you can pickup your t-shirts at Funnybedbugtshirts.com.

A lot of times we talk about weddings as an event where two families become one.  In reality, many bride's and groom's families really meet for the first time on the wedding day.  Not so with Drew and Heather's families.  I've been able to spend a lot of time with them, at birthdays and engagement sessions and location scouting, and I can tell you for a fact that they already were melded into one family long before this wedding day.  There wasn't that feeling out process.  Instead, what you see in these images, whether it be from Heather and Drew or their parents, friends, relations, even vendors, is this sense of unbridled joy.

More images after the jump...

It certainly didn't hurt that the wedding took place at a magnificent family farm just outside Louisville, with amazing scenery, great prep rooms, lovely staircases and all those other things that make photographers happy (like a pair of equine wedding crashers who watched from their neighboring paddock!).  In addition, since Heather and Drew's favorite meal is breakfast, we got to enjoy the flying flapjack stylings of Chris Cakes of Indiana.  If you sign on with them, get ready to catch your meal!

At the end of the day, Heather and Drew snuck away with me for a little portrait session, giving us a nice mix of the scripted along with my usual Love. Unscripted. style...

If all these photos below aren't enough for you, even more are available to view on the Ian Lozada Photography page on Facebook, so please check them out!

It's that time of year again-- I'm knee deep in editing this summer's weddings while trying to schedule meetings to talk with brides about next spring's weddings (plus a couple still for this fall!), which hasn't left lots of time for blogging, especially if I want the kids to remember who that guy who shows up every other week is. I think my wife remembers who I am, but I've been on the road lots this season-- six different states this year.

I'm overdue for a real wedding post, and you'll see a new quirky one tomorrow - the ceremony took place on a carousel in Massachussetts!

Also tomorrow (Tuesday August 17), my brother's Tim's band, the Turbo A.C.'s, invade Lexington. They're playing Buster's Billiards down in the Distillery District, and you know I'd love to see a great turnout for them here in their only Kentucky appearance. If you're a new bride that we haven't booked yet and you introduce yourself to me at the show, I'll give you a substantial gift card towards your wedding photography-- trust me, it'll be a lot bigger than the price of admission, even if you bring your whole wedding party!

As for the promised fun in this post, I was on Improv Everywhere's site and saw this great mission from last year, where they throw a surprise wedding reception for a couple getting married at City Hall... Enjoy!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lVS22y4uoU

This is how you do Save The Date, kats 'n' kiddies...

I've discovered over time that a lot of my brides own multiple dogs. Some of them even want a favorite pooch to be part of the wedding. This morning, I saw on a dog owner newsletter the perfect item for those of you who fall into this category...

I give you the Pet Petal Pushcart. It hooks up to your favorite canine and it's like a little wagon, which you fill with flower petals. As your flower pooch walks down the aisle, (or for those of you with Jack Russells like me, gallops down the aisle), the cart dispenses the petals.

They have a video, but embedding was disabled, so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzQIkQBy44k

I can't wait to see how long I go before I see one of these through my viewfinder!