the day after | lindsay & duane

Maybe its been the gloomy weather we've had this winter, maybe its because I haven't gotten out to shoot in a while, or maybe its just the simple fact that Lindsay & Duane were completely smitten, in love, and just flat out adorable with each other that makes me LOVE this session!!! I received an email from Lindsay that just absolutely BROKE my heart! She and Duane were married just this past December, but through some bad situations they have just a handful of wedding images! A HANDFUL! Can you believe that?!?! My heart broke. I was sick to my stomach! I knew in that instant that I would do anything I could to make this session awesome! Snow? Thats magical! Frigid temperature? Cause for more snuggling! Semi gloomy day? Well, thats called perfect light! ;) Lindsay and Duane were amazing! I seriously don't think I could have asked for a better couple to jump start my 2013 season!!! 

I loved that we started off the session where they first met...Oodles, downtown. :D

Are they not adorable???

Whooa! Love love this one! 

Lindsay & Duane! I know I've told you probably 100 times how much fun I had...but its so sincere! You two were just perfect!

Smiles,

Kayla F

planning the big day | the paper goods

Wow! I can’t believe that May 4^th is right around the corner!!! Planning a wedding, having a full time job and growing my photography business has just eaten up my time, but I wanted to continue with the planning the big day series! I’ve had many people ask me when my next post will be, so I’ll be making a solid effort to blog once a week on our big day!

In my last planning the big day post, we showcased our amazing venue! Rob and I just absolutely fell in love with Maple Grove Inn and knew that we had to have our wedding here. It had everything we wanted and SO much more!!!

Since we got engaged {almost} two years ago, we wanted to send out Save-the-Dates to our friends and family that we 100% knew we wanted to invite to the wedding so they could mark their calendars. Having a wedding in early May means little kiddos are still in school and families are starting to begin {or already have begun} planning their vacations. So we knew we wanted to get a jump on them!

In looking at Save-the-Dates, there is an abundant amount of inspiration and incredibly talented designers out and about!!! {See a list at the bottom of this post for some vendors}. Would we go with a photo for the save-the-date? A magnet? A viewfinder {trust me, they make them}? Or stay simple and showcase the amazing venue that we are getting married at?? Well, you guessed it! I actually had my mind set on a photo save-the-date. I mean, I am a photographer and all. But after meeting with one of my brides Katie, and seeing her save-the-date, I instantly knew that I wanted to have a drawn representation of our venue! 

The Save-the-Date that started it all. {the link to this vendor is at the bottom of this post}

Now, you all have probably seen me gush about Kate with Kate Moore Creative! She designed my photography logo and I've had a love fest with her work for a few years now {she's genius, let me just say}! So off I went to send an email to Kate. Here is a verbatum excerpt of what I sent her, "We absolutely LOVE our venue (Maple Grove Inn) and would love to have a sketch done of it for the save-the-dates."  When she replied back with "Ummmm YESSSS! yay! i would adore doing something for you guys. Your style is so awesome and I am in love with the idea of a sketch of the maple grove inn. so different and adorable." I knew we were a match made in Heaven {as if I didn't already know this...psh}.  So a few emails back and forth and I sent her this image! :D

Let me just say, when I got the proof back for our save-the-date, I literally sat there and stared at it for probably a good 5-7 minutes. I was in aww! It was EXACTLY what I wanted! She nailed it. Literally. I couldn't have even thought that it would be this awesome! She even did a handdrawn  picture of Maple Grove Inn! I loved every single little big of it! Now the only conundrum I had was what color did we want it in???

We chose lavender {did you expect me to choose something else} and then decided that we wanted to STAMP them! Oh yea! We bought this amazing super thick cotton paper from Holyoke Papers,  our envelopes from Paper Source, and our stamps from Clancy Stamping Co. {local}. And off we starting stamping!!! 

{so I'm a loser and only documented our envelope process, sad day}

You'll see the FINAL product in our wedding day pictures!! I hope you loved seeing the process that we went through and how you can make a save-the-date unique and tie in with your wedding theme!!! :D

Smiles,

Kayla F

 View Finder Save-the-Dates

Adorable Picture Save-the-Dates

Katie Save-the-Date

Calligraphy Postcard Save-the-Date

Custom Handkerchief Save-the-Date

the clan | Olivia

I was thrilled to meet up with Olivia and Jessica for their super cute and fun session!! Its February, cold, dreary and oh so windy, but hey, that doesn't mean that you can't have a crazy awesome session! Little Miss Olivia was what I needed in this down time! She was soooo insanely cute and fun and just so bubbly!! Her mom told me that the last time they had pictures taken, Olivia just sat their and gave a scoul the whole time! Well, that definitely didn't happen during out session! She was ready and WILLING to have her picture taken! We headed out to UT Arboretum for some fun! Luckily, this day was one of our few and far between sunny days! I think it actually got up to 57 degrees that day! :D Another photographer had shared with me a spot at the arboretum that I hadn't ever shot at before, so I knew that I would want to take Olivia there! Man! Am I so happy I did!!!! 

 We decided to pick wheat and help with germination...lol! All Olivia's words! She's such a smarty!

 I can't get over this picture! I just love it!!!!

 She had just so much spunk! The wheat in her hair was totally her idea!

  We decided to end this super awesome session in one of my favorite areas of the park! I just let Olivia do her thing! She was seriously the cutest!

 I had such a blast with Olivia, Jessica and Eva! You guys were SO much fun and just what I needed!!

Smiles,

Kayla F

the client gift | a little thank you

Today's post is a small one, but a BIG one in my heart!!! Clients give me SO much!!! They give me my  PASSION! They allow me to take something that brings me crazy amounts of joy, endless amounts of creativity and most of all, MOTIVATION that makes me work harder to make this thing I love a dream and my job!!! So what can I do for them?!? Other than deliver a service, which hopefully includes amazing email response, funny little antics at sessions, and giggles along the way, along with photos that are cherished for a lifetime, I hope to create amazing friendships with my clients! So my present to my 2013 clients is just this! 

Something that will represent their new life TOGETHER!!! I've worked closely with Kate Moore Creative to create this stamp in hopes that it not only captures a new life, but also captures true love, friendship and the undeniable feeling that I have for clients. (All of this in an address stamp?? Really?, Apease me, please!)  I want to evoke a feeling of completeness and finality with this pretty awesome address stamp. :D

I hope you love my 2013 client gifts as much as I do...heck, they may still be my 2020 client gifts!!!

 "Life without Love is no Life at all" My favorite quote from my favorite movie, Ever After.

 Love these amazing stamps!!! Designed by Kate Moore Creative and made by Clancy Service Stamp Co. *shop local

Smiles,

Kayla F

the kiddo | elijah vance

So as you are reading this, I am on my way to Nashville for an awesome photography workshop help by two AMAZING industry professionals!!! I hope to come back with a fire under my tush to accomplish my 2013 goals (which I will share in a later post) and take this whole photography "thing" to another level. Its my passion and why shouldn't I be happy and do this as much and as BIG as I can?!? So, more with that later! Now onto the awesome stuff...

This may be one of my favorite sessions and clients (I know I know...I say this every time, but my clients ROCK my socks off)!! When I received Sarah's email I might have done a little happy dance at my computer!!! I had been FB and Pinterest stalking Sarah since her wedding that I shot with Jennie Andrews all the way back in 2010!!! I was just absolutely BLOWN away that she would ask me to do her newborn session!! So baby watch began...and ended rather soon! Before I knew it, I was sending an email just checking in and Elijah had been born the day before (so maybe my stalking skills are not up to par). Since it was December and chilly (or freezing) we decided to do the session at home! I love love LOVE home sessions! Especially newborn home sessions. Everyone is comfy, everything that baby needs is right there, and if you are to ever have pictures taken in your home, it should be with a new addition to the family! Eeek! Be prepared to Oohhhh and Aaaahhhh! I know I did countless times while taking these pictures, editing them and then again when choosing which ones to blog! :D

I came in to a sleepy baby (which is my favorite) and he was just soooo stinking cute! I soon found that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and Elijah definitely takes after his Dad, Jason in height! He's SOOO long!!!! 

Look at those cheeks! 

 I think babies with one sock is mandatory. Two socks is not cute, one sock...PERFECT! 

 Omgsh...just melts my heart how Jason looks at Elijah!!! 

 Sarah is little miss crafty! She not only made these adorable letters, but she also showed me all kinds of other adorable things....like a growth chart that goes all the way up to 7ft! Lol!!! Hey, you never with this kiddos' genes! 

 LOVE all the orange details!!! The awesome mobile is from Africa when Sarah went and did mission work last year and the type writer is a present from a friend. LOVE details in a nursery!!!!

 Ok, maybe this one is my favorite...I seriously just can't get over it!

Seriously, seriously?!?! No, this one is my fav of the day! :D 

Sarah, Jason and of course Elijah, thank you SO much for inviting me into your "temporary" home and taking these images of Elijah! I hope you cherish them and I can't wait to see you soon! 6 months will be here before you know it! :D

Smiles,

Kayla F